Patroclus
The exiled song of King Menoitius, Patroclus is a thoughtful, sensitive man with no great talent for combat. He is raised in Phthia alongside Achilles, who becomes his best friend, brother-in-arms, and lover. Patroclus is trained by Chiron in the art of medicine, and he is especially sensitive to the struggles of women. He is a much smaller character in the source text, the Iliad, but his decision to dress as Achilles provides the impetus for Achilles to finally defeat Hector. Fulfilling a prophecy from the Fates, Patroclus is the “best of the Myrmidons” whose death will precipitate that of Achilles. When Patroclus is killed by Hector, he lives on as a spirit, eventually reuniting with Achilles in the underworld.
Achilles
Aristos Achaion, the best of the Greeks, Achilles is the half-god son of King Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. Many prophecies are given about him, including that he will be the one to kill the Trojan prince Hector, after which he himself will die. Achilles is a straightforward and honest man, talented on the lyre and exceptionally gifted in combat. He is, however, very prideful and conscious of his honor. Achilles chooses a short life of fame over a long life of obscurity, and he is less aware than Patroclus of individuals around him—he finds it easier for people to know him than for him to know people.
When they are both boys, Achilles seeks out and protects Patroclus from punishment, taking him as his therapon (brother-in-arms) and eventually becoming his lover. It is Patroclus’s death that causes Achilles to kill Hector. Shortly after, Achilles is killed by Paris, prince of Troy.
Briseis
Briseis is an Anatolian woman taken captive by the Greeks and given to Achilles as a war prize at Patroclus’s request. She is a clever, talented woman who grows to love Patroclus, asking if she could be his wife alongside his great love for Achilles. When Achilles argues with King Agamemnon, Agamemnon confiscates Briseis as a punishment, and she is only returned after Patroclus is killed in battle. She grieves for Patroclus, blaming Achilles’ selfish nature for his unnecessary death. She is killed by Neoptolemus after trying to stab him and swim away from the Greek camp.
Thetis
Thetis is a sea-nymph, the mother of Achilles and forced wife of the mortal King Peleus. She is the grandmother and caretaker of Neoptolemus. Prophecy foretold that her son would be greater than his father; for that reason, she believes, the gods allowed Peleus to rape her. Thetis is a cold, fierce goddess who intends for Achilles to become a god, and she severely disapproves of her son’s relationship with Patroclus. Only after he dies does Thetis come to appreciate Achilles’ mortal side, and she is the one who carves Patroclus’s name onto his tomb, freeing him to join her son in the underworld.
Neoptolemus/Pyrrhus
Achilles’ son with Deidameia, formally named Neoptolemus but called “Pyrrhus” for his red hair. Neoptolemus is raised under the sea by his grandmother, Thetis, and he becomes Aristos Achaion after Achilles’ death. He is a fierce warrior, perhaps equal to Achilles, but is exceptionally cold and cruel. Between the ages of twelve and thirteen, Neoptolemus kills Briseis, Polyxena, Priam, and Hector’s infant son, and he takes Hector’s wife Andromache (among many others, it is implied, perhaps including Hector’s mother, Queen Hecuba) as his concubine. He is killed by Agamemnon’s son for raping his bride.
While Thetis hopes that Neoptolemus will be the perfect warrior Achilles couldn’t be, after he is dead, Thetis seeks out Achilles’ grave and seems to be more compassionate to Achilles’ mortal nature and love of Patroclus.
Odysseus
King of Ithaca, Odysseus is the wiliest of the Greeks, favored by the goddess Athena. Not much of a fighter, Odysseus is one of Agamemnon’s chief advisors. He orchestrates the vow that binds all suitors to defend Helen, as well as conceptualizing the famous Trojan horse. Odysseus is often sent to convince people to do things they don’t want to do, including luring Achilles to the war. Odysseus loves his wife, to whom he eventually returns after 10 years in Troy and 10 years on the return journey (detailed in the Odyssey). Patroclus does not like Odysseus very much—he is a direct contrast to Achilles’ simple honesty—but after Patroclus’s death, only Odysseus tries to convince Neoptolemus to honor Patroclus and release his spirit to the underworld.
Agamemnon
Agamemnon, brother of Menelaus, is the King of Mycenae and the leader of the Greek expedition to Troy. He is an intensely proud man, and it is speculated that he called this war as an opportunity to get riches and honor, not to retrieve Helen. His tendency toward taking the best for himself causes trouble for the Greeks (for example, Apollo’s plague) as well as many clashes with Achilles, who will not kneel to him. Because Agamemnon will not personally apologize for taking Briseis, Achilles doesn’t fight in the war until Patroclus’s death.
Menelaus
Menelaus is the King of Sparta and the suitor chosen by Helen to become her husband. Menelaus is motivated to get his wife back from the Trojans, often recommending peaceful solutions like parley instead of encouraging combat.
Helen
Queen of Sparta, wife of Menelaus, Helen is considered the most beautiful woman in the world. She is the daughter of Leda and the god Zeus in the form of a swan. She had many suitors, all of whom promised to protect her union, and she chose to marry Menelaus. When she is taken from Sparta by Paris, prince of Troy, the Greeks unite to wage war and get her back. While Achilles and Patroclus speculate about Helen’s character, she only appears once at the beginning of the novel and remains hidden behind a veil.
Hector
Hector is the crown prince of Troy and Priam’s oldest son. He is known for his strength, piety, and love of family. He is also honorable—when his younger brother Paris disappears during a one-on-one battle with Menelaus, he offers to fight another warrior in his stead, facing off against Ajax. It is foretold that Achilles will not die until after he kills Hector; for this reason, Achilles avoids fighting Hector, dragging the Trojan war on for years. After Hector kills Patroclus, Achilles pursues Hector with a vengeance, and Hector flees, knowing that he can’t possibly win. At the end of his life, he asks Achilles to give his body to his family, which Achilles denies; eventually, he does return Hector’s body to Priam to be properly buried.
Paris
Paris is a Trojan prince, son of Priam, who takes Helen of Sparta back to Troy, inciting the Trojan war. He is favored by Apollo and is very gifted with the bow. At one point he challenges Menelaus to a one-on-one battle for Helen, but when Menelaus gets the upper hand, he mysteriously vanishes. He shoots Achilles after Achilles kills his youngest brother, Troilus.
Priam
Priam is the great King of Troy, father to fifty sons and fifty daughters. When Achilles kills Hector and drags him around the walls of Troy, Priam personally sneaks into the Greek camp to supplicate himself before Achilles and beg for his son’s body to be returned. He is killed by Neoptolemus in the sack of Troy.
Chiron
Chiron is a centaur who lives on Mount Pelion. He trains Patroclus and Achilles, as well as many other famous heroes—Heracles and Jason, for example. He is a gentle and compassionate creature, much more sympathetic to humans than most other gods. He allows Patroclus to remain with Achilles against Thetis’s express wishes, and he teaches the boys many things unrelated to combat, including medicine, forestry, and astronomy.
Deidameia
Daughter of King Lycomedes of Scryos, Deidameia is a loud, pretty young woman who trains her ladies-in-waiting to dance exceptionally well. Thetis hides Achilles on Scryos in disguise as a young woman, where Thetis also makes him sleep with Deidameia, effectively marrying her; their son is Neoptolemus, or Pyrrhus, who brings an end to the Trojan war. Deidameia is crushed by the knowledge that Achilles doesn’t actually love her, and she convinces Patroclus to sleep with her out of pity, though neither are satisfied by it.
Diomedes
King of Argos, Diomedes is another favorite of Athena’s, though his cleverness is parallel to his brutal nature. He accompanies Odysseus to find Achilles, and he often expresses his distaste for Odysseus, as well as frequently implying in a predatory manner that he’s only married for now.
Ajax
A fierce Greek fighter who would have been Aristos Achaion if Achilles hadn’t been born. He is strong enough to hold his own in one-on-one combat against Hector until the sun sets, but he is injured trying to protect the Greek ships from Hector when Achilles refuses to fight.
Phoinix
Phoinix is an elderly Greek who cared for Achilles when he was a baby. He tries unsuccessfully to convince Achilles to fight for the Greeks after his clash with Agamemnon.
Automedon
Achilles’ chariot driver. He drives Patroclus onto the field in Achilles’ armor, but he is unable to stop Patroclus from fighting.
Chryseis and Chryses
Chryseis and her father, Chryses, are devoted followers of the god Apollo. When Chryseis is taken by Agamemnon as a war prize, Chryses offers a generous ransom, but Agamemnon denies him and insults him. Chryses calls upon Apollo to punish the Greeks by sending the plague. When Achilles argues that Agamemnon should return Chryseis, the two Greeks begin an argument that ends in many deaths, including that of Patroclus.
Iphigenia and Polyxena
Iphigenia and Polyxena are young women—daughters of Agamemnon and Priam, respectively—who are sacrificed in the novel, despite human sacrifice being considered generally abhorrent by the Greeks. Iphigenia is sacrificed by her father, Agamemnon, to the goddess Artemis so she will renew the wind and allow the Greeks to sail to Troy. Polyxena is sacrificed by Neoptolemus, the man who killed her father, to Achilles. The deaths of the two women provide a sort of bookend to the Trojan war—one allows the Greeks’ arrival at Troy, and the other is a final act of violence before they leave.
Andromache
Hector’s wife. Andromache’s family was slaughtered by Achilles. When Troy falls, Neoptolemus kills her infant son, as well as many of her friends and in-laws, and takes her as a concubine.
Troilus
The youngest prince of Troy, slain by Achilles on the battlefield. After Troilus’s death, Paris delivers a fatal blow to Achilles with an arrow touched by Apollo.
Apollo
The god of light, music, and plague. Achilles favors the Trojans, particularly Paris, and he is directly involved in the deaths of both Patroclus and Achilles.
Athena
The goddess of wisdom. Athena favors the Greeks, particularly Odysseus, with whom she shares certain parts of the prophecies of the war.
Scamander
Scamander is the god of the river Scamander near the city of Troy. He defends the Trojans, but when he attempts to protect Hector from Achilles, Achilles fights him and wins.
