Previous
Personification
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis:
The Song of Achilles is set broadly in Ancient Greece, within the framework of this civilization's mythos and divine pantheon. As such, ordinary locations take on epic, poetic meaning, used both to symbolize and embody interpersonal relationships.
Note, for instance, the nature/civilization juxtaposition in The Song of Achilles. This dichotomy reflects directly on the novel's central relationship, epitomizing the intimacy and alienation Achilles and Patroclus experience. Both men feel most comfortable in their relationship and future when they are removed from civilization, out in a natural setting with only themselves or Chiron for company. The height of Patroclus and Achilles's idealism is their repose on Mount Pelion, removed from the confines of prophecy and the obligations of their oaths.
As the novel progresses, further exposure to society, exaggeratedly masculine values, and the evils of war put stress on Achilles and Patroclus's relationship, subjecting it to scrutiny and judgement. Thetis even goes so far as to warn Patroclus against intimacy with Achilles, for fear that their relationship will sully Achilles's legacy as a warrior. On Mount Pelion, under Chiron's protection, Thetis's prophecies and judgement could not reach the couple. There, sequestered by nature, Achilles and Patroclus lived out a few happy years in the pure, simple joy of one another's company.
Related Themes:
