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TROY A Greek soap opera
The deep background • Peleus, a mortal man, fell in love with the sea nymph Thetis, a daughter of Nereus. Peleus was with Meleager on the boar hunt and Jason on the Quest for the Golden Fleece. Peleus had been married, but after accidentally killing his father-in-law the marriage ended. Then he met Thetis.
Peleus tried to kidnap Thetis and she fought him off with a snake. Eventually he won her love and Zeus acquiesced to the couple’s request for his blessing. • The wedding was going to be HUGE!
All of the important (and not so important) gods and goddesses were invited to attend, with one notable exception: Eris, goddess of discord, conflict, and strife. • What do you think the goddess of discord, conflict, and strife would do if she was excluded???
Get REVENGE! Eris rolled a golden apple into the middle of the reception. The words, “To the fairest,” were inscribed on it. What kind of problem could possibly arise from a simple golden apple in the middle of a room of goddesses?
Three goddesses claimed the prize as the fairest, most beautiful, most wonderful goddess in the room. • The three self proclaimed finalists were Athena-Daddy’s little girl Hera-Queen of the gods Aprhodite-Goddess of Love
The ladies asked Zeus to choose the fairest, but he was no fool. He passed the decision off to Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy. • Why did Zeus choose Paris to pick the winner?
Zeus decided it would be fun to watch Paris fumble around and make his decision. He also thought this would get the ball rolling toward Troy’s demise.
Zeus knew that Troy had been fated to be destroyed. Years ago the Trojan king Laomedon hired Apollo and Poseidon to build walls for Troy, but when the job was done, he refused to pay for the work. Whoops!
More backstory… • When Paris was born, his mother had a dream that she’d given birth to a torch that was going to set the entire city on fire. His parents tried to “expose him,” but Paris survived for five days, so Priam gave in and took him back.
Of course, the competition wasn’t fair. Athena offered him guaranteed victory in war. The Trojans would have victory over the Greeks. Hera offered him power over nations. He would be Lord over Europe and Asia which would make him incredibly wealthy. Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world. He could have her as his own!
And the winner is… • Paris accepted Aphrodite’s offer. The problem was that the most beautiful woman was already married! She was the daughter of a mortal named Leda and Zeus (in the form of a swan-Helen was born from an egg!) • Helen was married to Menelaus, king of Sparta. Paris had to go a long way to kidnap his prize.
Read the following poem by William Butler Yeats. What is its significance to the story we are reading?
W. B. Yeats A sudden blow: the great wings beating still Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill, He holds her helpless breast upon his breast. How can those terrified vague fingers push The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? And how can body, laid in that white rush, But feel the strange heart beating where it lies? A shudder in the loins engenders there The broken wall, the burning roof and tower And Agamemnon dead. Being so caught up, So mastered by the brute blood of the air, Did she put on his knowledge with his power Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
To whom is this poem referring? • What could the title could be?
P.S. Paris already had a beautiful woman in his life. The nymph Oenone (pronounced “Oy-no-nee”), lived as his wife in his mountain home. She had special healing powers. • Read the play “The Judgment of Paris”
The kidnapping of Helen • Paris went to visit King Menelaus in his palace. While there he either forcibly carried Helen away to Troy or seduced her and she went willingly.
Zeus felt very strongly about Hospitality. Kidnapping or seducing your host’s wife was certainly against the rules. • Troy’s fate is sealed…again!
Helen’s backstory… • When Helen’s reputed father, King Tyndareus, began to accept suitors for Helen’s hand in marriage, he was overwhelmed. It seemed as though every young prince in the region wanted her as his own. • Tyndareus hesitated to make his choice for her husband.
The OATH • To keep from becoming a target, Tyndareus made each suitor swear an oath to champion the cause of Helen’s husband if any wrong was done to him through his marriage.
Was this a good idea? • Why would the suitors agree to this?
Tyndareus chooses Menelaus, the brother of Agamemnon, then makes Menelaus King of Sparta. Tyndareus named Menelaus his successor and co-leader. • Read “Helen of Sparta” from Trickle Down Olympus • Now, back to the apple…
To answer some questions which have been raised about Helen’s family…http://mythagora.com/bios/helen.html • Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda ... she was raised by Leda and her husband King Tyndareus of Sparta. Her brothers Kastor (Castor) and Polydeukes (Polydeuces or Pollux) were also children of Zeus but she had two half-sisters, Klytemnestra (Clytemnestra) and Timandra, who were the daughters of Leda and Tyndareus.
Helen’s family… • Zeus came to Leda in the guise of a swan and seduced her. King Tyndareus knew that three of his children were of divine origin but raised them as if they were his own children. Despite the support of Tyndareus and her personal relationship with Zeus, Leda finally killed herself in desperation after suffering through the tragic lives of her children.
The following questions refer to the worksheet Helen of Sparta • Around what emotion is Helen’s life centered? Explain.
Helen… • 2. In some ways Helen is more fortunate than other women. In other ways she is less fortunate than other women. List some of these ways.
Helen… • 3. If you had a chance to escape a prison such as Helen’s, would you take it? Why or why not?
This is the point at which Paris made his choice. In case you didn’t notice, Paris is rather foolish.
He heads to Sparta and kidnaps Helen from her much older husband…and creates circumstances that cause the fate of Troy.
Menelaus had been travelling. When he got home he found his wife missing, his guest gone, and his hospitality dishonored.
He did the only thing that he could do: he called upon all of Greece to help him avenge this insult. The oath was called in.
The call goes out. Time had passed, the flame of first crush had died out, and no one was particularly enthusiastic about being called away from their lives to fight. On the other hand, it was a chance to fight, be valiant, and enhance the warrior reputation.
Insert mediterranean map here Troy Aulis Ithaca Athens Sparta
Please complete the “Ancient Draft-Dodging” sheet. This will give you an idea just how much some people did not want to honor the oath. Answer questions on your own paper!!!
It’s almost started now! • Agamemnon, king of Mycenae and Argos, was the Commander-in-Chief of the Greek forces. Once he managed to get everyone to report for duty, his real problems began.
The thousand ship armada was ready to set sail and lay siege to Troy. • Then the winds came.
Iphigenia-a sacrifice The winds began to blow across the Aegean sea. This prevented the ships from sailing east across the sea to Troy.
Agamemnon consulted the prophet Calchas who said that these were winds sent by Artemis who liked Troy but didn’t like Agamemnon.
There was a way for King Agamemnon to get the winds to stop, however.
The 27 groups of Greek warriors and 1,116 ships sat idle. • There was a way for King Agamemnon to get the winds to stop, however.
Because someone had killed an animal which was sacred to Artemis, King Agamemnon would have to offer his daughter, Iphigenia, as a sacrifice to the goddess Artemis to make amends.
It’s a matter of honor. “If I must slay The Joy of my house, my daughter. A father’s hands Stained with dark streams flowing From blood of a girl Slaughtered before the altar.” From Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Nevertheless, Agamemnon yielded. His reputation with the army was at stake. He also had a great ambition to conquer Troy and exalt Greece. “He dared the deed, Slaying his child to help a war.”
Agamemnon sent a message to his wife, Clymenestra, saying that he had arranged for Iphigenia to marry Achilles.
Iphigenia and her mother quickly packed and headed for Aulis (the port where the boats were trapped by the wind,) expecting a wedding to occur.
Surprise! • When they arrived, Agamemnon killed his daughter on an altar, just like a sacrificial animal. • The winds died down, the ships set sail, and with the commission of this horrible crime the war was on!
It didn’t go unpunished. • Clymenestra, Iphigenia’s mother, harbored a grudge against her husband Agamemnon until his death…which she caused once he returned from the Trojan War with his new girlfriend, Cassandra.
Just so you know… • Clymenestra and Aegisthus killed Agamemnon, but not his son, Orestes, or his remaining daughter, Electra. Orestes and his sister Electra eventually killed Aegisthus and Clymenestra. • Then the Furies came and did their thing.
