Iâve had a few people question as to why people would want Achilles and Patroclus to be gay, a few used some pretty vulgar language, or say that âyouâre just reading into it too much!â (like I mentioned above) just a couple further notes on the subject.
But Homer shows us they sleep with women:
While Achilles sleeps with 2 women (Diomede & the woman from Lesbos) Patroclus with one (Iphis), and Achilles taking Briseis into his bed in Book 24 - the 3 named/confirmed women from above (plus the one from Lesbos), It also mentions that Patroclus does sleep at his side. Patroclus is Achillesâs nearest and dearest friend that is 100% certain. The line âson of Menoetius, my heartâs companionâ doesnât just get tossed out there for any regular old friend; And just because you had sex with a woman doesnât mean youâre straight and visa versa. The Greeks fought for glory and that is the driving force for Achilles x Patroclus to earn in this war, they are to be seen as true Greek Heroes. So they are depicted as such in these scenes, the women they bed are literally captives, spoils, and conquests not romantic partners, wives, or equals, they are property all for the glory of the âHero.â The ONLY âequalâ Achilles has is Patroclus, and I am not talking about skill, or strength, or notoriety, they are 2 halves of one whole, one cannot exist without the other in this story. (Think Yin & Yang) Such an important part of âThe Iliadâ - which by the way translates to âPoem of Ilionâ Ilion being the Greek name for Troy, these 2 are so critical to the plot of this story yet the story isnât even named for them, Patroclus and his devotion to Achilles & his willingness to put it all on the line for the Greeks he also cares deeply for resulting in his death, as well as Achilles âhuman and emotionalâ death at the loss of Patroclus is so great when he unleashes his Rage upon Troy. So many love to focus on the ferocity of Achilles and the horrors he commits as a revered killing machine from this point on, but in doing so they miss the the emotional & contextual forces behind his anguish. He becomes a âMacho Figure who beds babes and seeks revenge for his friendâ - when in reality Homer is really presenting a man who has lost everything he held dear, even consuming himself. Its such a visceral reaction and feat, so many love to ignore the fact it come from the love one man carried for the other. (Hence the tragedy, but so many twist this plot point. I would argue it is totally out of toxic masculinity, heroes not being allowed to show âweak emotionsâ - grief, despair, lost love, let alone love between 2 men)
As mentioned in a reblogged comment to check out (Warwick 2019) she does a great job of explaining and breaking down the Classical interpretation of this relationship in her work, as well as social, sexual, and cultural norms across a few of her writing, but goes no further in concluding the same exact argument that has plagued those who fought, & still fight the sexual dimension to their relationship. She even states she would love to have/see more information and data to these interpretations. As mentioned in her writings and above, Homer roughly recorded âThe Iliadâ around 762 BCE, and it was another 300 Years that Pederastic Relationships were a cultural norm is Ancient Greece. As long as we have recorded history on this subject there has been debate whether Patroclus and Achilles were having sex. It gained a lot more momentum during the Classical Period because of writers Aeschylus & Plato, who both used them in their works where they were blatantly portrayed as gay, debated over who topped and who bottomed, and were more forced into the Pederastic Relationship as it was what was common at the time. As I also mentioned above this was not how the two were portrayed in the story but adapted for this time. The theory is not really supported past this era, but the sexual-ness between them still remained.
Greeks during the Bronze and Classical Periods were very sexually fluid and not so much concerned with labelling sex & gender or taboos about sleeping with men and women, even children. So to infer that 2 men were sexually involved, and more of a couple than friends, is not unheard of, and not impossible. Two ways the Ancient Greeks liked to portray power/dominance was with facial hair on a man to show age, knowledge, power. OR by penetration. This again was a huge talking point for the Greeks when discussing Achilles and Patroclus, as Patroclus was considered to be older (can be seen in some ancient pottery with a beard) by Plato they assumed he was the âerastesâ & Achilles the âeromenosâ - but Achilles as the âGreatest of the Greeksâ would then have to be the one doing the penetrating so debate raged on! (Plato was totally on Achilles #TeamPowerBottom & thought of them as âThe Ideal Loversâ) Most Ancient Greeks were not uncomfortable with the idea or opposed to them as lovers too, as I mentioned Aeschines stated âAny educated man would know what they wereâ and he was referring to them as gay lovers. Alexander the Great who was also an Iliad super fan, supposedly slept with a copy under his pillow, liked to refer to himself as Achilles, and Haphaestion his closed companion, as Patroclus. They are also claimed to be lovers, but just like Achilles and Patroclus there are quite a few who love slapping the âjust friendsâ label on them.
Renaissance and Further Visual Depiction:
With the rise of Christianity in Greece we find the least amount of depiction of Achilles & Patroclus during this time, many will argue it has to do with the Churchâs views continuously leaning away from homosexuality. That being so the idea of them as lovers never went away. Artists do love to embellish and show off their skills, so a dramatic composition, with multiple subject matter is ideal, but even after roughly 1700 years, we got pieces such as these:
The presenting of Patroclusâs Body to Achilles is a favorite and kind of the norm. What some find even crazier is that majority of these artists were devout Catholics, yet the obviously homoeroticism is palpable. Even some of the more modern pieces (some as recent as the 1800â˛s) follow the same homoerotic depictions.Â
Ideally reading the text in its original form (ie Greek) would give us the best clues as to their relationship (the use of the word âÎźÎνοĎâ is pretty unavoidable) vs a translation but then youâd have to learn Greek as well as ancient connotations*
*with that said though just an example translator Robert Fagles thought of them as only friends, so that would reflect more so in his work, so you do take each different translation with a grain of salt
Mary Renault (one of the first modern authors to do so) - While not a Classicist, was known for her historical novels, 1000% thought of them as gay lovers though some call her ideas and works into question including Kevin Kopelson - believed that they were just friends, he also hails from the University of Iowa as an English Professor (the same school Warwick mentioned earlier teaches at now) but we can see that more modern students/intellectuals can see the queerness of the text/culture
In the book Achilles in Vietnam - author and soldier Jonathan Shay, cites the familiar closeness between Achilles and Patroclus akin to the loss of fellow soldiers and friends in the Vietnam War, and that passages from The Iliad helped cope with that traumaÂ
A lot of writings during the late 40s onward especially in the 60â˛s & 70â˛s explore and kind of publicly âreopenâ the discussion of âThey are Gayâ and just as in ancient times we are right back to were we started with one side saying âYesâ the other saying âNoâ
Troy (2004) made the two cousins⌠so yeah, in 2018 Troy: Fall of A City the BBC depicted them as lovers, but we also got a very over the top 3-way sex scene between them with Briseis, so like Gratuitous, and the âloose bisexual tropeâ here is so disrespectful and tiringÂ
Speaking now of The Song of Achilles which is so beloved, Madeline Miller did not put in 10 years of work and a lifetime of her own experiences for nothing. She even broke it down for us & for those who say there is âno evidenceâ briefly on Twitter recently:
Many will agree that since the beginning people have been adapting and reshaping their relationship as friends, pederastic, lovers, âshipping themâ, 2004 Troy made them cousins. I do agree that what should matter is that 2000+ years later we are still enjoying and talking about a story that has the power to capture our imaginations and our hearts. This story retains the âlimitsâ of its original time, as do aspects of all stories. Many also forget a story like this most likely would have been sung or orally told for effect.
To deny that there is obvious evidence of queer love and a gay relationship though is flat out erasure of those LGBTQ+ (fictional and non-fictional characters) that came before now & presents a false narrative of âEveryone is Straightâ heteronormativity. What is most shocking I think is that people latch on so much to the fact Homer didnât have the words printed âoh btw they are gay!â big and bold, as if that proves or disproves a view. The word homosexual did not exist until 1869, it is not like LGBTQ+ people just popped up then too. But viewing the story with different lenses we can more clearly see that these modern linguistics 1. Can exist in pieces of art and literature despite the time the story was told. 2. Hurtful stereotypes & bias affect the way people translate & view stories, peoples, cultures, etc. So saying it is hard to prove, or they sleep with women they are straight is narrow-minded, and devaluing of the opportunity to experience queer history, add value to our own queer identity, and as always, shows that representation MATTERS 3. Not thinking critically and thoughtfully about such a piece, prevents others from truthful experiences, and cheapens the meaning and emotion one gets from reading or telling such a story.
Now for a Quick Personal Note:
If it isnât clear I totally am Team Gay Lovers/Couple. Their extreme closeness, the anguish of Achilles over the death of Patroclus, missing his âÎźÎνοĎâ (menos) âMight - Manhood - Vigor - Semenâ, Achilles fulfilling the role of spouse in collecting Patroclusâs ashes for the urn, and then having his mingled when he dies, just to list a few. For me its like âHomer didnât need to say it, we been knew.â Not all are gonna agree and take from that what you will, but do not discredit or belittle others with your homophobia and unwillingness to go deeper or say âitâs not there eitherâ, give Homer the credit he is due.
