# Hector — Metamorphoses character guide

> Hector in Metamorphoses by Ovid.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** noble Hector

**First appearance:** 0117-trojan-war

## Snapshot

Troy's noblest son, whose worth is measured even in the grief of others, weeps at a brother's empty tomb while the war that will kill him gathers at Aulis.

## Who they are

Hector appears at a cenotaph for his brother Aesacus, mourning with all his brothers except Paris, whose absence and adultery have drawn the Greek fleet to Troy. The poem pauses to note that Aesacus, had fate allowed, might have rivalled Hector's worth, a compliment that quietly measures the living hero against the dead. His piety at the tomb and his brother's conspicuous absence frame the Trojan War as a family tragedy before the first ship ever sails.

## Relationships

### [Achilles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters/achilles)

_rivalry_

Achilles and Hector are mortal enemies on the battlefield, culminating in Hector's death.

### [Achilles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters/achilles)

_rivalry_

Achilles and Hector are mortal enemies on the battlefield, culminating in Hector's death.

## In the story

### [Story of Medea and Jason](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/story-of-medea-and-jason)

Mentioned indirectly as part of the Grecian heroes; not central to this chapter.

### [Aesacus Transformed Into a Cormorant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/aesacus-transformed-into-a-cormorant)

Mentioned as Aesacus's brother, a warlike hero of Troy.

### [Book XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/book-xii)

Mourns at the cenotaph of the metamorphosed son; slays Protesilaus in battle.

### [Trojan War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/trojan-war)

Mourns at the cenotaph of his metamorphosed brother, unaware of the true fate.

### [House of Fame](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/house-of-fame)

Slays Protesilaus, the first Greek to land on Trojan shore.

### [Story of Cycnus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/chapters/story-of-cycnus)

Mentioned as a Trojan warrior Achilles seeks but does not encounter in this chapter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters/hector
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/metamorphoses_se/characters