This passage takes place in the beginning of Book XXII, the night before this day the Trojans were slaughtered outside of their walls by the Greeks and Achilles. Achilles has now found an insurmountable amount of rage within him after the Killing of Patroclus and vows to kill Hector, son of Troy. Priam, Hector’s father and King of Troy, begs his son to come back into the city gates knowing that Achilles will kill him, but Hectors hubris and sense of pride forces him to stay put and possibly try to reason with Achilles. In the start of the passage, Achilles arrives upon Hector and Hector very quickly realizes that there will be no negotiating with him and he flees for his life. Right after this, the Gods are watching this scene take place and congregating to decide on whether they will save Hector from death or deliver him to the hands of Achilles. This passage is one of the most memorable and quotable passages in the Iliad, it shows how Hector has so much hubris and pride in being a warrior that he would rather die in battle than survive as a coward, this hubris is a special part of life in the Iliad. Another interesting component of the passage is how the gods decide the fate of the mortals, everything relates back to the gods.


Thus did he stand and ponder, but Achilles came
up to him as it were Mars himself, plumed lord of battle.
From his right shoulder he brandished his terrible spear of Pelian ash, the bronze gleamed around him,
like flashing fire or the rays of the rising sun.

Fear fell upon Hector as he beheld him, and he dared not stay longer where he was but fled in dismay from before the gates,
while the son of Peleus darted after him at his utmost speed.
As a mountain falcon, swiftest of all birds,
swoops down upon some cowering dove- the dove flies before him,
but the falcon with a shrill scream follows close after,
resolved to have her, even so did Achilles make straight for Hector with all his might,
while Hector fled under the Trojan wall as fast as his limbs could take him.

On they flew along the waggon-road that ran hard by under the wall past the lookout station,
and past the weather-beaten wild fig-tree,
till they came to two fair springs which feed the river Scamander.
One of these two springs is warm, and steam rises from it as smoke from a burning fire,
but the other even in summer is as cold as hail or snow, or the ice that forms on water.
Here, hard by the springs, are the goodly washing-troughs of stone,
where in the time of peace before the coming of the Achaeans,
the wives and fair daughters of the Trojans used to wash their clothes.

Past these did they fly, the one in front and the other giving chase behind him: good was the man that fled,
but better far was he that followed after,
and swiftly indeed did they run, for the prize was no mere beast for sacrifice or bullock's hide,
as it might be for a common foot-race, but they ran for the life of Hector.
As horses in a chariot race, speed round the turning-posts when they are running for some great prize- a tripod or woman-
at the games in honour of some dead hero,
so did these two run full speed three times round the city of Priam.
All the gods watched them, and the sire of gods and men was the first to speak.
Alas," said he, "my eyes behold a man who is dear to me being
pursued round the walls of Troy; my heart is full of pity for Hector, who has burned the thigh-bones of many a heifer in my honour,
at one while on the of many-valleyed Ida, and again on the citadel of Troy; and now I see noble Achilles in full pursuit of him round the city of Priam.
What say you? Consider among yourselves and decide whether we shall now save him or let him fall, valiant though he be, before Achilles, son of Peleus."


Works Cited

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"Themes of The Iliad." SparkNotes. SparkNotes. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. .

"Ancient Greeks: Gods and Heroes." BBC News. BBC. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. .

"Achilles." , Greece, Greek Mythology. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. .

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"Trojan Horse." Legend of the Trojan War (Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts). Web. 18 Feb. 2015. .