However, what does the Iliad actually say about the ages of Achilles and Patroclus? Achilles and Patroclus grew up together. Achilles was the bravest, handsomest, and greatest warrior of the army of Agamemnon in the Trojan War. What important parts of Greek myths do filmmakers always seem to get wrong? Its one of the big questions of Greek mythology that continues to be debated thousands of years later: were Achilles and Patroclus lovers? In Homers Iliad, Achilles and Patroclus relationship is one of the main themes of the legends surrounding the epic battle at Troy. Your email address will not be published. This confusion makes it pretty clear to me that the Classical Greeks were merely trying to project their culture onto a different, much older culture portrayed in the Iliad (which was written around the 8th century BCE and based on legends dating back to the 12th century BCE). ABOVE: Sketch by the French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres for a larger painting, depicting Achilles and Patroklos nude together when the ambassadors of Agamemnon arrive. .handsome and powerfully built. Nonetheless, the fact that Achilles is clearly portrayed as being sexually attracted to Brises does not mean he cannotalsobe sexually attracted to Patroklos. Many of historys greatest thinkers, writers, and artists thought of Achilles and Patroclus as romantically involved. Soon after, both Patroclus and Hector were given their proper funerals and were buried accordingly. [10] Writers that assumed a pederastic relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, such as Plato and Aeschylus, were then faced with a problem of deciding who must be older and play the role of the erastes. It is the gold standard when it comes to the mythology of Achilles and Patroclus. There were two interpretations of it: one is that they share a platonic, pure friendship love, and the other is that they are romantic lovers. Achilles uses a simile containing a young girl tearfully looking at her mother to complete the comparison. He was not satisfied with just killing him, he further disrespected Hectors body by desecrating it. Achilles then told Patroclus to return after beating the Trojans back from their ships. This occurred 50 years after his first and second battles and was considered to be the most significant one. Yes, we should remember that bisexuals exist, and not just exclude that as a possibility. Jonathan Shay, whose book Achilles in Vietnam proposes readings of the Iliad that have been helpful and therapeutically useful for the healing of mental wounds in Vietnam veterans, pointed out that their familial relationship in the Iliad must not be overlooked: Patroclus is Achilles' cousin and his foster brother; symbolically, comrades in battle are "like brothers," making the Achilles/Patroclus model useful for thinking about the intensity of Vietnam veterans' feelings of loss when their comrades fell beside them. It is a retelling of Homers Iliad from Patroclus point of view and is set in the Greek Heroic Age. Share Watch on There is a lot of support for their relationship in the text of theIliaditself, though Homer never makes it explicit. Also, Orestes and Pylades, and Theseus and Peirithous, and many others among the greatest heroes are celebrated in song for having jointly performed the greatest and noblest exploits, not because they slept together, but out of mutual admiration.. It's entirely possible that Homer meant it to be romantic, just as it is possible that he only meant them to be friends. He thought of his father and empathized with Priam. I mention this because it is well known that, in theIliad, Achilles has a strong attachment toand apparent sexual desire forBrises, the woman whom he has captured and forced to become his personal sex-slave. Let us summarize what we have learned about them: One of the many proofs for those believing that Achilles and Patroclus had a romantic relationship was the way Achilles reacted when he learned of the death of Patroclus. In other words, were Achilles and Patroklosreallyin a sexual relationship? But nothing between them in the Iliad is explicitly romantic or sexual. Some believe there are clues within the text that he hoped readers and listeners would pick up on, but that is a pretty big stretch for me. 'glory of the father') was a childhood friend, and close wartime companion of Achilles. Achilles had a change of heart and empathized with Priam. After more battle, Nestor arrives back to the Greek allies base with a wounded soldier. On the other hand, even if it was still against his will, he let the Trojans retrieve Hectors body. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Instead, according to Phaedrus, Achilles is the eromenos who revered his erastes, Patroclus, to the point where he would die to exact revenge for him. In the 5th and 4th centuries BC, the relationship was portrayed as same-sex love in the works of Aeschylus, Plato, Pindar, and Aeschines. Hector quickly killed him by thrusting a spear through his abdomen. ), Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles (2011) is a coming-of-age story told from Patroclus' point of view, showing the development of a loving and sexual relationship between Achilles and Patroclus.[28][29]. Required fields are marked *. Although, there is no certainty regarding what the proper label is to put on the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles. During his childhood, Patroclus had killed another child in anger over a game. What Is the Relationship of Patroclus and Achilles? He promised to bring Patroklos safely back to Opous if Menoitios sent him to Troy with Achilles and entrusted him to his care. Homer does not explicitly say they were, nor does he clearly imply it. Today we generally tend to think of people as being either gay or straight, but this is not how the ancient Greeks generally thought of sexuality. The Greek God of Rain, Thunder, and the Skies: Zeus, Titans vs Gods: The Second and Third Generation of Greek Gods, Perses Greek Mythology: An Account of the Story of Perses, Themes in The Odyssey: Creation of a Classic. Even if there really were historical figures of some kind on whom the characters of Achilles and Patroklos in theIliadare based, we cannot possibly know anything reliable about them. cit. Hooker reminds us that it is Patroclus who pushes the Trojans back, which Hooker claims makes Patroclus a hero, as well as foreshadowing what Achilles is to do. He was a Theban lyric poet of the Greeks during ancient times who made suggestions based on his comparison of the relationships between the two men, which includes that of the young boxer Hagesidamus and his trainer Ilas, as well as Hagesidamus and Zeus lover Ganymede. Further analysis of his actions would reveal that it might also be because he felt guilty for allowing Patroclus to don his shield, making the Trojans think it was him. In the Iliad Achilles mourning Patrocles, John Flaxman, 1795. Homer never explicitly casts the two as lovers,[1][2] but they were depicted as lovers in the archaic and classical periods of Greek literature, particularly in the works of Aeschylus, Aeschines and Plato.[3][4]. Hooker claims that without the death of Patroclus, an event that weighed heavily upon him, Achilles' following act of compliance to fight would have disrupted the balance of the Iliad. The Song of Achilles is a 2011 novel by American writer Madeline Miller.Set during the Greek Heroic Age, it is an adaptation of Homer's Iliad as told from the perspective of Patroclus.The novel follows Patroclus' relationship with Achilles, from their initial meeting to their exploits during the Trojan War, with focus on their romantic relationship. This is known to have been an extremely common practice between male partners in ancient Greece. I would have given everything to them desert the army and leave . Patroclus, a young comrade of Achilles, travels to Troy to help the Greeks win Helen back from the clutches of the Trojan Paris. Continue reading to find out more about it. Thetis, worried that Achilles might carelessly do something to avenge Patroclus, persuaded her son to wait at least one day. Even though they were all based on Homers The Iliad, various philosophers, authors, and historians analyzed and placed the written descriptions into context. ABOVE: First-century CE Roman fresco of Achilles surrendering Brises to Agamemnon from the House of the Tragic Poet in Pompeii. Patroclus donned Achilles's armor--except for his ash spear, which only Achilles could wield--and went into battle as a direct substitute (what Nickel refers to as "doublet") for Achilles. This is how they are portrayed, for instance, in Madeline Millers novelThe Song of Achilles(published in 2012) and in the BBC television seriesTroy: Fall of a City (released in 2018). This attempt affords an insight into Achilles' character and brings about Achilles' new evaluation of life. Chapter Summaries Chapter One The narrator, Patroclus, describes his father, who is a king from a long line of kings. Updated May 5, 2023 One of Hades' most important and convoluted quests involves reuniting Achilles with his lost lover, Patroclus. Ultimately, both the interpretation of Achilles and Patroklos as lovers and the interpretation of them as merely loving friends are legitimate, since Achilles and Patroklos are fictional characters and fictional characters can be adapted and reinterpreted in all sorts of different ways that are all equally legitimate. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Who, Read More Perses Greek Mythology: An Account of the Story of PersesContinue, Themes in The Odyssey are written intricately well to create a dynamic piece that fully comprehends the culture and nature of those living within those times. In an interview she was asked how she came to the conclusion that the two were lovers: I stole it from Plato! [24], According to Halperin, these extra-institutional relationships were of necessity portrayed by using the language of other, institutionalized love relationships, such as those of parent/child and husband/wife. Patroclus was made to be Achilles squire. Achilles gave in to the request of his mother, but he still made an appearance on the battlefield and stayed there long enough to scare the Trojans who were still fighting over Patroclus lifeless body. The two best fighters from each side, Hector and Achilles, fought one on one, and when it was evident that Hector would lose, he tried to reason with Achilles, but Achilles wouldnt accept any explanation as he was blinded by his rage and goal of killing Hector to avenge the death of Patroclus. Hector then killed Patroclus by stabbing him in the stomach with a spear. Later on, the Trojans continue their advance on the Greek allies base and breech the defensive wall guarding their ships. We will return to Were Achilles and Patroclus lovers? According to The Iliad, Achilles refused to fight the war because Agamemnon was there. This can explain the overtones in Book 19 of the Iliad wherein Achilles mourns Patroclus (lines 315337) in a similar manner used previously by Briseis (lines 287300). Regardless, Achilles is presumed to be a youth at the start of the war. Only someone who was extraordinarily nave could take this as a work of accurate history. [11], Aeschylus, in his lost tragedy The Myrmidons (5th century BC), assigned Achilles the role of erastes or protector (since he had avenged his lover's death, even though the gods told him it would cost him his own life), and assigned Patroclus the roles of eromenos. Eumaeus in The Odyssey is written as Odysseus swineherd and friend. Anything beyond that is an exercise in speculation, projection, or interpretation (or all three). As it turns out, the debate over whether Achilles and Patroklos were lovers goes all the way back to antiquity. There is a widespread attitude that Achilles and Patroclus were clearly in sexual relationship and that anyone who questions that or disagrees must have some hidden agenda that would cause them to deny their true nature. Its ideal structure consists of an older lover who will serve as the protector and a younger one as the beloved. Patroclus and Achilles had a one-of-a-kind relationship, and it was one of the major themes in Homers epic novel, The Iliad. Menoetius and Patroclus would make their way to Phthia, where they were made welcome by Peleus, who had once . Xenophon also cites other examples of legendary comrades, like Orestes and Pylades, who were renowned for their joint achievements rather than any erotic relationship. Miller also admits that she took inspiration from other sources than the Iliad to develop her story. In twenty-first-century adaptations of the story of the Trojan War, Achilles and Patroklos are often portrayed as gay lovers. There is no evidence for the existence of Achilles, Patroklos, Odysseus, Agamemnon, the Trojan Horse, Priamos, Hektor, or any of the rest. Notably, the writer Xenophon (lived c. 430 354 BCE) wrote a response to PlatosSymposionin which he makes the speaker Socrates specifically argue that Achilles and Patroklos werenotlovers. Never bury my bones apart from yours, Achilles, let them lie togetherSo now let a single urn, the gold two-handed urn your noble mother gave you, hold our bones - together. Book 23. So it depends on how you approach finding truth in mythology. Hooker argues that the greater the love, the greater the loss. The Beginning of Their Story of Patroclus and Achilles, How Achilles Felt After the Death of Patroclus, Patroclus and Achilles' With Different Interpretations, The Myrmidons by Aeschylus: Interpretation of Patroclus and Achilles' Relationship, Pindar's Take on Patroclus and Achilles' Relationship, Patroclus and Achilles' Relationship in Symposium. Although, Read More Themes in The Odyssey: Creation of a ClassicContinue, Your email address will not be published. [22] Morales and Mariscal state "there is a polemical tradition concerning the nature of the relationship between the two heroes". Zeus, the king of the gods and Poseidon, god of the sea, had both fallen in love with Thetis and were rivals for her hand in marriage. Another popular piece of evidence for the argument is that Patroclus requests that their bones be buried together, which indicates the strength of their bond. Im not convinced he wanted us to think they were lovers, but there are a few passages that certainly open up the possibility. [18]:353 book 16,lines 6487 Patroclus defied Achilles' order and pursued the Trojans back to the gates of Troy. ABOVE: Attic red-figure hydria dated to c. 480 BCE or thereabouts depicting Achilles receiving the ambassadors from Agamemnon while Patroklos stands behind him, as described in Book Nine of theIliad. Historical and literary scholars have long held that Plato was correct in his claim that Patroclus was much older than Achilles. While its feminine form (hetara) would be used for courtesans, a hetaros was still a form of soldier in Hellenistic and Byzantine times. There were two interpretations of it: one is that they share a platonic, pure friendship love, and the other is that they are romantic lovers. [19] Patroclus killed many Trojans and Trojan allies, including a son of Zeus, Sarpedon. It highlights both the consequences of irresponsibility and how helpless humans are in the face of the gods. Achilles' strongest interpersonal bond is with Patroclus. View all posts by Spencer McDaniel. From Patroclus' perspective, Miller narrates an intense love story developing from youth until Achilles' death. Patroclus convinced Achilles to allow him to lead and command the Myrmidons into battle when the Trojan War had switched against the Greeks and the Trojans were endangering their ships. If, however, one is looking at the totality of the mythological tradition of Achilles and Patroclus, clearly there is plenty of precedent to depict them as lovers. There is certainly an argument that myths evolve over time and Homers version is just one (albeit important) link in that ongoing chain. One of them was a Titan who was famous for fathering more important Greek figures. achilles x patroclus [ dark vanilla ] 3k followers . [1]:561 The ashes of Achilles were said to have been buried in a golden urn along with those of Patroclus by the Hellespont.[21]. These two instances would make you question their relationship. He is a strong warrior, a powerful sorcerer, a loyal friend, and a fantastic healer. When Aischylos uses the phrase sacred wonder of the thighs, he is alluding to intercrural sex, which is a form of non-penetrative intercourse in which a man rubs his penis between the thighs of his partner. They presented them as part of a pederastic relationship, which was a custom at the time in which an older male (usually in his twenties) formed a sexual relationship with a younger male (usually in his teens). He returns to battle with the sole aim of avenging Patroclus' death by killing Hector, despite a warning that doing so would cost him his life. I dont personally play video games. After defeating Hector, Achilles drags his corpse by the heels behind his chariot. Achilles attached Hectors lifeless body to the rear of his chariot and dragged him around the walls of the city of Troy. But then again, it was Patroclus fate to be killed by Hector and, in turn, for Hector to be killed by Achilles in return. [27] (In the Iliad, it is explicitly stated that Patroclus was the older and more responsible of the two. No gods and no gay men. On Quora, I recently came across a popular answer to the question What important parts of Greek myths do filmmakers always seem to get wrong?. He was raised by the centaur Chiron and grew up to become a great warrior. He refuses to eat or drink until he has avenged Patrokloss death and he declares that, when he dies, he wants his ashes to be mixed with those of Patroklos so they can be together for eternity, inseparable from one another. At least not to me. Making the Distant Past Relevant to the Present Day. Achilles sends Patroclus out to speak with him. There are at least three pronunciations of the name 'Patroclus' in English. Achilles consented, giving Patroclus the armor Achilles had received from his father, in order for Patroclus to impersonate Achilles. Furthermore, when Patroclus is killed by Hector in Book 18, Achilles reacts with intense sorrow and anger and claims that he cannot continue to live until he is able to have his revenge on Patroclus killer. and, a little later (8, 32), >)Pausanias(x on the army of lovers (actually Phaedrus, Plato, op. 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