Book 6 Summary
Menelaus captures Adrestos, who begs for his life. Agamemnon convinces Menelaus not to spare the Trojan’s life, and Nestor tells the Achaeans to continue their attack and ignore the spoils of war for now. The battle is hard-fought, and there is no room for mercy.
Helenus, a Trojan seer, advises Hector to return to Troy and encourage the Trojan women to make sacrifices to Athena in hopes of gaining her assistance against Diomedes.
After completing this task, Hector returns to the palace to find Paris comfortably at home with Helen, who is attempting to convince him to rejoin the battle. Hector is enraged by Paris’s passivity and angrily reminds him that others are fighting valiantly for him while he lolls about at home.
Hector adjourns, disgusted, and goes to find his wife, Andromache, who is standing atop the city walls and watching the still-raging battle below. She pleads with her husband, begging him not to fight, but he reminds her of his duty; he is the leader of the Trojan army, and even though he feels that Troy is soon to fall, he must continue. Fate, he says, is ultimately in the hands of the gods. She weeps but cannot change his mind.
Expert Q&A
What is the implication of "The Trojan women have gone to Athena's temple to make supplications" in Iliad, book 6?
The implication of this statement is that the ultimate fate of both sides in the Trojan War lies in the hands of the gods. The Trojan women know this, which is why they've gone to the temple of the goddess Athena to make supplications. Unbeknownst to them, however, the gods have already decided that Troy will be destroyed, and so their supplications will have no effect.
In Homer's Iliad Book 6, why does Hector rebuke Paris?
Hector rebukes Paris in Book 6 for his selfishness and failure to fight for Troy, which contrasts with the sacrifices of others defending the city. Hector is disgusted by Paris's inaction, as Paris is the cause of the conflict due to his elopement with Helen. Hector views Paris's avoidance of battle as cowardice, prompting him to chastise his brother to assume responsibility and participate in the defense of Troy.
How does Homer use pathos to highlight Hector's conflict between military duty and other obligations in Iliad's book 6?
Homer uses pathos in Book 6 of the Iliad to underscore Hector's internal conflict between his military duty and family obligations. Hector encounters grieving women at the gates, highlighting war's tragic impact. He fears for his wife Andromache's future enslavement and mourns their inevitable separation. Hector's tender interaction with his son Astyanax further emphasizes his familial love. These poignant moments illustrate the tension between his roles as a warrior and a family man, foreshadowing his tragic fate.
In the Iliad, book 6, what does Hector pray to Zeus that people will say about his son?
Hector prays to Zeus that his son, Astyanax, will become a great leader among the Trojans, surpassing Hector in strength and leadership. He hopes people will say of Astyanax that he is a better man than his father and that he will return from battle victorious, bringing joy to his mother. Tragically, Astyanax's life is cut short during the fall of Troy, preventing him from realizing these aspirations.
Is Helen, who describes herself as an "evil-thinking dog who strikes cold fear" in Book 6 of the Iliad, to blame for the Trojan War?
"Evil-thinking dog who strikes cold fear" (Book 6, Line 344).
Helen of Troy is at least partly to blame for the Trojan War if she went willingly with Paris and was not abducted. Others, however, share the blame, including the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena; Paris; and Menelaus.
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