Song of Achilles – Did I already know Achilles was gay?

One of the first things I remember thinking is that the book seemed a little homoerotic. There seemed to be a little extra effort describing men and boys in a way that seemed to accentuate physical attractiveness. At first I thought it might be just me. I thought maybe there was something that triggered imagery from the movie 300.

It is told from the perspective of Patroclus as a young boy. At least the first several chapters occur during his adolescent years. Then I started thinking about The Illiad. It occurred to me that it was Patroclus’ death that drove Achilles into violent and remorseless madness, and it struck me that perhaps they were supposed to be lovers. It seems so obvious and unmasked that I began to wonder if this was something I already knew but had forgotten.

I was eager to see if this was, in fact, one of the books themes. Turns out this is the major theme of the book. The homosexual attraction quickly comes to the forefront and Patroclus’ embarrassment about it is omnipresent.

I thought homosexuality was not a particularly shameful thing in ancient Greece.