Understanding the Word

                As I read the books 12-17 of Illiad, a part of it was about the deeds of Patroclos. In my mind, I was boggled if he is really a noble man or not. But before we analyze that, let me narrate and describe his part in the story.  

Of all the warriors and myrmidons that Achilles knew, only to Patroclos that he is tender and the rest he shows arrogance. Patroclos is the only warrior that Achilles assigned to represent himself in the battlefield. Achilles let Patroclos borrow his armor and even let Patroclos borrow his horses. 

                As Patroclos enters the battlefield, the Achaians’ moral raised. Patroclos managed to push the Trojans far away up unto their walls. Patroclos got a lot of kills, he is like Diomedes with less powers. Patroclos reversed the situation that the Achaians experienced nearby their ships. Sadly, Patroclos got killed by Hector. Yet, his corpse is still an important figure. Hector puts a prize to anyone who could get the body, together with the armor, of Patroclos. So the Achaians got a lot of pressure as the get they carry Patroclos’ corpse. And the story of Illiad goes on …

                The greatness of a warrior is measured by the number of his kills. The glory contributed to the country also adds to the nobility of a warrior. A noble warrior can be said as a warrior that killed a lot or has been a morale booster of the army. Therefore, Patroclos is such a great warrior. Why? His skills are almost at par with Diomedes. As he fights, I noticed that everyone that faces him is sure to die with the exception of Hector. He saved the ships before the Trojans burned them. 

                But wait! It is not only being a noble warrior that you are already totally noble; you must also be a noble comrade. Before Patroclos left for battle, Achilles said something before Patroclos leaves. Achilles said that Patroclos must go back if he already pushed the Trojans far away of the ships. He also said that Patroclos should not grab the chance of stealing the glory away to him by conquering the Troy. Patroclos forgot this advice and pushed even until the walls of Troy. Oh my, he broke the conditions of Achilles! For a warrior to put away the words of a great leader like Achilles is like a blasphemy for some. In Patroclos’ case, it’s like forgetting your best friend’s name. So he is at one point a not noble comrade.

                So is he really noble? Yes he is! Maybe he broke what Achilles has said to him but still his death made Achilles to join the battle. So he appears noble to the army and also to Achilles. To this extent I agree...

So thank you again for reading my blog post and please leave a comment!