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The Impact of Death - Caroline Tucker

Hector’s death.
An event that impacts more than just Hector himself.
Hector’s death impacts his family and his city.

Hector’s death leads to the grieving of the entire city of Troy. Interestingly, Andromache is the one who leads the women into mourning. Both times Andromache mourns, the women of Troy join her in her grief. It intrigued me that Andromache has the influence to lead Troy’s women to mourning. In book six, after her monologue of grief  “Her voice rang out in tears and the women wailed in answer.” (Homer 558). In book 24, she does not have the majority of the influence in the grief. However, I believe her speech of grief was very moving to the people of Troy.

Another impact of Hector’s death that intrigued me was the impact it had on Andromache and their son. Now that hector is dead, Andromache states “I cannot think he will ever come to manhood. / Long before that the city will be sacked” (612). She mentions that now her son will never grow up before Troy is destroyed and plundered. Now that Hector, the “great guardian” of Troy, is dead Andromache believes that Troy will fall (612).

By the end of the Iliad no one in Troy has a glimmer of hope. They cannot count on the gods or their bravest and most valiant warrior. The more I see how little hope every person in the book has the more grateful I am for the God that I believe in. The city of Troy lost hope when their leader died. Because of my leader’s death, I have hope. Who knew that reading the Iliad would remind me of the amazing hope I have because of Jesus’s death. 

P.s. I commented on Clabo’s and Haylee Lynd’s.



Comments

  1. Haylee LyndSeptember 7, 2020 at 8:48 PM

    Before reading your blog, I had not thought of how their versions of the gods might affect their hope. I mean, how do you put your hope in gods that are just as messed up, if not more, than you are? I see they still are able to pray to them and have a few of their problems solved, but it truly does make one appreciate the hope which we can have because of our God. He is steadfast. He is constant. He is loving. I would hate to have to go through such pain as the people of Troy, or even of Achilles, without my God.

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