The manuscript is a P to stand for Pactrclous, an overlooked character in Achilles. His moment of truth lies when Achillies is too stubborn to fight. Pactrouclous puts on Achilles’ armor and pretends to be him so the men follow his lead into battle. Pactroclous then dies a hero.
Like many manuscripts this story is told through pictures. These illustrations lie on the outskirts of the border. The frames of the pictures are circular with a golden background. This is a memento to golden hellos you see in other artwork from this time period. This symbol was expressed on religious people, people who were often considered more significant. By keeping that same symbol in this manuscript, it gives Patroclus a sense of significance or glory that he rightly deserves.
Gold isn’t the only color that adds to the manuscript theme. Blue and red were often used in manuscripts as well. Since titles weren’t distinguishable from their font size they used color to differentiate instead. Red was what jumped out of the page at you when reading, so making manuscripts in red was common. That’s why in this manuscript you’ll see red used in the very center.
The red section of the P also adds a new unique element of shape to the letter that normally wouldn’t be there today. The letter’s thickness is also displaying aspects of manuscripts in the Middle Ages. The thickness emphasized in the down strokes was the only option due to their writing utensils available. The letter is also embellished with random circular shapes along with foliage details. Drawings of flowers and other plants were often used in manuscripts and inspired me to implement them in mine. These particular plants slightly represent laurel wreaths which goes along with the ancient Greek theme.
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