So I just finished reading The Song of Achilles, and forgive me if I’m stating the obvious but …
About two thirds of the way in, Thetis tells the boys that there is a new prophecy, that “the best of Myrmidons will die before two more years have passed.” And at first they’re afraid that it’s Achilles, but then Thetis tells them that he will be alive when it happens
The first time I read this, I didn’t understand. It was only when I read that passage again, after knowing what happens, that I realized the prophecy was about Patroclus
The book even acknowledges it later on, when Briseis is saying goodbye to him … “‘Best of men. Best of Myrmidons.’ She places her fingers to my lips, stopping my objection. 'It is truth,’ she says. 'Let it stand for once.’”
In the first half of the book, a lot of Patroclus’s pov is dedicated to describing how beautiful and amazing Achilles is. And when you see how ordinary and pathetic Patroclus makes himself look in comparison, you almost start to wonder why Achilles loves him in the first place
But Patroclus was the best of all of them, even better than Achilles. No one else had his kindness, his tenderness, his unwavering care for others
And Achilles knew this. Further on, Briseis says that Patroclus was worth ten of him, and Achilles doesn’t disagree
