Patroclus
In the quiet town of Opus, a young boy named Patroclus stood over the body of his playmate Clysonymus. The game of dice had turned deadly when Patroclus accidentally killed his friend during a heated match. This single moment shattered his childhood and forced him to flee his home forever. His father Menoetius sent him away to Phthia, where he would live under the protection of King Peleus. There, Patroclus grew up alongside Peleus's own son Achilles. They became inseparable companions from that day forward. The boy who once played with dice now served as a squire to the future greatest warrior of Greece.
When the Trojan War turned against the Greeks, Patroclus convinced Achilles to let him lead the Myrmidons into battle. He wore the armor Achilles had received from his father to impersonate the great hero. The sight of this armor terrified the Trojans who believed they faced Achilles himself. Patroclus pushed back the enemy forces until Apollo removed his wits in the heat of combat. A spear thrown by Euphorbos struck him first, leaving him vulnerable for Hector to finish the job. The Trojan prince stabbed Patroclus in the stomach while the battlefield raged around them. His death marked the turning point of the entire war.
Achilles retrieved the body of Patroclus after it had been stripped of armor by Hector. Menelaus and Ajax protected the corpse on the battlefield while others looked on in silence. The dead man would not rest until his ghost appeared to demand burial rights. Only then did Achilles allow the cremation rites to begin. Companions cut their hair as a sign of grief and separation from the living. The ashes of both heroes were later buried together in a golden urn near the Hellespont. This final act honored the bond between two friends who had shared everything but life itself.
Later Greek authors argued fiercely about whether Patroclus and Achilles shared a romantic relationship. Aeschylus called Achilles the erastes while Phaedrus labeled him the eromenos in their dynamic. Plato's Symposium discussed their connection as a model of romantic love among educated men. Xenophon countered this view through Socrates who claimed such labels were inaccurate. These ancient debates created a tradition that questioned the nature of their deep affection. Some writers saw implied intimacy where Homer wrote only friendship. The ambiguity allowed each generation to project its own understanding onto the pair.
William Shakespeare placed Patroclus in Troilus and Cressida as a character whose presence made Achilles lazy. In this play, other characters complained that the two spent too much time having sex instead of fighting. Alexander the Great reportedly modeled his own lifelong companion Hephaestion after these mythological figures. Statius wrote in the Achilleid that the two might have been within the same age group. Later scholars like Ledbetter suggested Patroclus represented the compassionate side of Achilles' rage. James Hooker argued that without Patroclus's death, Achilles would never have found reason to fight again. Each author added new layers to the story over centuries of retelling.
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Common questions
Who was Patroclus and why did he flee his home?
Patroclus was a young boy from the town of Opus who accidentally killed his playmate Clysonymus during a game of dice. This tragic event forced him to flee his home forever and live under the protection of King Peleus in Phthia.
When did Patroclus die during the Trojan War?
Patroclus died when Apollo removed his wits in the heat of combat, allowing Euphorbos to strike him with a spear first. The Trojan prince Hector then stabbed Patroclus in the stomach while the battlefield raged around them.
Where were the ashes of Patroclus and Achilles buried together?
The ashes of both heroes were later buried together in a golden urn near the Hellespont. This final act honored the bond between two friends who had shared everything but life itself.
What arguments do later Greek authors make about Patroclus and Achilles relationship?
Later Greek authors argued fiercely about whether Patroclus and Achilles shared a romantic relationship or only friendship. Aeschylus called Achilles the erastes while Phaedrus labeled him the eromenos in their dynamic.
How does William Shakespeare portray Patroclus in Troilus and Cressida?
William Shakespeare placed Patroclus in Troilus and Cressida as a character whose presence made Achilles lazy. In this play other characters complained that the two spent too much time having sex instead of fighting.
All sources
38 references cited across the entry
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