Man, this one was a lot.
So, basically Hector kills Patroclus. It's exactly what it says on the tin. No more, no less. Before this happens, the Greeks are driven away from Sarpedon's body, which was indistinguishable from all of the other bodies. The men of Troy try to keep pushing them back, but ultimately the Greeks win and get hold of the body. The don't do anything with it. Apollo came down and "gave it to Sleep and Death" so that it could be taken to Lycia.
Patroclus forgot his commands again and this is where the bad stuff starts happening. He tries to climb over the wall, but the fourth time, Apollo stops him and tells him to not do that. It's not his city to take, though he really wants to take it. This didn't make him any less mad against the Trojans. Apollo "tells" Hector to go fight Patroclus for some reason. I don't know. He does it.
Patroclus tries to fight the Trojans that come at him and he does, three times, slaying nine warriors each(?), but the fourth time, Apollo hit him on the neck so that he couldn't see and his helmet fell off. While he was confused from this, he was pierced with a spear. This wound wasn't super bad, so he tried to get away, but Hector finished him off.
The two exchange a bit of dialogue. Hector asks if he really thought he could take the city. Patroclus tells him to stop boasting and that Apollo really was the one who got him and not Hector. He says that Achilles will kill him soon.
It's quite dramatic! I'm not quite sure how I would want to retell this story, but I'm enjoying reading this a lot! I have a different copy of The Iliad, but I've never been able to finish reading it, so it's nice to see some of it here!
Sleep and Death (Archive)
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