Let's begin this story back at the banquet where Paris has chosen Aphrodite as the fairest of the fair. He claims his prize...the most beautiful woman in the world: Helen of Troy. There's one problem-- Helen is married to Menelaus. And Menelaus is very powerful. He's a brother in-law to Agamemnon, the king of Greece, or Achaia. Paris is also a powerful man. His father is Priam, the king of Troy.

Many princes of Greece owe their allegiance to Agamemnon, and he and Menelaus have persuaded them to wage war against Priam. The Iliad begins nine years into this long war, with the Achaian forces encamped beside their ships near Troy. They have captured and looted a number of towns in Trojan territory, under the dashing leadership of Achilleus), the most unruly of Agamemnon's royal supporters.

The success of these raiding parties leads to a feud between Achilleus and his Commander-in-Chief. Agamemnon has been allotted the girl Chryseis as his prize of war, but her father, a priest of Apollo, demands her return. The priest prays to his god. A plague ensues; and Agamemnon is forced by the strength of public feeling to give up the girl and pacify the angry god. He retaliates by seizing one of Achilleus' own prizes, a girl named Briseis. Achilleus refuses to fight any more and withdraws his force from the battlefield.

After an abortive truce, intended to allow Menelaus and Paris to settle their quarrel by single combat, the two armies meet. With Achilleus still sulking in his tent, the Achaians are put on the defensive. They are forced to make a trench and a wall round their ships and huts. But these defenses are eventually stormed by Hektor, the Trojan Commander-in-Chief, who succeeds in setting fire to one of the Achaian ships.

At this point, Achilleus yields and permits his closest friend Patroklos (wearing Achilleus' armor) to lead the Myrmidon force to the rescue of the hard-pressed Achaians. Patroklos brilliantly succeeds in his mission, but he goes too far and is killed under the walls of Troy by Hektor. The death of his best friend brings Achilleus to life. In an excess of rage with Hektor and grief for his comrade, he reconciles himself with Agamemnon, takes the field once more, and hurls the panic-stricken Trojans back into their town. (This is where your excerpt begins) Achilleus finally kills Hektor. Not content with this revenge, he savagely abuses the body of his fallen enemy. Hektor's father, King Priam, in his grief and horror, is inspired by the gods to visit Achilleus in his camp by night, in order to recover his son's body. Achilleus relents, and the Iliad ends with an uneasy truce for the funeral of Hektor.

Homer. The Iliad. London: Allen Lane, 1973.

Study Questions: "The Death of Hektor"

1. To whom is Hektor speaking when this section of Book XXII begins?

2. What does Hektor believe would be better than suffering disgrace among his people?

3. Hektor realizes that he is going to face the greatest warrior among the Greeks (also called Achaians). What plan might enable Hektor to avoid the confrontation with Achilleus?

4. An epic simile is a long, extended comparison. It is one of Homer's favorite techniques. To what is the race between Hektor and Achilleus compared between lines 35-70?

5. Homer also liked to use stock phrases, or short descriptive epithets to describe his main characters. Often they are repeated throughout the section, to reinforce the ideas Homer wishes to convey. What is the descriptive phrase that follows Hektor's name in line 64? What characteristics does this phrase convey?

6. As the gods and goddesses watched the race between Hektor and Achilleus, who was the first of them to speak? Why does this god feel sympathy for Hektor?

7. Which goddess jumps in to the debate over the fate of Hektor? What is her argument?

8. During the skirmish between Hektor and Achilleus, how did Achilleus' own people try to get in on the fight? Did Achilleus approve of this? Quote the passage that explains why/why not.

9. Between lines 125-144, Athene transforms herself into Deïphobos. Who is Deïphobos and why would Hektor trust (and wish to impress) him?

10. What promise does Hektor wish of Achilleus? Write the passage that summarizes Achilleus' answer.

11. Soon afterwards, how does Athene once again become involved in the fight?

12. At this point in the story (line 200) Hektor realizes that he's doomed. On the other hand, Achilleus is "eyeing" Hektor's body. What is Achilleus looking for?

13. Where does Achilleus stab Hektor?

14. Who is Patroklos and how does he figure into the story?

15. Does Achilleus ever soften in his treatment of Hektor? After Hektor's death, what immediately is done to his body?

    1. What act of war (committed by Hektor) are the Achaians glad to avenge?

    2. What is Achilleus' final indignity to Hektor's body?

    3. Greek wives were expected to stay close to home, in fact the symbol of womanhood in Greece was the tortoise. In what activity was Andromache, Hektor's wife, engaged when she receives word of his death?

    4. Andromache fears that their son will suffer cruel treatment after his father's death. Describe the scenario that she envisions.

    5. Discussion: Although we feel sympathy for Hektor in this section of "The Iliad," Homer didn't really "side" with either Greeks or Trojans over all. How is Achilleus' greatness conveyed in this section? Do you believe that Achilleus was excessive in his cruelty to Hektor?