Introduction to the Trojan War
- The Trojan War is a foundational myth of Western civilization, immortalized by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey.
- The story centers on the city of Troy, ruled by King Priam and Queen Hecuba, and the conflict sparked by the abduction of Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world.
Key Figures and Their Roles
Troy's Royal Family
- King Priam and Queen Hecuba: Rulers of Troy with 50 sons and daughters.
- Prince Hector: Troy's greatest warrior, devoted to family and homeland.
- Prince Paris: Exiled son whose actions ignite the war.
- Cassandra: Gifted with prophecy but cursed to be disbelieved.
Greek Leaders and Warriors
- Menelaus: King of Sparta, husband of Helen.
- Agamemnon: Powerful Greek king and commander of the Greek forces.
- Odysseus: King of Ithaca, known for his cunning and wisdom.
- Achilles: The greatest Greek warrior, nearly invulnerable except for his heel.
- Other notable warriors: Ajax the Greater and Lesser, Diomedes, Nestor, Patroclus.
Divine Influence and the Golden Apple
- The goddess Eris's golden apple inscribed "to the most beautiful" sparks a divine dispute among Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite.
- Paris is chosen to judge, ultimately awarding the apple to Aphrodite in exchange for Helen's love, leading to her abduction.
The Outbreak of War
- Helen's abduction by Paris leads Menelaus to rally Greek forces, invoking the oath sworn by Helen's suitors.
- The Greeks assemble a formidable army and fleet, including legendary heroes and kings.
- The war lasts nine years, with Troy's walls holding strong against repeated assaults.
Key Events During the War
- Achilles' Withdrawal: Conflict with Agamemnon over the concubine Briseis causes Achilles to refuse to fight.
- Duel Between Paris and Menelaus: Ends inconclusively due to divine intervention.
- Death of Patroclus: Achilles' close friend is killed by Hector, prompting Achilles' return to battle.
- Hector's Death: Achilles kills Hector and desecrates his body, later returned to Troy after King Priam's plea.
The Fall of Troy
- Paris fatally wounds Achilles with a poisoned arrow.
- Odysseus devises the Trojan Horse strategy, leading to the Greeks' infiltration and destruction of Troy.
- The city is sacked; King Priam and Hector's family meet tragic ends.
- Cassandra is taken captive and later killed by Clytemnestra.
Aftermath and Legacy
- Aeneas escapes Troy, eventually leading to the founding of Rome.
- Helen and Menelaus return to Sparta to rule peacefully.
- Odysseus embarks on a perilous ten-year journey home, beginning the Odyssey.
Conclusion
The Trojan War saga combines heroism, divine intervention, and human tragedy, shaping much of Greek mythology and Western literature. Its themes of honor, fate, and cunning continue to resonate through the ages.
For a deeper understanding of the cultural context, you can explore Pagsusuri sa Kabihasnang Minoan at Klasikal na Greece which discusses the civilizations that influenced the myth. Additionally, the story of The Myth of Theseus and His Tiny Butt: A Hilarious Tale from Greek Mythology offers a lighter take on Greek myths that complements the serious themes of the Trojan War. For those interested in the broader implications of war, The Aftermath of World War I: Pathways to Conflict and the Rise of Totalitarianism provides insights into how conflicts shape societies.
[Music] two thousand eight hundred years ago a blind poet known as homer would produce
two of the greatest works that western civilization would ever see regarded as one of the most influential
authors of all time homer's iliad and odyssey would tell the tales of odysseus and achilles of paris and helen with
their names echoing throughout the ages [Music] long ago when monsters roamed the earth
a rich and powerful kingdom sat across the sea from the great cities of athens and sparta
its name was troy with its famous walls said to be indestructible having been built by the gods themselves
the city was ruled by king priam and queen hekiba who were deeply loved and respected by their people with priam
having 50 sons and 50 daughters during his reign the most admired of them would be prince
hector troy's greatest warrior the eldest son of priam hector was a brave and honorable warrior second only
to achilles in combat devoted to his homeland and committed to his family
hector loved none more than his wife andrew mackie and his son astian axe for whom he would sacrifice anything to
protect the sister of hector cassandra would be the least fortunate of priam's children
she would once catch the eye of the god apollo who would give her the gift of prophecy in his attempts to seduce her
but when she rejected the god he would curse cassandra in a jealous rage making it so none would ever believe her
prophecies finally there would be paris the brother of hector and cassandra who would be
raised away from his family before his birth hecuba received a prophecy
revealing that her unborn son was destined to bring destruction to troy but unable to kill the child herself she
instructed a local shepherd to complete the task but just like hekiba the shepherd could not harm the helpless
infant and instead would raise paris in secret a decision that would change the course of history
[Music] but the shepherd's misguided generosity would not bring about the prophecy alone
as for troy to fall another child needed to be born across the seas in the city of sparta
zeus the king of the gods had fallen in love with queen leader transforming himself into a magnificent
swan zeus would lie with the queen with leader soon giving birth to two eggs
out of the eggs would hatch two sons castor and pollocks as well as two daughters clytemnestra and helen
with helen growing up to become the most beautiful woman in the world when helen came of age almost every man
would attempt to win her hand in marriage with the greatest warriors richest warlords and even greece's
princes travelling great distances to reach sparta with odysseus of ithaca agamemnon of maisini and ajax of salamis
all putting themselves forward knowing her decision would lead to the rejection of so many powerful men
helen was worried that bloodshed would likely follow and so to try and prevent conflict
odysseus of ithaca made each suitor swear an oath to protect her chosen husband
with the threat of violence now gone helen would choose prince menelaus of mycenae with the two soon marrying and
becoming the king and queen of sparta disappointed her other suitors would peacefully return home but unknown to
them their oath to defend her chosen husband king menelaus an oath they had made to prevent
violence would be the very thing that would draw them into one of the greatest wars the world had ever seen
[Music] but high on mount olympus another marriage was taking place
the parents of achilles thetis the goddess of water and peleus king of pythia had been invited to olympus to
celebrate their marriage hosting a great feast they would invite all the gods and heroes from across the
land but they would make one exception for amongst all the gods there was one who was universally disliked
aerys the goddess of discord and strife who brought chaos wherever she went hurt that she was not invited to the wedding
eris would decide to attend anyway bringing with her a gift that would sow the seeds of conflict amongst the gods
the gift was to be a golden apple inscribed with one simple phrase to the most beautiful
she would then throw the apple amongst the goddesses of olympus knowing that their vanity would lead to conflict
soon hira athena and aphrodite were all fighting with each claiming the apple should be awarded to them
unable to decide they would all turn to zeus but zeus had no desire to upset any of the goddesses and so decided to give
the responsibility to a mortal the man he chose would be a humble shepherd known for his fair judgment
a man that was none other than prince paris of troy who had been raised as a shepherd in his exile
and so the three goddesses would approach paris with each offering him a different gift in return for his vote
hera offered to make him king of europe and asia athena promised unrivaled skill in war
but aphrodite knowing the young man's desires would promise to give him the most beautiful woman in the world an
offer he could not refuse with paris then giving her the apple aphrodite would tell him to travel to
sparta where she would use her magic to make queen helen whose beauty knew no equal fall in love with him
following the goddess's instructions paris would travel to sparta and meet with helen with the two soon falling in
love taking helen's hand paris and his men would fight through
the ranks of spartan guards who had been sent to stop her abduction but it was to no avail with the two
boarding his ship before making the long voyage back to troy arriving home
paris would be recognized by his father king priam who welcomed him with open arms
awed by helen's beauty the entire palace would try to catch a glimpse of her overjoyed to see the new princess of
troy however amidst the excitement there remained two who were concerned with her
arrival prince hector was furious with his brother
warning that his naive and lustful actions would bring war to the shores of troy
but while hector's words were harsh it would be his sister cassandra who would have the worst reaction
shrieking in despair she would prophesize that helen's arrival would lead to the fall of troy itself but as
she had been cursed by apollo no one would heed her warning with the royal guards dismissing her
prophecies as mad ravens and locking her deep within the palace arriving back in sparta from a funeral
in crete menelaus was informed that his wife helen had been abducted with the ship she was on heading in the direction
of troy enraged he would raise his armies to attack the trojans calling upon all of
helen's suitors to honor their oaths and join him in the conflict men of their words they would answer his
call and soon the greatest warriors from across greece or the achaeans as homer would call them were assembling to
return helen home to sparta the first to join menelaus would be his brother
agamemnon the most powerful greek king agamemnon would rule over maicini an ally of sparta with his kingdom having
the most wealth and largest army and so when the time of war came it would be agamemnon who would command
greece's mighty fleet next to join would be the suitors of helen who had pledged their allegiance
to defend menelaus with the king's odysseus nester and diomedes all honoring their word
the youngest of the achaean kings diomedes ruled over the city of argos second in power only to mycenae
a favourite of the goddess athena diomedes was a skilled politician who was known for bringing wealth and
stability to his people the king of pylos nester was the oldest of the greek kings
having lived nearly three generations thanks to the blessings of the god apollo
a former argonaut nestor had travelled the world with heracles and now offered his years of wisdom and experience to
menelaus in his quest to retrieve helen the last and hardest to recruit would be odysseus king of ithaca the wisest and
most cunning of the greeks but although he commanded great respect and power he was reluctant to send his
men to war and so when agamemnon's envoys came to recruit him he would pretend to be mad
mumbling and raving while plowing the ground with an ox and horse seen through the deception one of the
soldiers would decide to test his sanity placing odysseus's son in front of the plow
having no choice but to stop odysseus would pick up his son proving he was of sound mind all along with him then
raising his armies to send to troy joining these powerful kings would be the best warriors greece had to offer
with achilles patroclus as well as ajax the greater and ajax the letter all answering the call
prince of pythia achilles was the greatest warrior to have ever lived with his support ensuring victory in any
conflict achilles was invulnerable to attacks and without his assistance the conquest of
troy was unthinkable after his birth his mother the water goddess thetis would take achilles to
the underworld submerging him into the river sticks whose waters granted immortality but as she had held him by
the foot the waters would not cover his heel which would remain the only vulnerable part of his body
growing up achilles would be raised by the centaur chiron the teacher of heracles with the young man learning
music speechcraft and warfare under his tutelage but while achilles would take great pride in his achievements he was
also cursed with a short temper something that would bring him into conflict throughout his life
while he was studying his mother thetis would learn of a prophecy that her son was destined to travel on only one of
two paths either he would live a long and peaceful life dying as an old man without fame or
he would live a short and heroic life dying a glorious death with his story becoming legend
and so when news came that greece's greatest warriors were gathering to attack troy she would do everything she
could to protect her son dressing achilles in female clothing she would send him to skyross where he would
hide amongst the island's many women but her plan would take an unexpected turn
as diomedes the one sent to recruit achilles would be accompanied by none other than odysseus the wisest and most
cunning of the greeks realizing achilles was hiding on the island odysseus would come up with a
plan to reveal him arriving with presents for the women he would begin to hand them out
however a particular present a set of armor would excite one of the women in particular
odysseus would then sound a war horn with all the women fleeing except for one with achilles taking off his
disguise and quickly putting on the armor ready for battle exposed by the cunning plan achilles
would fetch his lifelong friend patroclus with the two of them then joining odysseus and diomedes on the
journey back to sparta with the greatest fighters from across greece now assembled agamemnon would
command a mighty fleet of hundreds of ships but as they set sail for troy they would find themselves unable to move
with the waters having calmed and the ocean's winds have incest for agamemnon having killed a sacred deer had offended
the goddess artemis who had stolen the winds so he could not set sail anxious to reach troy agamemnon would
consult a prophet on how to restore the winds once again but to restore them the prophets
revealed that agamemnon would have to sacrifice the one who was dearest to him his eldest daughter ephigenia
with thousands of men waiting idle in their ships agamemnon's pride could not stand for such a delay
claiming that achilles wanted her hand in marriage agamemnon would lure his daughter to his camp with ephegenia
arriving in excitement with her father waiting for her at the altar she would begin to walk towards
him however as she got closer she realised it was not a wedding altar at all but
rather a sacrificial shrine with her father plunging his dagger into her broken heart
with his daughter now laying dead at his feet agamemnon had appeased artemus who would release the winds from her grasp
now setting sail it would not be long until they reached their enemies mighty city but awaiting them would be the
greatest army troy had to offer the son of aphrodite and cousin to the royal family aeneas would join the fight
to protect his homeland but troy would not fight alone with priam calling upon his allies the
lycians and the amazons who would come to his aid lycia would be led by sarpadon the son
of zeus and grandson of belerethron as well as glaucus a legendary warrior who would lead the lycean armies into battle
they would fight alongside the amazons fierce warrior women led by penthouse a daughter of ares who could fight better
than almost any man but while both sides possessed the best warriors and leaders of their age the
gods too would be divided by the war still furious they had not been given the apple by paris
hira and athena would choose to support the achaeans while aphrodite having gifted helen to the trojans would decide
to give them her support the patron of troy apollo would come to the defense of his city with poseidon
jealous that the trojans worshipped apollo rather than him after they had both built the city's walls would decide
to join the achaeans and finally ares lured by the promise of battle and wanting to best his sister
athena would join the side of the trojans so he could cause as much bloodshed as possible
[Music] for nine long years the achaeans would attack troy
with wave after wave failing to break the city's impenetrable walls but with resources running short
achilles would lead greece's armies south searching for supplies gold and women
they would first take the island of lesbos before landing on the shores of asia minor pillaging all the towns and
cities they came across as they made their way back up to troy from the cities of lionessus and
hippoplasia the greeks would take many beautiful women as slaves with bryceus being awarded to achilles and crisis
given to agamemnon two women that would change the course of the war
having taken crisis as a concubine agamemnon would fall deeply in love with her
however her father a priest of apollo was not happy with his daughter being taken as a slave and so travelled to
agamemnon's camp he would offer the king gold and silver in exchange for his daughter
bataga memnon refused the offer taunting the old man by pointing and crises chained to his bed
apollo disgusted at the way his priest had been treated would send a plague of arrows upon the greek armies
refusing to relent until crises was returned home agamemnon having no other choice would
agree to let her go with odysseus reuniting crisis with her father
but with his concubine now gone agamemnon would look to satisfy his desires
turning to bryceus the slave girl of achilles if he would have to go without his prize
then so too would his greatest warrior stealing her from his tent agamemnon would declare bryceus his own with
achilles becoming enraged demanding her return achilles would only be laughed at by the king causing him to
draw his sword in frustration but as he did so the goddess athena would descend from the heavens holding
his arm in place and warning against such an impulsive action heeding the god's advice achilles would
put down his sword refusing to serve a king that had treated him with such disrespect
returning to his tent the greek armies would have to fight on without his assistance
[Music] for a time the greeks would manage to fight on without achilles although the
losses on both sides would begin to take their toll in an attempt to end the war with no
further bloodshed both of helen's lovers paris and menelaus would agree to jewel with the victor being declared her true
husband with both armies standing by paris and menelaus would begin their
jewel with warriors on each side anxiously looking on onto the two men that would decide the fate of the war
as swords clashed and crowds cheered a clear victor was emerging with menelaus striking paris until he fell to the
floor at the very moment menelaus went to deliver the final blow aphrodite having
a fondness for paris would appear above them taking his feeble body back to his bed chamber where helen awaited
relieved to be alive paris would grab onto helen's robes with tears in his eyes
happy to be with her once again but helen having seen the battle from her window was not impressed
with the humiliation paris had suffered so devastating that her love for him would begin to wane
hector ii would be embarrassed by his brother's failure realizing that the war would continue he
went to bid his family farewell with his wife and son crying in his arms he knew this could be the last time he
would ever see them but he had no choice for troy to survive he would have to fight
emerging from troy's mighty walls hector would rally his men pushing the greeks all the way back to
their ships who were no match for him without achilles assistance but even on the verge of defeat with his
men dying around him achilles would refuse to join the fight taking matters into his own hands his
best friend patroclus would put on achilles iconic armor before charging into battle
with it appearing that achilles had rejoined the fight fear swept through the trojan forces who
began to flee back to the safety of the city's walls seeing his army crumbling before him
hector would decide to make a final stand turning to face patroclus to save as
many of his men as possible charging towards him with his sword in hand he would take one swift blow
striking patroclus dead shocked at the ease with which greece's finest warrior had been defeated hector
would crouch down to remove achilles helmet but when patroclus face was uncovered he realized he had not
defeated achilles at all [Music] seeing the death of patroglous the greek
armies would rush to claim his body fighting off the trojans as they went bringing him back to their camp achilles
would be distraught when he saw his best friend laying dead before him contemplating ending his own life
achilles could not hold back his anguish with his mother thetis coming to comfort him
seeing her son in such distress thetis would go to olympus and retrieve a new set of armor from the forge of
hephaestus placing it on achilles when she returned with his new armor equipped the grief
achilles had felt would now turn to revenge with the destruction of hector and troy the only things on his mind
seeing the real achilles now charging towards him hector would begin to run in fear with him being chased around troy's
walls three times before he was eventually caught unable to run any further hector decided
to make a final stand and fight achilles with honor charging at him hector would draw his
sword but as he took his final swing it would miss with him falling down to the floor
realizing the end was near hector would refuse to beg for his life and instead would only request one thing
that achilles treat his body with respect so his family could properly mourn his passing
but still enraged at the death of patroclus achilles would plunge his spear into hector's neck bringing an end
to his life tying hector's legs to the back of his chariot achilles would drag his corpse
around the city parading his body for all to see while hector's entire family watched
from the walls above it was a sight too much for hector's father king priam to bear
as nightfall came priam would approach achilles in his camp begging at his feet for his son's body
to be returned moved by the king's words that reminded him of his own grief after the death of
patroclus achilles would give in and allow priam to take hector's body arriving back in troy the entire city
would gather to see priam's son mourning for the loss of their great hero
but none would feel the pain more than hector's wife andremaki and his son astian axe who clung onto his body as it
passed through troy's somber streets with hector's death homer would mark the end of the iliad but for the story of
troy more tragedy was to come [Music]
with hector now gone all hope was lost within the city and with achilles closing in it looked like the end was
near slaughtering the trojans one by one he would make his way to the gates of troy
but as he went to scale the city walls he would feel a sharp and excruciating pain in his heel
for paris guided by the god apollo had shot achilles with a poisoned arrow in the only mortal part of his body
dropping to the floor and poison coursing through his veins achilles skin would turn white as snow with him taking
his last and final breath but paris would not live long enough to enjoy his victory for the greeks who had
seen him shoot achilles would hunt him down and take their revenge with their greatest heroes now gone each
side would fall into despair especially the greeks who saw no way to penetrate troy's great walls without the strength
of achilles but there would be one greek who did not give up hope with odysseus devising a cunning plan
a plan so genius that its story would echo throughout the ages constructing a giant wooden horse
odysseus would hollow out the inside making enough room for himself and a handful of greece's best warriors to be
hidden within and so when the next day dawned the trojans awoke to find a great horse
outside their walls seeing the greek camp dismantled and their ships sailing off into the horizon
a great cheer erupted throughout the city celebrating that the war had come to an end
mesmerized by its beauty and believing the horse to be a peace offering the trojans would decide to bring it within
their walls but there was one who was not fooled by the gift
cassandra claiming it was a trap would urge the trojans to burn the horse but once again she was ignored
with the entire city laughing and ridiculing her for her insanity but that night when all were asleep odysseus
menelaus diomedes and ajax would begin to pour out of the horse killing the guards they would open
troy's gates from within before signaling with fire for the rest of the greek fleet to return
the trojans would awake to their city ablaze with greek warriors flooding through the streets looting homes and
slaughtering any remaining defenders with his entire city burning before his eyes priam the king of troy would meet
his end with pirus the son of achilles plunging his dagger into the old man's defenseless body
leaving the king's body amongst his fallen men pirus would head to the royal chambers where he would find hector's
wife and son taking astionax from his mother's arms he would throw the infant to its death
from this city's walls before taking his mother andremaki into slavery where she would serve as his concubine
after ten years of war troy's famous walls had finally been breached with its king now gone and its great heroes
defeated troy would now lay at the mercy of the greeks [Music]
fleeing from the streets of troy cassandra would find refuge in the temple of athena watching in fear as her
fellow citizens were slaughtered before her eyes but unfortunately the greek warrior ajax
the lesser had spotted cassandra hiding soon entering the temple himself and violating her in front of athena's
statue disgusted as the act performed in her sacred temple as ajax went to board his
ship athena would strike it with a bolt of lightning causing him to fall into the sea where poseidon would drag him to
a watery grave but for cassandra things would only get worse
with ajax now gone agamemnon would claim her as his concubine where they would return to his home in mycenae
however agamemnon's wife clayton nestra was not pleased with her husband lying with another woman with her grabbing an
axe and butchering cassandra in a jealous rage but cassandra would not be the only one
to feel klitemnestra's wrath have he never forgiven agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter iphigenia to restore the
winds clytemnestra would now take her revenge waiting until agamemnon had fallen
asleep she would sneak into his bed chamber plunging her dagger into his heart with the king facing the same
gruesome death he had inflicted upon their daughter of the few trojans to escape the most
significant would be aeneas leading a small group of survivors out of the burning city they would cross the
mediterranean eventually landing on the shores of italy beginning a new life aeneas and his
followers would populate the land with his descendants romulus and remus founding a new city called rome
finally reunited with helen menelaus would return home to sparta where the two would rule as king and queen once
again when their time came they would pass on to the next world where they would spend
eternity on the isle of the blessed however although some were able to return home and others were able to
forge new beginnings for one hero in particular a long and dangerous journey awaited for odysseus the most cunning of
the greeks would have to travel for ten long years where he would face the most terrifying creatures known to man
the odyssey had just begun [Applause] so
[Music] [Applause] [Music]
[Music] you
Heads up!
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