# The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller - Blinkist

What’s in it for me? An epic tale of love and war.

Achilles – who was he?

If you’re familiar with Homer’s Iliad, or you’ve seen the film Troy, then you know that Achilles was a Greek prince and warrior.

He was the hero who achieved immortal fame during the Trojan War.

But there was another side to Achilles, which is only hinted at in the Iliad.

There are references to his childhood friend Patroclus, who followed him to the battlefield.

The two men were close.

But how close, exactly?

In The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller tells the story of Achilles and the Trojan War from a different perspective.

We see everything through the eyes of Patroclus, who’s captivated by Achilles from the moment they meet.

In Miller’s novel, a vivid reimagining of the Iliad, this is a love story – the tale of two men who are completely devoted to each other.

But, just like the original story, it’s also a tale of war – specifically, the epic battles of the Trojan War.

Patroclus and Achilles grow up together, and fall in love.

So while Achilles and Patroclus seem destined to be together, other things may be destined too.

There are prophecies hinting at tragedies to come.

And in the world of Greek mythology, the gods might intervene at any moment.

The beauty of The Song of Achilles is that it breathes new life into an ancient story.

Although these mythical events took place thousands of years ago, Miller’s interpretation of the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is real, relatable, and incredibly moving.

In this Blink to the novel, we’ll go back to the beginning.

It’s time to travel to ancient Greece and meet the heroes, in the peaceful days before the war.

Patroclus and Achilles grew up together, and they’re both sons of kings.

But they’re not brothers – they’re lovers.

They first met years ago, as children.

Patroclus came to live at the palace of Achilles’s father.

Even then, Patroclus found himself drawn to Achilles, without knowing exactly why.

The prince had a brilliance, a beauty … something that burned like a flame.

Patroclus would look at Achilles across the dining hall and feel a jolt of electricity, his skin prickling as though a storm were coming.

And the interest was mutual.

The two boys soon became close friends – and then something more.

So when Achilles left the palace, naturally, Patroclus followed.

He joined Achilles in the woods, which was where the prince had been sent for his education – lessons with a wise centaur named Chiron.

For a while, the two boys live together in Chiron’s cave.

They spend their days studying with the centaur, exploring the woods, and bathing in the river.

In the evenings, they eat by the campfire and stargaze, learning the stories of the constellations.

And in the cave, they fall asleep side by side.

Their bond gradually deepens.

When Patroclus looks into Achilles’s eyes, he feels a sense of absolute certainty.

“I will never leave him,” he thinks.

Two years pass by peacefully.

But they both know that this idyllic existence can’t last forever.

They’re now 16 years old, and this is the last year of their childhood.

It’s only a matter of time before Achilles is called back to the palace.

And then there’s the prophecy.

It is said that one day, Achilles will be the greatest warrior of his generation.

He was born to be a hero.

Beyond these woods, Achilles’s destiny awaits him.

The boys savor the precious time they have left.

One day, they walk through the woods until they reach a grove of olive trees.

There, they sit and talk of their families and the future.

Achilles asks Patroclus if he can name a hero who lived happily.

Patroclus thinks, but he can’t come up with a single example.

In one way or another, they’ve all had tragic lives.

There’s no such thing as a happy hero.

But then Achilles says to Patroclus, “I’ll be the first.

And you’re the reason.

” With Patroclus by his side, Achilles feels invincible.

And it’s just as well, because war is on the horizon.

Achilles is summoned to fight in the Trojan War.

Far away, an event takes place that will change the course of history.

Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaus, is abducted and taken to the city of Troy.

Menelaus’s brother, Agamemnon, is now gathering an army.

The Greeks will attack Troy and rescue Helen.

As Greek men, Patroclus and Achilles are both expected to fight in this upcoming war.

But Achilles’s mother, the sea goddess Thetis, will do anything in her power to prevent her son from fighting.

To protect him, she sends him to a palace on the island of Scyros.

Achilles lives there in hiding, disguised as a woman.

And of course, where Achilles goes, Patroclus follows.

But they can’t hide forever.

It’s not long before Odysseus arrives, in search of Achilles, and sees through his disguise.

Odysseus – the Greek warrior who will soon become a famous hero himself – tells Achilles that the army needs him.

He has to go to Troy to fight.

And according to the prophecy, if Achilles does not fight, he will miss out on immortal fame.

He’ll grow old and weak, and he’ll be forgotten.

Just then, the conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Achilles’s mother, Thetis.

The goddess is furious, and she blows the door open in an explosion of splinters.

“What Odysseus says is true,” Thetis tells Achilles.

“But that’s not all.

If you choose to go to Troy, you’ll never come back.

You will die there as a young man.

” Achilles turns pale.

He’s now faced with a terrible dilemma.

If he refuses to fight, he’ll die in obscurity.

But if he joins the war, he’s doomed to die prematurely.

That night, in bed, Achilles discusses his options with Patroclus.

“I couldn’t bear it,” says Achilles.

And he’s not referring to the prospect of dying.

What really horrifies Achilles is the thought of losing all his brilliance and vitality, and fading away.

His mind is made up.

Achilles decides to go to Troy.

Will Patroclus come with him?

For Patroclus, there was never a choice.

Of course he’ll follow Achilles to Troy.

He would even follow him into death.

In tears, the young men embrace.

This, they both know, is the beginning of the end.

The Greek army sails to Troy.

Achilles shines on the battlefield while Patroclus befriends Briseis.

On the night before the first raid, Patroclus asks Achilles if he’s frightened.

“No,” Achilles replies.

“I was born for this.

” And it’s just as the prophecy predicted – Achilles is an extraordinary warrior.

As the fighting begins, he’s in his element, slaughtering Trojan soldiers with such ease that he makes it look effortless.

Patroclus knows that he doesn’t need to worry about Achilles’s safety – for now, at least.

After all, there’s another prophecy: Hector, the Trojan prince, will die before Achilles does.

So as long as Hector remains alive, Achilles is safe too.

His challenge is to kill as many Trojan soldiers as possible while avoiding Hector.

That way, he can postpone his own death for a little longer.

As the Greek army advances, they take prizes from the Trojans – weapons, rugs, gold … and women.

One of the Trojan women is young and beautiful.

Worried about what might happen to her, Patroclus urges Achilles to intervene.

“Take her for yourself,” he says.

Achilles claims the woman as his prize.

And in doing so, he saves her from a life of sexual slavery.

While Achilles is on the battlefield, Patroclus spends time with the woman, Briseis.

He teaches her Greek, and during walks in the woods, she teaches him the names of the plants and the trees.

They become close friends, giving each other comfort and companionship as the war drags on.

Eventually, and perhaps inevitably, Briseis develops feelings for Patroclus.

One spring day, as they sit together in the woods, she kisses him.

“If I wanted a wife,” says Patroclus, “it would be you.

”  But he will never marry.

Although Briseis is upset, she understands that his heart belongs to Achilles.

“But what about children?

” she asks Patroclus.

Doesn’t he want to be a father one day?

The conversation plants a seed in Patroclus’s mind.

In their tent that night, he and Achilles discuss Briseis.

Despite his jealousy, Achilles gives Patroclus permission to have a child with Briseis – if that’s what he wants.

Patroclus imagines this hypothetical child.

Then he thinks of Achilles.

And he realizes that he already has everything he needs.

Meanwhile, the war goes on and on.

With no signs of progress, the Greek soldiers are getting fed up.

Achilles does his best to boost morale.

He wouldn’t be fighting, he tells them, unless he truly believed they were going to win.

But the war is taking a toll on everyone.

Moods sour, and relationships become strained.

As the war drags on, tempers flare.

In particular, relations between Achilles and Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek army, go from bad to worse – resulting in a crisis that will change the course of the war.

It begins with a girl.

In the ninth year of the war, Agamemnon claims a Trojan girl as his prize.

She’s the daughter of a priest, who begs Agamemnon to give her back.

But Agamemnon refuses – the girl is his now.

And then comes the plague.

In the Greek camps, men get sick and die.

It’s clear that the gods are angry.

Achilles orders Agamemnon to send the Trojan girl back to her father.

He doesn’t want to dishonor Agamemnon, he explains – he just wants the plague to end.

Agamemnon is furious.

If he has to give up the girl, he wants something in exchange – something that belongs to Achilles.

“Give me Briseis,” says Agamemnon.

As a war prize, Briseis is considered Achilles’s property.

So Agamemnon’s request is hugely insulting.

Achilles is so enraged, he makes a shocking decision.

Agamemnon can take Briseis.

But from this moment on, Achilles will no longer fight.

Patroclus is appalled.

Not by Achilles’s decision to stop fighting, but by his total indifference to the fate of Briseis.

“How can you let Agamemnon take her?

” asks Patroclus, horrified.

“You know what he’ll do.

” But Achilles’s main concern is himself, and his wounded pride.

In a way, Achilles’s reputation is all he has.

He knows his death is imminent.

So at this point, his priority is defending his honor and protecting his legacy as a hero.

Luckily, Patroclus manages to negotiate with Agamemnon to save Briseis.

But for the Greek army, Achilles’s argument with Agamemnon has had a significant consequence.

Their greatest warrior is now absent from the battlefield.

On the battlefield, key characters meet their fates.

Without Achilles, things start to go badly for the Greeks.

The Trojans burn their ships and massacre their soldiers.

In tears, Patroclus begs Achilles to return to the battlefield.

“All the men are dying,” he tells him.

“You’re the only one left who can save them.

” But Achilles is still full of resentment.

Nothing will change his mind – not even the pleas of Patroclus.

Then, in desperation, Patroclus comes up with a plan.

He can go to the battlefield in Achilles's place, wearing his armor.

And he doesn’t even need to fight.

The Trojan soldiers will flee at the mere sight of him, thinking he’s Achilles.

Reluctantly, Achilles agrees to the plan.

He helps Patroclus into his armor, and they kiss goodbye.

Then, disguised as Achilles, Patroclus joins the fray.

At first, it all goes to plan.

The Greeks are overjoyed to see Achilles back among them, while the Trojans scramble away in terror.

But during the chaos of the fighting, Patroclus makes a fatal mistake.

Finding himself near the walls of Troy, he tries to climb them.

At last, he thinks.

I’ll enter the city, capture Helen, and end the war.

But as Patroclus climbs, he’s being watched by someone above – the god Apollo.

And Apollo is on the side of the Trojans.

The god reaches down, grabs Patroclus by his armor, and drops him.

Patroclus gets up, and stubbornly tries again.

And once more, the god sends him plunging to the earth.

Then, Patroclus realizes that his helmet and armor have been shaken loose.

He’s in serious danger.

So he gets to his feet, starts to run – and then, he feels the spear pierce his back.

And when he turns, he realizes who’s coming to kill him: Hector.

Patroclus falls to the ground.

This cannot happen, he thinks.

As he lies there bleeding, he can foresee the chain of deaths that will follow his own.

Hector stands above him, twisting his spear into Patroclus’s stomach.

And as Patroclus dies, his final thought is a name – Achilles.

Later, in the camp, Achilles screams, sobs, and cradles the bloody corpse.

His grief is mixed with rage, and his need to avenge Patroclus’s death.

At last, he has a reason to return to the battlefield.

The next day, Achilles hacks through ranks of Trojan soldiers until he finds the man he is looking for – Hector.

He chases him across the river, and the two men run and run – until, at last, Achilles catches Hector and plunges his spear into his throat.

But in killing Hector, Achilles has sealed his own fate.

The prophecy was clear – Hector would die first.

Now, Achilles knows that there’s nothing keeping him alive.

And with Patroclus gone, he has nothing left to live for.

So Achilles continues fighting, killing Trojan soldiers effortlessly … until he’s spotted.

Paris – the Trojan who started the war by abducting Helen – is watching Achilles from the city walls.

He has a bow and arrow, and he’s being guided by the god Apollo.

“Where should I aim?

” asks Paris.

“They say he’s invulnerable.

” “Achilles is a man, not a god,” Apollo replies.

“If you hit him, he’ll die.

” So Paris aims … and shoots.

The arrow flies through the air and strikes Achilles in the back, the tip reaching his heart.

And as Achilles falls to the earth, he smiles.

Not long afterward, Troy falls.

The Greeks have won the war.

The war ends, and two souls are reunited.

Their greatest warrior is buried beneath a vast white tombstone engraved with a single word: “Achilles.

” But for Patroclus, there has been no such burial.

His ashes lie scattered on the ground.

While Achilles has gone to the underworld, Patroclus is trapped on earth.

Achilles’s mother, the goddess Thetis, comes to his grave to mourn him.

And as she sits at the base of the tomb, she speaks to Patroclus.

Thetis and Patroclus have never liked each other.

The goddess disapproved of his relationship with her son, and often tried to keep them apart.

But now that both men are dead, something changes.

From beyond the grave, Patroclus talks to Thetis, sharing his memories of Achilles.

Together, they reminisce about the man they knew and loved.

Although Thetis was unable to prevent her son from dying, there’s something else she can do now.

On the tombstone, next to the name “Achilles,” she carves another name: “Patroclus.

” “Go,” she tells him.

“Achilles is waiting for you.

” At last, in the underworld, the two souls meet.

And they reach for each other’s hands.

Final Summary

You’ve come to the end of our Blink to The Song of Achilles – a novel by Madeline Miller that creatively retells some of the events of Homer’s Iliad.

Here’s a short recap of the story: It takes place in ancient Greece, and focuses on the bond between the hero Achilles and his companion, Patroclus.

In Miller’s interpretation, the close friendship between the two young men becomes romantic.

It’s been foretold that Achilles will be the greatest warrior of his generation.

So when the Greek army is on the brink of war with Troy, Achilles is called to fight.

And of course, Patroclus agrees to join him.

However, they go to Troy knowing that according to a prophecy, Achilles is destined to die there as a young man.

The Trojan War lasts for years, and there are countless casualties on both sides.

In the camps, relationships start to deteriorate.

Achilles has a heated argument with Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek army.

Out of pride, he refuses to continue fighting.

And without their greatest soldier, the Greek army suffers.

In desperation, Patroclus enters the battlefield disguised in Achilles’s armor.

But the plan goes wrong, and he’s killed by the Trojan prince Hector.

Grief-stricken, Achilles vows to avenge Patroclus’s death.

He returns to the battlefield and kills Hector.

Shortly afterward, Achilles himself is killed.

He’s struck by an arrow, sent from the bow of the Trojan prince Paris.

Just as the prophecy foretold, Achilles dies young.

But he’s also proved to be an exceptional soldier – a hero whose name will go down in history.

Although The Song of Achilles is a tragedy, there’s some consolation to be found in the final lines.

After the Trojan War ends, the souls of Patroclus and Achilles are reunited in the underworld.