Morgan Lee, Period 1, 3/11/2024

Morgan Lee, Period 1, 3/10/2024, Modern Mythology 2024

Literature Circle - The Song of Achilles By Madeline Miller - Critical Theory Analysis

SPOILER ALERT

    Looking at a text through a feminist criticism lens requires acknowledging that it was written in a male dominated society and examining how gender stereotypes and patriarchal tendencies can skew our perspectives. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a modern retelling of The Iliad, focusing on the tales of the hero Achilles, told from the point of view of his companion, Patroclus. This novel leads us through their whole lives, from their childhoods to the end of the Trojan War. While the queer aspect is undeniable, as Achilles and Patroclus’s relationship and eventual tragic romance is the main focus of the story, there are many female characters who also play large roles. Because this takes place in Ancient Greece, all of these women were victims in some form or another, due to their role in society.

The first character we will explore is Thetis, a sea-nymph and mother of Achilles. Thetis never wanted to be Achilles’s mother, but it was prophesied that her son would be stronger than his father. To prevent this, the gods wanted to ensure that the child was half mortal, despite Thetis only being a minor god. They awarded Peleus, King of Phthia, the “honor” of being Thetis’s husband. The gods instructed Peleus on how to sneak up on Thetis, and despite her efforts to shapeshift and escape, he was able to successfully assault and impregnate her. After giving birth to Achilles, she was made to stay on land for a year to raise him. Thetis’s character is powerless in most of the book. She never wanted to be a mother, yet was raped and forced to conceive a child. Achilles was prophesied to die at a young age, and again, she was unable to prevent this, only able to watch as her son’s hubris led to his demise. Thetis is a god, yet was unable to do anything to prevent her molestation and her son’s death just because the gods had decreed it so. Thetis turned bitter, rightfully so, and disapproved of Achilles becoming romantically involved with Patroclus. For most of the book, Patroclus depicts her as this controlling and unreasonable mother, who is full of hatred. However, when thinking about it, she has a right to be this bitter. She never wanted a child yet was forced to, she would at least want her pain and suffering to pay off in some way, thus, she would intervene and try to do what she thinks would be best for her son. 

    Deidameia is the princess of Scyros and King Lycomedes’s daughter. When Thetis was trying to prevent Achilles from going to war (which leads to his prophesied death) she stowed him away on Scyros, disguised as a girl. She then forces Achilles to have sex, and consequently marry, Deidameia, who is aware of Achilles’s actual identity. However, once Patroclus locates and reunites with him on Scyros, she is sworn to secrecy by Thetis and forced to give birth in exile. Thetis then takes the child from her and raises him away from the influence of humans. Deidameia’s story, in particular, focuses on the struggle for power in a matriarchal society and how women could have their whole life ripped from them. When Patroclus first meets her, she is effectively at the peak of her power. Despite being princess, she essentially runs Scyros due to her fathers old age. When she harbors Achilles, she is the only one who knows the truth about his identity. However, this all changes when Patroclus finds Achilles. In order to keep Achilles as her husband, she threatens to reveal his secret. On a whim, she loses all of her power. Thetis forces her to keep her mouth shut and makes her give birth to her child secretly. She could no longer run the kingdom, as it would be increasingly obvious that she was pregnant, and she couldn’t even keep her own child. As a last ditch resort, she even tries to ruin Achilles and Patroclus’s relationship. She describes having sex with Achilles in order to turn Patroclus jealous. When that doesn’t work, she has sex with Patroclus, trying to see what Achilles sees in him, but not her. Patroclus allows this, out of pity because he is partially to blame for her dreadful situation, but also because he knows she is jealous of what he has and that his relationship with Achilles is strong enough that this won't be an issue. Deidameia is desperate to cling on to her power but ultimately fails. She was a rare case of a woman holding power, and yet she still lost it all due to factors outside of her control.

    Briseis was a peasant living on the outskirts of Troy. She was captured early on in the war during the raids. She was offered as a prize, a mistress for the generals of the army. Achilles, at Patroclus’s insistence, claimed her in order to save her from being used by the other men. She eventually was able to build a close friendship with Patroclus, helping around camp and accompanying when Achilles went off to fight. Eventually, when Achilles defies Agamemnon, he takes her forcefully and plans to rape her. Achilles, with his pride wounded and against Patroclus’s wishes, allowed this as it would give him a valid reason to attack Agamemnon and prove that the army is useless without him. Briseis lost her whole family and previous life due to the war, a war raged by men trying to get vengeance on other men. She had to live through a senseless tragedy just due to the greed of men and the need for honor and glory. Even in camp, though she was treated well by both Patroclus and Achilles, never once being used for her “intended purpose” (sexual release), she was still expected and relegated to do tasks that would be seen as traditionally done by women. She would help cook and help Patroclus gather items such as herbs that could be used for healing. Furthermore, she would eventually take on a motherly role towards other captives that Achilles claimed and Patroclus took in, helping them get settled in and teaching them Greek. Briseis’s whole life was turned upside down because of the war, and despite eventually finding a sense of normalcy and safety during the war, it becomes obviously how easily this illusion could be shattered just due to her gender.

    Besides the fact that this book takes place in a time and place where society was obviously male-dominated, this book doesn’t have a fully reliable narrator. Telling the story from Patroclus’s point of view leaves out a lot of the nuance and detail in regards to the women in the novel. His perspective is skewed because despite being weaker than normal, he is still a man. He isn’t able to fully or accurately comprehend and convey the women’s emotions and circumstances, which downplays their struggles in the book.