...the story, arrogance is the main reason behind all of the conflicts that take place, and throughout the entire epic, pride is depicted as a destructive force. Pride is the cause of the war, the source of sub-conflicts between the characters, and the motive behind the actions taken by Achilles throughout the story. The entire epic of The Iliad occurs in the middle of a ten-year conflict in the city of Troy between the Trojans and Achaeans. As is the case with most wars, the cause of the Trojan War is arguably quite pointless because it stems from nothing more than wounded egos. The clash of the egos begins when Paris “launches the war” (Homer 14. 33) when he offends Athena and Hera by choosing Aphrodite in a beauty contest between the goddesses. The two who lose the contest feel dishonored, and as a result they take the side of the Achaeans in the war, which causes the Trojans to have a huge disadvantage on the battlefield. Paris continues on his path to starting the war when he insults King Menelaus by charming his wife, Helen, and taking her back with him to Troy. Menelaus, who is offended by his wife running...
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...Getting to Know Helen of Troy Helen, who considered being the face that launched a thousand ships, is from Lacedaemon or Sparta in Greece. She is the daughter of Leda and Zeus, the King of Gods. She has four siblings namely, Clymnestra, Tymandra, Castor and Pollux. When Helen was old enough to marry, Tyndareus was besieged with offers from men of wealth and influence. Many men pursued Helen until Agamemnon wooed Helen for his brother Menelaus who was finally chosen to be her husband. The Greeks are plotting to invade Troy to steal the treasures of the Trojans. Meanwhile Prince Paris is assigned by his wise father King Priam and the King of Troy to travel to Sparta and shows the peaceful intentions of his people. Along his journey, he falls into the sea during a storm and is rescued on the shore by the Queen of Sparta, Helen. When he recovers, he believes that she is a slave and they fall in love with each other. When he arrives at the Spartan Palace, he is arrested by King Menelaus but Helen helps him to escape. Helen is in love with Paris, but it happened that she is already married to King Menelaus. With the help of Aphrodite, Paris abducted Helen. They travel together to Troy and give the excuse that the Greeks need to start a war and put Troy under seige for years. The Greeks are unsuccessful in their intents until they listened to the cunning Ulysses. The Greeks then with draw their one thousand ships from the Trojan waters and offer a wooden Horse of Troy...
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...É P E N DA N T E S Summary of Agamemnon Summary of Agamemnon THE AGAMEMNON OF AESCHYLUS First part of “The Serpent Son” Prologue: The Watchman on the roof of the Palace of Agamemnon at Mycenae presents the facts. He has been watching a year for the fire signal that will announce Troy’s capture, and all is not well within the house. He sees the beacon at last and will tell Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife. He rejoices at the news for it means his master will be coming home. Parodos or Entry of the Choros, who are Elders of Argos, counsellors to the Queen Regent. They chant about the expedition against Troy. The sons of Atreus (Agamemnon and Menelaus) are seen as birds whose nest has been robbed by the stealing of Helen. Par is who stole her thereby offended against Zeus, the God of the host and guest. With legal images the old men say that Paris will be punished. They themselves were too old to go to war ten years ago; like the old man in the Sphynx’s riddle they lean on staffs. Clytemnestra enters with slaves to make sacrifice at the altars; the choros ask her why sacrifices are being made but she ignores them and does not answer. The choros continue with the first Ode, a song about Aulis and what happened there, The omen of the pregnant hare attacked by the eagles: Calchas the prophet interpreted it to mean that Troy would fall but that the goddess Artemis will try to prevent the destruction of Troy. The sons of Atreus, he said, must not annoy...
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...evidences which show the reality of Trojan War and that did it really happen or not? It also concerns with efforts and campaigns which were performed in order to find out the existence of Troy and reality of this city. Keywords: Trojan War, Troy, Greece, Legendary, Epic, Homer, Iliad, Archeologist, Turkey, Dig, Excavation, Discover Introduction The Trojan War is one of the most legendary stories of the history. It was said that the cause of the war was when Trojan Prince named Paris went to Greece and kidnapped the beautiful Greek princess Helen. It is believed that the sea trading Mycenae was a cause of the war. But Greek tradition reveals that the romantic cause-kidnapping of the princess- is believed as the cause of the war. Generally, the legend tells us that Prince Paris Alexander of Troy took Queen Helen of Sparta away and brought her back with him to Troy. So the Greeks sailed to Troy in order to rescue the princess Helen. Under their leader Agamemnon, the Greeks attacked Troy for nine years. Because of the massive wall surrounding the city all the fighting took place outside of Troy which totally prevented the Greeks from entering and getting the control of the city. This was a big disadvantage for the Greeks. The legend introduces great heroes from both sides. Each side had a strong belief in Gods and Goddesses and believed they aided them in the war. For the Greeks, the gods were Hera, Poseidon, and Athena who aided them. For the...
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...WHAT WAS THE TROJNA WAR? In the middle of the 13th century a. C., Troy, flourishing city of Asia Minor, in present Turkey, was ravaged by a coalition of people from Greece. The Trojan War is a fundamental mythical episode that confronted for the first time to Europe and Asia. For the Greeks, it meant the first time aware of its unity as a people, despite their political disintegration. The Trojan war lasted nearly 10 years. It says in the first chapter of the Iliad that the war was already 9 years old and that many of the ships had problems from rotten ropes and wood and the like. The war starts because Paris, a Trojan prince, "steals" Helen (they feel in love) and whisks her back to Troy. Her husband is a real tough character and is the King of Sparta. Worse yet, his brother is even tougher character and is the King of Mycenae (the richest city) and also the head of all the Greek city states when it came to matters of war. Agamemnon (the brother) and Menelaus convince and bully all the Greek city states into joining with them for the war. A thousand ships are sent. Despite the extreme force, the Trojans are doing very well at holding the Greeks off. Hector, another Trojan prince, is very good at war. The walls are huge and strong. All the Greeks manage to do in 9 long years is to rape and pillage nearby small towns. Troy still stands. The Iliad starts with an argument between Agamemnon (top guy) and Achilles (best fighter) and ends, 24 days later, with Achilles killing...
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...Trojan Horse The ancient Greeks where in the beginning of a war. Awakening to the lovely Helen being gone king Menelaus was blowing up with fury. She was kidnapped by Paris the prince of Troy. Menelaus furiously declared to get Helen! Then because he asked kings for help they answered and sailed to the treacherous Troy. They got to the city but there was a wall, so they couldn’t get in. So the Greeks who were angry sat on the beach and plotted. Thinking precisely, they knew Helen was behind the enemy wall. Unfortunately they tried for ten miserable years, but failed anyway. Odysseus thought of an idea. First he instructed them to build a fence around them to hide their work. His brilliant idea was to construct a wooden horse, which was...
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...A Prize To Be Won One of the most ridiculous, expensive and disgusting wars is started over a woman and to whom her body belongs to. In the Iliad, Helen of Argos is the prize to be won. Helen’s appearance causes her to involuntarily be objectified, sexualized and made into a political issue to the point of the Trojan War breaking out. We’re talking about the Trojan War. The society is more responsible for the outbreak of the Trojan War than Helen is for having natural beauty. Although Helen is beautiful, there should not be consequences for having such beauty as it is not something she can help but been created with. An example of how she is viewed through Homer’s words is as follows, “Helen moved like daylight to the vaulted bedroom,”...
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...and Menelaus prepare for the battle, the two armed men whose dispute over Helen is the cause of the entire war. Whoever wins the battle stays with Helen. Between Menelaus and Paris, Menelaus attempt to strike the first bow. According to line 413, 414 it shows that Menelaus gets the upper hand. Menelaus wins the battle, but Paris exits the battlefield to find Helen. The book states that Aphrodite was quick to the mark. She takes Paris out the battle and puts him in his room at home with his wife. She tells Helen that Paris is asking for her. As Helen enters the bedroom, she sees Paris. She sees the beauty in him. He doesn’t look like a man who just came from war but rather a gentleman. Her heart begins to race. And she questions what is to come of them now. She asked Paris if he’s come to make her fall for him again; if she’s going to be going through this again. Helen is mad at Aphrodite for taking Paris out of the war with Menelaus and wanting her to sleep with him. Helen announces that she will have nothing to do with Paris, but when Aphrodite confronts her she became threated by it. She believes that her going back to Paris and serve him in bed would be shameful. Helen would like to choose the honorable warrior Menelaos. She then got into an argument with Aphrodite. Helen asks Aphrodite why doesn’t she just marry Paris herself and live a miserable life with him. Aphrodite advises Helen not to provoke her and that she might lose her temper and hate her just as...
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...Agamemnon Agamemnon is a confusing tale of the people that are waiting for the soldiers to get home from the Trojan war. Most of the play is the chorus singing about many of the things that happened during the war. The play also shows the disrespect the men had for women in that time period. In front of Agamemnon's palace, a watchman wishes his shift would end. He is tired and wants to sleep but he must stay awake. He awaits news from Queen Clytemnestra. The Chorus of Argive elders enters, singing of the war. They sing of the gods, asking for them to help them win the war, and of the great army. They anxiously await the news from the Queen. In the song, they tell how Agamemnon killed his child. He sacrificed his daughter to Apollo so that Apollo would make the winds blow for his armies ships. The chorus thinks that deed was horrible, but had to be done for the good of the country. The leader asks Clytemnestra if she's heard any news. He doesn't like being ruled by a woman and treats her somewhat rudely. He only listens to her because of his loyalty to his King. She tells the leader that the army has taken Troy. The leader is skeptical and asks her to repeat herself several times. The Queen gets angry and tells him she is not a "credulous girl." When the leader asks how Clytemnestra found out the city was taken so quickly, she tells him that one God delivered the message to another and so on. He yet again asks her, which...
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...are The Illiad written by Homer, The Odyssey written by Homer, and Oedipus Rex written by Sophocles. How they are relevant to today is; The Illiad makes it relevant to today by in life love can make you do some strange things, The Odyssey make it relevant to today by in life no matter what you go through an how long you go through it if you have a goal in life and all those objects and hurdles come around in life don’t let that stop you from getting to your goal that you want to achieve for yourself, and Oedipus Rex makes it relevant to today by in life your fears my come a reality that you can’t shy away from it cause it can make you or break you. In the story of The illiad Paris, a son of the king of Troy, kidnaps Helen, who becomes the legendary "Helen of Troy" and "the woman with the face that launched a thousand ships." He takes her because he fell in love with her and because of that he cause a war for the empire of troy and cause the destruction of try as well. That goes to show that love can and will make you do the most a strangest things and also will make you not think or consider the outcome of bad decisions that you make. In the story of the Odyssey, Odysseus has been gone from Ithaca for about 20 years — the first 10 spent fighting the Trojan War, the last 10 trying to get home. Odysseus is a king who fought in the Trojan War; but before he left he promised his wife that if he don’t return before his son grows a beard then she was to find suitors to take...
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...First part of “The Serpent Son” Prologue: The Watchman on the roof of the Palace of Agamemnon at Mycenae presents the facts. He has been watching a year for the fire signal that will announce Troy’s capture, and all is not well within the house. He sees the beacon at last and will tell Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife. He rejoices at the news for it means his master will be coming home. Parodos or Entry of the Choros, who are Elders of Argos, counsellors to the Queen Regent. They chant about the expedition against Troy. The sons of Atreus (Agamemnon and Menelaus) are seen as birds whose nest has been robbed by the stealing of Helen. Par is who stole her thereby offended against Zeus, the God of the host and guest. With legal images the old men say that Paris will be punished. They themselves were too old to go to war ten years ago; like the old man in the Sphynx’s riddle they lean on staffs. Clytemnestra enters with slaves to make sacrifice at the altars; the choros ask her why sacrifices are being made but she ignores them and does not answer. The choros continue with the first Ode, a song about Aulis and what happened there, The omen of the pregnant hare attacked by the eagles: Calchas the prophet interpreted it to mean that Troy would fall but that the goddess Artemis will try to prevent the destruction of Troy. The sons of Atreus, he said, must not annoy the gods. There will be ominous sacrifice; the refrain to this Ode is “Sing sorrow, sorrow, but...
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...In the Greek legend, he was the king of Mycenae or Argos. When Paris (Alexandros), son of King Priam of Troy, carried off Helen, Agamemnon called on the princes of the country to unite in a war of revenge against the Trojans. 2, Alcinous- (al-KIN-oh-us) He was he King of Phaeacians, he was a happy ruler on the island of Scheria. He had five sons but only one daughter. 3, Amphinomus- (am-fin-o-muss) He was the son of King Nisos. He was to be considered as the best-behaved suitor. Amphinomus was killed by a speare. 4, Antinous- (an-TIN-oh-us) He was the son of Eupeithes, and he was an important suitor. He attempted to kill Telemachus but he fails. 5, Arete- (air-e-tea) She was queen of the Phaeacians, married...
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...Emmett Oh Lyke 4:00 ESSAY 1 FATE IN THE ILIAD Fate is unavoidable, regardless of the effort one puts into changing or avoiding it. Fate in Homer’s ILIAD is depicted as a one way freeway with no exit ramps. No matter what the characters do, once they set foot on their path there is no going back. Dr. Harvey has brought forward the idea in lecture that any speech, simile, or any other small part in the epic can be a microcosm to a greater theme in the text. One of the greater themes that continued to appear throughout the text was fate’s inevitability superseded all other forces in the ILIAD. Fate is the most powerful force in the ILIAD because it shapes the events and decisions that occur throughout the epic. Fate shapes events and decisions by overpowering the will of gods and great warriors, as well as overwhelming characters to the point where they concede to their own fate. Fate`s power is also preserved by the very characters it acts upon. Throughout the Epic, the gods seem to be unable to change fate. For example, the gods are unable to save Hector and Achilles, despite loving them both, as fate has to run it`s course. The Homeric simile described below is a microcosm to these examples. In Book 11 of Homer’s epic, the Acheans are able to drive Trojan forces into a retreat caused by a strong charge put on by Agamemnon. During the Trojan retreat, Agamemnon knocks Isus and Antiphus off their fleeting chariot, killing them, and stripping them of their armor...
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...Hunter Tutin Professor Pierce ENC 1102-20469 10 April 2012 Leda and the Swan By: William Butler 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? Leda and the Swan Ever since the introduction of mythology in the early centuries of our worlds existence, people have been intrigued by the concept of Gods and Goddesses of Rome and ancient Greece. In William Butler Yeats’ sonnet, Leda and the Swan, he writes about Leda having sexual intercourse with the almighty god, Zeus whom in which has taken the form of a Swan. While Yeats’ sonnet is a traditional Shakespearean piece of history, the concept of God and humans interacting...
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...Many myths and legends were focused on the role and importance of family in the human realm as well as the divine realm. Throughout each myth, family had played an important role in each story. There was a sense of connection amongst each character as well as a bond. It was something that linked one person to another whether it was from bloodline or interaction. Though, the vision of a family is not as strong as it seems in the Greek and roman stories. There are many strengths and weaknesses about having a family. The strengths of having a family are the unification of everyone and the continuation of the bloodline. There is a sense of loyalty and commitment to those who have common ancestry. Family members work hand and hand to accomplish a mission. There’s a high sense of family spirit filled with pride and trust in one another, where families work together to maintain their reputations and status in society. There’s a sense of duty and obligation to other family members in need. For families can serve as a support pillar for members to lean on. Some weaknesses about having a family are internal rivalry on issues and leniency to members due to blood ties. Decision-making is affected due to emotional ties to families and traditions that can’t be challenged. Sometimes, families are made due to arranged marriages and political reasoning where there isn’t any love or faithfulness. Therefore, it caused adultery and corruption leading to an unhappy family. Even with all the strength...
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