Achilles and Patroclus, Mother and Child

Achilles and Patroclus, Mother and Child

Achilles and Patroclus share a really intimate and unique relationship in the epic. Their bond is unlike any of the others we see on either the Greek or the Trojan side of the battle. I have already discussed how Achilles can Patroclus can be viewed as two parts of one whole, but in book 16, it begins to become very apparent that they can also be seen as a parent and a child.

Early on in the epic the hero Achilles is likened to a mother bird in a simile, and now in another instance Patroclus is compared to a child. First, in the beginning of the book Achilles compares Patroclus and his actions to a “little girl, pestering her mother to pick her up, pulling at her hem.” Achilles is annoyed with Patroclus’ desperate need for attention, and Patroclus is desperate to be heard by his stubborn counterpart. Patroclus is trying to persuade Achilles to rejoin the fighting; his arguments emphasize his innocence, thus implying youth.

Another simile that functions in the same way appear several lines later. The simile reads, “That was how Patroclus, like a child begging for a toy, begged for death.” In this scene Patroclus is urging Achilles to return to the war. After this Achilles lies to him, telling him “I’m not in on any divine secret, nor has my mother told me anything from Zeus.” This unwillingness to tell Patroclus the ugly truth further aligns Achilles with the role of the protective parent.