Week 2 Reading Diary - Homer's Iliad continued

Hector was the great warrior, but only thing he feared was Zeus. He knew this but his action eventually made Zeus angry. "Now Hector had sent the armour of Patroclus to the city, but when he heard Glaucus speak in this manner, he ran after the men who were carrying it and overtook them, and stripped off his own armour, and put on the armour of Achilles. And when Zeus saw him do this thing he was angry, and said to himself, "These arms will cost Hector dear."

Achilles heard that his friend died in the battle. He decided to fight to kill Hector but his mother, Thetis, stopped him because she knew he would die if he fight for Greek again. But Achilles is a great man who is not afraid of his death for his friend's honor. Then Achilles cried in great anger: "I would that I could die this hour, for I sent my friend to his death; and I, who am better in battle than all the Greeks, could not help him. Cursed be the anger that sets men to strive with one another, as it made me strive with King Agamemnon. And as for my fate—what matters it? Let it come when it may, so that I may first have vengeance on Hector. Seek not, therefore, my mother, to keep me back from the battle."

From this phrase, it is obvious even Trojans knew that how strong the Achilles was and they are winning a war because of one individual who angered him, Agamemnon. On the other side of the field, the Trojans held an assembly. And one of the elders stood up and said: "Let us not wait here for the morning. It was well for us to fight at the ships so long as Achilles was angry with King Agamemnon. But now this has ceased to be. Tomorrow will he come back to the battle, the fiercer on account of his great grief, Patroclus being slain. Surely it will be an evil day for us, if we wait for his coming. Let us go back to the city, for its walls are high and its gates are strong, and the man who seeks to pass them will perish." I cannot imagine how many Greek soldier could lived before getting killed by Trojans heroes such as Hector, if Agamemnon knew his place and was not such arrogant person.

Eventually Hector was defeated by Achilles and I want to write a story as if Hector did not kill Patroclus.

(Trojan Horse by John Lillis)

From : Homer's Iliad by Alfred J. Church