Louise Glück’s ‘The Triumph of Achilles‘ is a retelling of some of the most emotive scenes in Homer’s Iliad. It is primarily concerned with the close relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, both of whom died during the Trojan War. The poem explores the power imbalance in their relationship, as well as pondering what it means to be human in the face of suffering and death.
Summary
‘The Triumph of Achilles‘ subverts the readers’ expectations of heroism and what it means to be divine.
The poem begins with the surprising declaration that it is Patroclus’ story rather than that of the more famous Achilles, thus establishing Glück’s desire to redefine this iconic story. Initially, the poem details the similarities between the two men before highlighting how they differ, largely because they do not equal in the relationship. As the poem draws towards its conclusion, Glück describes Achilles’ grief for the death of Patroclus, paying particular attention to the vulnerability of the famous warrior.
Context
The poem’s two central characters are both taken from Homer’s Iliad, in which the united Greek forces eventually succeed in invading the city of Troy after Helen of Sparta had left her husband for the Trojan prince, Paris. In a period of rage, Achilles refuses to fight, leading Patroclus to take his armor and imitate him so as to inspire the Greek soldiers. While doing so, Patroclus is killed, and Achilles is inconsolable.
Glück’s ‘The Triumph of Achilles‘ is the title poem of her 1985 collection and is now regarded as one of her finest works. She has won numerous literary awards in her long career, and her work is regularly inspired by ancient mythology. In 2020, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Detailed Analysis
Stanza One
In the story of Patroclus
no one survives, not even Achilles
who was nearly a god.
Patroclus resembled him; they wore
the same armor.
The poem begins by immediately subverting the traditional dynamic between Achilles and Patroclus by stating that it is the latter whose story is being told. This is quickly followed by the hyperbolic claim that “no one survives,” which emphasizes the scale of the suffering that surrounded the two men. The poet could be implying that their story must have been especially emotive to stand out amidst the violence of the Trojan War.
The poet continues to elevate Patroclus by suggesting he resembled the demigod, Achilles. Glück plays upon the story of Patroclus imitating Achilles by wearing his armor in order to celebrate him; he must have been physically impressive in his own right if he were to convince anyone that he was the great Achilles. Curiously, the similarity is noted when Patroclus dons the armor of Achilles, emphasizing the fact the latter was known first and foremost as a warrior.
Stanza Two
Always in these friendships
(…)
the one who has been abandoned.
Having drawn similarities between the two men, the poet sets about juxtaposing them in the second stanza. Glück views their relationship as an archetypal one in which one party always has more power than the other, whether it be financial, physical, or social. However, she then casts doubt on the validity of their story by reminding the reader that legends are only passed on by those who survive, which is rarely those who feature most prominently in the legends themselves.
The use of the verb “abandoned” undermines the heroic associations of men like Achilles by suggesting that dying in apparently glorious circumstances can, in fact, be cowardly; the brave option may well be to live on and face the consequences of one’s actions.
Stanzas Three and Four
What were the Greek ships on fire
compared to this loss?
(…)
the part that was mortal.
The third stanza is a single rhetorical question, possibly evidencing the poet’s aforementioned doubts about the validity of the story. It also serves to both undermine and elevate the men’s relationship. On the one hand, their plight cannot possibly match up to the thousands of other affected lives in the war. However, such large-scale suffering is difficult to relate to on a personal level, and thus the stanza also serves to heighten the tragedy of Achilles and Patroclus, as their individual pain and anguish are easier for readers to sympathize with.
The final stanza focuses on the human part of the godlike Achilles, which Glück believes to be his mortality and his resultant sensitivity to the passing of others. The privacy of the setting, inside his tent as opposed to out on the battlefield, suggests that this version of the epic hero is the truest. Rather than the great warrior in gleaming armor, Glück portrays him as a grieving man devoid of glory or bravado.
FAQs
The poem is written in free verse over four stanzas. The lack of any overarching structure could reflect the fact that Glück has effectively reconstructed an existing story. The unpredictable nature of the poem’s structure, therefore, mirrors the fact that her iteration of these characters may not resemble the way they have been portrayed previously.
Patroclus was a character in Homer’s Iliad, in which he is portrayed as a childhood friend of Achilles, and the two men are shown to be very close. There is no explicit reference to men having a sexual relationship, but scholars have found implicit ones. Achilles’ grief at his companion’s death leads him to kill Hector, the prince of Troy.
The poem does not offer a single, definitive meaning but rather invites the reader to question different aspects of the poem and their own lives. Glück encourages them to question the validity of the story as well as the dynamics of their own friendships. Finally, the poem implies that the human side of Achilles, while less unique than his godly side, is the most important part of his nature.
Driven to fury after Patroclus’ death, Achilles challenges and kills the Trojan prince Hector in revenge. He is eventually killed after Hector’s brother, Paris, fires an arrow that strikes Achilles in the heel, which, if the myth is to be believed, is the only part of his body that is vulnerable to attack.
Similar Poetry
Readers who enjoyed ‘The Triumph of Achilles‘ might want to explore other Louise Glück poems. For example:
- ‘Circe’s Power‘ – Another of Glück’s poems that was inspired by Greek mythology.
- ‘October‘ – This poem brilliantly explores the changing of the seasons in Autumn.
Some other poems that may be of interest include:
- ‘The Shield of Achilles‘ by W.H. Auden – Another poem based on the epic hero, this time taking his famous shield as inspiration.
- ‘Ulysses‘ by Alfred Lord Tennyson – A defining portrayal of old age and longing, narrated by another hero of the Trojan War, Odysseus.
