BOOK BY BOOK SUMMARY OF
THE ILIAD
OCR 2017 onwards
BOOK 22 SUMMARY
•Achilles hearing of the death of Patroclus, races to the city of Troy in a furious rage. Hector is
now the only Trojan outside the gates, watching on the ramparts.
•Priam begs him to come inside and not to face Achilles alone, and to save the men and women
of Troy another day. However, he refuses and runs around the city.
•With Achilles chasing him, Zeus considers saving Hector, but Athene persuades him not to,
Zeus places their fates on the golden scales and it appears that Hector’s time has come.
•Athene appears as Deiphobus, persuading Hector that they can take him together. He throws
spears and finds his friend is gone. Achilles knows all the weak points in the armour and stabs
Hector in the throat. Hector begs for his body to be given back to his father. Achilles refuses to
grant his request.
•The Trojans watch in dismay and Priam, Hecuba and Andromache all feel great sorrow.
Key Passages
• 35 – 90: Priam’s pleading is important: it shows how even the proudest father acknowledges
the fact that Hector stands no chance against Achilles, and that his fate will be grim and that the
Trojan people need his defense, suggesting that Hector is their only hope.
The Iliad | Book 22
THE ILIAD
OCR 2017 onwards
BOOK 22 SUMMARY
•Achilles hearing of the death of Patroclus, races to the city of Troy in a furious rage. Hector is
now the only Trojan outside the gates, watching on the ramparts.
•Priam begs him to come inside and not to face Achilles alone, and to save the men and women
of Troy another day. However, he refuses and runs around the city.
•With Achilles chasing him, Zeus considers saving Hector, but Athene persuades him not to,
Zeus places their fates on the golden scales and it appears that Hector’s time has come.
•Athene appears as Deiphobus, persuading Hector that they can take him together. He throws
spears and finds his friend is gone. Achilles knows all the weak points in the armour and stabs
Hector in the throat. Hector begs for his body to be given back to his father. Achilles refuses to
grant his request.
•The Trojans watch in dismay and Priam, Hecuba and Andromache all feel great sorrow.
Key Passages
• 35 – 90: Priam’s pleading is important: it shows how even the proudest father acknowledges
the fact that Hector stands no chance against Achilles, and that his fate will be grim and that the
Trojan people need his defense, suggesting that Hector is their only hope.
The Iliad | Book 22
