Iliad Essay
After years and years of fighting, Hector, great fighter of Troy, is chased down and slain by the rage of Achilles. Although vast amounts of people living behind Troy’s great wall mourn the death of their hero Hector, three women in particular have laments or speeches mourning Hector’s death that are actually featured in the Iliad by Homer himself. Hector's wife, Andromache, his mother, Hecuba, and his sister, Helen have very important and different views of the war expressed in their speeches and one speech in particular is supported best in The Iliad. First, lets discuss his Hecuba’s, Hector’s mother, lament of Hector’s death. Her lament is the shortest and she almost seems to seek an understanding of Hector’s death or why he was killed. …show more content…
Andromache obviously mourns the death of her husband with statements such as,” You have died young, husband , and left me / A widow in the halls” but then switches her focus on their sons life ahead of him as she states”Our son is still an infant/ He will never reach manhood. No this city/ Will topple over and fall first” (l.777-781). Andromache seems almost mad at Hector as she once pleaded for him to stay behind city walls and protect and be a father to her and his son which is why her point is reflected most in the rest of the text because Andromache knew this would happen and that Hector would fall. Andromache talks directly to her son in lines 792-793 when she states” Your father was never gentle in combat/ And so the townspeople mourn for him” , but then switches right back to being upset with Hector's decisions that got him ultimately killed by stating ,“And so you have caused your parents unspeakable/ Sorrow, Hector, and left me endless pain”( l. 792-792). Andromache’s speech can be supported in the text because there were actual instances of her contemplating Hector’s death and how that would affect her emotionally and physically for the rest of her life compared to Hecuba and Helen , which the Iliad rarely ever showed speaking of their feelings about Hector before Hector’s Death. Her speech shows the tragedy when facing a war as a family member of a
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1813 Words | 8 PagesHector clearly abides by this expectation, however, a further investigation into Helen and Andromache 's
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1661 Words | 7 PagesOne of the major consequences of war is the horrific tragedies that occur. In the Iliad, in book eighteen, when Achilles hears that Hector killed Patroclus he is filled with rage and enters the war seeking vengeance. His rage causes him to kill hundreds of trojans and seek
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995 Words | 4 PagesWhen Patraclous is killed Achilles returns to the battle after he said we will not be fighting for the Achaeans because of the insult that it was made to his honor. He decided to go back and kill Hector for killing his best friend and most loved person, and to get the body which illustrate the idea of the glory after life. The idea of family honor adds a new level of understanding how important is pride is in ancient Greek literature. Another Example of this can be shown when Achilles kills hector, The reaction of Priam Hector’s father. Priam says “I have gone through what no other mortal on earth has gone through; I put my lips to the hands of the man who has killed my children (Homer, Iliad 24.505)”
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