the song of achilles: Recent Episodes
alois
patroclus runs away the next day, finding no reason to stay in peleus’ palace without achilles. patroclus is startled by a sound in the woods. before he can respond, achilles knocks him to the ground, overjoyed to see patroclus. chiron—a half-horse, half-man centaur—appears and introduces himself to patroclus.
chiron leads patroclus and achilles to the cave on mount pelion where they will be staying. chiron says he will teach them medicine and music, among other things, just as he taught the heroes heracles and jason. achilles and patroclus bathe later that day, and when they return to chiron’s cave, chiron says that he will teach them about forestry, hunting, and herb-picking. later that night, chiron informs them that thetis warned him to not let patroclus follow achilles. chiron, however, goes against her wishes and lets patroclus stay.
achilles and patroclus are now thirteen. their bodies change, and they notice the other boys in the palace begin sleeping with women. one night, peleus tells achilles and patroclus the story of meleager, who was the strongest warrior of his time, and how he refused to fight after the king of calydon declined to give meleager his riches. as a result, the city of calydon was attacked. while peleus tells the story, achilles plays with patroclus’ feet. before they bid peleus goodnight, peleus suggests that achilles look for a servant girl to sleep with. achilles says he is too tired tonight, but maybe some other time. patroclus asks achilles if he likes the servant girl, and achilles angrily pushes patroclus and says he’s tired of talking about her.
one day while on the beach with achilles, patroclus kisses him. patroclus, filled with shame, watches as achilles runs away. on his way back to the palace, patroclus is approached by an enraged thetis who tells patroclus that she saw the kiss and that achilles will be leaving the palace. later that night, achilles informs patroclus that he will be leaving in the morning to become chiron’s student.
a year after patroclus’ exile, patroclus tells achilles the story of how he killed clysonymus. achilles comments that he has never been bullied so he doesn’t know how he would have responded to clysonymus, but achilles ensures patroclus that he too would have been angry. patroclus begins spending more time with king peleus, and often listens to peleus’ tales from his youth.
the only place where patroclus does not join achilles is the cave where achilles goes to see his sea-nymph mother, thetis. pne day during patroclus’s second spring in phthia, achilles tells patroclus that thetis wants to see him. patroclus is hurt by thetis, noticing how much disdain she has toward him. thetis tells patroclus that he will be dead soon and how achilles will be a god. achilles tells patroclus later that evening that he does not know if he wants to be a god, but he is certain he wants to be a hero.
peleus agrees to let patroclus be achilles’s therapon, or brother-in-arms. a brother-in-arms is sworn to a prince by blood oath and love, and becomes the prince’s most trusted adviser. after peleus gives his blessing, achilles informs patroclus that he must go train. before achilles goes, he informs patroclus of a prophecy that states he will be the best warrior of his generation.
achilles invites patroclus to sleep in his room. that night, achilles teaches patroclus how to juggle before they go to bed. after some time, patroclus becomes accustomed to his friendship with achilles and the new privileges that friendship brings. one afternoon, achilles lets patroclus watch him train, an honor only few people had been given. patroclus is so mesmerized and moved by achilles’ grace and sword- and spear-wielding skills, he asks achilles to fight him. when achilles refuses, patroclus leaps at achilles, but is quickly subdued. patroclus says that achilles is unlike anyone patroclus has ever met or seen.
after the other boys in the palace find out patroclus was exiled because he killed a boy, they become fearful of him. patroclus begins avoiding his lessons. one day, achilles approaches patroclus and informs him that the master of the lessons has noticed and has told peleus of patroclus’ absence. to prevent patroclus from receiving punishment, achilles takes patroclus to his lyre lessons, knowing peleus will excuse patroclus’ absence if he’s with achilles. achilles plays patroclus’ mother’s lyre, a gift that was given to peleus upon patroclus’ arrival at phthia. patroclus does not tell achilles that he’s playing his mother’s instrument. patroclus is entranced by achilles’ musical talent. after the lesson, they go to see peleus.
one day while ten-year-old patroclus is outside playing with dice, a highborn boy named clysonymus appears and bullies patroclus. in retaliation, patroclus pushes clysonymus, and watches in horror as his head hits a stone and cracks open, causing his death. to avoid a war, patroclus’ father exiles patroclus to the kingdom of phthia. patroclus knows the famous story of phthia’s king peleus, who impregnated the sea-nymph thetis. thetis bore peleus a son, then left peleus after one year, only returning every so often to visit her child.
when patroclus arrives in phthia, he is led to the palace to meet with peleus’ son, achilles, who is the same boy patroclus had seen at the olympic games years ago. when patroclus first meets him, achilles is playing a lyre. they exchange names, and achilles welcomes patroclus to phthia. later that day, patroclus learns that he is not the only orphan being fostered in the palace. one boy asks patroclus if he wants to play dice, but patroclus refuses, remembering the last time he played with dice was when he accidentally killed clysonymus. that night and many nights following, patroclus has nightmares about clysonymus.
when patroclus is nine years old, he and his father travel to sparta to present patroclus as a potential suitor for king tyndareus’s daughter helen. patroclus recalls being in the great hall among the other suitors, all of them kings from across greece. patroclus watches as the men propose their lavish gifts to king tyndareus: the bow of heracles, a rare double-headed ax, a beautifully dyed cloth. patroclus’ father presents himself on behalf of patroclus, before odysseus suggests that patroclus present himself and their gift, a gold bowl engraved with a story about zeus.
king tyndareus asks odysseus what he thinks about the procession of suitors. odysseus wonders how the losers will be dissuaded from declaring war on the suitor who wins helen’s hand in marriage. odysseus suggests that the decision should be helen’s choice, but before she chooses a husband, the men must pledge to defend helen’s choice and band together if anyone were to ever take her. throughout the hall, the men agree and take a blood oath together. helen chooses menelaus, the brother of agamemnon who is already married to helen’s sister, clytemnestra. when ajax asks if he can wed tyndareus’s niece, odysseus informs them that she is already promised to him. patroclus’ father is angry and disappointed, and they leave hastily that evening.
the narrator, patroclus, describes his father, who is a king from a long line of kings. patroclus’ father married patroclus’ mother when she was 14 years old, due to her large dowry. it wasn’t until patroclus’ mother smiled at their wedding that patroclus’ father realized his wife was “simple”; brides were not supposed to smile at their weddings. when patroclus is born small and with no obvious talents, he also quickly becomes a disappointment to his father. when patroclus is five years old, his father hosts the olympic games. patroclus remembers watching the young son of king peleus win a race. patroclus’ father is ashamed that patroclus is not as talented as the boy.