Book 23
A scene I found particularly moving was when the ghost of Patroklos visited Achilles. He tells Achilles that the souls and images of the dead will not let him cross the river until his body is burned. In this scene, it is revealed that the father of Achilles basically adopted Patroklos into his household and thus the two men basically grew up together. Patroklos tells him to put their ashes in the same urn. Which really spoke to me because the death of his best friend has really put a damper on Achilles' heart and even in death, they refuse to be separated. For it is then that they will finally be joined and at peace. It just emphasizes the degree of love shared between these two men.
This is illuminating for me because when I first read the passage I imagined that because Achilleus was asleep that Patroklos was merely appearing in his dreams as a dream. But yes, in actuality his appearance was much more surreal and other worldly, literally coming to him from beyond death as a ghost.
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