An Introduction to the Trojan War

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An Introduction to the Trojan War

• With emphasis given to the place and position of
  Odysseus and his epic poem.

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SETTING GREECE 1250 B.C
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Review Myths

• A myth is an explanation of something in nature
  how everything in the universe came into
  existence (men, animals, trees, the sun,
  earthquakes, etc) and all that happens
• Myths are early science but also entertainment
• Greek mythology is made up of stories about gods
  and goddesses

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Greek Pantheon

• The universe created the gods who lived on Mount
  Olympus.
• Zeus, god of the sky
• Athena goddess of wisdom
• Helen most beautiful woman
• Poseidon, god of the sea
• Charybdis devourer of land
• Polyphemus chief monster of the Cyclopes
• Aeolus keeper of winds
• Hades, god of the underworld
• Morpheus god of sleep and dreams

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Origins of the Trojan War

• Took place between approximately 1260-1250 B.C.
• 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.

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Marriage of Peleus and Thetis

• All gods on Olympus invited except ERIS, the
  evil goddess of Discord
• Apple inscribed with For The Fairest
• Apple Claimants
• Hera, queen of the gods
• Athena, goddess of war and wisdom
• Aphrodite, goddess of love
• Paris, Prince of Troy, will be the judge

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The Bribe

• Hera - POWER
• Athena - WISDOM
• Aphrodite HOT BODY, BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
• Paris chooses Aphrodite

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Helen of Troy

• Helen- beautiful daughter of King of Sparta (in
  Greece)
• Helen has many suitors- they swear oath to
  protect Helen and her new husband
• Father chooses Menelaus- makes him King of
  Sparta also
• Paris abducts Helen
• 1000 ships, including Odysseus Achilles, leave
  for Troy

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Gods Take Sides Trojans

• Humans
• Paris
• Hector
• Gods
• Aphrodite
• Ares, god of war
• Apollo, sun god
• Artemis, goddess of the hunt
• Zeus (neutral)

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Gods Take Sides Greeks

• Humans
• Achilles
• Odysseus
• Gods
• Hera
• Athena
• Poseidon

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Trojan War The Battle

• Ten years of
• hand to hand combat.
• periods of temporary truce to bury the dead
• no fighting after sunset.

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Trojan War Odysseus Trick

• Greeks build a gigantic hollow horse and hide
  inside
• Sinon chosen to tell a tale of the Greeks
  leaving
• Priest Laocoon tried to warn Trojans I fear the
  Greeks even when they bear gifts
• Poseidon sent serpent to kill Laocoon

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Trojan War Surprise Attack

• Trojans thought they had won
• Sinon tells them horse is an offering to Athena
  - big so Trojans wouldnt take it
• Trojans fall for it and drag horse into city
  gates to temple of Athena

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Trojan War The Sacking of Troy

• In middle of night Greeks leave horse and attack
• Troy is in flames before Trojans know what has
  happened
• King of Troy dead
• Women and Children become slaves
• Helen is returned to Menelaus

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Odysseus Mistakes

• Trojans were slaughtered and city sacked and
  burned
• Greeks violated Trojan temples
• Greeks did not offer sacrifices to the gods to
  thank them for their victory
• Odysseus, creator of the Horse, will suffer the
  most

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Homer and the Epic Poem

• The Illiad
• First written record of Greece
• describes the events of 51 days during the last
  year of the war when Achilles kills Hector

• The Odyssey
• Describes the 10-year journey of Odysseus as he
  tries to go home to Ithaca after the Trojan War
• He and his men face monsters, giants, cannibals,
  temptation, and death

500 year gap between the actual war and when the
story was written down in 725 BCE.
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Epic Poems

• An epic is a story-poem about a great hero who
  performs daring deeds that require superhuman
  courage
• Told orally, not written, recited from memory by
  minstrels (traveling entertainers)
• In Greek epics the gods either help or hinder
  the hero, like in The Odyssey, Poseidon hinders
  Odysseus while Athena helps him

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Activity Timed Writing

• Using what you have learned in class, write a
  short tabloid-style story that highlights a
  character or event that is central to the Trojan
  War. Please pay attention to all standard
  writing conventions (i.e. spelling,
  capitalization, punctuation, etc.)

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• Paris is for Lovers
• No, not that Paris
• The King of Troy cant seem to keep his boys in
  their chambers, as the impetuous and impulsive
  Paris, Prince of Troy, secreted himself off to
  Sparta for a Mediterranean jaunt. Hector, the
  busy-body older brother, followed to keep him
  out of trouble.
• Hectors best efforts failed, though, as he and
  his younger brother beat a hasty retreat to the
  war drums of 1000 Greek ships. Their misdeed
  taking another mans wife.
• Helen, the princess of Sparta famed for her
  beauty and rumored to be an illegitimate child of
  Zeus, had been promised to the much older and
  battle-maimed Menelaus by her father. However,
  her tastes appear to favor the strength and
  vitality of youth, as she appeared to put up very
  little struggle while boarding the Trojan ship.
• Mount Olympus presented a very divided front on
  the issue. The conservative block, led by Hera
  and Poseidon, demanded a swift and immediate
  return of the Spartan property. Meanwhile, the
  liberal faction of Apollo and Artemis expressed
  satisfaction with the choice. Zeus, who is
  rumored to be at an undisclosed location with the
  mortal Alcmene, refused to issue a statement.
• When asked for her take on the story, Aphrodite,
  the goddess of love who recently received a prize
  of her own from Paris, exclaimed with delighted
  giggle, Paris really is for lovers!