The Song of Achilles Essay Questions

The events of the story are clearly enacted by Greek speakers, but The Song of Achilles was written in English. Discuss the importance of translation in the novel, and what it might mean about Patroclus as a narrator.

There are many instances of Greek terms in the text (Aristos Achaion, therapon, and hokumoros, to name a few), but one standout is Deidameia calling Achilles apathes, the male form of "heartless." When Patroclus describes the gendered forms of Greek, he transparently addresses a non-Greek audience. Do we assume that Patroclus, from his position as a half-spirit, now speaks "universally"? Or is his experience of love and grief so language-free that he doesn't need translation except for in very particular moments? Does the frequency of Greek terms lend legitimacy to the text, tying it more concretely to Homer's Iliad? Miller translates Achilles' line directly from Homer: "There can be no pacts between lions and men." What do the particular instances of translation contribute to the text as a whole?

What is the role of fate in The Song of Achilles?

As one of the principal themes of the novel, the concept of fate plays a significant role in The Song of Achilles. Prophecies are made about Achilles before he is even conceived; the prediction that he will be greater than his father is what inspires the gods to let Peleus rape Thetis. From his conception to his death, Achilles' life is determined by fate. Patroclus's relationship to fate is less clear, but he chooses to let Achilles guide their path, sublimating himself to the trajectory foretold for Achilles. He is unwittingly the subject of the Fates' prophecy that the best of the Myrmidons will die before Hector, but, unlike Achilles, Patroclus is unaware that this prediction is about him at all. Knowing details of Achilles' prophecy—like the fact that Hector will die first—allows Patroclus and Achilles to steal a few years of extra life from Achilles' fated demise; perhaps knowing fate grants some sort of power over its execution.

Discuss Thetis and her relationship to Patroclus throughout the novel.

Thetis is Patroclus's primary enemy throughout the novel, and at the end she is the one who frees his immortal spirit to live with her son in the underworld forever. Her role as an antagonist is primarily influential the first few sections of the novel, when the boys are young lovers, as she tries to separate Achilles from his therapon, even banning Patroclus from Mount Pelion. Once Agamemnon puts out a call to war, she and Patroclus work almost in parallel, trying to keep Achilles alive (though Thetis does make Achilles sleep with Deidameia by using Patroclus as leverage). They both want to see Achilles become famous and live for as long as he can. After Achilles' death, Thetis becomes Patroclus's compatriot. She learns to see Patroclus as a representative of the best of Achilles' mortal nature: his softness, his talents, his ability to love. In their final day, Thetis shares painful memories with Patroclus of her being raped, her fury, and how she can now never see her son again.

Discuss parallels in the novel's structure and content. What do these parallels contribute to the narrative structure?

The Song of Achilles features many parallel events, particularly to bookend periods of development and to highlight growth. When Patroclus is a boy, he kills Clysonymus by accidentally pushing him on some rocks; on the last day of his mortal life, he kills the mighty Sarpedon by accidentally pushing him off a chariot. When they first hear of war, Patroclus supplicates before Peleus—a young man before an old man—and he is reunited with Achilles; at the end of the war, when Priam supplicates himself before Achilles—an old man before a young man—he is reunited with the body of Hector. Thetis resents her husband's mortality, carrying that disdain over to Achilles, while Menoitius resents his wife's simplicity and carries that over to Patroclus. Achilles triumphantly kills the first Trojan by throwing a spear impossibly far and hitting a swimming man, which is exactly how his son will kill Briseis after Achilles dies. And, of course, the Trojan war itself is bookended by human sacrifices: Agamemnon kills Iphigenia to get the Greeks to Troy, and Neoptolemus kills Polyxena as he leaves. These parallels give the novel a sense of balance, as though everything is ordered properly according to fate.

Discuss the role of music and performance in the novel.

The Iliad would have been performed to music, and Miller drew inspiration from lyric poetry to develop Patroclus's voice, so while The Song of Achilles is a novel, its emphasis on music and performance makes sense. Achilles is a highly gifted musician, and Patroclus's mother's lyre is a symbol of the love he and Patroclus develop. Achilles encourages Patroclus to learn as well, taking him to lyre lessons and asking to hear him play. When they are in Troy, music provides a kind of solace for the men, and it allows Achilles to unwind and process the events and stories of the day. There are other forms of performance as well, such as Deidameia's dancing women and Briseis's masterful storytelling.