Hector, eldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, commands the Trojan army for most of the Iliad and is treated by the poem with unusual sympathy for an antagonist. Unlike many Greek heroes, he fights not for glory or plunder but to defend his city, his wife Andromache, and his infant son Astyanax.
Duels and Doubts
Hector leads the Trojan counter-offensive while Achilles sulks in his tent, at one point fighting Ajax to an inconclusive draw. He kills Patroclus, wearing Achilles' armor, believing he has finally killed Achilles himself, an error that seals his fate. When Achilles returns to battle for revenge, Hector alone stands outside the walls to face him, then loses his nerve and flees three times around the city before turning to fight.
Death and Ransom
Achilles kills Hector and mutilates his body for days, refusing burial. In the Iliad's final book, King Priam risks his life to enter the Greek camp by night and beg Achilles for his son's body. Achilles, moved, relents, and the poem closes with Hector's funeral at Troy.
Parentage
Mortal parent: Priam, king of Troy (mother: Hecuba)
Wholly mortal parentage; his myth has no divine parent.
Key Deeds
•Commanded the Trojan army through most of the war
•Fought Ajax to a draw in single combat
•Killed Patroclus, who was wearing Achilles' armor
•Faced Achilles alone outside Troy's walls
•Was killed and his body dragged around Troy before ransom
Fate
Killed by Achilles in single combat outside Troy; his body is mutilated for days before Priam ransoms it, and the Iliad ends with his funeral.
Primary Sources
Historical texts and references
“Hector alone, trusting in his own strength, stayed to face Achilles before the Scaean gates.”
“Then Priam went in to Achilles and clasped his knees and kissed the terrible, man-slaying hands that had killed so many of his sons.”
