Hector sees Achilles, prompting him to make a decision in the face of an opponent who has slaughtered so many of his men. The fear in Hector's heart, the words he had said abandoned him and he decided to flee. Achilles, wanting to gain glory, pursued him. “You saw a hawk/ In a long, smooth swoop/ Attacking a fluttering dove/ Far below in the hills./ The hawk cries,/ Sweeps and dives/ In its lust for prey.” (158-64) This is how Homer describes the beginning of the chase. In this Achilles stalks his prey like the hawk, a predatory bird known for its speed and precision as it swoops down on its prey. It is an event that happens over time, Achilles has to cover the distance while filled with bloodlust. Hector in this simile is like the dove, the object of the predator's attention. The fluttering is a description of the way Hector trembled after looking at Achilles ready for battle. The simile also inspires the image of the fear an animal would have with a predator on its tail. However, this similarity has some drawbacks compared to the comparisons made. Describing a large, armored man running with shield and weapon as smooth seems to be an exaggeration. It doesn't compare very well to the act of the bird of prey folding its wings and performing an almost free fall to kill its prey. The other derives from Homer's choice to relegate the comparison