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Mon. May 20

The battle at the ships.  Hector and Sarpedon lead a Trojan assault on the wall and trench which protect the Greek ships, hoping to set fire to them or force the Greeks to withdraw and sail for home. They are successful, until the left wing of their forces sees an eagle (representing Zeus) fly over, clutching a serpent (a symbol of Troy). Frightened by this, some stop the attack, but Sarpedon and Hector, unaware of the omen, continue fighting and breach the wall, threatening to defeat the Greeks. 

So I’m curious: if Sarpedon and Hector had seen the omen, would they have withdrawn too? That seems doubtful. Sarpedon says they must pursue glory to be honored by their fellow men and to enjoy the benefits of the elite warrior class, for death cannot be avoided or predicted. The omen is not so much a warning as it is a declaration of the already determined outcome — Troy will be defeated. Sarpedon says:

“Could all our care elude the gloomy grave,

Which claims no less the fearful and the brave,

For lust of fame I should not vainly dare

In fighting fields, nor urge the soul to war.

But since, alas! ignoble age must come,

Disease and death’s inexorable doom,

The life, which others pay, let us bestow,

And give to fame what we to nature owe;

Brave though we fall, and honour’d if we live,

Or let us glory gain, or glory give!”