Priam, knowing that Achilles is the stronger fighter, tries to persuade Hector into coming back behind the walls and into the city. Priam uses death as his main threat. First, he tells Hector about how Achilles has killed so many men, possibly including Priam's children. Also, Priam mentions that if Hector stays out to fight Achilles, it is very likely he will die. Priam not only does not want his friend to die, but as king, does not want to see his best worrier defeated. Even after much persuasion, Hector stood his ground, and did eventually meet his fate at Achilles's hand.
The approaches that Oceanus and Priam take in persuasion are similar in that both of them try to appeal to the emotions of fear and shame. Oceanus tries to instill fear into Prometheus by threatening the wrath of Zeus. "Soon Zeus will hear you and then your present pains will seem like child's play," exclaims Oceanus (314-317). By saying this, Oceanus is not only trying to implant fear into Prometheus, but he also is bringing a higher power into the story. This approach does not work, though, because Prometheus has the power of forethought, so he knows what is going to happen to him. Therefore, he is not afraid, and does not take the advice of his friend, Oceanus. Priam's appeal to Hector's fear is much like Oceanus's to Prometheus. Priam threatens Hector with a slightly higher power also. This is Achilles. He can be considered higher power because he is superior in the art of war. "You might encounter your destiny beaten down by Peleion [Achilles], since he is far stronger then you are," states Priam (22.39-40). Achilles, representing a higher power to Hector, is much like Zeus being a higher power to Prometheus. In both cases, the two are of the same level, mortal or immortal, but one is obviously more powerful then the other. Even though Achilles may be stronger, Hector still has good reason not to be scared.
