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Hector is a prince in Greek mythology and a character in Homer’s Iliad. According to Homer, Hector is killed by Achilles in a fight; however, Achilles chases Hector around the city of Troy three times before Hector faces him to fight. Aristotle claims Hector’s pursuit would be ridiculous on stage in a tragedy, but such irrationalities are less problematic in epic poetry and often happen outside the story (meaning they are simply referred to rather than described in detail).
Hector Quotes in Poetics
The Poetics quotes below are all either spoken by Hector or refer to Hector. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
While it is true that astonishment is an effect which should be sought in tragedy, the irrational (which is the most important source of astonishment) is more feasible in epic, because one is not looking at the agent. The pursuit of Hector would seem preposterous on stage, with the others standing by and taking no part in the pursuit while Achilles shakes his head to restrain them; but in epic it escapes notices.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Poetics LitChart as a printable PDF.
Hector Quotes in Poetics
The Poetics quotes below are all either spoken by Hector or refer to Hector. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 10
Quotes
While it is true that astonishment is an effect which should be sought in tragedy, the irrational (which is the most important source of astonishment) is more feasible in epic, because one is not looking at the agent. The pursuit of Hector would seem preposterous on stage, with the others standing by and taking no part in the pursuit while Achilles shakes his head to restrain them; but in epic it escapes notices.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
