Song Of Achilles Sparknotes

Song of Achilles, written by Madeline Miller, delves into the intricate world of Patroclus, the son of the renowned king Menoitiades and simplistic mother who is deemed incapable of ruling due to her unsuitable characteristics. Menoitiades, often disparages and resents Patroclus for his weakness and alleged stupidity. Despite Patroclus’ young age, his father forces him to attend a gathering for suitors to determine who will bear king Tyndareus’ daughter, Helen, as wife. Following a collective oath to protect Helen, Menelaus is chosen as Helen’s suitor, leaving Menoitiades enraged.

Later, Patroclus has a quarrel with a boy named Clysonymus, the son of a powerful noble man who insists on taking Patroclus’ dice, but to Clysonymus’ dismay, Patroclus

Utilizing countless literary devices including, but not limited to, metaphors, similes, imagery, foreshadowing, and allusions in addition to her own techniques, Miller creates a compelling and entertaining narrative. Firstly, Miller writes Song of Achilles in the perspective of Patroclus, or first person, similar to that of Circe, one of Miller’s other books. This enhances the reader’s overall understanding of the text, allowing them to comprehend Patroclus’ thoughts and emotions on a more sophisticated level than if the text was written in the third person. In the beginning of the story, Patroclus attends a gathering for suitors to determine who will bear king Tyndareus’ daughter, Helen, as wife. Prior to the selection of the suitor, however, a strange man appears, intervening. Miller describes the man as having “a jagged scar on one leg, a seam that stitched his dark brown flesh from heel to knee, wrapping around the muscles of the calf and burying itself in the shadow beneath his tunic. It looked like it had been a knife, [Patroclus] thought, or something like it, ripping upwards and leaving behind feathered edges, whose softness belied the violence that must have caused it” (Miller 10). As shown, not only did Miller flawlessly describe the man’s scar using diction like, ‘jagged,’ ‘stitched,’ ‘shadow,’ and ‘feathered,’ but also utilized imagery to convey and emphasize the scar to ultimately allow readers to visualize it and get a sense of the pain the man must have felt receiving the gash. After the two gain a strong bond and Patroclus is established as Achilles’ companion, Achilles insists Patroclus go to training with him. This was particularly striking to Patroclus because as mentioned prior in the story, it was unheard of for someone to go and see Achilles train. Amid watching Achilles train, Patroclus is mesmerized by Achilles’