The Song of Achilles

Chapters 1-6

Reading Check

1. He married her because she came from a wealthy family and was fertile, but he realized she was “simple” on their wedding day. (Chapter 1)

2. He was among the potential suitors at Tyndareus’s citadel, and Patroclus was very young (Chapter 2)

3. Phthia (Chapter 3)

4. He takes in other orphaned/exiled boys. (Chapter 3)

5. He “will be the best warrior of [his] generation.” (Chapter 5)

6. He “will be dead soon enough.” (Chapter 6)

Short Answer

1. He is skipping stones on the beach with his mother. He is unsure if this memory is true because his father rarely lets him spend time with his mother alone. (Chapter 1)

2. Odysseus suggests that Helen choose her future husband for herself, which is a radical suggestion because women rarely choose their spouses. The potential suitors swear before a priest to uphold an oath to protect her, and Helen decides to marry Menelaus. (Chapter 2)

3. Clysonymus is a nobleman’s son who approaches Patroclus to see his dice. Clysonymus threatens to hit Patroclus if he does not hand over the dice.