Patroclus

The Latinized name Patroclus derives from the Ancient Greek Pátroklos (), meaning "glory of his father," from (patḗr, "father" stem pátr-) and (kléos, "glory"). A variation of the name with the same components in different order is Kleópatros, while the feminine form of the name is Cleopatra. There are at least three pronunciations of the name 'Patroclus' in English. Because the penultimate syllable is light in Latin prose (pă′.trŏ.clŭs), the antepenult was stressed in Latin and would normally be stressed in English as well, for (analogous to 'Sophocles'). However, this pronunciation is seldom encountered: for metrical convenience, Alexander Pope had made the 'o' long, and thus stressed, in his translation of Homer, following a convention of Greek and Latin verse, and that pronunciation – of Latin pa.trō′.clus – has stuck, for English . Moreover, because in prose, a penultimate Greco-Latin short o (omicron) would only be stressed in a closed syllable, the penult has sometimes been misanalysed as being closed (*pă.trŏc′.lŭs), which would change the English o to a short vowel: . == Description and family ==

Philostratus wrote that Patroclus had "an olive complexion, black (melas) eyes, and sufficiently fine eyebrows, and he commended moderately long hair... His nose was straight, and he flared his nostrils as eager horses do." In the Latin account of Dares the Phrygian, Patroclus was illustrated as "... handsome and powerfully built. His eyes were [lively and large] (oculis vividis et magnis). He was modest, dependable, wise, a man richly endowed." Patroclus was the son of Menoetius (hence called Menoetiades , meaning "son of Menoetius") by either Philomela or Polymele, Sthenele, or Periopis. His only sibling was Myrto, mother of Eucleia by Heracles. Homer also references Menoetius as the individual who gave Patroclus to Peleus. Menoetius was the son of Actor, king of Opus in Locris, by Aegina, daughter of Asopus. == Mythology ==

Early days depicting Achilles seated between Briseis and Patroclus in the marquee|215x215px During his childhood, Patroclus had accidentally killed his playmate Clysonymus over a game of dice. As a result, he was exiled from his home, Opus, with Menoetius sending him to Peleus, king of Phthia and father of Achilles.'''''' Peleus named Patroclus Achilles's "squire", as they both grew up together and became close friends. Patroclus acted as a male role model for Achilles, being both kinder than him as well as wiser regarding counsel. Patroclus's early life, including his flight to the house of Peleus, is narrated later in the Iliad, when his ghost appears to Achilles reminding him about his past and giving him advice about his burial. Local tradition in Laconia held that Achilles killed Las when he came to their land to seek the hand of Helen, daughter of Tyndareus. However, the geographer Pausanias disagrees, stating that it was actually Patroclus who killed Las, arguing that Patroclus, not Achilles, was one of Helen's suitors. Trojan War bandaging Patroclus's arm, by the Sosias Painter.|left According to the Iliad, when the tide of the Trojan War had turned against the Greeks and the Trojans were threatening their ships, Patroclus convinced Achilles to let him lead the Myrmidons into combat. Achilles consented, giving Patroclus the armor Achilles had received from his father in order for Patroclus to impersonate Achilles. Achilles then told Patroclus to return after beating the Trojans back from their ships. Patroclus defied Achilles's order and pursued the Trojans back to the gates of Troy. Patroclus killed many Trojans and Trojan allies, including a son of Zeus, Sarpedon. Hector then kills Patroclus by stabbing him in the stomach with a spear. Achilles did not allow the burial of Patroclus's body until the ghost of Patroclus appeared and demanded his burial in order to pass into Hades. The ashes of Achilles were said to have been buried in a golden urn along with those of Patroclus by the Hellespont. == Relationship with Achilles ==

Although there is no explicit sexual relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in the Homeric tradition, a few later Greek authors wrote about what they saw as implied in the text regarding their relationship. Aeschylus and Phaedrus, for example, state there was a clear relationship between them. Aeschylus refers to Achilles as the erastes, while Phaedrus refers to Achilles as the eromenos of the relationship. According to Ledbetter (1993), However, as Patroclus is explicitly stated to be the elder of the two characters, this is not evidence of their ages or social relation to each other. James Hooker describes the literary reasons for Patroclus's character within the Iliad. He states that another character could have filled the role of confidant for Achilles and that it was only through Patroclus that we have a worthy reason for Achilles's wrath. Hooker claims that without the death of Patroclus, an event that weighed heavily upon him, Achilles's following act of compliance to fight would have disrupted the balance of the Iliad. Hooker describes the necessity of Patroclus sharing a deep affection with Achilles within the Iliad. According to his theory, this affection allows an even more profound tragedy to occur. Hooker argues that the greater the love, the greater the loss. Hooker continues to negate Ledbetter's theory that Patroclus is in some way a surrogate for Achilles; rather, Hooker views Patroclus's character as a counterpart to that of Achilles. Hooker reminds us that it is Patroclus who pushes the Trojans back, which Hooker claims makes Patroclus a hero, as well as foreshadowing what Achilles is to do. While Homer's Iliad never explicitly stated that Achilles and Patroclus were lovers, this concept was propounded by some later authors. , 1778. Aeschines asserts that there was no need to explicitly state the relationship as a romantic one, In later Greek writings, such as Plato's Symposium, the relationship between Patroclus and Achilles is discussed as a model of romantic love. However, Xenophon, in his Symposium, had Socrates argue that it was inaccurate to label their relationship as romantic. Nevertheless, their relationship is said to have inspired Alexander the Great in his own close relationship with his life-long companion Hephaestion. In the Iliad, Achilles was younger than Patroclus. This reinforces Dowden's explanation of the relationship between an eromenos, a youth in transition, and an erastes, an older male who had recently made the same transition. Patroclus is a character in William Shakespeare's play Troilus and Cressida. In the play, Achilles, who has become lazy, is besotted with Patroclus, and the other characters complain that Achilles and Patroclus are too busy having sex to fight in the war. ==Footnotes==