The Death of Hector

In Homer's Iliad, we see the events lead up to and turn at the death of the Trojan hero, Hector. The poem begins with the Greek word for wrath and anger, ìçíéí, and unfolds into a series of conflicts that evolve throughout. The first book introduces the backdrop of the war between the Trojans and the Achaeans, as well as the jealousy and anger of Agamemnon and the quibbling of the Gods, which continues throughout the poem.

"Anger be now your song, immortal one,

Achilles' anger, doomed and ruinous,

that caused the Achaeans loss on bitter loss

and crowded brave souls into the undergloom,

leaving so many dead men- carrion

for dogs and birds; and the will of Zeus was done."

Thus begins a long series of exchanges between fate and irony that are encapsulated by the tragic role that Hector and his death play in this poem.

Hektor's death, though not unforeseen, comes at a pivotal time in the epic when the Trojan army is forced into retreat- specifically, book 22. After a headstrong suggestion from Hector that the men sleep outside the gates of Troy, and a withdrawal of the men's wits by Athena, the army agrees to set up camp. Meanwhile, Achilles has returned to battle to avenge the death of his beloved friend, Patroklos, whom Hector has slain.

One of the most significant aspects of Hektor's final days is the influence he has over Achilles and, in turn, the fate of both armies. Back in the first book, Achilles left the war when Agamemnon took his war prize, the beautiful Briseis, after having to return his own, Chryseis, at the order of Apollo. Since this point, Achilles has turned down numerous offerings and pleas from his comrades to rejoin the war. At one of the Achaean's lowest points, Achilles reluctantly gives Patroklos his armor and agrees to let him enter battle, but only under very strict circumstances. Patroklos, predictably, leaves reason and his friend's counsel for the excitement of battle, only to find himself under Hektor's sword. Until this point, we see no chance of swaying Achilles back into battle. But, as soon as he hears news of his companion's death, he vows to neither sleep nor eat, nor even bury Patroklos, until he avenges his death, that vengeance which Achilles pursues with all of his being.

As the Achaeans attack with renewed strength, the Trojans are forced to retreat within their city walls. Realizing his foolish mistake, Hector shamefully refuses to retreat with his endangered men. Instead, he waits outside. Achilles arrives, and at first Hector contemplates talking him into an agreement but soon realizes that Achilles' thirst for revenge will not be relieved by negotiation. Achilles proceeds to chase Hector around the city, and on the fourth time around, the gods play a deceitful but necessary trick on him. Athena descends in the form of one of Hektor's friends, and convinces him that they two together can defeat Achilles. Hector stops, and stands ready to fight, but as Achilles approaches, his assistance vanishes. At this point, the Trojan hero has two choices- he can either make a desperate attempt to plea for his life, or he can gather the remainders of his dignity, accept his fate, and die in the honorable fashion intended for him. And of course, being the hero, he chooses the latter. What he does not realize, however, is that Achilles knows every vulnerability of his old armor, which Hector donned after killing Patroklos and is still wearing. Therefore, all it takes is a swift thrust of Achilles' sword through the neck of the armor to end Hektor's redeeming confrontation.

This is a fine example of Homer's use of irony. On the surface, Achilles kills a part of his own past, his guilt, perhaps, in defeating his old set of armor. At the same time, he kills the Trojans' most prized fighter. The irony is present from Hektor's view as well. In conquering Patroklos, he strips him of his armor and puts it on himself, swept away by his own pride and desire for honor. This boastful act in turn becomes his demise, allowing Achilles the perfect opportunity to slay him. But, this ironic scene is merely a plot of the unsympathetic fates that seem to dictate every move. The gods have some say, and we occasionally see some control within the mortals, but the fates skew every situation to accommodate their own predestined outcomes. Thus, the irony of the Iliad is created. In a sense, though, the Gods direct fate. For instance, Zeus intercedes when the archer Teucer attempts to shoot Hector because it was not yet his time. Unfortunately for Hector, his fate was decided outside of the Trojan walls when Zeus weighed his fate against Achilles', and realized that he could not be saved. The curious situation of Homer's plot is that the reader oftentimes knows a character's fate long before it arrives. However, that turns the interest from what actions the character will take to how he will react to his given situations. To use again as an example Patroklos' death, we have Hektor's fate told to him, as well as that of the city of Troy, with his victim's last breaths. The reader already knows these fates, but now has them in mind as the last days of Hektor's life unfold and he makes the critical choices between pride and cowardice. This is in another way an ironic situation, for Hector cannot even take full credit for this murder. He is only able to beat Patroklos after Apollo leaves him wounded and basically defenseless. Hector merely finishes him off, yet takes such pride in this that he taunts the dying man. In return, the voice he kills tells him his own tragic destiny, that he is to be killed in battle, and that Troy will fall. Book 15 is the beginning of the end for both Hector and Troy, as foretold by both Patroklos and Zeus. This book marks the end of the Trojans' glory and the start of their demise, with most of their leaders killed, spirits exhausted, resources of men effete, and Hector soon to be slain. This is not the first time Hector has encountered these prophecies, as he explains them to his adoring wife Andromache earlier in book 6, atop that same wall that the last moments of his life revolved around. She begged him to not go back to war, but, just as he does later when facing Achilles, Hector dives into his known fate. Thus he redeems himself for his cowardly scenes in between. But nonetheless, Achilles carries out his fate for him, leaving Andromache heart-broken, their son fatherless, and the King Priam and Queen Hecuba in torment for their own son.

The king actually has to go to Achilles and beg for the corpse of his son, one of the most emotionally charged scenes of the poem. In the midst of relentless war and bloodshed, fighting between the gods and within each army, Homer allows us a small instance of mercy and respect. Of course, this is only after Achilles drags Hektor's body through the dirt, trailing his chariot, for days. While there are many similarities between the two men's characters, this is a clear instance of the respect for propriety that Achilles lacks. Hector does not show this blatant of disregard for death and afterlife. King Priam approaches Achilles in great despair, wanting nothing more than to bury his son with the honor he deserves, and for closure for the tormented family.

"Go I shall,

and no more words. If I must die alongside

the ships of the Achaeans in their bronze,

I die gladly. May I but hold my son

and spend my grief; then let Akhilleus kill me."

He does not meet danger, though, for he reaches Achilles' heartstrings in referring to his own father. As guided by Hermes, the gentle wayfinder, Priam explains his situation as if it were Achilles' father's. He says,

"Remember your own father,

Achilles, in your godlike youth: his years

like mine are many, and he stands upon

the fearful doorstep of old age. He, too,

is hard pressed, it may be, by those around him,

there being no one able to defend him

from bane of war and ruin. Ah, but he

may nonetheless hear news of you alive,

and so with glad heart hope through all his days

for sight of his dear son, come back from Troy,

while I have a deathly fortune."

Both men remain still, embraced, as their hearts are moved to tears- Priam, for his son, and Achilles for his own father as well as Patroklos. It is now that Achilles seems a changed man, no longer the boastful, unrelenting youth of before. Now, he shows compassion for the old man and his son whom he killed. This change of character, brought about by pity and realization, signals the change in mood of the Iliad, the conclusion. He even swears to Priam to hold the Achaean army for eleven days, in order to hold proper burial ceremonies for his son. This new sense of compromising ends the Iliad, as we see patterns of rage and vengeance finally put aside, if even for a short while, to honor the death of Hector. Whereas nothing could permeate the wrath before- of either gods or men- it seems that the entire world stops to honor the Trojan hero, respected even by the Achaeans, and adored by the gods. As Hektor's body is finally being laid to rest, Homer chooses a very specific epithet with which to end the epic poem, "tamer of horses", as though all the rage and fury from the epic has reached closure, has been tamed, with Hektor's homecoming and burial.

"And so they performed

the funeral rites of Hector, tamer of horses."This epithet not only draws a sense of peace, or at least calm, to all of the tumult from the poem, but also honors Hektor's best traits in life. Being the most celebrated Trojan warrior, Hector was known to defeat every mortal he encountered with great skill and accuracy, except, of course, Achilles. Even the gods preserved his body despite Achilles tormenting it, for they held him so dear and honorable. He was known and respected also for his sense of compassion and comforting abilities, especially with women. His epithet, perhaps paralleling the women with wild horses, cites his rare ability to calm and please each. A sense of this compassion is finally transferred to Achilles, but the hero is already slain. And, as Hektor's fate buries him, so will Troy's fate soon tear down its walls and bury its citizens.