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Nestor is the king of Pylos and the oldest Achaean commander. He has two key functions in The Iliad. To begin with, if fighters like Achilles and Diomedes are meant to represent the physical side of war, Nestor is meant to represent the intellectual side. While brute strength and proficiency with weapons are obviously important, Nestor’s intelligence proves they are not the only valuable wartime skills. Though he is an old man who is no longer at his physical prime, his advanced years have made him wise—so much so that he has earned the epithet Nestor the Sage. He, along with Odysseus, is one of the Greeks’ most gifted orators, and he makes several speeches throughout the epic to rouse the troops and keep them on course. He also makes a series of tactical decisions that help the Greek forces overpower the Trojan forces. For instance, he arranges for the Greek troops to be grouped by city to ensure that the soldiers will be motivated; by fighting side by side with their closest friends, they will have an emotional investment in the army’s success. His plan is also effective because the leaders of each squadron will be familiar with the troops, making it easier to identify who is cowardly and who is courageous. He is also wise enough to know that they cannot win the war without Achilles, and is a key force in getting Agamemnon to facilitate a reconciliation.
Narratively, Nestor is also significant because he unintentionally brings about the death of Patroclus. In Book 11, Achilles sends his beloved companion to speak with Nestor. It is Nestor who gives Patroclus the idea to appear on the battlefield dressed in Achilles’s armor in order to inspire the troops—the very event that leads to his downfall. Homer acknowledges the role that Nestor inadvertently plays in Patroclus’s death by writing that his “doom was sealed” from the moment that Achilles asked him to speak with Nestor. The conversation between Nestor and Patroclus is an key moment in the epic because Patroclus’s death prompts Achilles to return to battle.
