Day 41: To Perish at the Hands of Man Slaying Hector

Lines 240-44
ἦ ποτ' Ἀχιλλῆος ποθὴ ἵξεται υἷας Ἀχαιῶν
σύμπαντας· τότε δ' οὔ τι δυνήσεαι ἀχνύμενός περ
χραισμεῖν, εὖτ' ἂν πολλοὶ ὑφ' Ἕκτορος ἀνδροφόνοιο
θνήσκοντες πίπτωσι· σὺ δ' ἔνδοθι θυμὸν ἀμύξεις
χωόμενος, ὅ τ' ἄριστον Ἀχαιῶν οὐδὲν ἔτισας."

Indeed at some time a yearning for Achilles will come up
In every one of the sons of the Achaeans; and then you,
Though grieving, will not be able to aid them,
When many should fall, perishing at the hands of
Man slaying Hector; and you will gnaw within your heart,
Raging, since you in no way honored
The best of the Achaeans."


The rage of Achilles comes here in force, though its consequences have yet to be felt.
From this moment one can draw a straight line through to the rest of the poem: Agamemnon's ill fated charge, followed by Hector's offensive and the burning of the Argive ship, the entrance of Patroclus and the Myrmidons into battle while Achilles sulks in his tent, followed by Patroclus' death at the hands Hector (ironic given Achilles' prediction in this section), the full bloom of the manic rage of Achilles against Hector followed by the latter's death at the hands of Achilles, and finally that meeting between Achilles and Priam in his tent and a somewhat setting of things back to order though not really. It is possible to go from this section and draw out the consequences of the remainder of this tragedy are immediately set in motion.