Say what you want about Achilles, but everyone definitely does know his name.

This episode we're talking all things Achilles. What the ancient Greeks thought about him, how he shows up in The Iliad, extreme fanboy Alexander the Great, his character in Troilus and Cressida, and some more modern takes on him as well.

We'll be talking a lot about the nature of his relationship with Patroclus and if it's possible to settle the age-old question of whether they were boyfriends. Plus, can we write him off for his brutal violence? How nuanced of a dude is he, anyway?

Further Listening

Greek Mythology Retellings and Troilus and Cressida (to listen my first episode on mythology and Shakespeare)

The Role of the Gods in Mythology (my episode on what the gods do for mythology and why they aren't in Troilus and Cressida)

Further Reading"Shakespeare's 'Manly' Parts: Masculinity and Effeminacy in Troilus and Cressida"by Gary Spear (Shakespeare Quarterly, Winter 1993)

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Credit where credit is due

Podcast art by ⁠Halie Branson⁠

Music recording by ⁠josdvg⁠