#I’m actually rewriting Interlude II right now and there’s a moment when Middle A/P are discussing their early impressions of Odysseus!

[bimuselee]

Hi! Which character was most fun to write?

Hi there! Odysseus, hands down. I always had my director hat on when writing Odysseus--what a minefield of double meanings, subtext, and ambiguity!

The extra fun part was shaping his dynamic with Achilles and Patroclus. In contrast with the famously honest and straightforward Achilles, I wanted a Patroclus who is canny, ambitious, and silver-tongued. Odysseus is very different from Achilles, and surprisingly similar to my Patroclus; both unsettle him in different ways. And even after a decade of war, both boys have an untouchable innocence about them, which frightens Odysseus more than anything. This gives rise to the best Odysseus moments of all: when he lies so hard that he tells the truth.

Thanks for the fantastic question, anon! 💛💫

#aristos the musical #ask #patrochilles #odysseus #I’m actually rewriting Interlude II right now and there’s a moment when Middle A/P are discussing their early impressions of Odysseus! #and Achilles observes the similarity to Patroclus #I really love that bit and can’t wait to share it