Lovers in the Battlefield

            “Hector goes to see his wife, Andromache, and their infant son, Astyanax. She pleads with him not to return to battle, explaining that all of her other relatives have been killed by the Greeks and he is all she has left. Even as she begs, Andromache knows that Hector will return to the battlefield. When Hector turns to his son to take him in his arms, the child is frightened by the plumes on his helmet. Showing his sensitive side, Hector removes the helmet and takes the baby into his arms. He then prays to Zeus that his son will be great. Then with a final farewell, Hector returns to the battle, accompanied by Paris.”

            This is the part of the story where Hector and Adromache was separated by the Trojan War itself. Hector was torn between his two personalities. A father and a leader, he must choose one. A father who would teach his son great things or  leader who would serve as the salvation of Trojans.The heart whelming scene between the lovers melted my heart  and made me remember something about Aeneas and Creusa.

            Both pairs was torn apart, both men have to choose between love and a promise. Aeneas and Creusa had the same faith as Hector and Andromache. A love that could never be pushed through because of a war. Same war that broke their hearts and ended the lives of their loved ones. The Trojan war caused a lot of death and tons of broken hearts. Hector decided to keep his promise and be a leader to his men. Creusa, sacrificed herself for the salvation of Aeneas and their comrades. Both lovers bounded by a promise of love that lead their fate.

Trojan War: A Legend

            The Trojan war was a mythological battle between the people of Greece and the people of the city of Troy. Prince Paris of Troy abducted the wife of Menelaus of Sparta (Helen), and refused to return her. Then, Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus, gathered troops to attack the Trojans. Several Greek heroes led the army in the battle: Achilles, Ajax, Diomed, Nestor, Odysseus and Patroclus. The city of Troy was surrounded by tall walls, which the Greeks could not penetrate. The battle raged for nine years, and although the Greeks destroyed the surrounding Trojan territory, they could do little damage to the city.

            Many of the Greek gods were involved in the war. Athena, Hera and Poseidon frequently helped the Greeks, while Aphrodite and Ares defended the city of Troy.To end the battle, the Greeks constructed a large, hollow wooden horse, as a token. Sinon remained with the horse to deliver it to the Trojans, while the rest of the troops apparently sailed home. Sinon persuaded the Trojans to take the horse and bring it within their city. That night, several warriors emerged from within the horse and opened the city gates, allowing the Greeks, who had returned and been waiting, to enter the city of Troy and destroy it.

            This is the beginning of their end. The victory sided the Greeks. The goddess of wisdom, Athena, guided the Greeks to their victory. On the other hand, the Trojans helplessly died in the hands of the avenging soldiers. They had lost their home, and some of their brothers.

 Fragments of the Lost Rome

            Watching your home crumble to pieces is like enduring the pain when someone is tearing your soul out of your body. The thick walls of the barricade were not able to keep its strength. Trojans were fooled. Young heroes died one by one and some earned their courage to stand up and fight. All of their efforts went futile to the full-blown army of the Greeks.

            On the other hand, a young hero named Aeneas fought with all his might to save his home. A home that served as his sanctuary from when he was born, a home that served as their mother keeping them warm at night and aware from the eyes of avenging soldiers, was gone. Tears fill their eyelids and the dark of the night made him more miserable. Cries and scream roared symbolising their nearing death. Aeneas endured the pain of hearing his brothers wept in pain and anguish. The young hero fled to save his family leaving his destroyed home in the hands of the angry soldiers of the Greek.

            Losing his home was terrible, as it seems, for it was like destroying yourself together with your personality. Home resembles everything that made us human. Hardships, love and even pain, it made us experience it all. It trained us to face life with all our might and courage. Brick by brick it built our personality. Losing it was far more than destroying ourselves, our foundation of personality. All the memories will always be just a memory. A fragment that would resemble ourselves, it was sad to think that everything that we went through would just vanish, sad to think that everything will just exist in our minds. Aeneas lost his home and many of his brothers. He fled with his comrades keeping this tint of hope that keeps him alive and standing for his family and friends. A flame of courage burns inside him, he kept his home in his heart, his memories will linger not just in his mind but also in his heart. These memories will keep him fighting. This memories are the fragments of his home, fragments of the lost Rome.