Hector's Obligations in Homer's Iliad In Homer's Iliad, an extremely courageous and noble character is Hector, prince of Troy. Hector does not want war, so his decision to lead the assault on the Achaean forces may seem strange. However, if there had been a noble way out of the war, Hector might have chosen it. “Without a noble escape, Hector is forced to fight” (Willcock 62). This doesn't seem to be rooted in his belief that his brother Paris' actions are worthy of defense, or that Helen is a prize absolutely worth fighting for. In fact, although he feels brotherly affection for his brother, he insults Paris several times for his selfishness and his womanizing which has brought so much pain to Troy. To Hecuba, he says: "A great curse that Olympian Zeus let live and grow in him [Paris], for Troy and generous Priam and all his sons." (VI.334-5) He is angry at Paris, not only for taking Helen, but for hiding from the battle, allowing the other men of Troy to die for the trophy Paris keeps in his bed. "You would be the first to lash out at another - anywhere - who you saw walking away from this, this hateful war. Onward with you - before all of Troy is reduced to ashes here and now!" he scolds Paris (VI.389-90). And later, in the heat of battle, he shouts again: "Paris, terrible Paris! Our prince of beauty, mad about women, drags them all to ruin!" (XIII.888-9)He does not fight, therefore, out of respect for his brother's right to Helen. It's not that Hector believes he's doing the right thing according to his perception of the situation, just the honorable one, out of duty to his country. Hector also has a personal stake in the battle: he sees fighting hard as the only possible means to save his beloved wife and son. He tells Andromache: "I would die of shame in facing the men of Troy... if I retreated from the battle now, like a coward." (VI.523-5) He continues by evoking images of Andromache as a widow and slave, living far from home. However, it seems that her concern here is not just with her pain, but with the fact that people will speak of her as the woman whose husband, though brave, was not strong enough to fight his day of slavery..