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The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a key element of the myths associated with the Trojan War. Its exact nature has been a subject of dispute in both the classical period and modern times. In the ''Iliad'', the two heroes have a deep and meaningful friendship. Achilles is tender towards Patroclus, while he is callous and arrogant towards others. In the ''Iliad'' Homer never suggests that Achilles and his close friend Patroclus were lovers. However, this omission was challenged by some later authors. Commentators from the Classical period on have interpreted the relationship through the lens of their own cultures. In Athens during the 5th century BC, the relationship was often viewed in light of the Greek custom of ''paiderasteia''. While some contemporary readers maintain the same pederastic view, others see it as an egalitarian homosexual pairing or believe the relationship to simply be a strong, non-sexual friendship between two war heroes. ==In the ''Iliad''== Due to this strong relationship, the death of Patroclus becomes the prime motivation for Achilles to return to battle. The friendship of Achilles and Patroclus is mentioned explicitly in the ''Iliad''. Whether in the context of a tender friendship or military excellence, Homer makes their strong connection clear.〔 The death of Patroclus underpins a great deal of Achilles' actions and emotions toward the Trojan war for the rest of the poem. Achilles' strongest interpersonal bond is with Patroclus, whom he loves dearly. As Gregory Nagy points out, For Achilles ... in his own ascending scale of affection as dramatized by the entire composition of the ''Iliad'', the highest place must belong to Patroklos.... In fact Patroklos is for Achilles the — the ‘hetaîros who is the most phílos by far’ (XVII 411, 655).〔Gregory Nagy, ''The Best of the Achaeans'', second edition. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999. p. 105 ((online edition )). ISBN 0-8018-6015-6.〕 ''Hetaîros'' meant companion or comrade; in Homer it is usually used of soldiers under the same commander. While its feminine form (''hetaîra'') would be used for courtesans, an ''hetaîros'' was still a form of soldier in Hellenistic and Byzantine times. In ancient texts, ''philos'' denoted a general type of love, used for love between family, between friends, a desire or enjoyment of an activity, as well as between lovers. Although most warriors fought for personal fame or their city-state (including, at times, Achilles), at certain junctures in the ''Iliad'', Achilles fights for Patroclus. He dreams that all Greeks would die so that he and Patroclus might gain the fame of conquering Troy alone .〔W. M. Clarke, "Achilles and Patroclus in Love," in ''Hermes'' 106. Bd., H. 3, pp. 381-396, Franz Steiner Verlag'', 1978 (JOSTOR )〕 After Patroclus dies, Achilles agonizes, touching his dead body, smearing himself with ash, and fasting. He laments Patroclus' death using language very similar to that later used by Andromache of Hector. For a brief moment Achilles' character shifts from a strong and unbreakable warrior to an emotional and vulnerable character. However, Thetis motivates Achilles to return to the battlefield. Achilles returns to the battlefield with the sole aim of avenging Patroclus' death by killing Hector, Patroclus' killer, even though the gods had warned him that it would cost him his life. Achilles' attachment to Patroclus is an archetypal male bond that occurs elsewhere in Greek culture: Alexander the Great and Hephaestion who was based directly on the one between Achilles and Patroclus, Damon and Pythias, Orestes and Pylades, Harmodius and Aristogeiton are pairs of comrades who gladly face danger and death for and beside each other.〔Warren Johansson, ''Encyclopedia of Homosexuality'', USA, 1990〕 In the ''Oxford Classical Dictionary'', David M. Halperin writes, 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Achilles and Patroclus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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