# Priam — The Iliad character guide

> Priam in The Iliad by Homer.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** King Priam, Dardanian Priam, aged Priam, godlike Priam, royal Priam

**First appearance:** 0001-the-iliad

## Snapshot

The aged king of Troy, too old to fight and forced to watch his sons gamble the city's future on the battlefield.

## Who they are

Priam rules Troy from behind its walls while Hector and Paris carry the war he can no longer wage himself. He presides over oaths and sacrifices, sends his queen to beg Athena's mercy, and hears the counsel of seers and elders as the Greek onslaught presses closer. His dignity and helplessness give the Trojan side its human weight in the poem's early and middle books.

## Relationships

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

_psychological_

Achilles and Priam share a moment of profound empathy and grief when Priam begs for Hector's body, transcending enmity.

### [Helen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters/helen)

_family_

Helen is Priam's daughter-in-law, and he treats her with kindness and respect despite the war she caused.

### [Hector](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters/hector)

_family_

Priam is Hector's father, and their relationship is deeply affectionate and tragic, especially during Hector's death and ransom.

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

_psychological_

Achilles and Priam share a moment of profound empathy and grief when Priam begs for Hector's body, transcending enmity.

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

_psychological_

Achilles and Priam share a moment of profound empathy and grief when Priam begs for Hector's body, transcending enmity.

### [Helen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters/helen)

_family_

Helen is Priam's daughter-in-law, and he treats her with kindness and respect despite the war she caused.

### [Helen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters/helen)

_family_

Helen is Priam's daughter-in-law, and he treats her with kindness and respect despite the war she caused.

## In the story

### [The Iliad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/the-iliad)

Aged Trojan king who ransoms Hector's body from Achilles, showing courage and grief.

### [Book III: Single Combat of Menelaus and Paris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-iii-single-combat-of-menelaus-and-paris)

Summoned to witness the oaths, he refuses to watch the duel and returns to Troy, leaving the combat to fate.

### [Book VII: The Combat of Hector and Ajax](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-vii-the-combat-of-hector-and-ajax)

Presides over the Trojan council and sends Idaeus to propose a truce to the Greeks.

### [Book XXII: The Death of Hector](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-xxii-the-death-of-hector)

Priam, from the walls, desperately begs Hector to come inside the city, foreseeing his own grief and the fall of Troy. After Hector's death, he struggles to go to the Greek camp to ransom the body.

### [Book XXIV: The Body of Hector Recovered](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/chapters/book-xxiv-the-body-of-hector-recovered)

Braves the Greek camp to ransom Hector's body, showing humility and courage.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters/priam
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_iliad_se/characters