Summary of the Iliad Book 24: Achilles & Priam:
Achilles is distraught and mourns Patroklos’s death by the Greek ships:
 “He tossed this way and that, crying for the loss of Patroklos”.
 He drags Hektor’s body by chariot 3 times around Patroklos’s tomb.
Apollo intervenes:
 To stop Achilles from destroying Hektor’s body.
 “He kept all disfigurement away from his flesh. He covered him in a golden aegis,
so that Achilles dragging of him should not tear his flesh”.
The reaction of the Gods:
 “But the blessed Gods looked on and pitied Hektor”. They urged Hermes to steal
his body.
 Athene, Hera and Poseidon do not pity Hektor but “persisted in their hatred” for
Hektor and the Trojans.
 12 days after Hektor died, Apollo spoke out against Achilles’ actions. He calls the
Gods cruel for not stopping this and favouring Achilles and points out that Hektor
has always been loyal and made sacrifices to the Gods.
 He says that Hektor’s corpse should be saved for his family so that they can bury
him.
 Apollo criticises Achilles whose “thoughts are savage like a lion’s”. He also
says that “great man though he is, he should be wary of our anger”.
 Hera accuses Apollo of being a traitor and says that Hektor cannot be held in
equal honour with Achilles as he is human whereas Achilles is the son of a
goddess, Thetis.
 Zeus agrees that the “honour shown to the two men will not be the same”.
 But Zeus acknowledges that “Hektor too was dear to the Gods” and that he has
always been pious.
 Zeus says they cannot steal Hektor’s body as Thetis is at Achilles side all the
time.
 Zeus decides to summon Thetis and “see that Achilles wins gifts from Priam and
releases the body of Hektor”.
Iris (messenger goddess) summons Thetis:
 She goes down to the sea to find Thetis.
 She tells her “up now, Thetis Zeus whose thoughts are deathless calls you”.
 She obeys and goes to Mount Olympos and sits beside Zeus.
Thetis & Zeus discuss the fate of Hektor’s body:
 He tells her that for 9 days the Gods have been arguing about this and they want
Hermes to steal Hektor’s body.
 He tells Thetis to give this message to Achilles:
 The Gods, especially Zeus, are angry at what he is doing to Hektor’s body. Zeus
says that Achilles “may then give Hektor back in fear of me”.
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He will send Iris to Priam to tell him to go to the Greek camp and bring ransom
for Hektor’s body. These gifts will “soften his (Achilles) heart”.
Thetis’s advice to Achilles:
 Thetis goes to Achilles hut and speaks to him. She tells him the following:
(a) “My child, how long will you eat your heart in sorrow, with no thought for
either food or bed?
(b) The Gods are angry with you because of what you are doing to Hektor’s body
and because you have not released it.
(c) Release his body and accept a ransom for it.
 Achilles obeys: “So be it. The man who brings the ransom can take the body, if
the Olympian (Zeus) himself in all earnest wishes it”.
Zeus instructs Iris about what to say to Priam:
1. Go to the Greek camp and ransom Hektor's body bringing gifts to “soften his
(Achilles’s) heart”.
2. “He must go alone, and no other Trojan with him: but one of the older heralds my
accompany him, to drive the mules with a strong –wheeled cart and carry back to
the city the dead man (Hektor)”.
3. He should not be afraid to go to the Greek camp “such is the escort (Hermes) we
will give him”.
4. When he arrives at Achilles hut, Achilles will not kill him.
Iris gives this message to Priam:
 He is surrounded by his sons who are crying. His daughters and sons’ wives are
also mourning.
 Priam has his cloak wrapped around him and it is clear that he has been rolling in
dung as it can be seen on his head and neck.
 Iris stands beside Priam and delivers Zeus’s message. She tells him to “have
courage in your heart, Priam, stock of Dardanos and do not be afraid”.
 Iris the left.
Priam tells his wife that he will go to the Greek camp:
 Priam immediately obeys. He tells his sons to get a cart ready and a wicker frame
(for the gifts).
 He went into the storeroom where the valuables are.
 He tells Hekabe that one of the Gods has come to him with a message from Zeus
to go to the Greek camp and bring gifts for Achilles and ransom his son.
 He asks Hekabe what she thinks of this.
 Hekabe shrieks and tells Priam he has lost his wits.
 She asks him “how can you think of going alone to the ships of the Achaians, into
the eyes of a man who has killed many of your brave sons?”
 She gives out to Priam and tells him that his heart must be made of iron and that
Achilles is a “savage beast” who cannot be trusted and will not show Priam
mercy.
 She tells Priam that they should stay in their house and weep for Hektor.
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She hates Achilles and says “I wish I could sink my hands in that man’s very liver
and eat it!”
Priam tells Hekabe that he will go and will not change his mind.
If it is his fate to die at the Greek camp so be it. He then fills the cart with gifts for
Achilles..
Priam is abusive towards the trojans and his sons:
 He calls the trojans “wretched creatures”.
 He curses his sons Helenos, Paris, Agathon, Pammon, Antiphonos, Polites,
Deiphobos, Hippothoos and Dios.
 He tells them to “move now, you sorry children, you shameful blots! If only all
of you had been killed together by the fast ships instead of Hektor!”
 He says that all his sons who were heroes have died and he is left with “all these
disgraces, braggarts and dandies, heroes of the dance-floor, thievers of sheep and
goats from their own people!”
 He tells his sons to find him a cart quickly and put the ransom in it so that he can
go.
 His sons were frightened by him and obeyed him
Hekabe asks Priam to pray to Zeus before he leaves:
 Hekabe –“make a libation to father Zeus, and pray that you may return home
again from the enemy….ask him for a bird of omen (a sign), a swift-flying
messenger, the bird which he himself loves best and is the most powerful of all, to
appear on the right”.
 Priam does as his wife asks.
 Zeus immediately sent an eagle and they were all delighted.
Priam’s departure and journey to the Greek camp:
 His chariot is driven by Idaios.
 His family cry as he is leaving “as if he was going to his death”.
 Zeus took pity on Priam as he saw him leave and tells Hermes to befriend him
and guide him and bring him to the Greek camp unseen by the Greeks.
 Hermes comes down to Troy disguised as “a young prince with the first
beard on his lip, which is the loveliest time of youth”.
Priam meets the young prince (Hermes):
 When they catch sight of the young prince (Hermes) Idaios warns Priam and
tells him that they should escape.
 Priam “felt terrible fear….and stood there dazed”.
 Hermes came close to Priam and took him by the hand and asked him
questions such as where is he going in the middle of the night and is he not
afraid that the Greeks may catch him?
 He reassures Priam by telling him “I will do you no harm, and indeed I will
protect you from any who would – I look on you as my own father”.
 Priam is very grateful.
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Hermes then asks Priam is he sending his treasures abroad to be kept safe or is
he abandoning Troy?
Priam asks Hermes who are his parents that he speaks so well of Hektor.
He says he often saw Hektor in battle as he is a lieutenant of Achilles, one of
the myrmidons and he is the 7th son of Polyktor, who is a rich man old like
Priam.
Priam asks him is Hektor’s body still lying by the ships or has he been eaten
by the dogs.
Hermes reassures him that the dogs have not eaten him but that his body still
lies there and his flesh is not decaying “such is the care the blessed gods have
for your son, even for his dead body, as he is very dear to their hearts”.
Priam was overjoyed and says that it is because Hektor was always very pious
towards to gods.
Hermes refuses to take Priam’s gift:
 Priam offers Hermes a lovely cup as a gift.
 Hermes refuses and tells Priam “you are testing me, old man…..when you ask me
to take your gifts without Achilles knowledge. He is a man I fear, and the shame
is too deep in my heart for me to rob him- or there will be trouble for me
afterwards”.
 But he will go as his escort.
They arrive at the Greek camp:
 Hermes made the guards fall asleep and opened the gates and pushed back the
bars and led Priam inside.
 Then they arrived at Achilles hut. The gate was held by a single bar of pine-wood
and it usually takes 3 Greeks to close it and 3 to open it.
 Hermes opened the gate for Priam.
 He then tells Priam that he is Hermes and that Zeus sent him to be his escort.
 He advises Priam to “take the son of Peleus by his knees, and appeal to him in the
name of his father and lovely haired mother and his child, so as to move his
heart”.
Priam enters Achilles’s hut:
 Achilles is in the hut and his two lieutenants are close by Automedon and
Alkmos “the two that Achilles honoured most of his companions, after
Patrokolos”.
 Achilles had just finished his meal.
 Priam, unseen, came close to Achilles and “took his knees in his arms and kissed
his hands, those terrible, murderous hands, which had killed many of his sons”
(supplication).
 Achilles and the others in his hut were amazed when they saw Priam.
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Priam begs Achilles to return Hektor’s body:
 Priam asks Achilles to think of his father Peleus, who is old like Priam, who longs
to see Achilles return from Troy.
 He tells Achilles that his fate is “utter misery” as he has lost many sons.
 He had 50 sons initially – 19 from the womb of Hekabe and the rest of his sons
were born to him by women of the household.
 He tells Achilles that he has come to get Hektor’s body back and he has brought
with him “unlimited ransom”.
 Famous line – “I have endured to do what no other mortal man on earth has done
– I have brought to my lips the hands of the man who killed my child”.
Achilles reaction:
 He thinks of his father and starts crying. Both Achiles and Priam begin to weep in
remembrance – Priam for Hektor and Achilles for Peleus and Patroklos.
 Achilles asks Priam how he could bear to come and face him and he tells Priam
that his heart must be made of iron.
 He tells Priam to take a seat.
 He tells Priam that Peleus has received both blessings and evils (from Zeus’s two
jars).
 Blessings = wealth, king of Myrmidons, a goddess as his wife (even though he
was human).
 Evils = He only had one son (Achilles) who was doomed to die young and
Achilles won’t be able to look after him as he grows old.
 Achilles tells Priam that he too had both blessings and evils.
 Blessings = wealth, land, and lots of sons.
 Evils = the ongoing Trojan War.
 He advises Priam that he must “endure, and not grieve endlessly in your heart.
You will not gain anything by mourning for your son: you will not bring him back
to life, before yet more suffering has come on you”
 Priam tells Achilles that he cannot sit while Hektor’s body lies unattended in
Achilles hut.
 Achilles scowls at Priam and tells Priam “do not provoke me more, old man. It is
already in my mind to release Hektor to you – a message has come to me from
Zeus, brought by my mother”.
 He also tells Priam not to deceive him and that he knows that one of the gods
came as Priam’s escort.
Achilles prepares to return Hektor’s body:
 Achilles sprang to the door like a lion (simile) accompanied by his two
lieutenants. They brought the herald into the hut and they left two cloaks outside
for Achilles to wrap Hektor’s body in before he gave it back to Priam.
 Achilles instructed the serving women to wash Hektor’s body and anoint it and
carry it into another room so that Priam should not see his son “in case in his
anguish of heart he might not control his anger on seeing his son and then
Achilles might have his own heart stirred to violence and kill him”.
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Achilles groaned aloud and called on Patroklos “do not be angry with me,
Patroklos, if you learn even where you are in Hades, that I have released godlike
Hektor to his dear father, as it was no unworthy ransom he gave me. But you will
have from me all your proper share even of this”.
Achilles and Priam dine together:
 Achilles tells Priam that Hektor’s body is ready but that he must eat first and then
Priam can mourn for his son.
 Even Niobe’s (her 12 children were killed by Apollo and Artemis) thoughts
turned to food 10 days after her children had been killed.
 After they had finished eating “Priam gazed at Achilles with admiration for the
size of the man and his beauty…and Achilles gazed at Dardanian Priam, admiring
his noble looks”
Achilles lets Priam sleep outside his hut:
 Priam asks Achilles for a bed as he has not slept since Hektor was killed.
 Achilles provides a bed for Priam outside “in case one of the Achaian counsellors
come here- they are constantly joining me to discuss plans, as is the normal way”
 Achilles is afraid that they will report seeing Priam to Agamemnon and this
would mean that there would be a delay in the release of Hektor’s body.
Achilles and Priam decide on the length of the truce:
 Achilles asks Priam how many days he would like for the burial of Hektor.
 Priam says that he would like 12 days – 9 to mourn for Hektor in their house, 10th
day for a funeral feast, 11th day to build a grave-mound and on the 12th day they
will fight again.
Hermes tells Priam to leave the Greek camp:
 Hermes tells Priam that “you have no thought of danger the way you are sleeping
among your enemies”.
 He tells Priam that if Agamemnon catches him alive he will be worth 3 times the
ransom of Hektor.
 Priam was afraid and left.
 When they got as far as Troy Hermes left and returned to Mount Olympos.
Priam’s arrival in Troy:
 Kassandra (his daughter) was the first to see him and Hektor’s body in the cart.
 She cried out to the entire city “see, men and women of Troy, come and see
Hektor, if ever you rejoiced to see him return from battle still living, since he was
a great joy to our city and all our people”.
 The whole city rushed to greet Priam.
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The Trojans mourn Hektor:
 Andromache and Hekabe “tore their hair for him, and threw themselves at the
strong- wheeled cart, to touch his head: and the crowd gathered round them
weeping”.
 Note: role of women = mourning.
 Priam asks for room for his mules to pass and tells the Trojans they can have their
“fill of mourning afterwards, when I have brought him home”
 Hektor’s body was laid on a bed and was surrounded by singers and women
mourning.
 Andromache begins the lamentation – she says she has now been left a widow
and Astyanax is ill fated “I do not think he will reach manhood….some Achaian
will catch him by the arm and fling you from the walls to a miserable death, in
anger because Hektor killed his brother”.
 She says Hekor was “guardian” of the city but that now the Trojan women and
children will be carried away by the Greeks (as slaves).
 As Andromache did not get to hold Hektor in her arms before he died or hear his
last words that she might remember forever she feels she will be left with the
“greatest pain”.
 Hekabe says Hektor was “dearest to my heart by far of all my sons”.
 Helen says that Hektor was “dearest to my heart by far of all my husband’s
brothers”.
 Helen has now been in Troy for 20 years and she says in all that time “I have
never heard a hard word from you or any rudeness” and if any of Hektor’s family
spoke harshly to her Hektor would “speak winning words to them and stop them”.
 Helen weeps for Hektor and for herself (she wishes Paris had never brought her to
Troy and that she had died before that).
 Helen weeps for herself as “there is no-one else now in the broad land of Troy to
be kind to me and a friend, but they all shudder with loathing (hatred) for me”.
Hektor’s funeral & burial:
1. Priam tells the Trojans to bring wood into the city and to have no fear as
Achilles agreed to a 12 day truce.
For 9 days they brought wood to the city (for the pyre and the fire).
2. On the 10th day they carried Hektor’s body out and placed it on top of
the pyre and set it on fire.
3. Everyone gathered around the pyre and the next morning they
extinguished the fire with gleaming wine.
4. His brothers and companions gathered his white bones and cried and
mourned him.
5. They took his bones and placed them in a golden box, wrapping the
bones in soft purple cloths.
6. Then they placed the box in a hollow grave and covered it over with
great stones laid together.
7. Then they piled a grave mound over it.
8. They then held a glorious feast in Priam’s house.
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