Author : Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Note : You will need to know about Trojan war to read this book and understand the characters.
Madeline Miller spins her web of magic with one of the most dazzling retelling of the Trojan war and its main hero, Achilles. Majority of people who have read the Iliad will hold Achilles very close to their heart. We cannot get enough of the killer weapon who took down Hector and opened up the gates of hope for the Greeks to claim victory over the Trojans.
This book is about the life of Achilles told from the point of view of his sworn companion and his dearest friend, Patroclus. The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus has been interpreted differently by various artists through ages. Though Homer’s Iliad terms it as friendship, many artists and poets have long speculated them as lovers.
Madeline Miller explores their romance in great depths in this book. Their love and feelings towards each other are very aesthetically portrayed in the book.
Patroclus is an exiled prince who is granted asylum by Peleus, the king of Phthia and father of Achilles. Achilles takes him in as his sworn companion. As they grow up their friendship deepens and they become inseparable and develop romantic feelings towards each other.
Then the fatal day comes when all the Greek heroes are called upon to fight for the pride of their motherland; A Trojan prince Paris has abducted a Spartan queen Helen. The Greeks have to avenge the insult and plunder Troy.
War does not spare the heroes. Patroclus goes to the battle field disguised in Achilles armor, and dies in the hands of Hector, the Trojan heir. Vengeful and filled with sorrow, Achilles chases Hector, kills him and brutally drags the noble prince’s body tied to his chariot for everyone to witness.
The wrath of God Apollo knows no bounds when Hector dies. He instructs Paris to shoot Achilles with his arrow and deflects the arrow towards his heel, the only vulnerable part of Achilles’ body. The world sees the end of one of the greatest heroes who ever walked this Earth. Achilles,” Aristos Achaion”, the best of Greeks.
It is indeed one of the best books I have ever read in Greek mythology. But one word of caution to the readers, please do read Iliad first before “The song of Achilles” as there are lot of variations in this book compared to the original epic.
Achilles was certainly claimed by Patroclus, his mother Thetis, and also by few women, Deidamia and Briseis for a short period of time. But glory was what the fates promised Achilles, and glory is what claimed him after the war, his name ringing loud alongside iconic Greek heroes like Perseus and Heracles with eternal fame.
And by the time you close the book mourning the death of Achilles, Patroclus and Hector, these words from the movie Troy ring in your ears.
"If they ever tell my story, let them say I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat, but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say, I lived in the time of Achilles."
Rating:👍👍👍👍👍
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