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The Trojan War
The Actual Trojan War
• Took place from about 1260 BC–1250 BC
• Archaeological remains provide evidence that
there was a war but cause unknown
• Scholars believe the war began over control
of the trade route between the Aegean Sea
and the Black Sea between the Trojans and
Greeks
• Ancient mythology states that the war began
over a single woman, Helen, queen of Sparta
King Peleus marries
sea nymph Thetis
• Peleus had to marry Thetis, because it was
prophesized that if Zeus or Poseidon married
Thetis, she would have a son that would be
greater than its father
• Thetis has a son with Peleus, his name is
Achilles
• Zeus decides to throw a wedding party for
Peleus and Thetis and all the gods of Olympus
are invited, except Eris (evil goddess of discord)
Eris’ Trick
• Eris throws a golden
apple with the words
“For the Fairest” into
the banquet hall
• Three goddesses
claim the apple
(Aphrodite, Athena,
and Hera)
• To settle the dispute
Zeus decides to send
them to Paris, prince
of Troy, and to let him
decide who deserves
the apple.
The Judgment of Paris
• The goddesses appear
to Paris and ask him to
choose.
• They each try to bribe
Paris
• Hera offers power and
domination over the
continent of Asia
• Athena offers wisdom
• Aphrodite offers to give
Parris the most beautiful
woman in the world.
Paris Chose Aphrodite
Complications
• What Aphrodite did not
tell Paris was that this
beautiful woman was
already married
• Helen of Sparta, married
to King Menelaus
• So, on a diplomatic
mission to Sparta, Paris
abducted Helen and took
her back to Troy
Helen’s Suitors
• Helen had had scores of suitors, and her father
was unwilling to choose one for fear the others
would retaliate violently.
• Finally, one of the suitors, Odysseus of Ithaca,
proposed a plan to solve the dilemma.
• He suggested that Helen’s father allow Helen to
choose her husband.
• It also required all of Helen's suitors to promise
that they would defend the marriage of Helen,
regardless of whom she chose.
Off to War
• The suitors and
Menelaus (Helen’s
husband) unite with
Agamemnon
(Menelaus’ brother) to
go and bring Helen
back to Sparta.
• They launch 1000
ships to Troy
Reluctant Soldiers
• Thetis was scared of her son, Achilles, going to
war. She dresses him as a woman and hides
him.
• Achilles is discovered when he is seen admiring
weapons from a trader.
• Odysseus just had a son and did not want to go
to war. So he pretended he was crazy.
• When they saw Odysseus acting crazy, they put
his newborn son Telemachus in certain danger.
• When Odysseus went to save Telemachus, they
knew he wasn’t crazy.
The Gods Take Sides
TROJANS
(Paris, Hector)
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Aphrodite
Ares
Apollo
Artemis
Zeus (favored, but
stayed neutral to please
Hera)
GREEKS
(Achilles, Odysseus)
• Hera
• Athena
• Poseidon
The Bloody Battle
• War lasts for 10 years
• Hand-to-Hand combat
• There were periods of truce, where both sides would
bury the dead
• There was no fighting after sunset.
The ILIAD
• The Iliad as told by Homer is about a 41 day
period in the 10th year of the Trojan War.
• Agamemnon (Greek Leader) and Achilles
argue. Achilles refuses to fight.
• Patroclus, Achilles’ cousin, wears Achilles
armor and leads his men into battle. Patroclus
is killed by Hector (Trojan Leader), because he
thinks that he is Achilles. Hector kept Achilles’
armor as a trophy.
• Thetis, Achilles’ mother, has Hephaestus make
armor for Achilles.
Iliad (Cont.)
• Achilles angered over the death of his
cousin, challenges Hector to a duel where
Hector is killed.
• Achilles ties Hector’s body to his chariot
and drags it around Troy, refusing to give it
back to his father, Priam, for burial.
• This angers the gods.
• Priam sneaks into the Greek camp and
has to beg Achilles for his son’s body.
Achilles finally gives in.
After The Iliad
• Achilles enters the city of
Troy and begins to kill
everyone he sees
• The gods have seen
enough and with their
help, Paris shoots a
poisoned arrow into
Achilles’ heel (his one
weak point).
• Achilles, the great Greek
hero, was dead.
The Judgment of Arms
• A contest is held among the Greeks for who will win
Achilles’ armor.
• The two frontrunners are Odysseus and Ajax.
• Odysseus beats Ajax in a close contest.
• Ajax, mad because he lost to Odysseus, went insane
and killed himself.
The Prophecies
• The Greeks decide to turn to prophets to
help them destroy Troy
• They say that to destroy Troy they need to
do two things:
-Remove the Palladium (a statue of
Athena) from the alter of Troy
-Use the bow of Hercules
The Beginning of the End
• During the night, Odysseus sneaks into
the city and steals the Palladium.
• Philoctetes retrieves Hercules’ bow and
uses it to kill Paris.
• However the walls of Troy could not be
penetrated, so another way was needed.
Clever Odysseus
• Odysseus comes up with the idea to build
a giant wooden horse. (Horses were
sacred to the Trojans).
• They built the horse and decided to hide
30 men in the horse including Odysseus.
• The rest of the Greeks got in their ships
and sailed just out of sight of the Trojans.
Caught?
• The plot was almost spoiled by Laocoön, a
Trojan priest, who guessed the Greeks
plot.
• “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”
• Poseidon, wanting to help the Greeks win
the war, sent a sea monster to kill Laocoön
before he would warn the Trojans.
The Fall of Troy
• The Trojans thinking they won the war, brought the
horse into the city and partied.
• That night, the Greek ships came back, while the men
in the horse got out and opened the gates of Troy
• The Greeks killed everyone they could and burned the
city to the ground.
Sinful Pride
• Odysseus glad the war is finally over is
ready to go home.
• However, he refuses to give thanks to
Poseidon for helping him win the war.
• Odysseus says that he won the war with
no help from the gods.
• This angers Poseidon and he will make
Odysseus journey home a hard one.
The Odyssey
• The Odyssey is an epic poem that is
credited to Homer about the journeys of
Odysseus after the Trojan War.
• Odysseus spends 10 more years trying to
reach Ithaca (his home)
• Considered one of the greatest stories of
Ancient Greece
What is an Epic?
• A long narrative poem
• Has a central heroic
figure
• Contains events of
heroic deeds or
deeds significant to
the culture.
Traits of an Epic
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Statement of a Theme
The invocation/prayer to the Muse
Beginning IN MEDIAS RES (In the middle)
Vast setting
Supernatural forces
Great deeds of valor and courage
A hero of imposing stature
Examples of Epics and Epic
Heroes
• Epics
-Star Wars
-Indiana Jones
-Lord of the Rings
-Harry Potter
-Halo
• Epic Heroes
-Master Chief
-Luke Skywalker
-Superman
-Mario
-Link/Zelda