Patroclus gay

It is unclear whether they were lovers who slept together, or were simply best friends that shared a tent. In Troy , they were cousins who spent a few years together before joining battle. Illustration on a vase c. Yet, in Troy there was no such relationship, with Patroclus having limited influence over Achilles and his decisions.

This was seen to be beneficial to Greek society since the erastes ideally had a teacher-like relationship with the eromenos. Some, however, such as Miller, attempt to reclaim this element of the narrative, as does Emily Hauser in For the Most Beautiful. Jean Joseph Taillason, Arguably this painting could be interpreted in two ways.

Achilles bandages the arm of Patroclus The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a key element of the stories associated with the Trojan War. In the Iliad, Homer describes a deep, meaningful relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, where Achilles is tender toward Patroclus, but callous and arrogant toward others.

So, how has this influenced modern depictions of the pair? Euphronios, Achilles and Patroclus, BCE, image courtesy of Fine Art America Many scholars have speculated about Achilles’ sexuality. To others, it is the intimate friendship which brought the wrath of Achilles upon the Trojan walls.

The movie Troy featured numerous historical inaccuracies, deviating far from the narrative of the Iliad; for example, Menelaus and Agamemnon die far too prematurely. To some, it is the love that launched a thousand warriors and a representation that survived the test of time.

By reducing Patroclus to a minor character, Troy reduces Achilles as a hero, and by rendering its storyline entirely heteronormative, the film manipulates the rage of Achilles into selfish wrath, rather than unwavering loyalty to his companion. Achilles demonstrated his grief for Patroclus in a thousand ways, including fighting a river god.

Achilles and Patroclus both die, supposedly as punishment for their choices in the war. This was modelled in the relationship of Zeus and Ganymede, which was ideal due to their age difference; Ganymede was a beautiful boy, granted immortality in exchange for entertaining Zeus.

Achilles was so angered by the death of his friend that he rejoined the war and killed Hector. Troy compares the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus to that of Hector and Paris, depriving the plot of the nuances of relationships in the Iliad , for the sake of heteronormativity in action movies.

Write a comment One of the main arguments that suggest he might have been gay is the expression of love between Achilles and his closest friend Patroclus, who he had known since childhood. However, when examining the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, scholars over the centuries have debated whether their relationship fits with our conception of homosexuality today — many scholars argue that the Greeks did not have the same labels for sexuality that we do now.

The debate still continues today as to whether Achilles and Patroclus were lovers, or just intimate friends who wished to have their ashes mixed together so they could be together for eternity. The epic is a beautiful display of the power of love, hate, war, honour, pride, tragedy, sacrifice, death, grief, and above all, forgiveness.

Its exact nature—whether homosexual, a non-sexual deep friendship. Making them homosexual imposes upon them a fixed identity, like a heavy armor, an ontological essence foreign to antiquity and one that constrains behavior. To make Achilles and Patroclus gay is not historically false in the way it would be if they were given Facebook accounts or were discussing multiculturalism over cappuccino.

But how has homophobia influenced the reading of the Iliad? Though we will never know for certain what Homer intended, this love story remains heartbreaking to this day. Once it is revealed that it is Polyxena who prevented Achilles from going to war, Patroclus is absolved and convinces Achilles to fight.