Professor Edith Hall

Shall I go back in and feel shame before the women of Troy with their trailing robes that I'm not out there fighting for them? Shall I go inside and survive, be safe, but feel shame? Or shall I just die and do a big thing? And this big thing is the actual translation of the Greek, megaterexon. Having done a big thing, and I will at least get immortal fame, go down nobly.

And that's what he decides to do. And of course, the gods help Achilles. Hector doesn't have a chance. But I cry in book 22 when Hector dies.

And that's what he decides to do. And of course, the gods help Achilles. Hector doesn't have a chance. But I cry in book 22 when Hector dies.

And that's what he decides to do. And of course, the gods help Achilles. Hector doesn't have a chance. But I cry in book 22 when Hector dies.

It's extraordinary. It's book six. He's on the wall. She meets him on the wall with the baby and begs him not to go. And then she tries to give him military advice about sticking near the wall where it's safer and this, that, and the next thing. And he will not. He will not heed her. And in fact, of course, Troy would fall anyway. I mean, he's right in a way, but it is absolutely heartbreaking.

It's extraordinary. It's book six. He's on the wall. She meets him on the wall with the baby and begs him not to go. And then she tries to give him military advice about sticking near the wall where it's safer and this, that, and the next thing. And he will not. He will not heed her. And in fact, of course, Troy would fall anyway. I mean, he's right in a way, but it is absolutely heartbreaking.

It's extraordinary. It's book six. He's on the wall. She meets him on the wall with the baby and begs him not to go. And then she tries to give him military advice about sticking near the wall where it's safer and this, that, and the next thing. And he will not. He will not heed her. And in fact, of course, Troy would fall anyway. I mean, he's right in a way, but it is absolutely heartbreaking.

And even more heartbreaking is when she gets the news in Book 22 when he is killed. She's actually inside weaving and she hears the noise and runs out, tears off her veil and faints and collapses. And then we next see her in the final book leading the women of Troy's lament over her lovely husband. So

And even more heartbreaking is when she gets the news in Book 22 when he is killed. She's actually inside weaving and she hears the noise and runs out, tears off her veil and faints and collapses. And then we next see her in the final book leading the women of Troy's lament over her lovely husband. So

And even more heartbreaking is when she gets the news in Book 22 when he is killed. She's actually inside weaving and she hears the noise and runs out, tears off her veil and faints and collapses. And then we next see her in the final book leading the women of Troy's lament over her lovely husband. So

It's very carefully done, and this is why it's so much better than most movies of, as I talk about Clint Eastwood's and stuff. Usually in Clint Eastwood movies, you don't have, with the final shootout, you've got proper bad guys being done in, right? They're very simple morally. The Iliad is anything but bad.

It's very carefully done, and this is why it's so much better than most movies of, as I talk about Clint Eastwood's and stuff. Usually in Clint Eastwood movies, you don't have, with the final shootout, you've got proper bad guys being done in, right? They're very simple morally. The Iliad is anything but bad.

It's very carefully done, and this is why it's so much better than most movies of, as I talk about Clint Eastwood's and stuff. Usually in Clint Eastwood movies, you don't have, with the final shootout, you've got proper bad guys being done in, right? They're very simple morally. The Iliad is anything but bad.

Although these Achaeans are ancestors of the Greek audiences, they're not as nice as the Trojans, and that is really cleverly done. It makes it very morally balanced. Hector's father comes into his own in the last book because Achilles has been abusing the corpse of Hector famously, dragging it, tying him by the ankles to the back of his chariot and driving it round and round Troy.

Although these Achaeans are ancestors of the Greek audiences, they're not as nice as the Trojans, and that is really cleverly done. It makes it very morally balanced. Hector's father comes into his own in the last book because Achilles has been abusing the corpse of Hector famously, dragging it, tying him by the ankles to the back of his chariot and driving it round and round Troy.

Although these Achaeans are ancestors of the Greek audiences, they're not as nice as the Trojans, and that is really cleverly done. It makes it very morally balanced. Hector's father comes into his own in the last book because Achilles has been abusing the corpse of Hector famously, dragging it, tying him by the ankles to the back of his chariot and driving it round and round Troy.

He stopped doing that because the gods intervened. But Priam has to go very bravely, an old man, into the enemy camp and asks Achilles to hand over the body. And do you know what he does? They have this incredible redemptive moment where they look admiringly at each other. They both lost so much. Achilles has lost Patroclus, Priam has lost Hector, and these two warring kings just get each other.

He stopped doing that because the gods intervened. But Priam has to go very bravely, an old man, into the enemy camp and asks Achilles to hand over the body. And do you know what he does? They have this incredible redemptive moment where they look admiringly at each other. They both lost so much. Achilles has lost Patroclus, Priam has lost Hector, and these two warring kings just get each other.

He stopped doing that because the gods intervened. But Priam has to go very bravely, an old man, into the enemy camp and asks Achilles to hand over the body. And do you know what he does? They have this incredible redemptive moment where they look admiringly at each other. They both lost so much. Achilles has lost Patroclus, Priam has lost Hector, and these two warring kings just get each other.

You want to say, why didn't you have that conversation 24 books ago?