Achilles and Patroclus

The relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is a key element of the stories associated with the Trojan War. In the Iliad,Homer describes a deep, meaningful relationship between Achilles and Patroclus, where Achilles is tender toward Patroclus, but callous and arrogant toward others. Its exact nature—whether homosexual, a non-sexual deep friendship, or something else entirely—has been a subject of dispute in both the Classical period and the modern era.

Homer, in the original epic, never explicitly casts the two as lovers, but they were frequently interpreted and depicted as lovers in the classical period of Greek literature, particularly in the works of Aeschylus, Aeschines and Plato. Other writers at the time, such as Xenophon in his Symposium, say that their relationship was not sexual, but instead an intense friendship. Ancient writers referenced both sides, and additionally debated whether and how the relationship fit into the scheme of pederasty in ancient Greece. Medieval scholars largely characterized the relationship as a non-sexual friendship, sometimes even suppressing certain aspects of Achilles' actions that may be interpreted as homoerotic. Since the 19th century, contemporary critics have returned to the debate of the Iliad's portrayal of the relationship. Some classicists and queer studies scholars argue that it was homosexual, homoerotic, or latently homosexual, with the Iliad describing these elements implicitly. Some historians and classicists disagree, stating that there is no textual evidence for a sexual relationship, and that repressed homosexuality here is unfalsifiable.