generaljanuary

Sorry, this cannot even be considered an update, this is solely to help someone with their school work. ( hope you're apraciationg M=P :p )
I don't expect comments =)

Fannie Dubé

Artistic and Literary Currens I

Achilles and Patroclus

In ancient Greek mythology and literature, a long tradition of male love can be observed. Far from being considered a deviation in these times, a relationship between two men usually followed a norm; they fell into a certain pattern that somehow gave them a sense. In the case of Achilles and Patroclus, though, all unwritten rules were transgressed. What they shared simply didn't fit into the mould of what was expected. Their similar status and undefined roles didn't make sense for the onlookers thus resulting in a deep misunderstanding of what brought them together.

The norm, for men in Ancient Greece, was bisexuality. Love between two men happened between an older, more experienced, teacher figure and a younger, beautiful, student. Respectively referred to as erastes (which stood for 'lover' in Athens and 'inspirer' in Sparta.) and eromenos (which stood for 'beloved' in Athens and 'hearer' in Sparta) . The erastes' role was to open the eyes of the eromenos , who usually was aged between fourteen and thirty, to the world. Today, such a thing might sound revolting, but in these peculiar times, the enamorous admiration and devotion of a student towards his teacher was seen as very noble and the fondness felt by the 'lover' for the 'beloved' as moral. The strong bonding was only a way to cement the knowledge the 'inspirer' had brought to his 'hearer' in a celebration of male friendship and beauty. The relationship, a complement to a heterosexual marriage for the erastes, lasted until the eromenos was aged enough to marry , usually around thirty, when he in turn became a teacher and found a student to perpetuate the tradition of male love. A relationship between two adult men was considered useless, laughable. It didn't serve a noble or moral purpose; it was incomprehensible. Achilles and Patroclus are said to have met in their childhood, to have grown friends very quickly, and later become lover. (Androphile Project) Such a thing was considered strange for their similar status didn't fit anywhere in the accepted definition of male love, which proved that their relationship is very different from what was expected of such a relationship in these times.

Not only were Achilles and Patroclus following a ridiculed pattern, but it is today still unknown who might have been the erastes and the eromenos. The importance and respect of these roles were not only important but primordial. They were not only part of a set of unwritten rules, they were what gave a sense to a relationship. What caused its existence, what made it valid. On many levels Achilles was thought of being the 'lover'. He's obviously the more dominant and he also possesses famed war skills while Patroclus would be believed to be the 'beloved', because of his inclinaison to perform different chores such as cooking and nursing. It was also argued, though, that Homer described Achilles, as being an exceptionally beautiful young man, a trait that usually marks a 'hearer'. (Wikipedia) Also, the two of them were sleeping with women, which was highly uncommon and was, to a certain extent, uncalled for. Only one of the two could usually lie with a woman, as it only applied to the role of the 'inspirer'. Achilles and Patroclus shamelessly messed around with the conventions. Their undefined roles didn't qualify them as a total part of the traditional male love.

In conclusion, Trojan war heroes Achilles and Patroclus as depicted in Homer's Iliad, most likely entertained a very uncommon homosexual relationship. Their inability to fit into the normal teacher/student pattern and their confused individual roles clearly sorted them out of the lot and have puzzled readers for centuries.

Works Cited
Androphile Project, The World History of Male Love, January 2005
20 September 2005 <http://www.androphile.org/preview/library/mythology/greek/achilles/achilles_and_patroclus.htm>
Wikipedia, Wikipedia, the free encyclopedy , last modified 28 September 2005
28 September 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/iliad>