The Trojan War!

Short is my date, but deathless my renown.

-Homer, The Iliad

Background

The Wedding of Peleus and Thetis

• Goddess of discord—Eris—not invited• Eris crashes the wedding, tosses out a golden

apple inscribed “To the Fairest”• 3 goddesses claim it– Hera– Athena– Aphrodite– Zeus is having no part of this; sends them to Mt.

Ida for Paris to decide

The Judgment of Paris

• Paris is a prince of Troy, Priam’s son• Priam sent Paris to herd sheep in Mt. Ida: a

prophecy says Paris will be the ruin of Troy• The 3 goddesses arrive and offer bribes– Athena: will make him lord of Europe and Asia– Hera: will give him victory over Greece– Aphrodite: will give him the most beautiful woman in

the world

• Paris is weak and a coward: he picks Aphrodite

The Capture of Helen

• Helen is the most beautiful woman in the world– Daughter of Zeus and Leda (swan story!)– So beautiful Theseus tried to kidnap her as a child– Every prince in Greece wanted her: she’s gorgeous,

and her husband will get to be king of Sparta– Her father, makes her masses of suitors swear to

champion Helen’s husband, no matter who is picked– The suitors agree to unite and punish anyone who

might kidnap Helen– Menelaus is chosen

Congratulations! Paris visits Sparta

• Paris goes to Sparta to visit as guest of Menelaus and Helen– Menelaus goes to Crete, trusting Paris in Sparta– Paris likes Helen and runs away with her.

Preparations for War

Chieftains rush to join, all but two:1.Odysseus, King of Ithaca

1. Doesn’t want to leave his family2. Feigns madness; plows a field and sows it with

salt3. Greek messenger puts Odysseus’s son in the

plow’s way4. Odysseus turns the plow, proving he’s sane5. It’s off to the army for him!

Who’d have thought?The other chieftain who doesn’t want to go to war is

none other than Achilles!1. Thetis, his mother, knows he’ll die if he goes to Troy.2. Thetis hides him at the court of Lycomedes, disguising

him as a girl.3. Odysseus is sent to find him.4. Odysseus dresses as a peddler, and happens to bring

weapons with him.5. One “girl” really digs the weapons; when a fake battle

cry is issued, “she” reveals herself: It’s Achilles!6. It’s off to the army for him!

It’s on!

• No one messes with a Spartan woman!• 1000 ships set sail for Troy.• “Is this the face that launched a thousand ships?”

-Christopher Marlowe“Is this the reason the Greeks sacked Troy?”

-William Shakespeare

The War

Royal Family of Troy1. King: Priam a. old

b. has 50 sons2. Queen: Hecuba (not the mother of all 50 sons, just 17 or so)3. Paris (we’ve met him; we’re not impressed)4. Hector (now we’re impressed)

a. the greatest warrior in Troyb. Priam’s noblest sonc. The only prince of Troy NOT to develop the hots for Helend. The only one to be nice to Helen when everyone is tired of a 10 year war

The Best of the Greeks

1. Achillesa. immortal except his heel (mom

dipped him in the Styx for immortality, missed the heel—oops!)

b. golden armorc. greatest Greek warrior

2. Agamemnona. King of Mycenaeb. Leader of the Greeksc. bossy, proud, unreasonable

More Best of the Greeks

3. Menelausa. King of Spartab. Helen’s husbandc. Agamemnon’s brother

4. Odysseusa. King of Ithacab. Crafty, the smartest hero

More Greeks

5. Ajaxa. crazy strongb. fiercest warrior

6. Protesilaus (he’s up for honorable mention)

a. first to land on shores of Troyb. Why is this a big deal? A prophecy

said the 1st to land would be 1st to die

Woman Trouble

1. Battle has raged 9 years with no victora. Iliad begins in the 10th year of the warb. this is a literary technique known as in medias res

2. Achilles and Agamemnon butt heads over captive women: Chryseis and Briseis.

Chryseis

a. Agamemnon captured herb. Her dad is a priest of Apollo, and he begs her

releasec. Agamemnon refusesd. Divine retribution: Apollo rains down arrows of

fatal sickness on Greekse. Achilles calls a conference and brings in

Calchas, a soothsayerf. The verdict: Chryseis must be returnedg. Agamemnon’s pride is wounded, he is furious

Briseis

a. Achilles captured herb. When forced to give up Chryseis,

Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achillesc. Achilles is furious: he drops out of the

war, stays in his tent

d. Greeks begin to lose the war

The Gods Take Sides!

1. Lining up for the Trojansa. Aphrodite: Paris picked herb. Ares: always sides with Aphroditec. Apollo: fond of Hector, angry with

the Greeks over Chryseisd. Artemis: always sides with her twine. Zeus: supposed to be neutral, but

favors Troy anyway

The Greeks Take Sides!

On the Greek side:a. Hera: woman scorned syndromeb. Athenac. Poseidon: Greeks are a seagoing culture

Thetis pushes Zeus to help Troya. Greeks can’t win without Achillesb. Zeus sends Agamemnon a lying dream, telling

him to attackc. fierce battle ensues

Menelaus v. ParisIt’s on!

• There is a clearing in the battle, and the two are left to fight!

• Just when it looks like Menelaus will drag Paris off, Aphrodite intervenes and takes Paris away!

• Menelaus hunts Paris among the Trojans. They want to give him up but can’t find him.

• Agamemnon says Menelaus won, so Helen should be returned

• Athena tricks a Trojan into breaking a truce, and the battle is on again!

Awww…

• Hector prepares for battle; he knows he’s going to die.

• He says goodbye to his wife, Andromache, and baby son, Astyanax.

• Astyanax is afraid of Hector’s armor, so he removes his helmet and says goodbye.

Achilles v. Hector• Earlier in battle, Hector killed Patroclus, one of Achilles’ few friends. Needless to

say, Achilles flips out.• Achilles gets new armor from Thetis—magical, that can’t be pierced

1. Hector wears the armor he took from Patroclus’ body2. Hector waits for Achilles, sees him coming, radiant and godlike, and starts

running3. Hector can’t quite outrun Achilles, but Achilles can’t catch him, either4. Fate isn’t with Hector

a. Apollo has been helping Hector, something Zeus has approved

b. Athena warns Zeus to back off, as fate is against Hectorc. Apollo must leave Hector’s side

5. Hector finally stops to fight, fooled by Athena, who takes the form of a brother and promises to help him fight Achilles6. Hector suddenly finds himself alone, facing Achilles, who is helped by Athena.7. Achilles aims his spear at an opening in the throat of Hector’s armor, kills him.

Achilles Breaks the Rules

1. Hector, dying, asks that his body be returned to his parents; Achilles refuses

2. Achilles ties Hector’s body (by the ankles) to his chariot & drags it around Troy

3. Most gods are massively displeased: you never, EVER violate the dead

4. Priam goes to Achilles to beg for his son’s body5. Achilles is touched, has the body bathed & covered, and

returns it6. Nine days truce for funeral rites

The Fall of Troy

Achilles’ Last Battle

1. kills Memnon of Ethiopia (he was helping Troy with an army)

2. drives Trojans back to the city walls3. Paris shoots Achilles in that vulnerable heel—kills him (his bones are laid with those of Patroclus)

The Death of Ajax

1. Two heroes are nominated to receive the arms of Achilles: Ajax and Odysseus

2. In a secret vote, Odysseus wins—it’s a huge honor3. Ajax feels disgraced, plans to kill Agamemnon & Menelaus

—he blames them for turning the vote against him (he’s right)

4. Ajax pursues them by night; Athena strikes him mad—he thinks a flock of sheep are the Greeks; thinks a ram is Odysseus & beats it up

5. On regaining his senses, he’s humiliated and kills himself

The Arms of Hercules1. Greeks are discouraged and grab a prophet, Helenus. He says:

a. Greeks can’t win unless they kill Parisb. Only the bow and arrows of Hercules can kill Paris

2. Philoctetes has thema. Philoctetes was with the Greeks on the way to Troyb. On an island, he was bitten by a serpent and the wound would not healc. The Greeks left him there

3. Odysseus goes back for the weaponsa. First, he steals themb. Guilt: he gets Philoctetes, takes him to Troy and a Greek doctor

4. Healed, Philoctetes joins the battle, kills Paris with Hercules’s arrows• Greeks have to steal the Palladium (sacred image of Athena) in order to win—

Odysseus is their man

The Trojan Horse

• Odysseus thinks up the Trojan Horse. It’s hollow, and bit enough to hold a number of men who fill it.

• Greeks not in the Horse pretend to sail away.• Trojans are thrilled at their departure and rush to the

beach.• Sinon is one Greek who was left with a story to tell

the Trojans, that the horse is an offering to Athena, meant to be given to the Trojans, but it’s so big that they can’t take it inside, so the plan is to leave it outside the city walls. Heh…heh…

Sigh…

• Sigh . . .– The Trojans take the horse into the city– At night, soldiers sneak out and let the whole

Greek army into the city– Troy is burning before the Trojans are even

dressed– Trojans fight hard: they tear up roofs & throw

beams on Greeks; put on dead Greeks’ armor to trap more Greeks.

– The Greeks win

Where are they now??

Priam: was spared by Achilles, but Neoptolemuskills him.

Helen: Aphrodite helps her out of the city. She goes back to Menelaus, and they live happily

ever after (irony! Irony!).

Andromache1. a captive, to be a slave to a Greek warrior2. hopes to keep her baby, but that’s not how it’s done3. messenger arrives, advises her to be brave and not to blame him4. baby is taken and thrown from the walls of the city, like all the other babies

Agamemnon: Takes a woman (Cassandra) captive and returns to Mycenae with her. She warns Agamemnon of impending doom, but is ignored. When they arrive, his wife, Clytemnestra is waiting (with a lover, Aegisthus), and murders Agamemnon and his little hussy too!