Achilles chooses to not use his gift of speed on the battlefield, so Patroclus tragically dies in his place. Heracles's strength works against him when he kills his wife under a spell of madness. Orpheus can charm inanimate objects to life with his music, but he fails to escort Eurydice from the underworld. Patroclus explains the unique nature of being god-born and gives us powerful examples before explaining Achilles' "miracle." The examples he gives-Orpheus and Heracles (sons of Apollo and Zeus respectively)-are famous god-born men who, like Achilles, lose the one they love in ways their god-born blood can't fix. His feet beat the ground like a dancer, never still. The shaft seemed to flow in his hands, the dark gray point flickered like a snake’s tongue. It whirled, flashing forward, reversed, then flashed behind.
His spear, as he began the first pass, moved faster than my eye could follow. Orpheus’ voice made the trees weep, Heracles could kill a man by clapping him on the back. Patroclus admires this about him later, he will be frustrated by Achilles' naïveté, but even then he won’t be able to blame him for being himself.ĭivine blood flows differently in each god-born child. Up to this point, Achilles has never needed to be anything but simple. This will complicate his life later, when he interacts with men like Odysseus who are cunning masters of deception. Patroclus also learns that Achilles has a sort of flaw: He doesn't understand deceit.
The metaphor of the scorpion’s hidden tail illustrates that Patroclus expects pain from others, as well as the scorpion acting in his own self-interest (at least until he grows to trust and love Achilles). While it’s unlikely that Patroclus himself would make that association, considering the tale doesn’t date back far enough to appear in Greek texts, Miller would likely anticipate that resonance for contemporary readers. The metaphor of the scorpion’s tail is reminiscent of the story of the scorpion and the frog. He grew up in a cruel, disdainful household, and he expects Achilles to be the same, but Achilles proves himself to be a straightforward and genuine young man. Patroclus explains growing comfortable with Achilles. But is it not a sort of genius to cut always to the heart? Patroclus, in narration, p.
Some people might have mistaken this for simplicity. He said what he meant he was puzzled if you did not. I stopped watching for the ridicule, the scorpion’s tail hidden in his words.
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