I really had nothing else to write about, so I couldn't help thinking how the Iliad might have ended if Patroclus did not die. We can all agree that Patroclus's death was a turning point in the story, and was actually instrumental in the Achean's victory. To me, the death of Patroclus symbolized the complete downfall of the Trojans.
From the moment Patroclus died, Achilles became a great warrior who finally had control over his rage, and Hector was filled with hubris. So as we closed our discussions about the Iliad, I thought that the war would have gone completely in the Trojans favor had they not killed Hector. Let's go back to the moment when Patroclus died: Achilles, the Achean's best warrior, was pouting in his tent as a result from a feud with Agamemnon. Hector, the Trojan's best warrior, was leading the Trojans in a calm manner and making a strong case for being the "hero" of the poem. Had Patroclus not entered the battle and been killed, there is no reason to expect the war not to follow this early trend. Achilles would have stayed in his tent for the remainder of the battle, and Hector would have grown stronger (while remaining a solid leader). Achilles's selfishness would have eventually completely imploded the Achean army, and the Trojans would roll to an easy victory. I know that this is not the most pertinent blog post that I've had, but it was on my mind.
Paul Stanley
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6 comments:
Patroclus' death was definitely a turning point in the Iliad, but i'm not sure that it would have changed the ending. i might even have expected Patroclus to return to the Achean camp, victorious, and spur Achilles to get back into the fighting.
i think it does have a huge impact on Hector's role in the story, what with the hubris and the role of Achilles' armor, so in that way it changes things, but Troy was fated to fall either way.
I think you posted an interesting alternative ending to the Iliad. If Patroclus did not fight Hector and completely followed Achilles' orders, then the story would have been completely different. Hector would be portrayed as the hero, but I still think that eventually Achilles would be rallied to fight by Patroclus' success and would eventually fight with Hector and kill him. Overall, the only difference I see here is that Patroclus lives but Hector still dies.
I believe it would not have mattered whether Patroclus had died or not. It was told before the war that "Troy was doomed to fall." You talk about how if Patroclus had not entered the battle then, "Hector would have grown stronger." I believe that Hector would not have grown stronger, but weaker. His hubris would increase dramatically with his military success, and isn't hubris a weakness? From there it would be very plausable for Hector to make yet another strategic mistake, dooming the Trojans. And it is very possible that seeing Hector with such Hubris would have caused Achilles to enter the battle.
All of this can only be speculation, but I believe Troy was plagued to fall no matter what.
I agree that Patroclus' death was the catalyst that fired up Achilles and forced him to avenge his friends death. But, I still think that Achilles would have eventually fought in the war. Achilles was just waiting until the Acheans were in trouble and wanted Agamemnon to beg him to fight in the war. Patroclus' death just changed Achilles' reasons for fighting. Achilles kind of apologizes to Agamemnon and realizes that his arrogance has led to his friends death. Achilles is seen as a somewhat selfless hero who fights to avenge his friend instead of the arrogant figure he starts off as.
Interesting idea. I agree that the Archaens won the war because of Achilles and in turn the death of Patroclus. But here is another factor to consider: if Patroclus wouldn't have died, would he have kept on leading the Archaen toops on a rampage through the Trojan lines?
No doubt that the turning point was Patroclus's death. Many people could argue that there were many different turning points in the book. It does not say how the Trojan war ended at the end of the Iliad, but we all know that the horse entered the gates and the rest is history. But lets say that Homer told the complete story and lets say that the Trojans did not let the horse in, if the war continued that could be considered the turning point in the war.
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