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Hermes
As Achilles’s closest friend, Patroclus looms large in Ransom even though the novel opens after his death. Patroclus and Achilles met when they were boys and grew up as adoptive brothers, so Achilles’s sense of himself is deeply intertwined with Patroclus. In fact, he views Patroclus as his “soulmate,” implying a possible sexual or romantic relationship. Nevertheless, the two do not always see eye to eye, with Patroclus seemingly feeling a deeper debt of loyalty to the Greek army. This difference of opinion is also what ultimately leads to Patroclus’s death, since after Achilles refuses to fight because of an insult he receives from the Greek general Agamemnon, Patroclus borrows Achilles’s armor only to die in a duel with Hector. His death sends Achilles into a destructive spiral of grief and rage, leading him to kill Hector and drag Hector’s body around the walls of Troy.
Patroclus Quotes in Ransom
The Ransom quotes below are all either spoken by Patroclus or refer to Patroclus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1
Quotes
For a long moment the taws hang there at the top of their flight; as if, in the father's grave retelling of these events, he were allowing for a gap to be opened where this time round some higher agency might step in and, with the high-handed indifference of those who have infinite power over the world of conjunction and accident, reverse what is about to occur.
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[B1] He was waiting for the rage to fill him that would be equal at last to the outrage he was committing. That would assuage his grief, and be so convincing to the witnesses of this barbaric spectacle that he too might believe there was a living man at the centre of it, and that man himself.
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Part 4
Quotes
[Death] is the hard bargain life makes with us—with all of us, every one—and the condition we share. And for that reason, if for no other, we should have pity for one another's losses.
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Get the entire Ransom LitChart as a printable PDF.
Patroclus Quotes in Ransom
The Ransom quotes below are all either spoken by Patroclus or refer to Patroclus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1
Quotes
For a long moment the taws hang there at the top of their flight; as if, in the father's grave retelling of these events, he were allowing for a gap to be opened where this time round some higher agency might step in and, with the high-handed indifference of those who have infinite power over the world of conjunction and accident, reverse what is about to occur.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
[B1] He was waiting for the rage to fill him that would be equal at last to the outrage he was committing. That would assuage his grief, and be so convincing to the witnesses of this barbaric spectacle that he too might believe there was a living man at the centre of it, and that man himself.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 4
Quotes
[Death] is the hard bargain life makes with us—with all of us, every one—and the condition we share. And for that reason, if for no other, we should have pity for one another's losses.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
