Adaptation of The Song of Achilles
The characters in Madeline Miller’s book The Song of Achilles were already so solidly
written that I wanted to emphasize them more than to make any drastic changes. It was
interesting making an adaption of an adaptation. The characters were already derived from
classic greek works such as The Iliad and The Odyssey and had already gone under some
tweaking to fit into Miller’s story. I stayed true to her storyline but I wanted to portray the
characters in ways that both reflected and tested operatic conventions while getting across the
themes I wanted to focus on as well.
When it came to Achilles, the main character, I could not spend a lot of time on his
likeable traits so his ‘goodness’ had to be reflected mainly in his interactions with Patroclus.
Even in the book there is nothing that confirms that he is good person other than the way that he
treats Patroclus. The things that Patroclus argues he should be remembered for in the last song
are weak still — Patroclus was the one who convinced him to save the slave girls and he only
gave Hector’s body over to his family after a long time of refusing to. I wanted to draw out the
more redeeming side of Achilles, being the side that loved Patroclus. His decisions were only
ever swayed either when his pride or his therapon were taken into account. I kept Achilles’
desperation for fame but wanted to make it clear that he only wanted it if Patroclus was there
beside him every step of the way. It is true even in the Iliad that Achilles wished for all Greeks to
die so that he and Patroclus could conquer Troy alone.
As for Achilles’ musical characterization he is that of a typical heroic tenor, though the
voice of a baritone may have been more conventional for that of a warrior. I found that Achilles
embodied a sense of beauty and softness while still remaining his masculinity and that kind of
portrayal would be better suited for a tenor. His voice became soft and enchanting when
