Black Ships Before Troy

1. Black Ships Before Troy Chapter Summaries

2. Chapter 1: The Golden Apple • Thetis and Peleus get married – Eris was not invited • Eris crashes wedding with Golden Apple addressing “the fairest” • Athene, Hera, and Aphrodite fight over apple for years • Paris is born, then abandoned but found and raised by a cattleman • Paris chooses “fairest” as Aphrodite, gets a beautiful wife promised

3. Chapter 1 continued • Aphrodite takes Paris back to Troy where he learns about Helen of the Fair Cheeks • Sets sail to Sparta to meet Helen • Paris arrives in Sparta • Paris meets Helen and falls in love • While King Menelaus is hunting, Paris and Helen decide to leave to Troy

4. Chapter 2: Ship Gathering • King Menelaus tells brother: Agamemnon and decide to go get her back • Thetis hears about war and Achilles disguises as woman but gets caught • Thetis gives Achilles ultimatum, stay and live long life or die and be a legend

5. Chapter 2 Continued • Achilles decides to leave • Peleus gives Achilles sword, armor, and 50 ships to sail to Troy

6. Chapter 3: Quarrel with the High King • Greeks land on Trojan land • First Greek gets killed when setting foot on Troy • Greeks made camp outside of Troy for 10 years • Greeks invaded cities, raided homes, kidnapped Briseis and Chryseis • Apollo asks for princesses back, Agamemnon and Achilles get one each

7. Chapter 3 Continued • Apollo starts a plague with an arrow that kills many soldiers • Thetis asks Zeus for Trojan victory, Achilles agrees not to fight

8. Chapter 4: Single Combat • Zeus promised to grant the request • Zeus sent Agamemnon a false dream about Trojan victory • Meeting is held because dream doesn’t seem true so they decide to go to battle • Menelaus fights Paris to win Helen back • Paris eggs on the soldiers, ready to fight • Helen says, she wished she died before leaving child and husband • Aphrodite gives Paris invisibility cloak during battle

9. Chapter 5: The Women of Troy • Battle begins • King Menelaus is injured but not killed • Hector tells Paris to get back to fighting • Hector finds wife and child to say goodbye in case he dies • Hector tells his wife to keep the women doing women’s work and leave the fighting to the men

10. Chapter 6: The High King’s Embassy • Paris and Hector return to war to fight together • Almost drive Greeks back to their ships • Ajax the toughest Greek is chosen to fight Hector • Hector throws the first spear and doesn’t do anything • Ajax throws rock but doesn’t hurt Hector • Truce made and fighting stopped until the next day • Tries to bribe Achilles with Breseis, horses, gold, etc. but doesn’t accept

11. Chapter 7: The Horses of King Rhesus • Agamemnon and Menelaus couldn’t sleep – too worried about war • Woke everyone up and came up with a plan to send Diomedes and Odysseus out to spy on Trojans • Dolon asks for Achilles’ horses to spy on Greeks – sent by Hector • Dolon gets caught spying – Odysseus got update on Trojan plan • Dolon’s head gets cut off

12. Chapter 8: Red Rain • Everyone is pumped up and ready to fight • Two of Hector’s brothers died – he was furious and wanting to send them back to their ships • Diomedes and Odysseus stopped him by throwing spears and swords but not piercing him • Odysseus is wounded so Ajax takes his place • Greek healer is shot while Achilles is watching the fight

13. Chapter 9: Battle for the Ship • Zeus sent an eagle to drop a red snake on the battlefield to fight fiercer • Poseidon sees that the Greeks are losing so he rides the waves to camp to give the Trojans strength • Hector gets wounded by a rock • Zeus sees him puking black blood – Apollo gives Hector life • Hector tells everyone to grab fire and burn the ships

14. Chapter 10: The Armor of Achilles • Achilles gives Patroclus his armor • Patroclus starts to fight for Hector but his helmet gets knocked off and stabbed by Hector • Patroclus dies • Hector steals Achilles’ armor and puts it on • They want to feed Patroclus body to the dogs but instead bury it honorably

15. Chapter 11: Vengeance for Patroclus • Achilles hears about Patroclus’ death and is furious! • Thetis givesthe best suit of armor possible to Achilles from his mother • On Achilles’ way to Hector he killed anyone in his path • Achilles stabs Hector through the neck, killing him and then drags him by his ankles behind his chariot

16. Chapter 12: Funeral Games • All of the women of Troy cry because of Hector’s death • Hector’s mother sees his dead body • Patroclus’ spirit visits Achilles and asks for a proper burial for himself • Next day, funeral games were held in honor of Patroclus • For the next twelve days, Achilles drags Hector’s body around which displeased the Gods

17. Chapter 13: Ransom for Hector • Thetis had to tell Achilles (mother to son) that the Gods were upset about him disrespecting Hector’s body • The Trojans and King Priam wanted Hector’s body back • The body was traded for ransom • Achilles agreed to truce and bury Hector properly • Hector’s body was scrubbed and burned in front of everyone and then they feasted

18. Chapter 14: The Luck of Troy • The Trojans lost their thirst for battle after losing their leader and waited for new allies • Odysseus thought they should steal the Luck of Troy (stone shaped like Athene’s shield) • A beggar stole the gold cup while coming to eat – he had to go into Troy or starve • Helen found him, washed him up, and discovered it was Odysseus • Helen tells him her secret (Paris was going to get help from Penthesilea and Amazons) • Odysseus continued to beg his way through Troy until he was able to steal the Luck of Troy using the drug from Helen

19. Chapter 15: Warrior Women • Paris was bringing the Amazons back to Troy – women warriors • People of Troy welcomed them with a feast • Penthesilea led the Trojans back into battle • Achilles killed Penthesilea and her horse – he was upset • Bodies and armor were returned to Priam where ashes were buried honorably

20. Chapter 16: The Death of Achilles • The Ethiopians came to help Troy • King Memnon killed a lot of people and injured Achilles’ arm • Achilles killed King Memnon • Paris shot and killed Achilles • Achilles ashes were put with Patroclus • Odysseus won Achilles armor as “the best” from the funeral games • Ajax was mind controlled and killed himself

21. Chapter 17: Poisoned Arrow • Philoctetes from the island of Lemnos came to help the Greeks • Philoctetes taught the Greeks to make poisoned arrows • Paris was shot and asked Oenone to heal him but she refused because he left her for Helen • She changed her mind but it was too late, Paris was already dead • Oenone killed herself

22. Chapter 18: The Wooden Horse • Athene gave Odysseus the idea to build a big wooden horse to hide men • Sinon was chosen to act as the foolish man and told the “story” to get the wooden horse into the city walls • Cassandra tried to warn the Trojans that if they brought the wooden horse into the city, it would be the end of Troy but no one listened

23. Chapter 19: The Fall of Troy • All day, the Trojans celebrated • At night, Sinon signaled the leaders into the wooden horse • They killed and killed and destroyed the city of Troy • Odysseus saved Helen’s life • The war was over and the Greeks went home