In Book VI of Homer's Iliad, the scene of Hektor's emotional departure, many emotions surface. Among these are love, passion, fear, and sorrow. Andromache, Hektor's wife, knows that it is inevitable for her husband to go into battle and die, yet she also tries to convince him not to do so. Hektor explains that he cannot escape his fate by not returning to war. In the ancient Greek culture, being a warrior was a man's place. By fighting in battle and even dying, the male was honored, respected, and glorified. This scene not only shows that Hektor is a devoted warrior, but also that he is a loving husband and father. The emotions that surface in this painful goodbye provide a sense of the meaning of heroism in war to the audience.
Although both Hektor and Andromache know that Hektor will return to battle and eventually be killed, they both have unique wishes or hopes. Hektor wishes for his wife's acceptance of his need to fight and for her to be safe. Andromache wishes for her husband to refrain from returning to battle: .
"you have no pity on your little son, nor on me, ill-starred, who soon must be your widow and for me it would be far batter to sink into that earth when I have lost you, for there is no other consolation for me after you have gone to your destiny "" (Iliad, 84-88).
Andromache wishes Hector not return to battle in order for him to spare his own life and the grief and sorrow it would cause her and their son. Andromache expresses both her understanding that Hektor, if he returns to battle, will be killed and also the fear .
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of loneliness. While providing support for Andromache's wishes, this excerpt also supports Hektor's in that it addresses the wish that Hektor has for his wife to realize his hopes, destiny, and fate. While conveying the grief Andromache felt at the time, the following excerpt conveys what Hektor was feeling:.
