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Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals
The Trojan War
The Fall of Troy
Note-taking within the Epic Poem
Mortals and Immortals

The Olympian Gods
Zeus – god of the sky, mightiest of all Greek gods, father to many, his weapon is lightning bolt
Poseidon – Zeus’ brother, god of sea and earthquakes, his weapon is the trident, he hates Odysseus
Hades – Zeus’ brother, god of the underworld and the dead
Hephiastos – lame and ugly smith god
Apollo – god of music and poetry, twin brother to Artemis
Hermes – messenger for the gods, he bears wings upon his feet
Ares – god of war
The Olympian Goddesses
Hera – wife of Zeus, contestant in the beauty contest
Hestia – goddess of the hearth/fireside
Demeter – goddess of the harvest
Athena – goddess of wisdom, and war, she is symbolized by the owl, contestant in the beauty contest
Aphrodite – goddess of beauty and love, contestant in the beauty contest
Artemis – goddess of the hunt, twin sister to Apollo
Persephone – goddess of the underworld, trapped and tricked by Hades
The Muses
Nine daughters of Zeus who inspire and preside over thought in all forms: epic poetry, history, mime,
music, dance, choral poetry, tragedy, comedy, and astronomy.
The Mortals
Trojans
Priam – king of Troy
Hecuba – queen of Troy
Hector – royal son and the greatest of the Trojan warriors
Paris – royal son, abductor of Helen, judge of the beauty contest, his actions spark the Trojan War
Cassandra – royal daughter, she is a prophetess who is doomed never to be believed
Aeneas – a Trojan who escapes Troy and founds what will later be Rome, his journey is told in the Virgil’s
Roman Epic Poem called The Aeneid.
Greeks
Menelaus – king of Sparta, husband to Helen and he wants her back from Paris
Helen – the most beautiful mortal woman, she travels to Troy with Paris and starts a war
Agamemnon – general of the Greek army, he is a mighty fighter and brother to Menelaus
Clytemnestra – treacherous wife to Agamemnon who kills him when he returns
Orestes – their son who kills his mother (Clytemnestra) to avenge his father (Agamemnon)
Achilles – greatest of all mortal warriors, full of rage, impervious to injury except in his heel, son to
goddess Thetis, his exploits are told in Homer’s Epic Poem The Iliad
Neoptolemos – son of Achilles, he kills Priam during the sack of Troy
Patroclus – friend and cousin of Achilles, killed by Hector while wearing Achilles armor
The Myrimidons – Achilles’ warriors
Ajax – second greatest Greek warrior behind Achilles
The Trojan War

 The Trojan War is rooted in the wedding of King
Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. The gods choose
not to invite Eris to the wedding; she is angered by
this and introduces Discord to the festivities in the
form of a golden apple. The words on the apple are
“For the Fairest” and naturally in reference to one of
the goddesses.
 These vain goddesses begin to quarrel over who
deserved the apple, and the field is narrowed down
to Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite.
 Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, is elected to
judge who most deserves the apple and is fairest. All
three goddesses bribe him.
 Athena offers success in battle, Hera offers power,
and Aphrodite offers the most beautiful woman in
the world. Naturally, Paris chooses Aphrodite.
 Unfortunately, the most beautiful woman in the
world, Helen, happens to be married to King
Menelaus of Sparta.
 While visiting Menelaus, Paris betrays his host’s
hospitality and kidnaps Helen. With Aphrodite’s
help, Paris brings Helen back to Troy. This is the
beginning of the war between the Greeks and the
Trojans.
 Only noble Odysseus attempts to resist the urge to
join the war, thinking of the safety and well-being of
his son and wife. Eventually, however, even he joins
the war, sailing with the Greeks, united against Troy.
 The battle goes on for nine years. The Trojans, led by
King Priam’s son, Hector, finally gain an advantage
when Agamemnon kidnaps the daughter of the
Trojan priest Apollo. Achilles has warned against
this, and he is justified when Apollo’s fiery arrows
nearly destroy the Greek army.
 When Agamemnon claims that he will only be
appeased by taking Achilles prize female slave,
Achilles becomes enraged and draws his troops out
of the battle.
 Without Achilles,
the Greeks seem doomed.
 The gods have been evenly split thus far: Aphrodite,
Ares, Apollo, and Artemis on the side of the Trojans;
Hera, Athena, and Poseidon take the Greek side.
 But Thetis persuades the previously neutral Zeus to
help the Trojans.
 Menelaus defeats Paris in combat, however.
Aphrodite saves Paris’ life, and the armies agree to a
truce.
 Hera, however, is bent on war. She manipulates a
Trojan named Pandarus break the truce.
 When the battle begins again, many are wounded.
 The Greeks fight bravely until Zeus remembers his
promise to Thetis and comes down to the battlefield.
 The Greeks are losing the battle without Achilles and
are driven even closer to Trojan ships.
 Hera decides to seduce Zeus and give the Greeks an
advantage. While the two divinities are indisposed,
the great Greek warrior, Ajax, nearly kills Hector.
 Discovering this deception, Zeus angrily commands
Poseidon to abandon the Greeks. The Trojans press
forward.
 As the Greeks near defeat, Achilles’ best friend,
Patroclus, can restrain himself no longer. He chooses
to join the battle wearing Achilles’ armor.
 Leading Achilles’ men, Patroclus fights valiantly but
is killed by Hector’s spear.
 Achilles grieves this death significantly and decides
to return to battle.
 The Trojans soon retreat into their impenetrable
walls. Only Hector remains outside, wearing
Achilles’ armor, taken from Patroclus’ corpse.
 Achilles and Hector, the two greatest warriors of the
Trojan war face off at this time.
 They fight, and Achilles is aided by Athena. He kills
Hector with a spear and drags his body over the
ground, mutilating it.
 Such disrespect greatly displeases the gods; they
convince Achilles to return the body of Hector to his
father, King Priam.
 Priam speaks to Achilles who sees the error of his
ways.
 The Iliad concludes with Hector’s funeral.
 The war, however, is not over with Hector’s death.
He is replaced by King Memnon of Ethiopia.
Memnon and Achilles, in turn, become enemies; war
wages on.
The Fall of Troy

 Odysseus devised a new ruse—a
giant hollow wooden horse, an
animal that was sacred to the
Trojans.
 The hollow horse was filled with
soldiers led by Odysseus. The rest
of the army burned the camp and
sailed away.
 When the Trojans discovered that
the Greeks were gone, believing the
war was over, they gleefully
brought it into the city, still unsure
of what to d with it. Ultimately,
they kept it, dedicating it to Athena.
 The Trojans turned to a night of
revelry and celebration.
 A spy signaled the fleet
stationed at Tenedos when it
was midnight, and the soldiers
from inside the horse emerged,
killing the guards.
 They entered the city and
killed the sleeping population.
A great massacre followed
which continued into the day.
Blood ran in torrents, drenched
the land, and Troy was truly
demolished.
Troy is Sacked
Note-taking Within the
Epic Poem

 Endeavor to remember the story of gods and
goddesses, The Trojan War, Odysseus’ great plan,
The Trojan Horse, and the Fall of Troy.
 Pay close attention to who is speaking at any given
moment. Remember that gods and goddesses are
often portrayed in disguise. Write speakers’ names
in the margins.
 Place brackets around sections where stories are
being told as a whole unit (either those from the past
or those that are predictions of the future). Label
them with a shorter, understandable title.
 Take note of elements of
characterization for both
Odysseus and Telemachus.
This will help you when you go
to write in class about these
men.
 As usual, look up words that
you do not know and use your
list of words from the poem for
reference.
 Finally, try to think as visually
as possible. This poem is full of
graphic scenes; you need only to
use your imagination, striving
to picture the scene.