Patroclus (Ancient Greek: Πάτροκλος, 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. In some cases they are cousins, such as in the film Troy (2004), as Patroclus' mother is occasionally described as the older half-sister of Achilles or even as Achilles' sister. In a great many later works, Patroclus and Achilles are often depicted as lovers.
Mythology[]
In the Iliad[]
Patroclus features in the Iliad and attempts to convince Achilles to rejoin the battle and defeat the Trojans, who are coming close to winning the war. Agamemnon steals Achilles' war prize, Briseis, which then prompts Achilles to stay out of the battle to the point where he refuses to fight. When he is unable to get Achilles out of his tent and back onto the battlefield, Patroclus puts on Achilles' armor and poses as him is battle, with Achilles half-hearted blessing. Though he killed King Sarpedon of Lycia, in the battle that followed Patroclus was disarmed and blinded by Apollo, and at this opportunity is killed by Hector. Hector, who thought that it was Achilles that he had killed, was shocked when he removed the face plate off of Patroclus' body to find that it was not him. Patroclus' death pushed Achilles into rejoining the war effort in revenge. He goes on a rampage and kills a great majority of the Trojan army. When slaughtering a group of Trojans in a river, the river's god Scamander rises up to fight the hero. Achilles comes so close to winning that the Olympian gods have to intervene, since he is breaking fate. Achilles is then killed by Apollo and Paris by an arrow striking his one vulnerable area, his ankle. Patroclus and Achilles were cremated together on a funeral pyre after Achilles is killed.
In Popular Culture[]
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 one of various 'narrators' in Colleen McCullough's novel The Song of Troy (1998).
- Patroclus is mentioned in Bernard Evslin's (2006) Gods, Demigods and Demons
- Patroclus is a minor character in David Malouf's novel Ransom (2009).
- 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.
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
Gallery[]
