Throughout The Iliad Of Homer, the
constant theme of death is inherently apparent.
Each main character, either by a spear or merely a scratch from an
arrow, was wounded or killed during the progression of the story. For Zeus' son, Sarpedon, it was a spear
through the heart, and for Hector, it was the bronze of the mighty Achilles
through his neck which caused his early demise.
It seems that no one could escape an agonizing fate. Of these deaths, the most interesting and
intriguing death of all is that of Achilles' dear friend Patroclus. Although his life was taken by the mighty
Hector's spear, who was truly liable for
his death? Could it have been Zeus or
Hector or the mighty Achilles to blame for this horrible death? The intricate story line of The Iliad makes
many possible answers available, but only one possibility accurately explains the actions and events
that led to this gruesome episode. The only person to blame for the death of
mighty Patrocles was himself.
First of all,
Patrocles was responsible for his own death because he requested his insertion
into the battle, fully knowing that the Achaeans were being unmercifully
defeated. In Book XVI , Patroclus said, " Send me forth now at the head
of the Myrmidon host
That I may be a light of hope to
the Danaans.
And let me strap on my shoulders
that armor of yours
That the zealous Trojans take me
for you and quickly
Withdraw from the fighting."
Because Achilles
refused to help the Achaeans battle the Trojans, a discontented Patroclus took
the matter into his own hands by requesting activation into battle disguised as
Achilles in the hope of sending the Trojans into a full retreat from the sight
of him. It is apparent that Patroclus
was willing to fight although the odds were greatly against him. His vehemence towards the Trojans coupled
with his disappointment of Achilles gave him the drive to conquer the Trojan
army with or without the aid of Achilles.
In doing so, Patroclus took an enormous risk that the Trojans would fall
for his trick, a risk with his life as the stakes. Essentially, while pleading to Achilles for
battle, it was his own dark death for which he plead.
Next, because Patroclus ignored Achilles'
warnings before battle, the blame for his death can only be placed upon
himself. In Book XVI, Achilles said,
" Do not, I tell you, get carried
away
In the heat of conflict and
slaughter and so lead the men
Toward the city. For one of the gods everlasting may decide
To descend from Olympus and fight
against you - Apollo,
For instance, who works from afar
and dearly loves
All Trojans. Come back, then, when once you have saved the
Vessels, and let others go fighting
across the plain."
In explanation,
Achilles was saying that he wanted Patroclus to lead the Myrmidons in an attack
against the Trojans to drive them away from the ships. Once that was done, he wanted Patroclus and
the army to return because imminent death surrounded Troy, antagonized by Zeus
and Apollo. However, Patroclus did not
heed this warning. After going into
battle and sending the Trojans into a full retreat, Patroclus was overcome with
fury over his slain comrade, Epeigeus, and ordered a full scale attack upon the
walls of Troy.
" Then Patroclus, calling
Commands to the horses and to
Automedon, drove
In pursuit of the Trojans and
Lycians, blind foolhardy child
That he was! For had he obeyed the careful orders
of Peleus' son Achilles, he surely
would then
Have escaped the miserable doom of
murky death."
This passage in
Book XVI foreshadowed how this grave mistake would lead to Patroclus'
death. Because of his overwhelming
desire to take revenge for the many Achaeans defeated in battle, Patroclus
failed to realize the accompanying consequences to his suicide mission. No one else made the decision to attack,
therefore, only Patroclus is to blame for his narrow minded decision which led
directly to his untimely demise.
Finally, because of Patroclus' inferiority to
Achilles in battle, he was responsible for his own death. An example can be
derived from a passage in Book XVI from Apollo to Patroclus,
" Fall back Zeus - descended
Patroclus! It is not fated
That by your spear this town of the
gifted Trojans
Shall be laid to waste, nor even by
that of Achilles,
A man far batter than you."
This passage
suggests the inferiority of Patroclus compared to Achilles. If Achilles was not fated to sack the city of
Troy, how was Patroclus supposed to, being only half the warrior that Achilles
was? Patroclus should have known this,
but his mind was clouded with anger and grief so he decided to do even what
Achilles could not and perished. Therefore, his inferiority to Achilles shown
through. Another example took place
after Patroclus defeated Hector's driver, Cebriones. While trying to strip the armor from the
body, Patroclus and Hector began to fight over the corpse. Instead of following Achilles' orders and
returning to the ships, Patroclus went for the nucleus of the Trojan army and
tried to defeat Hector, as no other Achaean could do. His fury overcame him and inferiority to
Achilles caused him to die. Patroclus
picked a fight with an enemy aided by a god, and fell from glory with a combination
of blows from Apollo, Euphorbes, and Hector.
This inferiority to Achilles may have been the primary reason that
Patroclus' life came to an end that day at the hands of the Trojan army.
In conclusion, among the various themes of The
Iliad of Homer, death is one of the most apparent and moving themes to
consistently appear throughout the story.
Each death was described in full, graphic detail to more emphasize the
individual people and events for which this siege was taking place. Each man had a family and a story behind his
life and death. For Patroclus, however,
life was cut short by his poor decisions and unyielding fury toward the
Trojans. These, accompanied by his
battle skills, greatly inferior to those of Achilles, caused Patroclus to disregard
Achilles' warnings of what fate the battle might hold and attack Troy as well
as Hector. If these decisions had not
been made, Patroclus could have ridden beside Achilles in their sack of Troy. Thus, because of Patroclus' over - zealous
and inferior battle decisions and behaviors, it is apparent that he is solely
responsible for his own death.
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