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Wed. March 20

During a lull in the fighting, Glaucus (a Trojan) and Ajax (a Greek) begin to converse and discover they have a common ancestor. Such a connection must be honored. Although they cannot change the war or their own circumstances, they vow not to kill each other at the moment, and exchange armor with each other. This is a remarkable example of the importance of gift exchange, as discussed by M. I. Finley in The Age of Odysseus.  It is one of those “on the battlefield” agreements between warriors, like the “Christmas Day Truce” on the frontlines of WWI, when soldiers met and played ball for a day before being called back to their duty. They acknowledge their common humanity in the midst of war, and the values and obligations which can supersede, for a moment, those owed to their nation and warlord.

Also in this book is the final parting of Hector from his wife Andromache and his son Astyanax. She tells him that Achilles has already killed her father and seven (!!) brothers in battle, though he treated her father, at least, with honor by preserving his arms and making a funeral pyre for him.  She fears the same fate awaits Hector. Should he fall in battle with Achilles, she says her father and brothers will all die again — perhaps from added grief, but I think she means their ancestral line will be extinguished, because she and her son will also die. But Hector replies that his fate is already written by the gods, and though he grieves for the slavery she must endure if he dies, all any man can do is fight his enemies bravely, and act with honor. This sums up his character, and is the standard by which each warrior is finally judged.