Composers’ contexts shape their representations of sexuality and gender expression, conforming to contemporary Ancient Greek and postmodern cultural values. Book 16 of Homer’s epic poem The Iliad (750 B.C.E.). focuses on the camaraderie between Achilles and Patroclus. In contrast, Madeline Miller’s 2011 novel The Song of Achilles reinterprets their relationships through the lens of the forbidden love trope, reframing their love for twenty-first-century readers as a complicated relationship. A comparative reading of The Song of Achilles and The Iliad reveals Homer and Miller’s respective authorial purposes and the influence of context on the portrayal of sexuality and gender expression. Where Homer's epic poem sought to highlight the characters’ …show more content…
Explored differently, The Song of Achilles chooses to focus on the smaller feminine traits of these characters and how Patroclus was a caring individual, almost mother-like in his actions. The representation of masculinity in The Iliad is shown through Homer’s usage of anaphora when he states, “Patroclus! thy Achilles knows no fears; Nor words from Jove nor oracles he hears; Nor aught a mother’s caution can suggest; The tyrant’s pride lies rooted in my breast. My wrongs, my wrongs, my constant thoughts, those, my sole oracles, inspire my rage: I made him tyrant: gave him power to wrong. Even me: I felt it; and shall feel it long.” Through Achilles’ repetition of “Nor” and “My wrongs”, Homer suggests a degrading tone wherein Achilles talks himself down to inspire Patroclus, in his context displays an incredibly masculine tone by using keywords such as “rage” and “wrong”. However, The Song of Achilles addresses the feminine characteristics of Patroclus during this conflict when Patroclus states, “He is half my soul, as the poets say.” Miller explores the emotional connection between these characters rather than their professional relationship showing the sense of humanity and how these characters still contain traditionally feminine traits of being connected to their emotions. Therefore, the textual relationship between The Iliad and The Song of Achilles influenced how gender expression was represented in each