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The Beginnings of The Trojan War

The Beginnings of The Trojan War. It starts w/a wedding and a beauty contest The Wedding was for Thetis and Peleus Thetis : a sea nymph and future mother of Achilles

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The Beginnings of The Trojan War

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  1. The Beginnings of The Trojan War • It starts w/a wedding and a beauty contest • The Wedding was for Thetis and Peleus • Thetis: a sea nymph and future mother of Achilles • Peleus: chosen for Thetis by the gods because they feared a prophecy that said her child would be greater than Cronus. He was a mortal man, therefore not as great a threat.

  2. In attendance were mortals, gods, and goddesses; however, the couple purposefully did not invite Eris, the goddess of discord, to the celebration. Angered and outraged, she came to the wedding anyway. • Upon her arrival, Eris tossed a golden appleonto a banquet table and stated that it would belong to the fairest person in attendance.

  3. Three goddesses in attendance reached for the apple at once!

  4. They were… Hera: • Daughter of Cronus and Rhea • Zeus’s wife and sister • Worshipped as goddess of marriage and birth • Queen of the gods • Sacred animal: peacock (symbolic of her pride)

  5. Athena Perceived as a threat by Zeus. He swallowed her pregnant mother, Metis; however, she was later born as a full-grown and fully armed woman (from his head). Became Zeus’s favorite daughter Goddess of wisdom and war and strategy in battle

  6. Aphrodite • Zeus’ adopted daughter, though Cronos may also be her father • Goddess of love and beauty • Her name means sea foam (aphros) because she arose from the sea and was gently blown ashore by Zephyr, the west wind

  7. The Judgement of Paris The golden apple sparked a vanity-fueled dispute between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite who appealed to Zeus. He put the decision in the hands of Paris, a prince of Troy, brother of Hector

  8. The Judgement of Paris • Although the decision was supposed to be made without prejudice, all of the goddesses pled their cases to Paris and basically bribed him: • Hera – power, king of many nations • Athena– wisdom, skill at war • Aphrodite – offered the world’s most beautiful woman • Whom do you suppose he chose?

  9. But Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman is already married to Menelaus of Sparta

  10. Some lineage stuff: - Helen and Clytemnestra are sisters, sort of. (Leda and the Swan) They marry brothers: Menelaus (of Sparta) and Agamemnon (of Mycenae), both of whom fight in the Trojan War EVERYONE wants to marry Helen, and one of these admirers was Odysseus, pictured as Sean Bean,  but he asked for her gentle cousin’s (Penelope’s) hand in marriage instead

  11. Their father, King Tyndareussolved the problem of the hundreds of suitors with Odysseus’ help: the King must ask all the suitors to accept the one he chose for Helen’s husband and swear to stand by and help to win her back should anyone try to steal or otherwise harm her. The suitors agreed. Each one hoped that the choice would fall on him, and they all took the oath, so when her father gave Helen to Menelaus, they were mostly okay with it.

  12. The “Theft” - Against the advice of his sister, Cassandra, Paris set off on a voyage to Sparta. When he arrived, he announced himself as an ambassador from Troy and was treated with great hospitality by King Menelaus. - Shortly after receiving his visitor, the king had to attend a funeral in another land. Paris kidnapped Helen, along with a great deal of the country’s wealth. Oddly enough, the couple was married only a few days after returning to Troy.

  13. More Paris “Abducting” Helen…stories vary on how this actually happened, is she a willing captive?

  14. Thus Began The Trojan War “Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships,And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? “ ~Christopher Marlowe

  15. Some important beginning details you need to know • After collecting a massive army, Menelaus chose Agamemnon to be the commanding general. • All seemed to be well until one of the men killed a stag in the forest of the goddess, Artemis • Highly angered and blaming Agamemnon, she vowed that she would not let the wind blow until a sacrifice was made. • A seer named Calchas proclaimed that he must sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to calm the fury of the goddess. • Seeing that this was the only way to launch his ships, he agreed; the young girl was executed, and as her blood trickled on the altar, the wind began to blow. Back home, Clytemnestra has a major reason to be irate.

  16. The gods are going to choose sides. Remember, their pride is hurt because they didn’t get chosen

  17. These guys are going to struggle w/their pride/ego being hurt as well. • Identify these characters 

  18. The Iliad does not include this, unfortunately

  19. Or this…

  20. Or even this…

  21. It’ll begin with the Rage of Achilles

  22. And, near the end, we’ll have… • Spoiler alert…

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