All About The Iliad GREECE 1250 B.C

The Iliad tells of the war between Greece and Troy (located in Asia Minor or the present day country of Turkey).

The Iliad provides the background for The Odyssey .

The war lasted 10 long years.

How the Trojan War began –reality versus myth

In reality the war probably began over control of trade routes.According to myth, Paris, a prince of Troy, kidnapped Helen, queen of Sparta

and wife of King Menelaus of Sparta (a Greek city-state). And, the Greeks responded!

MYTH: King Peleus marries the sea nymph Thetis (parents of Achilles)

• All gods on Olympus invited except ERIS, the goddess of Discord

• Eris tosses an apple among the guests

• Inscribed on the Apple - “For The Fairest”

• Hera (Queen of Gods), Athena, (Goddess of Wisdom/War), and Aphrodite (Goddess of Love) all claim apple

• Paris, Prince of Troy, is chosen to judge who wins the title

• Paris chooses Aphrodite who promises him the most beautiful woman in the world.

For the Fairest

Helen “the face that launched a thousand ships”!

• Helen is the beautiful daughter of Zeus

• She is married to Menelaus- King of Sparta

• Paris, prince of Troy and the Goddess Aphrodite, abduct Helen!!!

• 1000 ships, including Odysseus & Achilles, leave for Troy to rescue Helen (and, save the honor of the Greeks)

Book 1 begins with the rage of Achilles. Theme – the consequences of greed and rage will only end in death and destruction.1. The Greeks have

captured two women as part of their conquests – Chryseis and Briseis

2. The priest of the god Apollo, Chryses, offers a ransom for the return of his daughter.

3. Agamemnon refuses.4. The god Apollo is

enraged and inflicts the Greeks with arrows, killing them in droves (referred to as a plague)

5. Achilles learns from Calchas the reason Apollo is angry.

6. Agamemnon still refuses to release Chryseis unless he receives more than his share of the spoils from the war including Achilles captive woman, Briseis

from Book 6: Hector returns to Troy

Although the Greeks are at a disadvantage without Achilles, they are able to drive the Trojans back in to temporary retreat. • Hector returns home to his wife and infant son.• Andromache, his wife, says Achilles killed her father and 7 brothers• she is fearful as she knows it is fate that she will lose Hector too• Hector decides to fight as he will not live with the shame of being a coward – he also knows his fate has been decided

• Agamemnon and Achilles are more concerned with the outward appearance of heroism and military achievement.

• They argue and begin to fight when Athena (visible only to Achilles) intervenes. She convinces Achilles of greater rewards still to come.

• Achilles, prideful and angry, no longer wants to help the war campaign and retreats, yet he still yearns for battle

• goddess Thetis (Achilles’ mother) implores Zeus to help the Trojans until the Greeks beg for Achilles to return so he can have the military honor he deserves

COMPARE & CONTRAST

ACHILLES (GREEK HERO)• Internal conflict over

purpose of the war• Sees duty and honor as

separate ideas• Sees heroism as defined

by prizes of war

HECTOR (TROJAN HERO)• War directly threatens

his city and family• Sees his duty to fight

regardless of his fate• Sees heroism as loyalty

to family and his city as well as valor in war