Sarpedon says that warriors are considered as gods by their people, and that this is because one day, when the time comes to protect those people, the warrior has to step up to his duty to protect them, even if he knows that death is upon him. He says that if he could escape this destiny and live forever, he would never fight in the front lines, and neither would he command his comrades to go to war. He makes the point that the glories obtained from being a warrior would not be worth it if they had a way of escaping their fate. But he knows that his destiny won’t allow him to escape his fate. Hence, he lives and dies as a warrior, always with his comrades, serving for the common purpose. Even though, he could have a better life if the situation …show more content…
In his isolation, he changes his mind and starts to think of ways in which he can avoid this conflict (Line 135-140). He thinks of giving enormous amounts of gifts to Achilles for the mercy of his life. He instantly realizes that doing so would dishonor his people and the warrior code. He then, again, thinks of fighting Achilles no matter what. But he hesitates in doing so, showing that it has become really difficult for him to face this situation with the customary heroic response. Hector’s response on whether he should face Achilles or retreat to the walls of his city indicate that, in his isolation, it has become really difficult for him to maintain the conduct which he showed when he was together with his comrades in the battlefield. He rejects acting in the way his warrior code and vision of life tells him to act. And then, he does the unthinkable: he runs away. His decision to run away shows us that he has lost all his will to continue the warrior ethic he followed his entire life till now. The warrior’s faith and vision no longer fulfills the urgent emotional demands of Hector. He is completely isolated, with no support either physically or emotionally. He panics and surrenders himself to the most human impulse: an attempt to escape inevitable and certain death. In one moment, his whole vision of life, his individual dignity, collapses and his life becomes a nightmare to