The event you are referring to—Odysseus killing Hector's crying infant son, Astyanax, by throwing him from the walls of Troy—does not happen in Homer’s Iliad. In fact, it occurs in the later Cycle Epics (like the Little Iliad and Iliou Persis) and Euripides' tragedy The Trojan Women.
In the Iliad, Astyanax is only shown as a crying baby once, famously weeping in Book 6 when he is terrified by his father Hector's nodding horsehair helmet.
When analyzing Odysseus's actions in advising or executing the murder of the infant through the lens of metis (cunning intelligence) and hubris (excessive pride or boundary-crossing violence), the act serves as a brutal intersection of both concepts.
⚖️ Judging the Act: Metis vs. Hubris
Concept
How it Applies to the Murder of Astyanax
The Judgment
Metis (Cunning, Pragmatism)
Odysseus argues that letting Astyanax live is a strategic liability. If the child grows up, he will seek revenge, rebuild Troy, and restart the war.
Pure Metis: From a cold, calculating military standpoint, killing the heir eliminates a political threat. It is ruthless, hyper-rational survivalism aimed at protecting Greece and his own son, Telemachus.
Hubris (Arrogance, Cruelty, Defying Order)
Throwing an innocent, crying infant off a city wall violates xenia (hospitality/divine law), the natural order, and basic human pity.
Extreme Hubris: By killing a defenseless child, Odysseus crosses the moral boundaries set by the gods. It is an act of supreme cruelty that stains the Greek victory, shifting them from noble warriors to savage monsters.
1. The Triumph of Ruthless Metis
In the mythological tradition outside the Iliad (such as Euripides’ The Trojan Women), Odysseus is the politician who convinces the Greek council to murder the baby. While Menelaus hesitates out of pity, Odysseus uses his cunning tongue (metis) to argue that emotion has no place in geopolitics. In his eyes, killing the boy is a necessary evil to guarantee long-term peace. It represents metis detached from human empathy—pure, cold, analytical strategy.
2. The Descent Into Hubris
While Odysseus views the killing as a pragmatic calculated risk, the universe views it as hubris. In Greek thought, hubris is not just being cocky; it is a deliberate, shameful act of violence that violates the natural order. Slaughtering a crying infant is the ultimate transgression against humanity.
By allowing metis to justify such horrific violence, Odysseus brings about his own nemesis (divine retribution). The gods are so disgusted by the cruelty of the sack of Troy—symbolized perfectly by the death of Astyanax—that they curse the Greek fleet, leading directly to Odysseus's grueling 10-year torment trying to get home in the Odyssey.
🎭 Modern Retellings (e.g., Epic: The Musical)
If your query was prompted by modern adaptations like Epic: The Musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, the dichotomy of metis and hubris is explicitly highlighted. In the opening "Troy Saga," Zeus forces Odysseus to make a choice: kill the baby (metis protecting his own family) or spare him and watch his own son die (hubris defying prophecy). In this modern framework, the act is a tragic curse where his cunning forces him to commit an act of monstrous cruelty.
Would you like to explore how the gods specifically punish Odysseus for his war crimes in the Odyssey, or examine the literary differences between how the Iliad and later Greek tragedies treat his character?
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