Patroclus: The Hero Of The Iliad

Patroclus is the hero of The Iliad because he is more concerned with saving the lives of his fellow Greek soldiers than in preserving himself and because he is able to perform tasks that no one else could such as convincing Achilles to let him take the Myrmidons to battle while wearing Achilles’ armor, leaping his chariot with the immortal horses over a daunting trench, and dying in battle, giving Achilles the will to fight for the Greeks. After the battle over Troy's city has raged and killed many, Patroclus comes to Achilles. He begs him to fight for the Greeks. When this does not work, he asks to be allowed to take the Myrmidons and fight in Achilles’ armor:
At least send me out, let me lead a troop/ Of Myrmidons and light the way for our …show more content…
He has just been brought to tears by the news of all of the people, all of his friends dead in battle. He knows how difficult it would be to fight and yet he still chooses to try and join the war. However, he does not only want to fight. He wants to take on two appalling tasks, the first being taking the Myrmidons to battle. While they will obey Patroclus because of Achilles love for him, it takes incredible leadership to command a massive army. The second task is wearing Achilles armor into battle. All of the Trojans know what Achilles looks like and are terrified of him. This might lead them to run from Patroclus and the Greeks instead of standing their ground and fighting. This may seem like a cowardly deed, but it is strategically ingenious, thus showing that Patroclus is cunning, and has knowledge of …show more content…
The whole reason behind Patroclus asking to fight is he sees his friends dying and nothing hurts him more. While he has unending loyalty to Achilles, Patroclus’ wants to save Greeks lives and give them an opportunity to rest. He is able to convince Achilles to let him go, something no one else could do. After beginning to fight in the battle, Patroclus jumps the immortal horses over a large trench to reach more Trojans: “Patroclus drove his chariot to wherever / The routed Trojans were thickest...The horses the gods had given to Peleus... / Jumped the trench in one immortal leap,”(Homer, Book 16, Lines 404,408-409.) As a horse trainer, Patroclus takes a gentle and calm approach that reflects his subtle character. This method leads the horses to trust him completely and do whatever he asks. Due to the bond Patroclus and the immortal horses have, they are able to make an impossible leap over a trench. This expresses bravery; the chariot could easily not make the leap