The Song of Achilles Lesson Plan

Consider Patroclus’ relationship with his father - Is it a positive or negative relationship? Why?

Why does Menoitius hate his son? One reason is certainly that Patroclus doesn’t measure up to Menoitius' view of masculinity, as Patroclus is sensitive and shy. Menoitius may well be setting Patroclus up to fail, though - he expects an awful lot from this young child! Encourage students to pull quotes from the text to illustrate how Menoitius feels about his son, and why. For example: Menoitius says, “I am man enough for both of us,” when trying to convince Helen's father that he should marry his daughter to Patroclus, a nine-year old child. Some may note that Menoitius is...