The Fate of Patroclus in The Iliad

The Fate Of Patroclus Throughout The Iliad Of Homer, the constant theme of death is inherently apparent. Each main character, either by a spear or merely a scratch from an arrow, was wounded or killed during the progression of the story. For Zeus' son, Sarpedon, it was a spear through the heart, and for Hector, it was the bronze of the mighty Achilles through his neck which caused his early demise. It seems that no …

…These, accompanied by his battle skills, greatly inferior to those of Achilles, caused Patroclus to disregard Achilles' warnings of what fate the battle might hold and attack Troy as well as Hector. If these decisions had not been made, Patroclus could have ridden beside Achilles in their sack of Troy. Thus, because of Patroclus' over - zealous and inferior battle decisions and behaviors, it is apparent that he is solely responsible for his own death.