Describe briefly the heroism with which Hector embraced his death in Homer's Iliad.

The death of Hector strikes modern audiences as
essentially the climax of Homer's Iliad, even though it takes
places two books before the end of the epic. Additionally, the poet has been preparing
the audience for this moment at least since Iliad 6, where we find
the touching and poignant scene between Hector and his wife, who pleads with her husband
not to go into battle.

In Iliad 22,
though, Hector and Achilles finally meet on the battlefield. Hector wavers much in his
mind about what he should do after the rest of the Trojans flee behind the safety of the
city's gates. Despite his parents' pleas that Hector also return to the city, Hector
thinks that his fellow Trojans will consider him a coward if he does not face
Achilles.

Accordingly, Hector decides to remain outside the
city walls. At the same time, Hector knows that he is no match for Achilles in a
one-on-one combat and so he decides to run from Achilles: "His courage gone, he could no
longer stand there" (A.S. Kline translation). Given this phrase, it may be difficult to
characterize Hector's actions as heroic.

Hector does
finally stop running when goddess Athena tricks him into thinking he will receive help
from his fellow Trojan Deiphobus. Thinking that he has "backup," Hector's "heart
prompts" him "to stand against you face to face". Hector tries to get Achilles to agree
that they will respect each other's corpses, whichever of them happens to die, but
Achilles will not agree to this.

When Hector realizes that
the gods have deceived him, it is at this point that Hector's heroism emerges as, after
failing to wound Achilles with his spear, he attacks Achilles with his sword. Achilles,
however, strikes back and inflicts a mortal wound upon
Hector.

The dying Hector pleads with Achilles to grant him
a proper burial, but Achilles refuses. Before Hector dies, he predicts Achilles' own
death at the hands of Apollo and Paris.

So, in looking back
over the final moments of Hector's life, I am not sure that "heroic" is a term I would
use to describe the scene in Iliad 22. I would say Hector looks far
more heroic in Iliad 6, when he departs from his wife and
child.