Download Although I have already given a broad overview of

The basic background of the Trojan War is already well known. Menelaus, the
king of Sparta, had his wife taken from him by Paris, a Trojan Prince. This led to
Menelaus getting his brother, Agamemnon, the Mycenaean king, to gather thousands of
people to sail across the Aegean to go after Troy and get his wife back. The Greeks had
Achilles on their side, who was considered to be the best warrior in the world at that time
period. “[Achilles’] contingent numbered about 50 ships and he led his own army, unlike
the other Greeks who acknowledged the leadership of Agamemnon and his huge fleet”
(Daly).
According to the Iliad, one of the first battles was a duel between Paris and
Menelaus, but Paris chickened out and returned to Helen. Quarrels between the gods
ensued, as some gods wanted to intervene in the war and others wanted to let the humans
settle it amongst themselves. For example, Aphrodite saved some Trojans, which upset
Apollo, who wanted the gods to stay away. This is when things turned serious, as Hector
made the decision to fight to defend the motherland instead of staying with his wife and
children. Hector then dueled Ajax. It was a very evenly fought duel, and time ran out as
darkness came. Next, the Trojans and Greeks fought against each other, both as collective
groups, but the Greeks were beaten back, due to the missing presence of Achilles.
Achilles chose not to fight after Agamemnon took a slave girl that Achilles had originally
taken as his own (Daly). Desperate for success, Agamemnon gave the girl back to
Achilles so that Achilles would fight. The Trojans though, pushed forward and were able
to make it to the Greek camp on the beach, and destroy the Greek ships. Zeus, not
wanting the gods to get involved, was distracted by Hera who let Poseidon help the
Greeks, who were able to advance, but when Zeus realized what happened, he sent
Apollo down to the battlefield to sort things out, but Apollo really just helped the
Trojans. Desperate to see some action, Patrocles, the understudy of Achilles, took
Achilles’ armor and went into battle, but died in a battle with Hector. Once Achilles
learned of this, he was angered beyond belief and made the decision to not stop fighting
until he killed Hector with his own bare hands. Hector knew this, and retreated.
Finally, Zeus let the gods and goddesses get involved. Simultaneously, Achilles
was living up to his title as “the greatest warrior of all the lands,” as he went on a killing
spree. The Trojans decided to leave the battlefield, but Hector was called out by Achilles
to a duel. In honor, Hector fought him, and died. Achilles then took the dead body of
Hector, and dragged it behind his chariot, all the way back to the Greek camp. The book
finally ended with Priam, Hector’s father, going to the Greek camp to get Hector’s body
back. Priam and Hector ended up talking and both came to the realization that what was
happening was very tragic and very sad (Gill) (Lecture from Mr. Leonard).
Later, the Greeks came down to the beach and saw that the Trojans had seemingly
left the battle and left behind a Wooden Horse. The Trojans thought this was an offering
to the gods, and rightfully brought it into the city and had a celebration for the end of the
ten year war. After a long night of partying, when the city was asleep, the Greeks
emerged from the horse, opened the gates to let the rest of the army come in (who had
hidden), and set fire to and destroyed the city of Troy. Everybody was either massacred
or captured. Confronted by Paris, Achilles was shot in the heel and succumbed to his
wounds. Seemingly unfazed, the Greeks celebrated and acted crazy. The story of the
Trojan War ends with the Greeks’ arrogant behavior angering the gods, leading to many
of them dying on the voyage home (Hunter) (Sacks).
*
More information can be found by contacting N.S. Gill, a writer from about.com
who is a Latinist and a freelance writer, with a focus on the classical world.
Works Cited
Daly, Kathleen N. "Trojan War." Greek and Roman Mythology A to Z, Revised Edition.
Revised by Marian Rengel. Mythology A to Z. New York: Facts On File, Inc.,
2004. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc.
Gill, N. S. "Iliad Outline." Ancient / Classical History - Ancient Greece & Rome &
Classics Research Guide. Web. 28 Nov. 2011.
Hunter, James. "Achilles." Encyclopedia Mythica: Mythology, Folklore, and Religion. 03
Mar. 1997. Web. 29 Nov. 2011.
Lecture from Mr. Leonard
Sacks, David. "Trojan War." Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, Revised Edition.
Revised by Lisa R. Brody. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Ancient and
Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc.