How is Hektor’s death made tragic in Book 22? Use the passage and book 22 to answer. In Book 22 if the Iliad we see the run up to Hektor’s death at the hand of Achillius. His death is made tragic in several different ways, both before and after Hektor is actually killed. Homer’s use of techniques makes the reader or listener really feel the loss of Hektor, and it’s affect it will have on the people of Troy, and the overall war. The beginning of this passage shows us the barbaric treatment Achillius put Hektor’s body too. In detail it describes how Hektor’s body was ‘given to his enemies to defile him in his native land’. Strong imagery is created as we are told of Achillius cutting open Hektor’s feet and binding him to the chariots, and also how his head bounces along the ground. How Achillius treats Hektor’s body creates sympathy not only because of its treatment, but also because the audience knows that this means Hektor will not be able to be properly mourned by the people of Troy, making his death and treatment after wards even more tragic. …show more content…
His speech uses a lot of emotive language, such as ‘piercing sorrow for him will bring me down to Hades’ and ‘how I wished he could have died in my arms’. This shows Priam’s anguish over the loss of his son to Achillius, and he even suggests going to try and retrieve the body so Hektor can be properly mourned. This makes Hektor’s death quite moving, as we see Priam, a great king of troy, weeping and bargaining for Hektor’s life, and rolling around in the dirt in sorrow. The image of a king being broken to such an extent is particularly tragic, especially after the speech Priam gave earlier about the misery he and his family will go through if Hektor died. These images create sympathy in the reader or listener, and show how great a loss Hektor’s death is for Priam and for Troy