The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller)

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1. What is the genre?

Global—War > Brotherhood

Secondary—Worldview > Maturation or Revelation

2. What are the conventions and obligatory scenes for the genre?

Conventions

One central character with offshoot characters who embody a multitude of that character’s personality traits: Patroclus is the central character.  Achilles is everything he ever wanted to be, an honor to his father, a brave and respected warrior that no one would dare to treat ill. Chiron is the wise teacher and healer who makes his own decisions and lives a quiet life on his mountain. Patroclus seeks to emulate him.  Briseis is the type of woman (again, wise, brave and a healer) that Patroclus would be.

Big Canvas. Either a widescope external setting or the internal landscape: There is a large internal landscape of Patroclus’ mind as he grows from the fearful boy who can only see himself as a pathetic disappointment to father, to a brave man who lays down his life to bring hope to his despairing fellow soldiers.  There is also a wide scope of external settling. Patroclus travels from his home kingdom, then to woo Helen, then to Phthia, Mt. Pelion, Scyros, and finally to Troy.

Overwhelming odds…the protagonists are substantially outnumbered: The Trojans outnumber the Greeks and retreat behind their fortified city walls each night.  Additionally, there is a prophecy that Achilles will die after he kills Hector. Also, Patroclus has no hope of ever being stronger than Thetis.

A clear “point of no return” moment, when the combatants accept the inevitability of death: Power struggles increase mount between Agamemnon and Achilles. An angry Achilles refuses to continue fighting in the war.  The soldiers already felt demoralized and now, without Achilles fighting with them, they feel hopeless. The Trojans breach the wall of the Greek camp. Patroclus begs Achilles to fight but he refuses. Finally, Patroclus persuades Achilles to allow him to take Achilles’ recognizable armor and join the battle, impersonating Achilles.

The sacrifice for brotherhood moment. One protagonist sacrifices himself for the good of his fellow soldiers: One protagonist sacrifices himself for the good of his fellow soldiers.  Patroclus rides out into battle masquerading as Achilles by wearing his armor.  He does this both to give hope to his fellow soldiers, and fool them into respecting Achilles again. Patroclus has initial success, but then goes too far and Apollo punishes him by dropping him and causing his armor to fall off.  Hector kills Patroclus.

Obligatory Scenes

Inciting Attack (I think there are two that act together, but on different scales): Paris captures Helen, wife of Menelaus, and takes her to Troy.  Men who had been her suitors took an oath to defend her husband from any man who would to take her. The Trojan War begins.

Protagonists deny responsibility to respond: Achilles hides on Scyros, pretending to be a girl.  Patroclus uses a false name and hopes nobody will remember his true identity.

Forced to respond, protagonists lash out according to their positions on the power hierarchy: Odysseus and Diomedes trick Achilles into revealing his true identify and then threaten to expose him as pretending to be a girl if he does not come fight in Troy.  Odysseus also recognizes Patroclus and reminds him he is bound by an oath to fight to fight for Helen’s return.  Achilles goes home and gets fifty ships and an army and arrives to a hero’s welcome on the beach by Troy.  He refuses to bow down before the Greek’s leader, Agamemnon.  Patroclus goes with Achilles as his sworn companion, but he is not a useful warrior and does not command as much respect.

Each character learns what their antagonist’s object of desire is: For me, the overarching antagonist in this story is pride itself.   Pride demands it be valued above all else and make Achilles behave stubbornly to protect his honor and Patroclus risk his life to protect Achilles’ honor. Other antagonists include the Trojan army, especially Hector, who wants to kill Achilles and win the war.  Thetis is Patroclus’ antagonist. She wants glory for Achilles.  Agamemnon, Achilles’ personified antagonist, wants unquestioned power. 

Protagonists’s initial strategy to outmaneuver antagonist fails: Patroclus initially tries to hide from Thetis or convince her of his love for Achilles, but Thetis only sees Patroclus as a useless human nuisance.  Achilles initially avoids fighting, and that glory that will come with it and feed his pride.  But, eventually, Achilles fights because he cannot resist being known as the greatest warrior of his time.

Protagonists, realizing they must change their approach to attain a measure of victory, undergo an All Is Lost moment: When Achilles has a final, prideful, standoff with Agamemnon, he lays down his sword and withdraws from battle with the Trojans.  Patroclus knows he must now leave camp and enter the actual battle. Patroclus persuades Achilles to lend him his armor so he can pretend to be Achilles.  Achilles’ all is lost moment comes after Patroclus has died at the hands of Hector.  Achilles can no longer avoid killing Hector. Achilles had previously avoided killing Hector because of a prophecy that predicted Achilles would die shortly after he killed Hector.

The Big Battle Scene: the core event of the War story and what the reader is waiting for. This is the moment when the progtagonist’s gifts are expressed or destroyed:

Patroclus bravely rides out into battle, dressed in Achilles’ armor.  He finally believes in himself and is expressing his gift. In the battle, he is amazing.  He kills a powerful warrior son of Zeus.  His fellow soldiers feel hope again; however, Patroclus goes too far and tries to scale the wall of the city of Troy.  Patroclus dies.

Achilles, maddened by grief, goes back into the battle. He fights past all obstacles, including a god, to reach Hector and kill him. After Achilles kills Hector, Achilles wishes only to die.  He fights with no armor until a god, Apollo, helps Paris kill him.

The protagonists are rewarded with at least one level of satisfaction (extrapersonal, interpersonal or intrapersonal) for their sacrifice: Achilles is remembered as a brave warrior, but at his end, he yearns for the peace that death brings him. Patroclus, however, has expressed his gifts and, even though he dies, is rewarded. After being a disappointment to his father and spending most of his life as the weaker sidekick of Achilles, Patroclus dies bravely, with honor. He is further rewarded when he sets aside pride and mourns with Thetis. Thetis realizes how much he loved Achilles she helps reunite Patroclus’ soul with Achilles’ in the afterlife.

Learn more about obligatory scenes and conventions.

3. What is the point of view?

The point of view is first person as seen by Patroclus, who is the narrator and main protagonist. 

The narrative device is a reimagined version of aspects of Homer’s Iliad. Miller expands and innovates the story of Patroclus, a soldier who fights in the Trojan War.

Learn more about point of view.

4. What are the objects of desire?

External/Conscious: Patroclus wants to stay with Achilles and keep them both alive for as long as possible.

Internal/Subconscious: Patroclus wants honor, both for Achilles and himself.  He needs to develop his own sense of self-esteem and courage that is not solely derived from Achilles’ love and protection.

Learn more about objects of desire.

5. What is the controlling idea / theme?

War lacks meaning when tyrannical leaders heed only their own pride and dishonor soldiers who are sacrificing themselves on the battlefield.

Learn more about controlling ideas.

6. What is the beginning hook, middle build and ending payoff?

Beginning Hook – Beginning Hook.  When Patroclus is exiled from his home kingdom to be raised among of the foster boys taken in by King Peleus, he becomes the sworn companion of Prince Achilles. Achilles’ mother Thetis, a goddess, hates Patroclus and warns him to stay away. When Achilles leaves for his warrior training with the centaur Chiron, Patroclus must decide whether to pursue and join Achilles, risking retaliation by Thetis, or resume a meaningless existence without Achilles among the other boys. Patroclus joins Achilles on Mt. Peleon. Patroclus and Achilles become committed companions and lovers.

Middle Build – Patroclus and Achilles go to battle in the Trojan War. The war drags on and as a prideful, stubborn, standoff mounts between Achilles and Agamemnon, Achilles withdraws from battle and Patroclus learns the other soldiers are losing respect for Achilles. Patroclus must decide if he can bear the casualties of Achilles’ lack of action, and risk letting Achilles lose his honor or do everything he can to get Achilles to fight again. Patroclus begs Achilles to fight, including asking him to fight for their love. Achilles does not relent. Patroclus persuades Achilles to loan him Achilles’ recognizable armor.

Ending Payoff – Patroclus, dressed as Achilles, valiantly leads the Greek army into battle and is killed by Hector. Achilles, maddened by grief, kills Hector and then fights with no armor until he dies. When Achilles’ son Pyrrhus refuses to allow Patroclus’ and Achilles’ ashes to be interred together, Patroclus’ spirit must decide whether to continue to hate Thetis or share his love and mourning of Achilles with her. Thetis realizes how much Patroclus also loved Achilles and adds Patroclus’ name to Achilles’ monument. Patroclus’ and Achilles’ souls are joined in the afterlife.

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