...Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably through Homer's Iliad. The Iliad relates a part of the last year of the siege of Troy; its sequel, the Odyssey describes Odysseus's journey home. Other parts of the war are described in a cycle of epic poems, which have survived through fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets including Virgil and Ovid. The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked "for the fairest". Zeus sent the goddesses to Paris, who judged that Aphrodite, as the "fairest", should receive the apple. In exchange, Aphrodite made Helen, the most beautiful of all women and wife of Menelaus, fall in love with Paris, who took her to Troy. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and the brother of Helen's husband Menelaus, led an expedition of Achaean troops to Troy and besieged the city for ten years because of Paris' insult. After the deaths of many heroes, including the Achaeans Achilles and Ajax, and the Trojans Hector and Paris, the city fell to the ruse of the Trojan...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...The Trojan princes argued over what they should do. Priam's son Hector said war was invincible. Antenor thought Hector just wanted revenge against the Greeks. Aeneas thought Troy would win because a prophecy foretold success for him. Priam said there was no choice. Cassandra, Priam's daughter, was a priestess of Apollo with a gift of prophecy. She was cursed by Apollo so that no one would ever believe what she said. She predicted that Hector would die and Troy would burn. The Greeks Laodamia and Protesilaus were married. Protesilaus joined the war against Troy but left a sculpture of himself to keep his wife company. One night she dreamed that she was with him as they approached Troy. He was the "foremost man" to leap from his ship onto the shore, and was killed. Laodamia knew this was a vision of the future. She prayed to Zeus, and he granted her three hours with her husband before he died, by making the statue come to life. Then Laodamia herself died. Agamemnon walked through his forces on the shore of Troy. He argued with Achilles and accused Achilles of holding back a prisoner. Achilles said he had captured the boy, Priam's son Lykaon, the night before behind Troy. The gods too watched the war. The battle began. Achilles fought with Cycnus, the son of Poseidon. No weapon could pierce him. However, Achilles strangled Cycnus by the straps of his helmet. Cressida was the daughter of Calchas, the Trojan prophet who joined the Greeks. He left his daughter behind with her uncle...
Words: 346 - Pages: 2
...Is the Trojan war history or a myth? The Trojan war was a war between the Greeks (Mycenaean) and the people of Troy. The whole incident started after the Trojan Prince named Paris abducted a woman called Helen witch was the wife of Menelaus king of Sparta. When Menelaus asked to have her back the Trojans completely refused. This event led to Menelaus asking one of his brothers Agamemnon (king of Mycenae) to lead an army against the people of Troy. The war against Troy went on for nine straight years and the Greeks ravaged Troy’s surrounding cities and countryside’s. The only thing they couldn’t get in or ravage was the well fortified city or Troy which was commanded by Hector. The Greeks decided to take a different approach to infiltrate Troy’s...
Words: 1353 - Pages: 6
...When it comes to Greek Mythology, one of the most famous stories – is the Trojan War, the fight between Troy and the Achaeans. Throughout the years, there have been numerous representations about this grand tale, from a beautiful amphora portraying Achilles and Ajax playing a board game, created around 500 B.C. (Arts) and the epic poem, Homer’s Iliad describes in great details the last few weeks of the war, written in 800 B.C. A more modern take on the war is the famous movie Troy with actors Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom, released in 2004. Here we have three different mediums, an amphora, a long poem and a modern film, yet they all tell the tragic bloody tale of the Trojan War. I will discuss the overall theme that these three pieces share,...
Words: 927 - Pages: 4
...Embassies of Two Kings Agamemnon and Priam both send embassy to Achilles in order to convince him to return their desire by entering the war with the Greeks for Agamemnon and to return the body of Hector for Priam. Both Kings’ embassies were convincing, but only Priam succeeds to persuade Achilles to return Hector back. Agamemnon’s embassy to convince Achilles to return to the war alongside of the Greeks Army failed even when his fellow Greek and countrymen’s morale is slowly decreasing due to his leave and a plague that had struck their camp. Agamemnon failed to convince Achilles because in the beginning of Iliad, nine years after the beginning of the war, they had won a battle against the Trojans and had ransacked a Trojan town where the battle took place. In the book, Agamemnon, the chief commander of the Greek army had taken a woman Chryseis as a price of victory over the battle. On the other hand, Achillies, a fierce important warrior of the Greeks took Briseis as his price. What they later found out was that Chryseis, daughter of Chryses; a priest who serves the god Apollo. Chryses pleaded to Agamemnon to return his daughter back to her, but Agamemnon refuse to give back his prize, therefore leading Chryses to pray to Apollo to punish the Greek army with a plague. Agamemnon will have to send his prize Chryseis back to her father in order to lift the plague only if he could take Achillies’ prize Briseis. This move that Agamemnon took left rage in Achilles and threatens...
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...extraordinary feats, that would not have been possible without deception. Without cheating, the United States of America would not exist and the ten-year long siege on the city of Troy would have claimed many more lives. During the American Revolution, the rebel American forces used lies and deception to win the war in favor of democracy. The new colonies originally had laws and regulations set up by the British, which gave the British the upper hand of how things were operated in the America’s. However as the colonists were continually mistreated and over taxed they decided to plan in secrecy, a way to overcome British rule. They resorted to cheating, by using guerilla warfare and ignoring the rules of engagement, set to previous wars. The American rebel colonists even attacked the British on a religious holiday to gain an...
Words: 458 - Pages: 2
...those were Aeneas, a Trojan hero. In comparison, she loved to anger the gods. Similarly, she was a great assist in the Trojan War and she was a great aide to her son and Paris. Who chose Aphrodite as one of the fairest goddesses. Which would begin the Trojan War caused by the goddess Eris, because how angered the other goddesses were that he didn't choose them. Leading up to the war, 3 goddesses: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite were thrown a single golden apple by Eris, who said, “For the fairest.”(Byrne, Stephen, ”Ancient Greek Gods & Goddesses Facts For Kids.”) Which, all three of them claimed to be theirs. Furthermore, they went up to Zeus and asked to be judged by him. However, he keenly declined, instead they were directed into the path towards Mount Ida. The three goddesses approached Paris to bribe him to select one of them. Hera vowed to...
Words: 739 - Pages: 3
...1. Troy - Odysseus fought in the Trojan War for 10 years. After the fall of Troy, he left for his home in Ithaca, a journey which should have taken only a few weeks. It was to take ten years. 2. Ismara - After Odysseus and his men depart from Troy, they are greeted by friendly and calm waters. The crew made for Ismaros in the land of the Cicones. Odysseus and his men looted the city and robbed it of all its goods. Odysseus wisely told his men to board the ships quickly but they refused and fell asleep on the beach. The next morning, the Cicones returned with their fierce kinsmen from the mountains. Odysseus and his men fled to the ships as fast as they could but they lost many men still. On leaving Ismarus, Odysseus and his twelve ships were...
Words: 895 - Pages: 4
...invaders could land which made defending Troy from the ramparts easy. Characters: Iris Daughter of Thaumas who helped both sides during the Trojan war equally. Helped Hector find war plans of the Greeks and helped Achilles enter a temple. Ithaca This is home to the mythological hero Odysseus and is located in the Ionian sea in Greece Laocoon In Greek and Roman mythology, he was a seer and priest of the god Apollo in the ancient city of Troy. He played a notable role in the last days of the Trojan War; he and his twin sons, Antiphas and Thymbraeus were killed by a giant sea serpent. Menelaus king of Sparta and husband of Helen, the woman who caused the Trojan War. Mycenae In Greek legend, Agamemnon, leader of the combined Greek forces, was king of this place during the Trojan War. Myrmidons They are very brave and skilled warriors commanded by Achilles Nestor He was an Argonaut, helped fight the centaurs, and participated in the hunt for the Calydonian Boar. He and his sons, Antilochus and Thrasymedes, fought on the side of the Achaeans in the Trojan War Odysseus He was one of the most influential Greek champions during the Trojan War. When Agamemnon, to test the morale of the Achaeans, announced his intentions to depart Troy, He restored order to the Greek camp. Palladium An image of Palla Athena that was sacred to Trojans. During the war it was stolen by Odysseus and Diomedes. It was said that Troy would not fall as long as the Palladium stayed within its walls. Aphrodite/Venus...
Words: 2165 - Pages: 9
...they tried to influence him by offering him bribes; Hera offered him control of Asia Minor (Anatolia) and political power, Athena offered him the abilities of the greatest warriors, skill in battle and wisdom, while Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta (who came to be known as Helen of Troy when she eloped with Prince Paris). Paris awarded the apple to Aphrodite, not knowing that Helen was already married to Menelaus, king of Sparta. Top Elopement of Paris and Helen Source: Francesco Primaticcio (artist), via Wikimedia Commons (PD) As part of a Trojan delegation to Sparta, Paris encountered and seduced Helen. She fell in love with him after being shot by a golden arrow from Eros (Greek equivalent of Cupid), Aphrodite's son. At that time, Menelaus had left for Crete to attend his uncle's funeral. When the Trojan delegation left, Paris and Helen eloped. Menelaus was furious upon discovering his wife's infidelity, and asked...
Words: 2580 - Pages: 11
...I. Troy is the name of the legend in Homers epic poem the Iliad. It was a city that fought in the Trojan War for ten years. The city was conquered and destroyed by a Greek army that was led by a king named Agamemnon. According to Homers the Iliad, the Trojan War started because of the abduction of Helen, who was a queen from Sparta. The king of Troy Priam, his son Paris who was also prince of Troy was behind the abduction. The Trojan War was thought to have taken place during the Bronze Age, which was around 1200B.C. What we knew it as was Myceanaean that spread through Greece. This civilization had also developed a system of writing (LIVESCIENCE: The Legend of Troy). In Homer’s the Iliad it takes place in the tenth year of the Trojan War....
Words: 1140 - Pages: 5
...Early Civilizations 19 May 2014 The Trojan War The Trojan War is an important turning point in history for all of Greece. The Greeks fought at Troy of Anatolia against the Trojans during a later period of the Bronze Age. Paris’ judgement of the most beautiful goddesses was the beginning of the war because of the bribe that Aphrodite offered Paris. Paris is the son of King Priam of Troy and the brother of Hector, the noblest of all fighters during the Trojan War. The main cause of the war was that Helen was taken from the Spartan king, Menelaus, brother of Agamemnon, by Paris because of the Judgement. Helen was the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta and she herself was the bribe that Aphrodite had offered to Paris. Many great soldiers fought and died in combat for their city-state. The strategies used by the Greek army were impressive and productive. The war has gone down in history just as Achilles had wanted. The Trojan War was a very eventful battle, fought by many soldiers, at the city of Troy. The Greek army had some of the finest warriors and leaders of the ancient times. Menelaus was the king who united the Greek armies in which Achilles was not fond of. Menelaus was brother of Agamemnon who was the Achaean King and the leader of the combined armies. The Greek army was considerably large because they had conquered so many city-states and forced them to join or be enslaved. Achilles was the greatest of all the soldiers during the war. Achilles said to be “a demi-god and...
Words: 1303 - Pages: 6
...Poseidon holds a decade-long grudge against Odysseus. The often cruel and unpredictable violence of the seas is assumed to be a result of his anger. Hades - Roman name: Pluto. The brother of Zeus and Poseidon, Hades rules the underworld, the realm of the dead, with his wife, Persephone. Pallas Athena - Roman name: Minerva. Usually just called Athena, this goddess emerges from Zeus’s head fully-grown and armed. Associated with war, cleverness, and wit, it is no surprise that she favors Odysseus. Athena is the goddess of Wisdom, Reason, and Purity and is chaste, like Artemis and Hestia. Phoebus Apollo - Usually just called Apollo. A son of Zeus and Leto and Artemis’s twin, he is the god of Light and Truth, the master of Poetry and Music, and the god of Archery. His Oracle at Delphi is revered for her powers of prophecy and truth. Artemis - Roman name: Diana. Apollo’s twin sister, Artemis is the beautiful huntress goddess and, like Athena, is somewhat masculine. Artemis is normally good and just, but demands a human sacrifice during the Trojan War. Aphrodite - Roman name: Venus. Aphrodite is the sweet and delicate goddess of Love, Beauty, and Romance. Even...
Words: 3915 - Pages: 16
...2014 The Iliad The epic poem The Iliad by Homer is centered around the time of the Trojan War. The poem retells the battles and fights of the Troy and Greek states amid the assault of Troy. The poem concentrates on the fights in the middle of Achilles and Agamemnon and Hera and Zeus. Achilles anger from the Iliad uses arguments from the immortals and the divine beings. In the squabble, Achilles through his outrage, went about as a delegate from the divine beings to disprove King Agamemnon's insatiable credit that helped the annihilation of Achaeans by taking hostage of the little girl of Chryses, Agamemnon had goaded the divine beings through rebellion (Tvedtnes 147). The point of this paper is to dissect and examine the exercises of the immortals and divine beings in the Iliad. The record of Greek divine beings by Homer in the Iliad focuses to the way that divine beings cooperated with Greeks from alternate points of view that reveals the conduct, state and statute of aged divine beings in overseeing group of men and lords of the old world. Hector executes Patroclus who is a quick warrior much the same as Achilles after god Apollo knocked Patroclus shield to the ground, Hector confused Patroclus for being Achilles since he was wearing Achilles' protective layer and kills him immediately. The occasion uncovers that divine beings intercede in choosing human movement. In the meantime, the war of words in the middle of Achilles and Agamemnon is capable overcome by the passing...
Words: 1679 - Pages: 7
...Homer’s Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid are two great classical epics of Greek and Roman mythology. Both poetries convey heroism, pride, love, fate and duty. However, Homer focuses on his hero Achilles at the end of the Trojan War and Virgil focuses on his hero Aeneas after the Trojan War; eventually becomes the founder of a new Roman civilization. Besides the fact that they fight on the opposite sides of the Trojan War, the major difference between these two heroes is their ideas of who they are. Achilles stands as a symbol of self-serving person, while Aeneas is a symbol of self-sacrificing. Homer portrays Achilles as a selfish and revengeful warrior. Achilles decides not to fight for Greek when king Agamemnon takes his battle prize Briseis away. However, Achilles allows Patroclus to wear his armor. He also instructs Patroclus to drive Trojans back from Achaeans’ ship but not to take over the city as it is only Achilles to win. His selfishness and self pride forbids Patroclus to try to win the battle, even if they can without Achilles’ help. He wants to show King Agamemnon that without Achilles’ help, Achaeans can’t win the battle. Unfortunately, Patroclus disobeys Achilles and pursues the Trojans all the way to the gates of Troy. Apollo wounds Patroclus from behind, which helps Hector to kill him. Achilles becomes revengeful, even though disobeying his instruction makes Patroclus die. To take his revenge, not only Achilles kills Hector, he drags Hector’s body behind the chariot...
Words: 669 - Pages: 3
