276°
Posted 20 hours ago

The Song of Achilles

£9.9£99Clearance
ZTS2023's avatar
Shared by
ZTS2023
Joined in 2023
82
63

About this deal

THE RELATIONSHIP, PART III: HOMOPHOBIAAnyone who says that ancient Greece was 100% accepting of homosexual relationships is factually incorrect. Our modern idea of sexuality cannot be applied to ancient societies (the term for this is presentism). Although same-sex relationships between men were indeed commonplace, they were not typically considered on the same level as heterosexual relationships (often associated with marriage—love and marriage were discrete topics throughout much of history). What was common amongst men was pederasty, a relationship dynamic in which the older man, typically more knowledgeable and experienced, was the erastes (active partner) and the younger man, typically less-experienced and more effeminate, was the eromenos (passive partner). Obviously the notion of top/bottom dynamics has persisted into modern queer relationships, although in reality it’s rare that one person will prefer being exclusively one or the other.

What I liked less was the slow burn nature of a book in the first half when the period and story already offered so much for the author to embellish. The result of this, of course, is that Miller’s portrayal of a gay relationship is basically just a heteronormative straight one. Patroclus could be replaced by a woman and it would change absolutely nothing about the story Miller has written. In essence, Miller has told the audience that queer relationships are fundamentally the same as heterosexual ones, and that makes them okay!… but with no apparent knowledge of or care as to how this might contribute to the perpetuation of homophobia in the real world. It’s not an accurate portrayal of the characters she claims to love so much, and it’s unintentionally homophobic at best. This is the story of the fall of Troy. Or rather, a part of it. More specifically, this is the tale of Achilles and Patroclus. Of their undying love for each other. Of the lives they sacrifice on the altar of that love. Of desperate men and petty gods. Of a proud, greedy people engaged in a prolonged, bloody war. BISEXUALITY?This is a minor detail, but it bothered me: Miller’s Achilles is revolted by the concept of even touching a woman, but Achilles did like women, and in fact slept with at least two within the context of the Iliad. Patroclus, whom Miller writes as disgusted by Deidamia’s vagina, also slept with at least one woman in the Iliad. This is a minor change—none of those women except Deidamia and Briseis are important to the story—and I wouldn’t have minded Miller’s changing it had she written more and better female characters. The mythology of this is fairly accurate and interesting– sure, some of the plot points around Briseus were far-fetched, but nothing here is disproved by the mythological canon. That made me really happy, although I know many won't really care. For those of you who need reference on key players:True. But fame is a strange thing. Some men gain glory after they die, while others fade. What is admired in one generation is abhorred in another." He spread his broad hands. "We cannot say who will survive the holocaust of memory. Who knows?" He smiles. "Perhaps one day even I will be famous. Perhaps more famous than you.” Ah.’ A sly smile spread across his face; he had always loved defiance. ‘Well, why should I kill him? He’s done nothing to me.’

CONCLUSION: LOST POTENTIALMaybe if I weren’t a classicist I might’ve enjoyed it, but I am, so I didn’t. It’s made even worse because Miller herself has an Ivy League classics degree and, while we’re all well-accustomed to seeing bastardisations of the classics in popular media (think Troy or 300), I expect better from someone who matriculated from Brown University. There’s no way she got a degree in classics without having read the Symposium and Phaidros—both of which discuss, at length, the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus. Plato’s characters (mouthpieces, really) discuss how Achilles and Patroclus do not adhere to the traditional pederastic dynamic expected of young men their age. This would actually be an excellent way to dissect and discuss gender roles, sexuality, and heteronormativity in ancient (and, indirectly, modern) society and queer relationships. But instead we get this, and hordes of uneducated high school children fawn over a factually inaccurate, fetishistic, homophobic portrayal of Achilles and Patroclus, and Miller gets rich off her scheming. This is nothing more than poorly written Iliad fan fiction that’s exactly as bad as anything you’d find on LiveJournal circa 2010 (I was born into it… moulded by it…). Delivery with Standard Australia Post usually happens within 2-10 business days from time of dispatch. Please be aware that the delivery time frame may vary according to the area of delivery and due to various reasons, the delivery may take longer than the original estimated timeframe. The Song of Achilles’ is a beautifully orchestrated retelling of one of Greek Mythology’s best known and best loved stories of the Siege at Troy and life of the legendary demi-god Achilles. A lyrical masterpiece that portrays the human side of the man, the lover, and the warrior who is destined to fulfil a prophecy that sees him fall after the death of Hector, sustaining the iconic Achilles heel injury. Madeline Miller did what the movie producers of the film Troy (2004) were too cowardly to do; she stayed true to the homosexuality of Homer’s Iliad rather than writing a censored version of the story which stank of homophobia. Achilles and Patroclus were passionately in love, which resulted in their respective destructions. They were not cousins or man at arms, but soul mates. The watering down of this in the film Troy was an insult to the LGBT community. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Locations where this product is available

Name one hero who was happy . . . You can't . . . I'll tell you a secret . . . I'm going to be the first."Achilles is destined to become the greatest warrior of his generation. But before that, he is just a boy growing up in Phthia with his devoted companion Patroclus by his side. The two are sent away to the mountains to be trained, but it isn't long before war comes calling when Helen of Troy is kidnapped. Achilles is forced to choose between eternal glory and mediocrity, but with greatness comes a price that Achilles and Patroclus will both have to pay.

Asda Great Deal

Free UK shipping. 15 day free returns.
Community Updates
*So you can easily identify outgoing links on our site, we've marked them with an "*" symbol. Links on our site are monetised, but this never affects which deals get posted. Find more info in our FAQs and About Us page.
New Comment