The relationships between parents and children in the Iliad are not relationships we expect to see in today's society. The Iliad depicts relationships between fathers and sons as more than simply physical and emotional. It is based on pride and mutual respect. The son's expectations are above all to pass on his father's respectable name and to follow in his father's footsteps of being noble warriors. These relationships are the driving forces of the Iliad, making each son in the Iliad identifiable first and foremost by their father's name. One result of father-son relationships is ancestral loyalty between characters who play a leading role in the war. Therefore, not only does the Iliad share an important war story, but also strong relationships between fathers and sons, ancestral loyalty between characters, and relationships between mothers and children. Among the many father and son relationships in the Iliad, the first relationship to analyze is between Priam and Hector. Priam is a dignified warrior who had fifty sons. Hector, being one of fifty, is a warrior who is earning respect for being just like his father. As with most depicted father-son relationships, Priam had almost no physical interaction with Hector. Therefore, when Hector died it was very touching to hear Priam make such a pressing and fervent request to Achilles that Hector's body be returned to him.“ My Hector. It is for him that I came on the Greek ships, to take him back from you. I brought a fortune as a ransom. Respect the gods, Achilles. Think of your father and have mercy on me. I'm more compassionate. I was born what no man who ever walked this earth has ever endured. I kissed the hand of the man who killed my son” (Book 2...... middle of paper ...... go now and see and hear my dear son, for he is suffering as he waits for the end of war... child, why do you cry? What pain has come to your heart? Speak, do not hide it' (Book 18, lines 66-81). seen between a father and son because they would be considered weak. The Iliad is not just a story of war, but a story of family relationships and bonds through respect and honor duties to their family. They go into battle and fight to the end, perhaps even to the death. They do not seek the love of their fathers, but for the respect and desire to follow just as their fathers did, to be dignified warriors. proud of their ancestral achievements.