The Trojan War

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The Trojan War

• How It Got Started, Why It Was Fought, and How
  Everything Turned Out All Rightfor Almost
  Everybody

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Eris and the Apple of Discord
Athena
Hera
Aphrodite
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The Contest
Paris is promised many things
Hera promises him the kingship of Europe and
Asia
Aphrodite promises him the most beautiful woman
in the world as his bride
and Athena promises him victory over the Greeks
in war.
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Paris Chooses a Bride
Aphrodite tells him of a beautiful woman, wife of
the mighty King of Sparta, who shall be his.
Her name is Helen.
King Menelaus leaves for Crete, trusting Paris in
his home with his treasures and his wife.
While Menelaus is away, Paris kidnaps Helen and
carries her away to the high-walled city of Troy.
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CUNNING ODYSSEUS

• Odysseus had a beautiful wife and a young son.
  He had no desire to go fight someone elses war.
• He pretended to be insane by planting salt.
• A sane man could not kill his child.

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MIGHTY ACHILLES

• No one here but us girls!
• Achilles was tricked into revealing his true
  identity!
• He was
• glad to join
• the army.

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and the Trojan War Begins.
A thousand ships set sail for the four-walled
city of Troy, led by Menelaus.
The war lasted ten years.
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Agamemnon, Lord of Men
Brother of Menelaus, son of Atreus
He was the commander of armies.
He stole Achilles prize maiden, Bryseis, for
which the god Apollo caused the Greek camp to be
stricken with a plague.
Murdered in cold blood by his wifes suitor,
Aegisthus, when he got home from the Trojan War.
Well meet him in the Odyssey, too.
Agamemnon
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The Tale of Mighty Achilles
(or Akhilleus)
River Styx
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Achilles, continued
Achilles refuses to help fight in the Trojan War
because Agamemnon had stolen his prize lady.
He stayed in his tent a long time, and refused to
fight even when Agamemnon brought her back.
Patroclus
Achilles swears vengeance, and his mother has
Hephaestus make him some new armor.
Achilles best friend. He wears his armor in the
battle, in which he falls to the mighty Hector.
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Achilles, continued
Achilles dons his new armor, confronts Hector,
and kills him.
After stripping the armor off, he ties Hectors
body to the back of his chariot and drags it
around the walls of Troy.
This did not please the gods.
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Achilles, concluded

• Apollo then caused an arrow, shot by Paris
  himself, to fly at the only vulnerable spot on
  Achilles body, the heel, and kill him.

Odysseus was given the mighty armor in
remembrance of the mighty Achilles.
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Master of the House
The most formidable of all of the Argive captains
was Odysseus, Son of Laertes and King of Ithaca.
Wise beyond comparison, Odysseus was a master of
disguise, of craftiness, of cunning, and of
guileno one could outwit this man skilled in all
ways of contending.
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The Masters Plan
The Story of the Trojan Horse
Troy fell overnight.
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Introduction to HomersThe Odyssey

• An Overview of Detail from Books I-IV

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Book I Odysseus is stranded.
Poseidon has decided to impede Odysseus journey
home (well find out why later). Odysseus is
languishing on Calypsos island Ogygia. Calypso
has fallen in love with him and refuses to let
him leave.
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Trouble at Home.
Meanwhile back at home in Ithaca, Penelope is
dealing with a mob of suitors, who insist that
she must marry one of them.
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Athena Inspires the Prince
Meanwhile back in Ithaca, his son, Telemachus,
believes that Odysseus is dead. Athena travels to
Ithaca to speak to him.
Disguised as the warrior Mentes, she advises
Telemachus to tell the suitors to leave and to
take a journey to find his father.
She predicts that Odysseus will soon be home.
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Book II Telemachus Sets Sail
Prince Telemachus takes his fathers seat in the
courtyard and addresses the suitors and all the
nobles of Ithaca.
In despair, he cries out to Athena, who is
actually standing right by him.
She assures him that he has ALL of the qualities
that his father does.
They set sail for Pylos in search of news of
Odysseus.
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Book III King Nestor Remembers
Telemachus and Athena arrive in Pylos as the king
and others are sacrificing to Poseidon.
He tells them of Athenas anger toward the Greeks
for not giving thanks after the war.
He encourages them to sail on to Sparta to speak
with King Menelaus for more information.
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Book IV
The King and Queen of Sparta
Telemachus arrives by chariot to Menelaus palace.
No one but Helen recognizes him as Odysseus son
because he looks so much like his father.
In the morning, Menelaus tells his homecoming
story and the vague rumors that he has heard of
Odysseus
and the suitors begin planning Telemachus death