The Song of Achilles

by

Madeline Miller

Briseis Character Analysis

Briseis is a Trojan citizen captured during the Greek army’s early raids on Troy. At Patroclus’s urging, Achilles claims her as a war spoil, but the two give her free reign in the Phthian camp. She eventually becomes Patroclus’s closest friend and falls in love with him, offering to have his children even as he remains with Achilles. Though Patroclus refuses, he wonders if he could have loved her if he’d never met Achilles. Briseis is extremely beautiful, deeply intelligent, and funny. She admires Patroclus for his bravery and kindness and dislikes Achilles for his pride and his relationship with Patroclus. While living in the Phthian camp, she and Patroclus teach and care for other captured Trojan women, whom Achilles “claims” whenever he can in order to save them from being raped by other Greek soldiers. But after Achilles quarrels with Agamemnon, Agamemnon seizes Briseis, assuming she’s Achilles’s “bed-slave.” The ease with which he captures Briseis proves that, while Patroclus and Achilles allowed her freedom in their camp, she never had any real agency. Achilles plans on allowing Agamemnon to assault Briseis so that Achilles will have an excuse to kill him—but Patroclus prevents this by betraying Achilles’s confidence to Agamemnon. Briseis isn’t allowed to return to the Phthian camp, however. Before Troy falls, she tells Patroclus that if the Greeks lose, she’ll claim him as her husband. When Patroclus is killed in battle, Briseis is devastated and blames Achilles for his death, claiming that he never deserved Patroclus. When Achilles’s son, Pyrrhus, arrives in Troy, he attempts to rape Briseis, thinking she belonged to Achilles. She tries to kill him and swims into the ocean, but he hits her with his spear, and she drowns. Throughout all of these experiences, Briseis never has a say in what happens to her, despite her associations with high-status men.

Briseis Quotes in The Song of Achilles

The The Song of Achilles quotes below are all either spoken by Briseis or refer to Briseis. 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:
Honor, Pride, and Legacy Theme Icon
).
Chapter 21 Quotes

It turned out that she did know a little Greek. A few words that her father had picked up and taught her when he heard the army was coming. Mercy was one. Yes and please and what do you want? A father, teaching his daughter how to be a slave.

During the days, the camp was nearly empty but for us. We would sit on the beach and halt through sentences with each other. I grew to understand her expressions first, the thoughtful quiet of her eyes, the flickering smiles she would hide behind her hand. We could not talk of much, in those early days, but I did not mind. There was a peace in sitting beside her, the waves rolling companionably over our feet. Almost, it reminded me of my mother, but Briseis' eyes were bright with observation as hers had never been.

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Achilles, Briseis, Agamemnon, Patroclus’s Mother
Page Number: 230
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

“Her safety for my honor. Are you happy with your trade?”

“There is no honor in betraying your friends.”

“It is strange,” he says, “that you would speak against betrayal.”

There is more pain in those words, almost, than I can bear. I force myself to think of Briseis. “It was the only way.”

“You chose her,” he says. “Over me.”

"Over your pride."

[…]

“My life is my reputation,” he says. His breath sounds ragged. “It is all I have. I will not live much longer. Memory is all I can hope for.” He swallows, thickly. “You know this. And would you let Agamemnon destroy it? Would you help him take it from me?”

“I would not,” I say. “But I would have the memory be worthy of the man. I would have you be yourself, not some tyrant remembered for his cruelty.”

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Achilles (speaker), Briseis, Agamemnon
Page Number: 295-296
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

It is strange how well she fits there. How easily I touch my lips to her hair, soft and smelling of lavender. She sighs a little, nestles closer. Almost, I can imagine that this is my life, held in the sweet circle of her arms. I would marry her, and we would have a child.

Perhaps if I had never known Achilles.

[…]

She draws down the blanket, releasing me into the air. She cups my face in her hands. “Be careful tomorrow,” she says. “Best of men. Best of the Myrmidons.”

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Briseis (speaker), Achilles, Thetis, Agamemnon
Page Number: 314
Explanation and Analysis:
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Briseis Quotes in The Song of Achilles

The The Song of Achilles quotes below are all either spoken by Briseis or refer to Briseis. 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:
Honor, Pride, and Legacy Theme Icon
).
Chapter 21 Quotes

It turned out that she did know a little Greek. A few words that her father had picked up and taught her when he heard the army was coming. Mercy was one. Yes and please and what do you want? A father, teaching his daughter how to be a slave.

During the days, the camp was nearly empty but for us. We would sit on the beach and halt through sentences with each other. I grew to understand her expressions first, the thoughtful quiet of her eyes, the flickering smiles she would hide behind her hand. We could not talk of much, in those early days, but I did not mind. There was a peace in sitting beside her, the waves rolling companionably over our feet. Almost, it reminded me of my mother, but Briseis' eyes were bright with observation as hers had never been.

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Achilles, Briseis, Agamemnon, Patroclus’s Mother
Page Number: 230
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

“Her safety for my honor. Are you happy with your trade?”

“There is no honor in betraying your friends.”

“It is strange,” he says, “that you would speak against betrayal.”

There is more pain in those words, almost, than I can bear. I force myself to think of Briseis. “It was the only way.”

“You chose her,” he says. “Over me.”

"Over your pride."

[…]

“My life is my reputation,” he says. His breath sounds ragged. “It is all I have. I will not live much longer. Memory is all I can hope for.” He swallows, thickly. “You know this. And would you let Agamemnon destroy it? Would you help him take it from me?”

“I would not,” I say. “But I would have the memory be worthy of the man. I would have you be yourself, not some tyrant remembered for his cruelty.”

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Achilles (speaker), Briseis, Agamemnon
Page Number: 295-296
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 28 Quotes

It is strange how well she fits there. How easily I touch my lips to her hair, soft and smelling of lavender. She sighs a little, nestles closer. Almost, I can imagine that this is my life, held in the sweet circle of her arms. I would marry her, and we would have a child.

Perhaps if I had never known Achilles.

[…]

She draws down the blanket, releasing me into the air. She cups my face in her hands. “Be careful tomorrow,” she says. “Best of men. Best of the Myrmidons.”

Related Characters: Patroclus (speaker), Briseis (speaker), Achilles, Thetis, Agamemnon
Page Number: 314
Explanation and Analysis: