Poulydamas and Hektor

Poulydamas is a middling character in the Iliad, but he plays an important role in both the plot and thematics of the epic. He was born on the same night as Hektor, and thus he can be seen as Hektor's projective double, who can express what Hektor may think but cannot say. He is better with words than Hektor but not as good in deeds. In four episodes Poulydamas serves as Hektor's wise counselor, but at crucial moments Hektor rejects his advice. Then in the final battle between Hektor and Achilles, Hektor imagines what Poulydamas might say if Hektor were to withdraw from the fight. The carefully arranged passages in which Poulydamas appears display the power of variation within a formulaic method of composition; they also reveal important aspects of Hektor's character, as well as aspects of the Homeric view of decision-making and the Homeric view of the complex self.