Characters Glorious Exploits Ferdia Lennon

Paches: The Athenian Prisoner Who Became Jason

Overview

Paches is a minor but pivotal character in Ferdia Lennon's Glorious Exploits. He is an Athenian prisoner of war held in the Syracusan quarry after the failed Athenian expedition to Sicily. Identified by his striking green eyes, Paches is rescued from execution by the potter Lampo, who then casts him as Jason in a makeshift production of Euripides' Medea staged inside the quarry. Over the course of the novel, Paches transforms from a starving captive to a performer, then to a fugitive, and finally to a witness who carries the memory of the quarry theatre to Euripides himself. His arc embodies the novel's central tension between art and violence, and his relationships—especially with Lampo—cross the lines of war and class.

Plot Role

Paches first appears in Chapter 1, when Lampo and Gelon visit the quarry to recruit prisoners who can recite Euripides. Biton, a vengeful Syracusan, is about to kill Paches when Lampo intervenes, claiming he needs the prisoner as an actor for the role of Jason. The rescue establishes Paches as a character marked by vulnerability and dependence. In Chapter 4, Lampo selects Paches for the role and renames him—a symbolic act that strips his Athenian identity and reframes him as a theatrical figure.

During the casting for the combined Medea/Trojan Women production (Chapter 17), Paches auditions for Cassandra and delivers a strong performance, but is outshone by the young Linar. Lampo then insists Paches play Helen without an audition, arguing that Helen simply "is" and does not beg for the part. After a dispute, Gelon fabricates a claim that Helen had emerald‑green eyes, swaying the chorus and securing the role for Paches. This moment reinforces Paches' reliance on Lampo's advocacy.

In the final performance (Chapters 23‑24), Paches plays Jason and later Helen. The production is shattered when Syracusan men, led by Biton, storm the stage and club Numa to death. Paches survives the attack. In Chapter 28, Lampo orchestrates a daring night escape from the quarry, widening a gap in the fence with horse power. Paches is pulled up nearly unresponsive but is brought along in the wagon. The group flees to Hyccara, where Tuireann's ship waits. Paches is hoisted aboard, kisses Lampo on both cheeks in the Athenian custom, and sails away to freedom (Chapter 30).

The epilogue (set in Athens in 408 BC) reveals that Paches made it home. He arrives at Euripides' farewell dinner, tells the poet that potters and children performed his plays in the quarry and kept him alive, and presents Euripides with an original Heraclitus scroll. Paches thus becomes the living link between the quarry theatre and the playwright himself.

Motivations and Traits

Paches' primary motivation is survival, but he also seeks dignity and connection. He is grateful for Lampo's protection and responds with loyalty—he trusts Lampo enough to attempt the escape. His acting talent is genuine: when he delivers Cassandra's monologue, Gelon is impressed and Numa calls it "brilliant." Yet Paches is also fragile, both physically (emaciated, weak) and emotionally. He weeps when given the role of Helen, and later in the wagon he mutters the name "Philo" over and over, showing deep grief for a dead friend. His green eyes are repeatedly noted and become a marker of his difference and beauty, although the connection to Helen's mythical green eyes is a fabrication by Gelon—an interpretation the novel itself invites the reader to question.

Chronological Arc

  • Rescue and casting: Rescued by Lampo in Chapter 1, selected as Jason in Chapter 4.
  • Audition and role switch: Loses Cassandra to Linar but gains Helen due to Lampo's insistence (Chapter 17).
  • Performance: Acts in the joint play; survives the attack (Chapters 23‑24).
  • Escape: Rescued from the quarry by Lampo; unconscious but evacuated (Chapter 28).
  • Journey to Hyccara: Carried in the wagon, wakes grieving for Philo (Chapter 29‑30).
  • Departure: Board Tuireann's ship; emotional farewell with Lampo (Chapter 30).
  • Epilogue: Appears at Euripides' house in Athens, delivers the scroll, and weeps (Athens chapter).

Relationships

  • Lampo: The most significant relationship. Lampo saves Paches twice—from Biton and from the quarry—and repeatedly advocates for him. Lampo calls Paches "mate" and risks his life for his freedom. Paches shows gratitude and affection, kissing Lampo on both cheeks at the harbour. Their bond crosses the enemy line and class difference (Lampo is a poor Syracusan potter; Paches is an Athenian general).
  • Gelon: Gelon is the director who treats Paches fairly but does not share Lampo's fierce protectiveness. He allows the audition for Cassandra and later helps with the escape, but his relationship with Paches is less intimate.
  • Numa: Fellow actor and the protagonist of the chorus. Numa coaches Paches in the audition and respects his performance. After Numa's death, Paches survives but does not directly comment on him.
  • Biton: Antagonist who tried to kill Paches at the start and later leads the mob that kills Numa. Paches is a target of Biton's revenge, though Biton's fury is primarily directed at the play itself.
  • Philo: Dead friend mentioned in Paches' delirium. The grief for Philo suggests a prior bond that was broken by the war or the quarry ordeal.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Paches agrees to act: He accepts the role of Jason, choosing performance over silence. This decision keeps him alive initially and gives him a temporary purpose, but also makes him a target for Biton's wrath.
  2. He accepts the role of Helen without audition: This decision, driven by Lampo, secures him food rations and a central part in the second play. It deepens his bond with Lampo but also places him in a role that the audience may resent (since Helen is reviled).
  3. He attempts escape with Lampo: Even though weak, he allows himself to be roped up and carried. The consequence is literal survival—he leaves Syracuse and eventually returns to Athens.
  4. He gives Euripides the Heraclitus scroll: In the epilogue, this act demonstrates that the quarry theatre had a profound impact on him, and it serves as a testament to the power of art to sustain life. It also provides closure to his story.

Theme and Symbol Connections

  • Theatre as Survival: Paches' acting literally keeps him alive—when Lampo first rescues him, it is under the pretext of needing an actor. Later, participation in the play provides extra food and protection. The epilogue shows that the memory of the performance sustained him even after the escape.
  • Empathy Across Enemy Lines: The play unites Syracusan and Athenian spectators in shared grief. Paches, as an Athenian, is embraced by Lampo; their friendship exemplifies how theatre can bridge hatred.
  • Art vs. Violence: Paches is both a performer and a victim of war. The violence of the mob attack shatters the theatrical illusion, but his ultimate survival and reunion with Euripides suggest that art's power endures beyond physical brutality.
  • Grief and Reconciliation: Paches mourns Philo and sees the quarry as a site of loss. His return to Athens and his gesture toward Euripides can be seen as an act of reconciliation—not with Syracuse, but with the culture that gave him hope.
  • Class and Friendship: Lampo is a poor craftsman; Paches is a wealthy Athenian general. Their friendship defies their social stations and nationalities. The novel treats this as a quiet triumph of human connection over the hierarchy of war.

Symbolism of Green Eyes: Paches' green eyes are described as "lizard green." Gelon exploits the myth that Helen had emerald eyes to justify casting him. Whether the historical Helen truly had green eyes is irrelevant; the novel uses this detail to highlight how theatrical performance itself constructs truth. (This is an interpretation, not a direct statement of the text.)

Character Questions and Answers

  1. Why does Lampo insist that Paches play Helen without auditioning?
    Lampo argues that Helen of Troy does not audition—she simply is. He stages a walkout threat, forcing Gelon to claim that Helen had emerald eyes, which Paches has. This secures the role and ensures Paches gets extra food rations.

  2. What is the significance of Paches giving a Heraclitus scroll to Euripides?
    The scroll represents the culture that kept Paches alive in the quarry. By presenting it, Paches shows that Euripides' words have literal survival power, and he becomes a messenger of the quarry theatre to the playwright himself, closing the narrative loop.

  3. How does Paches change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
    He begins as a helpless prisoner moments from death, becomes an actor, then a fugitive, and finally a free man who chooses to honour the source of his hope. His physical state deteriorates further before rescue, but his spirit is not broken—he retains gratitude and the will to share his story.

  4. Why does Paches call out "Philo" while delirious in the wagon?
    Philo is a dead friend with whom Paches shared a tent and a tunnel in the quarry. Calling his name reveals that Paches carries deep grief for a companion who did not survive, and it underscores the cumulative trauma that escape does not erase.

  5. What does Paches' kiss on both cheeks of Lampo signify?
    Paches says "In Athens, this is how friends part." The kiss is a gesture of deep affection and gratitude, signifying that their bond transcends the roles of enemy and saviour, and that Paches considers Lampo a true friend rather than a temporary ally.

For further analysis of the novel's core ideas, see our pages on theatre as survival, empathy across enemy lines, the ending explained, and the full book summary.