Week 3 Story: Hector's Compromise
As Achilles hurtled toward him in the distance, running like a furious bull unleashed into the open, Hector quivered in fear and thoughts rushed through his mind: “What should I do? The impenetrable gates rise behind me, a safe haven. But I cannot, I must not! The shame, the scorn, from the people that I have protected for all these years will be unbearable. I will not be remembered as a coward who fled in the face of Achilles’ fury. No, I will stay here and fight to my last breath, for I know I am no match for this warrior’s skill.
“But perhaps—what if?—a compromise could be reached? I will put an end to this nonsensical bloodshed that my brother’s foolish deeds have brought about. The Greeks can take Helen and all of Troy’s riches with her and I will be the one who returned peace to my people. Yes, that is what I must do.”
Hector removed his gleaming breastplate and plumed helmet and lay his spear against the wall. He clenched his trembling fists in anticipation at Achilles’ approach.
Hector spoke to Achilles: “O great warrior that you are, Achilles! See here that I have lain my arms by the wall and seek peace rather than violence. I beseech you to consider—for the sake of both our peoples—my offer. I will return Helen to the Greeks and with her, all the riches my impudent brother Paris stole. The whole of Troy’s wealth will be yours if only you shall lay down your arms and declare peace.”
Achilles sneered in Hector’s face: “Foolish you must be Hector, for you still fail to understand: men and lions do not make agreements. You have grown far too bold in my short time away from battle. I owe nothing to you nor to your people. Let us speak no more of this! I will take your life the same way you mercilessly took the life of my beloved Patroclus.”
And with these words, Achilles lifted his mighty spear, and with the ferocity of a wild beast, he flung it with a swift motion. The spear cut through the air towards Hector, into his armor-less chest and out of his back.
Bibliography. The Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church (1907).
“But perhaps—what if?—a compromise could be reached? I will put an end to this nonsensical bloodshed that my brother’s foolish deeds have brought about. The Greeks can take Helen and all of Troy’s riches with her and I will be the one who returned peace to my people. Yes, that is what I must do.”
Hector removed his gleaming breastplate and plumed helmet and lay his spear against the wall. He clenched his trembling fists in anticipation at Achilles’ approach.
Hector spoke to Achilles: “O great warrior that you are, Achilles! See here that I have lain my arms by the wall and seek peace rather than violence. I beseech you to consider—for the sake of both our peoples—my offer. I will return Helen to the Greeks and with her, all the riches my impudent brother Paris stole. The whole of Troy’s wealth will be yours if only you shall lay down your arms and declare peace.”
Achilles sneered in Hector’s face: “Foolish you must be Hector, for you still fail to understand: men and lions do not make agreements. You have grown far too bold in my short time away from battle. I owe nothing to you nor to your people. Let us speak no more of this! I will take your life the same way you mercilessly took the life of my beloved Patroclus.”
And with these words, Achilles lifted his mighty spear, and with the ferocity of a wild beast, he flung it with a swift motion. The spear cut through the air towards Hector, into his armor-less chest and out of his back.
(Achilles dragging the body of Hector; source: Wikipedia)
Author’s Note:
The Trojan War begins because the Spartan king’s beautiful wife Helen is stolen by Paris, a prince of Troy. Achilles, the best warrior among the Greeks, refuses to fight because he wants to protect his pride. Patroclus, Achilles’ best friend, fearing for the fate of the Greeks begs Achilles for permission to wear Achilles’ armor and go into the battlefield and cause the Trojans to retreat in fear. Achilles acquiesces and Patroclus’ plan works. However, with the help of Apollo, Hector who is the best of the Trojans, manages to kill Patroclus. When Achilles finds out that his best friend has been killed, he is tortured with sadness and guilt. He vows to avenge Patroclus, regardless of the cost to his own life, by killing Hector. When Achilles returns to battle, the Trojans flee behind their city walls and Hector is the only one that remains outside. As he waits for Achilles to approach, he considers a few options. He could go behind the walls to safety but he would face scorn from the people of Troy. Alternatively, he could stay outside and fight Achilles which is what he ultimately chooses at the cost of his own life. For a brief moment, Hector considers disarming himself and approaching Achilles with an offer: the Trojans will return Helen and all the other riches Paris had stolen along with all the riches Troy has to offer. I wanted to explore what would happen if Hector had chosen that final option: would it lead to peace or would Achilles nevertheless unleash his fury?
The Trojan War begins because the Spartan king’s beautiful wife Helen is stolen by Paris, a prince of Troy. Achilles, the best warrior among the Greeks, refuses to fight because he wants to protect his pride. Patroclus, Achilles’ best friend, fearing for the fate of the Greeks begs Achilles for permission to wear Achilles’ armor and go into the battlefield and cause the Trojans to retreat in fear. Achilles acquiesces and Patroclus’ plan works. However, with the help of Apollo, Hector who is the best of the Trojans, manages to kill Patroclus. When Achilles finds out that his best friend has been killed, he is tortured with sadness and guilt. He vows to avenge Patroclus, regardless of the cost to his own life, by killing Hector. When Achilles returns to battle, the Trojans flee behind their city walls and Hector is the only one that remains outside. As he waits for Achilles to approach, he considers a few options. He could go behind the walls to safety but he would face scorn from the people of Troy. Alternatively, he could stay outside and fight Achilles which is what he ultimately chooses at the cost of his own life. For a brief moment, Hector considers disarming himself and approaching Achilles with an offer: the Trojans will return Helen and all the other riches Paris had stolen along with all the riches Troy has to offer. I wanted to explore what would happen if Hector had chosen that final option: would it lead to peace or would Achilles nevertheless unleash his fury?
Hey Akansha!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your retelling of this story. The Trojan War is one of my favorite things to read about and learn. I never knew about Hector thinking about different options than violence honestly. It definitely makes me wonder what would have happened if Achilles had agreed to Hector’s deal. I feel like Troy would still be standing to this day but also, that history would have lost out on the great battle that occurred there and the legend of Achilles would not have been born. I definitely lost it when Hector took of his armor. Doesn’t he know he needs it to at least help protect him from whatever Achilles is trying to do. I feel that by him just taking off the armor he allowed Achilles a much easier kill and that after Achilles saw that he only saw blood lust and vengeance. I also wonder what would of happened in Hector’s brother had never stolen Helen? There definitely would not have been a great war and we probably would not have the legends and myths about the Trojan war that we do now. Overall, I though this retelling was great and definitely intriguing to see that Hector was considering a different approach to the one that we are familiar with.
Hi Akansha! I really liked your retelling of this story. I read about the Trojan war my first week in this class, so I could really understand the story you were telling. I liked how you made Hector consider his options, but instead of choosing to run and lead Achilles on the wild goose-chase that he did in the original story, you chose to let Hector offer peace. Achilles is definitely the type of person that would not agree to peace talks, especially when Hector killed the person he loved most, Patroclus. I wonder what would have happened if Achilles had suddenly had a change of heart (or had been influenced by the gods) and accepted Hector's peace offering. Would Paris had gone along with his brother's offering and given Helen back, no questions asked? Would the Greeks have backed off and left the Trojans alone after Achilles made the deal? I have a hard time believing that Agamemnon, arrogant and entitled as he is, would stop fighting and withdraw because of a deal Achilles made. It's a cool thought though, to image what might've happened.
DeleteHello, Akansha!
ReplyDeleteGood job writing this story! It was very captivating and easy to follow, you also spaced out your sentences and it looks really ascetically pleasing! I love anything to do with the Trojan War so I really like reading the side stories that go along with it. I think your Author's notes for this story are also perfect for any one who knows nothing about the Trojan War.
-Sam
Hey Akansha!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your retelling of this part of the Trojan War because you wrote it in a way that was easy to read and it had a great plot twist at the end that made me want to keep reading! It was a clever idea to "rewrite" the end by changing Hector's mind and having it ultimately not change the story. This really shows how passionate Achilles was about avenging his best friend. Your author's note was also helpful because I had not read this part of The Iliad before so knowing the original story allowed me to understand how your retelling was different!
Hi Akansha! I really liked reading your story! I read the about the Trojan War for the Week 3 readings and I think your retelling of this part of the Trojan War is so interesting. It's nice to see how Hector actually thought about his options of running away and hiding versus surrendering in hopes that they could come to an agreement. Also I think you did a great job of summarizing the Trojan War in your author's note! It helps people who don't know the story understand how your story and the original compares. I look forward to reading more great stories from you later on!
ReplyDeleteHi Akansha,
ReplyDeleteIt’s great to see someone’s take on what might have happened if Hector (or any other character in any story, really) had taken the path they chose against. Not that it ended well in this particular case, but, well, for storytelling purposes it’s still interesting.
I liked your line about “men and lions” not making agreements; was that inspired by a line in the original or is it something of your own devising?
Best,
A.M.
Hi Akansha,
ReplyDeleteI liked that you decided to explore this new decision that Hector could have made. Seeing it played out made me think that this was what had happened in the actual story! You brought both characters to life with your words and made me immersed in the story. I liked the wording you used making Achilles like a mad man hell-bent on getting revenge for his friend.