Trojan War: pgs. 3-42 Per. 7: Julia Moeller, Emily Moore, Kara Miller,

301

Thetis

Zeus falls in love with Thetis and plans to marry her, then he finds out about a prophecy that says her son would be greater than his father. Zeus decides to marry her to a human so her son would only be great among men. Peleus is chosen to marry Thetis and Zeus teaches Peleus how to catch Thetis. Their wedding angers Discord, who creates the golden apple. The golden apple introduces Paris, and determines the sides of the gods in the war. It also introduces you to the prophecy about Achilles.
302

Thetis' Desperation

Thetis learns of a prophecy that foreshadows Achilles death. It says Achilles would die before the gates of Troy in the height of his glory. Thetis is anxious to save her son’s life, so she takes him to the River Styx and plunges him in, making him immune to death except at the heel. She tried to make Achilles immortal. Peleus feared she was trying to kill their son and stopped her. If Thetis had made Achilles immortal, it would have prevented his death and allowed him to help the Greeks more.
303

The Warning

Hecuba dreams her child would destroy Troy. She calls for soothsayers to interpret her dream. They say the dream is a warning of evil. The warning leads King Priam to send Paris to die on Mount Ida, but shepherds raise him. This influences his choice. If Paris had been raised a prince he might’ve chosen Hera, he’d value power as a ruler. He might’ve chosen Athene if he’d grown up worshipping her in the temples. He grew up a shepherd. He values natural beauty, this makes him choose Aphrodite.
304

Oenone and Paris

Oenone and Paris fall in love, however Paris leaves her for the promise of a more beautiful woman. Paris regrets this decision ten years later when he is shot by Hercules’ poisoned arrow, and the only one who can save him is Oenone. She still feels too hurt to save him. This leads to Paris’s death. This shows how shallow Paris’s personality is, which defines his character throughout the book.
305

The Golden Apple

In honor of Thetis and Peleus’ marriage, Zeus throws a feast and invites the gods and goddesses, except Discord. Discord is mad about this, and creates a golden apple inscribed “For the Fairest”. She throws down the apple. The goddesses fight for it. The goddesses fight for years, and they chose a mortal to pick, Paris.Without the golden apple, the war wouldn’t have happened. Paris would’ve stayed a shepherd, and never laid eyes on Helen.
315

The Choice

The gods choose a mortal, Paris, to pick the fairest of the goddesses. Hera promises to make him king of the world; Athene promises to teach him all the wisdom there is to know in the mind of men; and Aphrodite promises the most beautiful woman to wed. Paris chose Aphrodite. Paris’ choice is what leads him to find out about his prince-hood, dump Oenone, and find Helen, which is why the whole war was fought. It affects which sides the goddesses choose during the war.
315

Helen's Father

While Helen was still unmarried, every prince of Greece desired to marry her. Her wise father made every prince who courted her promise to serve the man she finally married. The only reason the Menelaus was able to wage a war against the Trojans was because of his father-in-law’s foresight. Menelaus wouldn’t have had troops to fight with if the princes of Greece hadn’t pledged allegiance to him when they courted Helen.
317

Paris and Helen

Prince Paris goes on a trip to see the world and ends up in the house of King Menelaus. Paris and Menelaus’s wife Helen, the most beautiful woman in all of the world, fall in love and run off to Troy together. Without this event, the Trojan War would have never been fought: Menelaus would never have attacked if Paris hadn’t taken Helen.
320

Hector and Priam's Battle Strategy

Hector and Priam decide to meet the Greeks on the shore, instead of meeting the Trojans at the gates of Troy. This sets the tone for the entire war because the Trojans prefer to make an offensive move, rather than wait and make defensive moves. This also sets Hector up as the leader of the Trojan forces by having him make the first battle decision. This also leads to the first death of the war, Protesilaus’ death.
320

Cassandra's Prophecy

Cassandra steps out of the temple and cries out a prophecy of the leader of the Trojans, Hector. She predicted that Hector will die, and his body will be tied to a chariot and dragged around the city. She says that Troy will end in flames, and Greeks will win. No one believes her because of a curse Apollo put upon her. If Trojans had heeded Cassandra’s warning, they might have prevented death and destruction. If Hector believed Cassandra, he might have saved his own life and called off the war.
320

The War Council

The Trojan council meets to decide what to do about the Greeks. Antenor wants peace, Hector wants war. The princes have no respect for Antenor, and think a war would be exciting. The men wanted a peaceable solution, but can’t think of a way to surrender and keep their honor. They feel they have no choice but to fight. The Greeks have already killed Trojans and sacked cities on Trojan islands. King Priam decides they will fight. If they had decided not to fight, the war wouldn’t have happened.
Mar 2, 2022

Achilles is Discovered

Achilles is persuaded by his mom and wife to act as a princess of Scyros, so he wouldn’t fight in a war that would mean his death. Odysseus dressed as a beggar and came with jewelry that no woman could refuse and a beautiful sword; he watched the princesses to see which was drawn to the sword. The princesses picked jewelry, Achilles picked the sword. He tells him he’s discovered and sends him to Aulis. If Achilles would’ve stayed hidden, the Trojan’s would’ve won.
Mar 2, 2022

Madness of Odysseus

Agamemnon hoped to use Odysseus to persuade the kings to fight. Odysseus pretends to go mad. He plows sand on the beach, plants salt as long as he can see, and sleeps in sand. He refused to stop or acknowledge anyone. Palamedes tried to reason with him, but nothing worked until Palamedes threw Odysseus’ son in front of the oxen. Odysseus stopped to save his son, and it proves that he is not mad. Odysseus was important in convincing the kings to fight at Aulis.
Mar 2, 2022

Heroes Meet at Aulis

The forces of Greece gathered at Aulis to prepare for the war against Troy. It took a few weeks for everyone to arrive and get ready. The Greeks had to meet somewhere to rally together and prepare; if they had just met up in Troy, the Trojans would have destroyed them in a few days. They wouldn’t have known how to fight together and they wouldn’t have had the necessary tools to wage a war.
Mar 2, 2022

The Sacrifice of Iphigenia

Greeks gather at Aulis while waiting for a fair wind to sail to Troy. Agamemnon goes to Calchas to find out what the gods want. He is told that Artemis will give a fair wind if he sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia at the altar of Artemis. Iphigenia accepts her fate, but is snatched up and taken to serve as priestess in Tarius. Artemis replaces her body with a fawn's. To the mortals it looks like Iphigenia. If Agamemnon had headed Calchas’ warning, the war wouldn't have happened.