The Iliad · Character

Andromache

Hector's wife, whose love for her husband and terror for their son expose what the war actually costs the people who must endure it.

supporting

Also known as White-armed Andromache

First appearance: book v the exploits of diomed

As a supporting figure in The Iliad, Andromache is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Andromache meets Hector at the Scaean gates and pleads with him to stay; they share a tender farewell, and she returns home weeping.

In the storyBook VI: Interviews Between Glaucus and Diomed, and Hector and AndromacheOpen this moment free

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Andromache stands at the edge of the fighting, a Trojan princess whose family has already been destroyed by Achilles. Her plea to Hector to fight from the walls, and the scene of her holding their infant son Astyanax, make her the epic's sharpest counterweight to glory. She matters because she gives voice to the domestic grief that heroic poetry usually silences, and her foresight shadows every Trojan victory with dread.

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See Andromache in book v the exploits of diomed

Character Web

16 connections

A slice of how Andromache sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Supporting Mortals and Divine Agents
Major Greek and Trojan Figures
Protagonist

+11 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Jupiter’s wrath, as he…

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In the story

Andromache appears across 3 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Book VI: Interviews Between Glaucus and Diomed, and Hector and Andromache
Andromache meets Hector at the Scaean gates and pleads with him to stay; they share a tender farewell, and she returns home weeping.
Book XXII: The Death of Hector
Andromache, unaware of Hector's death, is weaving in her chamber. She hears the lamentations from the walls and rushes out, learning of her husband's fate.
Book XXIV: The Body of Hector Recovered
Leads the lament over Hector's body, mourning her widowhood and the fate of their son.

Chapter companion notes

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See Andromache in book v the exploits of diomed

See Andromache in Book VI: Interviews Between Glaucus and Diomed, and Hector and Andromache