Iliad, Books XXII-XXIV

It's been no secret that Hector has been my favorite character: reading Book XXIV is always a challenge. To hear the Trojans mourn the loss of Hector is heartrenching. Maybe it's because after all of my reading and hoping that Hector will pull through and defeat the Greeks, he dies. Troy falls. I think it's interesting, Homer closes his epic with Andromache and Helene grieving over the loss of Hector. The poem's portrayal of the brutality of war ends with the women (the survivors) coping with the cost of battle. Andromache realizes her life must change after Hector's death--Troy will fall, she will be taken prisioner, their son will be persecuted. But Andromache seems most heartbroken that they did not spend his last moments together. Hector's last words were a prophesy about Achilles' death, not about love or life or happiness. Helen has the distinct honor of being one of the last speakers in the epic. This seems fitting since the Trojan War began with her kidnapping. Her love and respect for Hector is amazing. He is the man who restrained others from cursing her, not her beloved husband Paris (Book XXIV, line 906). Is it any wonder taht Hector is my favorite character? He seems so much more human and likable than god-like Achilles.