In some ways, The Song of Achilles is more a retelling of Cinderella than a Greek epic. The book, which is told through Patroclus's perspective, is less a war epic than an intimate love story between two coming-of-age boys. Then came Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles.

With such a wide array of retellings, the legend of Achilles seemed too popular, too well- established, to leave space for any originality. Movie-goers might recall 2004's Troy, where Patroclus is the cousin and protege of Achilles. It has been recounted as an oral tradition, as a written text, as a big-budget Hollywood film. The story of the Trojan War has been told a hundred different ways over the course of millennia. Thus begins the famous duel that leads to the fall of Troy and the death of Achilles. However, after Patroclus is killed by Hector due to a series of errors and miscommunications, Achilles finds he can no longer stand aside. Throughout the war, Achilles avoids challenging Hector, knowing that even a victory will spell his own demise.

Plato here refers to the prophecy that defined the Trojan War: That Achilles, the champion of the Greeks, would die after the fall of Hector, who was the champion of Troy. He writes, 'The love of Achilles, like that of Alcestis, was courageous and true for he was willing to avenge his lover Patroclus, although he knew that his own death would immediately follow.' Plato, however, explicitly calls Achilles and Patroclus lovers in his Symposium. Homer's Iliad depicts a deep bond between the two but stops short of naming them lovers. The true nature of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus has long been debated. It is called 'Achillean,' in honor of the mythical hero and his companion Patroclus. The word is less commonly known, though it shares a Greek tradition.

You might be familiar with the term “sapphic,” which is defined as “relating to sexual attraction or activity between women.” You might know of the word's origins, which date back to the ancient Greek poet Sappho, who famously wrote verses on her attraction to women.īut what about the love between two men? What is that called?

The song of achilles series