The (in)visible Briseis. A comparative literary analysis of the relationship between Achilles, Patroclus and Briseis in Homer’s Iliad and Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls

The purpose of this essay is to compare the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus in Homer’s Iliad (700s BC) and Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (2019), while also looking into the role of Briseis and how the story differs when it is told from her point of view. Through the analysis I find that the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus have always been intense. I argue, however, that the intensity is given more depth and meaning when described from different perspectives, such as that of Briseis and Achilles himself, as is done in The Silence of the Girls. With the help of Kevin Goddard’s theory of the male gaze, the perspective of both Briseis and Achilles become invaluable for interpreting the relationship between the characters, as well as the characters themselves. For Achilles, the gaze of his mother influences him in a negative way in his relationship with Briseis, while the gaze of Patroclus causes changes in his mentality. I argue that this has to do with the Oedipus complex. For once, Briseis is not invisible and even though she continues to be the slave everyone expects her to be, she is, through the gaze, able to create her own story once that of Achilles ends. It is still the story of the great Achilles, but one in which he is also human.