The Song of Achilles

Eventually, the raids’ intent—to cut off the city from its supplies and flood it with refugees—is fulfilled, and King Priam is forced to act. He receives an embassy from the Greeks comprised of their two most diplomatic leaders, Odysseus and Menelaus. Priam tells them that Helen does not wish to leave, and he will not refuse a woman seeking protection. Agamemnon is pleased that there will be war. Meanwhile, Patroclus and Achilles wonder whether Helen left Sparta with Paris willingly to increase her own legend, and whether Agamemnon would attack Troy even if Helen were returned.

On the first day of battle, Patroclus despairs that he will have to participate. While he knows Achilles’s fate, he knows nothing of his own. Achilles helps him dress and promises to keep him safe. Nevertheless, the chaos of battle initially overwhelms him. When he sees a Spartan fall, his instinct is to pray for him and close his eyes. Achilles creates a protective circle around Patroclus, allowing no one to come close to him. Eventually, the horror of battle fades to the periphery, and all Patroclus notices is Achilles’s “beauty, his singing limbs, the quick flickering of his feet” (227).

The war drags on, fought only for honor, with no demonstrable gains for either side. Achilles revels in battle, not necessarily for the killing and carnage but for the challenge of fighting fifteen or twenty men. When it becomes clear that the war will be protracted, Patroclus is not obliged to participate every day. As an exile and companion to Achilles, Patroclus fights when Achilles requires him to; most days, Achilles is happy to leave his lover behind, though occasionally he longs for Patroclus’s companionship. He wishes for him to “bear witness” to Achilles’s “miracles” (228). One day, Patroclus sees Thetis on the battlefield, observing her son. When she realizes Patroclus sees her, she hisses at him and vanishes. Patroclus also observes the other Greek and Trojan leaders, including Hector, who appears thoughtful, capable, and pious. In battle, Achilles avoids him, prompting Agamemnon to ask Achilles when he will confront the prince of Troy. In response, Achilles smiles, saying, “What has Hector ever done to me?” (230).

When he is not fighting, Achilles visits with Thetis, often all day. These visits unsettle Patroclus, who had hoped that she would not follow them to Troy. He worries that she will take Achilles away from him. During Achilles’s absence, Briseis comforts Patroclus. One day, she asks him where Achilles goes and why he is away for so long. Patroclus admits that Achilles’s mother is a goddess. Briseis is not surprised; she had noticed that he “does not move like a human” (232).

When Achilles returns, Patroclus asks him what he and his mother discuss. Achilles reveals that the gods are fighting among themselves, “taking sides in the war” (233). Thetis worries that Achilles will not receive enough fame for his sacrifice and that another warrior will kill Hector before Achilles has his chance. Achilles insists to Patroclus that he will not kill Hector. He then shares an odd dream he had, in which he kills Hector and feels relief. Uneasy, Patroclus asks if the dream could be a prophecy. Achilles dismisses this notion, noting once again that Hector has done nothing to offend him.

To cope with Achilles’s absences, Patroclus begins helping the physician Machaon in the infirmary. Aware that Patroclus trained with Chiron, Machaon welcomes him. A soldier is brought in with an arrow tip lodged in his shoulder. Patroclus carefully removes the arrow tip, resulting in a quick healing process, little pain, and no infection. Machaon is impressed enough that he consults with Patroclus when a warrior with a similar injury is brought to the infirmary.

Meanwhile, Achilles’s destiny hangs over him and Patroclus. As the months stretch into two years, Patroclus learns to live with a sense of doom. The camp begins to function like a family, with Achilles and Patroclus presiding over their hearth, inviting Phoinix and Briseis to entertain them with stories. Patroclus realizes that Briseis has become “one of us,” a “member of our circle, for life” (238). On one of these nights, Achilles asks her about Hector. She says that she knows more about his wife, Andromache, Cilician king Eetion’s only daughter, who “Hector is said to love [...] above all things” and who “is known for a sweet temper and gentle spirit” (239).

After Briseis leaves, Achilles admits that he participated in a raid against Cilicia during which he killed Andromache’s father and brothers. Thinking about how many men his lover has killed and how many tears he has caused to fall, Patroclus feels overwhelmed. He stares at Achilles’s hands, “so gentle” and “so deadly” (240). Achilles reveals that he allowed Eetion’s youngest son to live so that “their family line would not die” (240). Patroclus reflects that typically a warrior would brag about wiping out a family line; it would be considered a glorious and powerful act. Achilles’s decision to let one son live feels like an act of grace. Achilles notes that while Hector has not done anything to offend him, Hector can no longer say the same of Achilles.

After four years of stalemate, men begin to complain that Agamemnon’s promises of a short war and treasure have not been fulfilled. Worrying that the war is hopeless, a mutiny begins to build. After Agamemnon clubs one of the mutinous soldiers to death, the men threaten to turn on him. Achilles distracts them by leaping onto a pile of discarded armor and asking to hear their grievances. They complain that they were lied to and have lost four years of their lives “from children and wives, from family and home” (244), for a hopeless war. Achilles asks them whether the “Aristos Achaion” (244) would fight a hopeless war. They reply that he would not. Achilles tells them that he will stay until the end. He adds that anyone who wants to leave is free to go but warns them that he will take their share of treasure. The men laugh appreciatively, and the tension, along with the mutiny, is diffused. After, Patroclus notices Agamemnon watching Achilles appraisingly.

Following the near rebellion, Odysseus keeps the men busy building a palisade to surround the camp, and no more mutinies arise. The invasion transforms into an occupation as the camp becomes more of a town. Soldiers begin to have children with slave women. An overall camaraderie develops among the men, regardless of their kingdom of origin. Patroclus notes that Agamemnon’s brag to unite all of Greece has happened.

Meanwhile, Patroclus develops a reputation for medical skill, especially for limiting pain, and bonds with the soldiers. The women Patroclus and Achilles brought to their camp begin to pair off with Myrmidon soldiers, leaving only Briseis. She and Patroclus grow close. He teaches her medical skills, and she educates him about the local herbs that he needs for medicines. On a walk through the woods, she kisses him. Though he fears hurting her, he affirms his love for Achilles. Aware that some men have both wives and lovers, she asks if he would like to take a wife or have children. Patroclus admits that if he did, she would be his choice.

Later, Patroclus asks Achilles whether he would like to have children. Achilles reminds him that he has a son, Neoptolemus. He is called Pyrrhus because of “his fiery red hair” (254) and lives with Thetis. Though jealous, Achilles would not begrudge Patroclus having a child with Briseis if he wanted to. Patroclus is happy as things are.

Thetis visits with a warning that the god Apollo is angry and looking for an excuse to act against the Greeks. She urges the Myrmidons to sacrifice a hecatomb to appease him. Further, a new prophecy says that the Myrmidons’ best man will die within two years, but this man is not Achilles. Seeing Patroclus, she reiterates that he is unworthy of Achilles, but he replies that they disagree on this matter. After she leaves, he and Patroclus wonder who the best Myrmidon of the prophecy could be.