Hector's Representation Of Fate In The Iliad

Homer portrays fate, in the Iliad as a perplexing force that even the gods do not mess with and as something that is determined for every person through the choices they each make. Fate is perceived as an extremely powerful force and is used to describe many of the actions in the Iliad. It is thought of as honorable for one to accept their fate nobly, and disgraceful to try to escape it. At the beginning of one of the books of the Iliad, Zeus puts the destinies of the two warring sides, the Trojans and the Achaeans, on a set of scales and then throws his support for the day one of them will win behind the side that the scales show is destined to win. Later on in the Iliad, Zeus is tempted to save Sarpedon and Hector from their deaths, but he is reminded that they are fated to die at those times and that he …show more content…
His death was set by fate and then aided by the gods. This fate comes after Hector kills Patroclus, Achilles friend, and Achilles promises to kill Hector as revenge. The final unfolding is in front of the walls of Troy. All the Trojans are inside the walls of Troy besides Hector, who is waiting outside for Achilles. Originally, he stands firm against the urgent begging from within the gates, however, as the untouchable Achilles comes closer, he runs horrified. Zeus considers helping Hector, but he is persuaded not to by Athena, when she stresses to him that fate has declared that Hector will die and to go against fate would only earn him the disrespect from other gods. Athena decides to act as a helper to Hector’s fated death by materializing as Deiphobus next to Hector as Achilles chases him. The arrival of help boosts Hector’s confidence and he gains the courage to stop running and fight Achilles to find that he is really alone. Then, Hector is killed brutally by the invincible Achilles. Through aiding fate in the death of Hector and not trying to stop it, the gods demonstrate that even they obey