The Song of Achilles

Three years after having left the palace, Achilles and Patroclus return, to find Thetis and Peleus there to greet them. Achilles asks for news, and Peleus leads him to the dining hall, where a raised dais holds three seats. Achilles asks for a fourth to be set for Patroclus, adding that the proper place of his “sworn companion” (105) is beside him. Patroclus worries that Thetis will hate him for this. Achilles notes that she already hates him and wonders what has brought her to the palace. Patroclus tells him that Chiron believes “the news will be war” (105), but Achilles cannot imagine what this has to do with him.

Peleus relays Mycenae’s message: Paris, son of Troy’s King Priam, has abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta. Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon seek men from kingdoms throughout the Greek-speaking world to sail with them to Troy to rescue Helen. They promise that those who join the war effort will return home “wealthy and renowned” (107). They have asked Peleus for a delegation of soldiers, and he has agreed to send one, though he will not force anyone to go.