We all know or at least have heard of the great Greek classics at some point, possibly at school, in the news, or during a speech. Give or take three thousand years after they were first written, Greek classics are still relevant today. They’ve been constantly referenced throughout human history with events such as the Renaissance, and they still have a place among society today. Surely you’ve heard of Perseus and how he beheaded Medusa, Theseus and how he killed the Minotaur in the Labyrinth, Odysseus and his ten year voyage to return to Ithaca after the Trojan War, or maybe even Heracles and the twelve labors. These are all pretty well known myths, but one that gets referenced so often in popular culture to the point that people who aren’t into the classics know about it, is swift-footed Achilles: the immortal warrior who fought for the Greeks in the Trojan War and whose downfall was an arrow to the only part of his body that could be injured: the heel. This image of a brave, unfaltering soldier destined for glory and praise with a single weakness is often used as a metaphor for diverse subjects, and his condition is even referenced in the medical field, but what if I told you that writers draw inspiration from it too? Such is the case of Madeline Miller, who, using The Iliad as an inspiration, published The Song of Achilles in 2011.

 

The Song of Achilles is a romance fantasy novel retelling the events of the Trojan War from the perspective of Patroclus, one of the many Greek heroes referenced in the original epic. After being exiled from his homeland due to accidentally killing another child during a game, he is sent to the kingdom of Phthia where he meets Prince Achilles. The two become intimate friends, training together for the greater part of their childhoods and falling in love somewhere in between. But what happens when Prince Paris of Troy kidnaps Helen, queen of Sparta? What happens when the Greeks rally up their troops to go after her? Patroclus, bound by an oath made several years before, and Achilles, the best of the Greeks, find themselves in the heart of the war with a hefty prophecy hanging over their heads. The Oracle has foretold that Achilles will die in the war, and when your destiny is written out by the speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, there’s little you can do to stop fate in its tracks.

 

Miller’s writing is truly beautiful. She composes her words with golden threads, luring the readers in and not letting them go for even a second throughout the novel. Her narration is poetic and eloquent, rivaling Homer’s very verses. Miller is a master of language, it is seldom that you come across a writer who knows the written language and how to use it so well. This is the biggest aspect of the novel worth praising. It’s easy to imagine the scenery and setting in your head, to shift between learning calculus in a classroom and a drenched battlefield in the dead of the night without so much as batting an eye. A friend of mine wants to add to this that the writing is simple yet effective. It doesn’t have so much going on that you get lost in the metaphors and don’t know what’s going on yet it still manages to make use of literary devices and explains things exceptionally. Miller not only read The Iliad, but rather understood it too. She dissects the characters through her writing, giving them dreams, desires, and regrets. Smart Odysseus, proud Agamemnon, graceful Achilles, clumsy-footed Patroclus, gentle Briseida—they all have a distinct personality and soul that makes them who they are.

 

If you’re an avid reader or into the classics of literature, I definitely recommend this book as your next read. Be warned that it can be a little wordy at times and confusing if you aren’t familiar with Greek mythology (nothing that a dictionary or the glossary at the end of the book can’t fix, though) and that it may not be an appropriate read for people thirteen and under, but keeping that in mind, if you still want to go ahead with reading it, what are you waiting for? The Greek universe of gods and monsters is truly fascinating and wondrous, and The Song of Achilles is one of the best ways there is to delve into it.