My Rating: 4 hearts
Thoughts
on the Novel: Told from the eyes of Patroclus, Madeline Miller’s The Song
of Achilles follows the Greek hero Achilles from his childhood in Phthia to his
death while fighting in the Trojan War. In the Iliad, Patroclus doesn’t have a
huge role; but, his death at the hands of the Trojan Prince Hector is vital in
turning the tide of the Trojan War in favour of the Greeks since it causes
Achilles to put aside his wrath in order to get revenge. Here, Miller makes
Patroclus the same age as Achilles – instead of being older like in the Iliad –
and explicitly makes him Achilles’ lover so that the reader can understand why
Achilles goes mad with grief once Patroclus dies.
My biggest hesitancy when reading
The Song of Achilles was that I was concerned about how much the focus would be
on Achilles’ and Patroclus’ sexual relationship rather than on things I would
find more interesting – namely, the retelling of the Trojan War. While it was
slightly annoying to read about the smitten Patroclus go on about Achilles’ beauty, there was actually only one sexual scene (though there were a couple of instances where physical intimacy is alluded to).
I liked that Miller chose to make
Patroclus her narrator because it really highlighted the differences between him
and Achilles. While Achilles is destined for greatness even before birth, Patroclus
isn’t even close to being a great warrior. But, unlike the demi-god Achilles who
seems to be incapable of caring for anyone other than Patroclus, the merely
ordinary Patroclus is continually concerned about the welfare of others.
I also liked how Miller incorporated
foreshadowing into her novel. For those who have read the Iliad, the
foreshadowing in The Song of Achilles lends an element of
tragedy to the novel because while Achilles hopes that he’ll get a happy ending
and Patroclus repeatedly wonders how he’ll survive after Achilles’ death, we
know the fates of both Patroclus and Achilles. My favourite instance of
foreshadowing though would have to be the conversation between Neoptolemus
(nicknamed Pyrrhus), the arrogant son of Achilles, and Odysseus where Odysseus
says that he might end up becoming more famous than Pyrrhus in the future. The crafty
Odysseus of course will eventually come up with the idea of the Trojan Horse and star in his own adventure in
the Odyssey whereas Pyrrhus* remains unknown to those unfamiliar with the story
of the Trojan War.
Although kind of sappy at certain
moments – particularly when Patroclus is younger – and taking some time to
reach the point involving Troy, The Song of Achilles is a novel that’s easy to
read if you enjoy Greek mythology or want to learn more about Achilles without having
to read classical works.
The Song of Achilles was released in
September 2011 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Comments
About the Cover: It’s so hard to tell what’s on the cover! I think it’s a
breastplate … but I could be wrong.
*It was prophesied that Troy wouldn’t fall until
the son of Achilles came to fight against the Trojans.
