Patroclus
Patroclus
Greek hero of mythology and faithful companion of Achilles during the Trojan War. After donning Achilles' armor to restore the Greeks' courage, he is killed by Hector, triggering his friend's furious revenge.
Key Facts
- Childhood companion and intimate friend of Achilles, he follows him to Troy despite a foretold tragic fate
- Dons Achilles' armor to rally the Greek troops on the verge of defeat
- Killed by Hector before the walls of Troy (Book XVI of the Iliad)
- His death marks the turning point of the Iliad: Achilles re-enters the battle to avenge him
- His funeral pyre and the funeral games held in his honor occupy Book XXIII of the Iliad
Works & Achievements
The founding epic of Western literature in 24 books, of which Books XVI through XXIII — the Patrocleia — center entirely on Patroclus. His fate forms the dramatic pivot of the entire work.
A tragedy by the Athenian playwright Aeschylus depicting the friendship between Achilles and Patroclus. The work is lost, but it testifies to the central importance of this myth in classical Greek culture.
A philosophical dialogue in which Phaedrus cites Achilles and Patroclus as a model of heroic devotion, illustrating the power of love (eros) as a driver of virtue and courage.
A contemporary novel and winner of the Orange Prize for Fiction that retells the Trojan War from Patroclus's perspective, offering a deeply humanistic and moving reimagining of the Homeric myth.
Anecdotes
As a child, Patroclus accidentally killed a young boy named Cleonimus during a dice game dispute. Forced into exile, he found refuge with King Peleus in Phthia, where he became the inseparable companion of Achilles, who was younger than him. Homer depicts them as two kindred souls, bound by a deep friendship that endured throughout the entire Trojan War.
During the siege of Troy, while Achilles refused to fight following his quarrel with Agamemnon, Patroclus could not bear to watch the Greeks fall back. He begged his friend to lend him his fearsome armor, forged by the god Hephaestus himself, hoping to restore the soldiers' courage by passing himself off as Achilles. This brave — and fatal — decision would seal his fate.
On the battlefield, clad in Achilles' armor, Patroclus struck terror through the Trojan ranks and even slew Sarpedon, son of Zeus himself, plunging the king of the gods into grief. But Apollo, protector of the Trojans, struck him from behind to strip him of his strength; Euphorbus wounded him, and Hector delivered the killing blow. As he lay dying, Patroclus prophesied Hector's own imminent death.
Patroclus' death triggered the most celebrated grief in all of ancient literature: the mourning of Achilles. The great warrior threw himself in the dust, tore his garments, and cried out so loudly that his divine mother Thetis, deep beneath the sea, heard him and rose to the surface. His vengeance was terrible: he killed Hector and dragged his body three times around the walls of Troy.
Achilles organized funeral rites for Patroclus of exceptional magnificence, worthy of a king. Grand funeral games were held in his honor: chariot races, wrestling, javelin throwing, and many other contests. Homer dedicates the entirety of Book XXIII of the Iliad to these games, making them the mythological forerunner of the Olympic Games. On the funeral pyre, Achilles sacrificed horses, dogs, and Trojan prisoners.
Primary Sources
So Patroclus harangued his companion weeping like a young girl who runs to her mother and pulls at her dress… Swift-footed Achilles, looking upon him with compassion, said: Why are you crying, Patroclus, like a little girl?
A black cloud of grief enveloped Achilles. He took with both hands the burnt dust and poured it over his head, defiling his handsome face, and the black ash fell down upon his linen tunic.
Achilles ordered his men to prepare a funeral pyre. They cut a great quantity of wood and laid it in a suitable place. The Myrmidons came in arms and stood around the pyre.
Patroclus, son of Menoetius, had killed in his childhood the son of Amphidamas while playing dice, and had been sent into exile by his father to the house of Peleus. There he became the companion of Achilles.
The gods held in especial honour the valour of Achilles, son of Thetis, and sent him to the Islands of the Blessed, because he had dared to avenge his companion Patroclus, knowing that he himself would die immediately after.
Key Places
A legendary city protected by powerful stone walls and the stage for the Trojan War. It is at its gates that Patroclus fights his final battles and meets his death, struck down by Hector.
On the shores of the Hellespont strait, the Greeks established their camp with their ships beached on the shore. It is here that Patroclus pleads with Achilles to let him enter the fight, and here that his body is brought back for a magnificent funeral.
A region of Greece ruled by Peleus, father of Achilles. Patroclus found refuge there after his forced exile and spent his boyhood at Achilles' side, forging a friendship that endured until death.
Home of the Greek gods, from which Zeus, Hera, Athena, and Apollo watch over the Trojan War and intervene in its course. It is from Mount Olympus that Apollo descends to strike Patroclus in the back at the climactic moment of his aristeia.
The subterranean kingdom of the dead, where the soul of Patroclus descends after his death. His shade appears to Achilles in a dream, demanding funeral rites that will allow him to pass through the gates of Hades and find eternal rest.