The Song of Achilles

The Song of Achilles

• Genre: Fiction; reimagined Greek mythology
• Originally Published: 2012
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 10-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: 33 chapters; approx. 416 pages; approx. 11 hours, 15 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: In ancient Greece, Patroclus and Achilles meet as boys, becoming friends and eventually lovers. Achilles is destined for glory as a warrior, despite his mother’s attempt to save him from his prophesied death, and the two young men sail to Troy to meet their fate.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Sexual enslavement of women; the violence of war

Madeline Miller, Author

• Bio: Born in 1978 in Boston; grew up in New York City and Philadelphia; as a teenager, was inspired to become a writer by Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club and Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye; earned degrees in classics at Brown University; spent ten years writing her first novel, The Song of Achilles; was shortlisted for Stonewall Writer of the Year (2012); received an Alex Award (2019) for her novel Circe, which is written for adults but also appeals to young adults
• Other Works: Circe (2018)
• Awards: Orange Prize (now The Women’s Prize for Fiction; 2012)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• What It Means to Be a Hero
• The Immutability of Fate
• The Condition of Women

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts regarding the Trojan War’s placement in Greek mythology that shape the love story between Achilles and Patroclus.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Immutability of Fate and The Condition of Women.

Develop and create a Homeric simile (epic simile) that demonstrates an understanding of the use of this literary term and its depiction in Greek mythology.