The Triumph of Achilles

“The Triumph of Achilles” is a free-verse poem with 20 lines. This means that there is no set line length, stanza length, or rhyme scheme. Stanzas vary in length from two lines to seven lines long. Lines vary in length from four syllables to 12 syllables. This wide variance in line length means that the meter also varies throughout the poem.

However, the poem does have a turn (which is sometimes called a volta) halfway through. In Line 10, the speaker offers a different avenue of thought—changing from absolute terms (like “always” in Lines 6 and 9) to questioning The Nature of Legends. This turn also reflects the theme of The Nature of Grief, highlighting how Achilles survives Patroclus (that is, Achilles lives longer than Patroclus in the Trojan War) in the second half of the poem.

Throughout the poem, Gluck uses enjambment, which is continuing a sentence across multiple lines. One example of enjambment within a stanza is between Lines 4 and 5. Line 4 includes a complete sentence, “Patroclus resembled him,” followed by a semicolon and a sentence fragment: “they wore.