World Literature
Iliad Study Guide
Book 22: The Death of Hector
1. At the beginning of Book 22, what are the Trojan men doing? How is Hector different from
the rest of the Trojans?
2. Why is Achilles angry with Apollo?
3. What does Homer compare Achilles to in lines 27-30? What aspects of Achilles’ character do
these lines emphasize?
4. As King Priam sees Achilles coming toward the gates, what does he beg Hector to do?
5. How does Priam think he is going to die? (lines 77-84) Why will his death be worse than a
young man’s?
6. What does the epic simile in lines 112-115 convey about Hector?
7. Why does Hector think it is better for him to “stand up to Achilles, kill him, come home
alive, or die at his hands in glory out before the walls”? (lines 130-131)
8. What do the gods decide to do about Hector in lines 201-223? Whose side do you think
Athena is on?
9. In lines 242-244, what does Homer imply is the reason that Hector is able to run from
Achilles for so long?
10. How does Athena trick Hector?
11. What pact does Hector want to make with Achilles in lines 301-307? How does Achilles
respond?
12. When does Hector realize he cannot defeat Achilles? How does he maintain the heroic ideal
after this realization?
13. What plea does Hector make in his penultimate (second to last) breath? What does this reveal
about the Ancient Greek culture?
14. How is Hector “defiled in the land of his own fathers”? (line 476)
15. What does Hector’s wife say is the fate of both Troy and her son?