The song of Achilles
“The song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller
Reviewed by Natalie
Young Prince Patroclus, exiled as a boy to the court of King Peleus of Phythia, is befriended by young Prince Achilles, son of Peleus and the sea-nymph goddess Thetis. The boyhood friends are inseparable, and Achilles trusts Patroclus above all. But Thetis objects to Patroclus, so she sends Achilles far away to the centaur Chiron for training. But Patroclus follows, and they spend an idyllic three years learning many things, and their relationship develops into a passionate love.
At 17 years of age, Kings ask Achilles go to Troy to fight and avenge the kidnapping of Helen of Sparta. Thetis foresees that if Achilles goes, he will achieve fame but at the expense of his life, so she whisks him away into hiding, forcing him to dress as a woman. Patroclus pines for his lover so much he eventually tracks him down … but unfortunately, so does King Odysseus. Achilles is forced to choose - go to war, or be ridiculed as his disguise is exposed. So he leaves the wife foisted upon him while in hiding, pregnant with his child, and Patroclus, Achilles and the Myrmidons sail to Troy.
Ten years later, the war continues but Achilles’ unsurpassed skills as a warrior have granted him great fame and god-like status. Patroclus is a surgeon and rarely fights. Achilles carefully avoids Prince Hector of Troy – prophecy foretells that once Hector dies, Achilles will follow. Their love is strong, and enriched by the presence of Briseis, a girl who loves Patroclus, even though his love for her is platonic.
But then, as in the story presented in Wolfgang Petersen’s 2007 movie “Troy”, Patroclus impersonates Achilles during a fight and is killed. Grief and rage spur Achilles to hunt Hector down, and shortly after, he is killed by Paris’ arrow. Unlike that film however, the story continues…
Achilles young son, 12-year-old Pyrrhus, arrives to take his father’s place. Arrogant and cold, as one raised by the gods, he is instrumentall in the fall of Troy. However, he will not accept that Patroclus and Achilles had a homosexual relationship, and prevents Patroclus’ being included on Achilles monument. Therefore, the spirit of Patroclus is doomed to wander adrift while Achilles lives on in the underworld .. until Thetis finally accepts that their love existed and assists them to be re-united.
Author Madeline Miller has Master’s degrees in Latin and Ancient Greek, and also studied drama at Yale, specialising in adapting classical tales to a modern audience. That, and the ten years she reportedly spent writing this novel, have resulted in a extremely vivid, emotional, wonderfully detailed and riveting story. Highly recommended. 8/10
