Hector.
The eldest son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, Hector was the bravest of all the Trojans, commanding the forces of Troy against the Greek siege in the Trojan War. He owed his position not only to courage, but also to superior judgment and responsibility. He tried first to avert war; when that failed he conducted it, fighting Ajax in single combat, attacking the Greek ships, and killing Patroclus.
       One of the most popular episodes from the Iliad in postclassical painting, literature, and music is Hector’s final farewell to Andromache and their young son, Astyanax.
      
       Classical Sources. Homer, Iliad 1.242, 2.4i6f., 2.802-18, 6.237-529, 13.674-837, 16.816-42, 20.364-454, 22-24, and passim. Sappho, The Wedding of Andromache. Euripides, Rhesus. Plutarch, Parallel Lives, “Marcus Brutus” 46.23. Listings are arranged under the following headings:
       General List Death of Hector See also Ajax; Andromache; Paris; Patroclus; Troi-lus and Cressida; Trojan War, General List.