Original Text(~250 words)
ARGUMENT. THE BATTLE AT THE GRECIAN WALL. The Greeks having retired into their intrenchments, Hector attempts to force them; but it proving impossible to pass the ditch, Polydamas advises to quit their chariots, and manage the attack on foot. The Trojans follow his counsel; and having divided their army into five bodies of foot, begin the assault. But upon the signal of an eagle with a serpent in his talons, which appeared on the left hand of the Trojans, Polydamas endeavours to withdraw them again. This Hector opposes, and continues the attack; in which, after many actions, Sarpedon makes the first breach in the wall. Hector also, casting a stone of vast size, forces open one of the gates, and enters at the head of his troops, who victoriously pursue the Grecians even to their ships. While thus the hero’s pious cares attend The cure and safety of his wounded friend, Trojans and Greeks with clashing shields engage, And mutual deaths are dealt with mutual rage. Nor long the trench or lofty walls oppose; With gods averse the ill-fated works arose; Their powers neglected, and no victim slain, The walls were raised, the trenches sunk in vain. Without the gods, how short a period stands The proudest monument of mortal hands! This stood while Hector and Achilles raged, While sacred Troy the warring hosts engaged; But when her sons were slain, her city burn’d, And what survived of Greece to Greece return’d; Then Neptune and Apollo shook the shore, Then...
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Summary
The Trojans face their greatest challenge yet: breaking through the massive Greek fortifications. Polydamas, Hector's wise advisor, suggests abandoning their chariots to attack on foot—the trenches are too dangerous for horses. It's smart counsel, and Hector listens. They divide into five organized battalions and advance. But when an ominous sign appears—an eagle dropping a serpent—Polydamas urges retreat. This time, Hector refuses, dismissing omens and insulting his advisor's courage. It's a pivotal moment showing how pride can override wisdom. The attack proceeds with devastating force. Sarpedon, the Lycian prince, delivers one of literature's most powerful speeches about why leaders must lead from the front, accepting risk because privilege demands responsibility. He and his men breach the wall first. Then Hector performs an almost superhuman feat, hurling a massive stone that shatters the gates. The Trojans pour through like a flood, driving the Greeks back to their ships. This chapter reveals the double-edged nature of leadership—sometimes you must ignore advisors and trust your instincts, but sometimes that same confidence becomes dangerous arrogance. The contrast between Hector's two decisions shows how thin the line is between courage and recklessness. Meanwhile, Sarpedon's speech captures why some people willingly accept the burdens of leadership and the risks that come with them.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Siege warfare
A military strategy where attackers surround and isolate a fortified position, trying to break through defenses or starve defenders into surrender. In this chapter, the Trojans must breach the Greek walls and trenches to reach their ships.
Modern Usage:
We see this in business when companies try to break into protected markets, or in personal conflicts when someone systematically breaks down another person's defenses.
Divine favor
The belief that gods actively support or oppose human actions, making success or failure dependent on supernatural approval. The Greeks built their walls without proper sacrifices, so the gods don't protect them.
Modern Usage:
Today we might say someone has 'luck on their side' or everything they touch turns to gold, attributing success to forces beyond skill alone.
Omens
Signs from the gods, usually involving animals or natural phenomena, believed to predict future events. The eagle dropping a serpent warns the Trojans to retreat, but Hector ignores it.
Modern Usage:
We still look for 'signs' before big decisions - red flags in relationships, gut feelings about job interviews, or superstitions about lucky numbers.
Military counsel
Advice given by experienced advisors to commanders during war. Polydamas consistently offers strategic wisdom to Hector, but isn't always heard.
Modern Usage:
This happens in every workplace where experienced employees try to guide bosses who may or may not listen to feedback.
Aristocratic privilege
The advantages that come with noble birth - wealth, status, respect - but also the expectations and responsibilities. Sarpedon explains why leaders must fight on the front lines.
Modern Usage:
Today's version is executives taking pay cuts during layoffs, or wealthy people being expected to donate more to charity - privilege comes with obligations.
Heroic code
The unwritten rules that governed how warriors should behave - showing courage, protecting honor, leading by example. Breaking these rules meant losing respect and status.
Modern Usage:
We have similar unspoken codes in different fields - doctors putting patients first, teachers protecting students, or cops having each other's backs.
Characters in This Chapter
Hector
Trojan commander and protagonist
Shows both wisdom and dangerous pride in this chapter. He correctly accepts Polydamas's first advice about fighting on foot, then foolishly rejects the warning about omens. His superhuman gate-breaking demonstrates his heroic power.
Modern Equivalent:
The talented manager who sometimes listens to advice and sometimes lets ego override good judgment
Polydamas
Hector's advisor and voice of reason
Offers consistently good strategic advice - first suggesting they abandon chariots, then warning about the ominous eagle. Hector's dismissal of his second warning shows how pride can override wisdom.
Modern Equivalent:
The experienced employee who gives good advice but gets ignored when it's inconvenient
Sarpedon
Lycian prince and allied commander
Delivers a powerful speech about why leaders must accept risk and lead from the front. He backs up his words by being first to breach the Greek wall, embodying the principle that privilege requires courage.
Modern Equivalent:
The executive who takes responsibility during crises instead of hiding behind subordinates
Apollo
Divine force opposing the Greeks
Works with Neptune to ensure the Greek fortifications will eventually fall. Represents the cosmic forces working against structures built without proper respect for higher powers.
Modern Equivalent:
The market forces or natural consequences that eventually catch up with shortcuts and corner-cutting
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when we filter advice through our ego instead of evaluating it objectively.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when your first instinct is to attack the messenger instead of examining the message—that's your signal to listen twice as carefully.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Without the gods, how short a period stands the proudest monument of mortal hands!"
Context: Explaining why the Greek walls will eventually fall despite their impressive construction
This reveals that even the most impressive human achievements are temporary without proper foundation or respect for larger forces. The Greeks built walls but ignored the spiritual/political groundwork needed for lasting success.
In Today's Words:
No matter how impressive something looks, if you cut corners on the fundamentals, it won't last.
"Why boast we, Glaucus, our extended reign, where Xanthus' streams enrich the Lycian plain? Why on those shores are we with joy surveyed, admired as heroes, and as gods obeyed?"
Context: Explaining to his companion why they must fight on the dangerous front lines
Sarpedon articulates the core principle that privilege comes with responsibility. He and Glaucus enjoy wealth and respect at home, so they must earn it by taking the greatest risks in battle.
In Today's Words:
We get all the benefits of being leaders back home, so we better step up when things get dangerous.
"One omen is the best: our country's cause."
Context: Dismissing Polydamas's warning about the eagle dropping the serpent
This shows Hector's admirable dedication but dangerous arrogance. He's right that they're fighting for their homeland, but wrong to completely dismiss strategic warnings. It's the moment where confidence becomes recklessness.
In Today's Words:
Forget the warning signs - we're doing this for the right reasons, and that's all that matters.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Selective Listening - When Pride Picks Its Advisors
We accept advice that confirms our plans and reject advice that challenges them, gradually isolating ourselves from reality.
Thematic Threads
Leadership Burden
In This Chapter
Sarpedon's speech about why privilege demands accepting risk and leading from the front
Development
Building on earlier themes of heroic responsibility, now explicitly connecting privilege to obligation
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when you have advantages others don't and must decide whether to use them responsibly.
Pride vs Wisdom
In This Chapter
Hector listens to tactical advice but rejects warnings, showing how pride filters information
Development
Evolving from simple battlefield courage to dangerous overconfidence that dismisses good counsel
In Your Life:
You see this when you accept feedback that feels good but resist advice that challenges your plans.
Class and Duty
In This Chapter
Sarpedon explains why leaders must accept greater risks because they receive greater privileges
Development
Deepening the connection between social position and moral obligation established in earlier books
In Your Life:
This appears when you have more resources, knowledge, or influence than others and must decide how to use them.
Collective Action
In This Chapter
The Trojans organize into disciplined battalions, showing how individual courage requires group coordination
Development
Expanding from individual heroics to strategic teamwork and organized effort
In Your Life:
You encounter this when personal goals require working effectively with others toward a shared objective.
Momentum and Timing
In This Chapter
The breakthrough moment when coordinated pressure finally overcomes massive resistance
Development
Introduced here as a new theme about how sustained effort can reach tipping points
In Your Life:
You experience this when long-term efforts suddenly pay off, or when you need to recognize the right moment to push harder.
Modern Adaptation
When Good Advice Gets Filtered
Following Achilles's story...
Achilles leads a construction crew breaking into a competitor's territory—a massive commercial project that could establish their company's reputation. His foreman Marcus suggests they rent smaller equipment for the tight spaces instead of forcing their heavy machinery through. Smart advice, and Achilles listens. But when Marcus spots structural issues and urges them to stop work until an engineer reviews it, Achilles explodes. 'You scared of a little risk?' he snaps, questioning Marcus's nerve in front of the whole crew. The project is too important, the deadline too tight. They push forward with the heavy equipment, and initially it works—they're ahead of schedule, the client is thrilled. But Achilles has just demonstrated the deadliest pattern in leadership: listening to advice when it supports your plans, dismissing it when it challenges them. The same advisor, the same day, given completely different treatment based on whether his counsel aligned with what Achilles wanted to hear.
The Road
The road Hector walked in ancient Troy, Achilles walks today. The pattern is identical: we filter advice through our ego, accepting wisdom that confirms our plans while attacking messengers who challenge them.
The Map
This chapter provides a navigation tool for recognizing selective listening in yourself and others. When someone dismisses advice by attacking the advisor's credibility or courage, that's a red flag that the advice might be exactly what they need to hear.
Amplification
Before reading this, Achilles might have seen disagreement as disloyalty and criticism as cowardice. Now he can NAME the pattern of selective listening, PREDICT where it leads (isolation from reality), and NAVIGATE it by asking: 'Am I rejecting this because it's wrong, or because I don't want it to be right?'
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What's the difference between how Hector responds to Polydamas's first piece of advice versus his second piece of advice?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Hector listen when Polydamas suggests changing tactics but dismiss him when he warns about the omen?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen someone accept advice that supports what they want to do but reject advice that challenges their plans?
application • medium - 4
How can you tell the difference between bad advice you should ignore and good advice you don't want to hear?
application • deep - 5
What does Sarpedon's willingness to lead from the front teach us about the relationship between privilege and responsibility?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Advisory Filter
Think of a current situation where you're getting advice from multiple people. Write down each piece of advice you've received, then honestly mark whether you're accepting or dismissing it. Look for patterns: are you only listening to advice that confirms what you already want to do?
Consider:
- •Notice if you're finding reasons to discredit advisors whose message you don't like
- •Pay attention to advice that makes you feel defensive - that might be the most important to examine
- •Consider whether you're surrounding yourself with people who only tell you what you want to hear
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you dismissed advice that turned out to be right. What made you resist it initially, and what would help you stay more open to unwelcome truths in the future?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 13: Divine Intervention and Mortal Courage
What lies ahead teaches us leadership requires knowing when to step back and reassess strategy, and shows us the power of hidden support systems in achieving success. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.