Patroclus

Patroclus (Ancient Greek: Pátroklos), is the comrade and chariot driver of the famous warrior Achilles in Greek mythology. They are described as sharing a bond that is closer than brothers. They are, in some cases, cousins, as Patroclus' mother is sometimes an older half-sister of Achilles, or as Achille's sister. In later works, Patroclus is often depicted as Achilles' lover.

In the Iliad
Patroclus features in the Iliad and attempts to convince Achilles to rejoin the battle and defeat the Trojans, who are gaining ground. Agamemnon steals Brisease, Achilles' war prize, prompting Achilles to stay out of the battle and refuse to fight. Unable to get Achilles out of his tent and back onto the battlefield, Patroclus dons Achilles' armor and poses as him, with Achille's blessing. Though he killed King Sarpedon of Lycia, in the battle that followed Patroclus was disarmed and blinded by Apollo, and was then killed by Hector. His death pushes Achilles into rejoining the war effort, which spurs Achilles on to take revenge for Patroclus's death and kill Hector. Patroclus and Achilles are cremated together on a funeral pyre after Achilles is killed by Apollo and Paris in the sack of Troy. Much later they are reunited on the island of Leuke, also in the company of Ajax the Lesser, Telamonian Ajax, Antilochus, Cassandra, and Helen.

Literature

 * Homer, Iliad
 * Homer, Odyssey
 * Iphigenia at Aulis
 * Patroclus is portrayed as a former hero devoted to the love of Achilles, in William Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida.
 * Patroclus is a major character in Madeline Miller's debut novel, The Song of Achilles (2011), which won the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction. The novel explores the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles from boyhood to the fateful events of the Iliad.
 * Patroclus is one of various 'narrators' in Colleen McCullough's novel The Song of Troy (1998).
 * Patroclus is a minorcharacter in David Malouf's novel Ransom (2009).
 * Patroclus is mentioned in Bernard Evslin's (2006) Gods, Demigods and Demons

Film and Television

 * Helena (Helen of Troy) (1924) Played by Carl Lamac (as Patroklos)
 * Helen of Troy (1956) Played by Terence Longdon
 * L'ira di Achille (Fury of Achilles) (1962) Played by Ennio Girolami
 * Troilus und Cressida (1964) (TV) Played by Ulrich von Bock (as Patroklus)
 * Troilus und Cressida (1969) (TV) Played by Jürgen Lederer
 * King Priam (1985) (TV) Played by John Hancorn
 * The film Troy (2004) presented Patroclus as a younger relative of Achilles, (In the Iliad, it is explicitly stated that Patroclus was the older and more responsible of the two.) He was played by Garret Hedlund (Eragon).

Video Games

 * Troy (video game) (2005), Patroclus was voiced by Garret Hedlund, who portrayed him in the 2004 movie.
 * Hades (2018), voiced by Ben Prendergast