Statius: Achilleid

Statius' Achilleid is the most extensive treatment of the myth of Achilles hiding disguised as a girl on the island of Scyros. In the Achilleid, the hero, who had been trained to be an outstanding warrior by the centaur Chiron, complies with a scheme devised by his divine mother, Thetis, who does not want him to sail to Troy since her son is fated to die there. She proposes that he dress as a girl in order to hide himself from the Greeks who wish to enlist him in the martial expedition; despite his inclinations developed by Chiron, Achilles acquiesces, but only in order to pursue his desire for the princess Deidamia. Odysseus and Diomedes, sent by the Greek army, come to Scyros to reclaim Achilles, and the poem depicts the struggles faced by Deidamia and Achilles' future comrades as they coax him in opposite directions. While Achilles tries to sort out his desires, he reflects upon love, family, social obligations, and the lessons that have been imparted to him. Throughout the Middle