1. The Golden Apple The Judgment of Paris Goddess of Discord – Eris
Marriage of King Peleus/sea nymph, Thetis
Golden Apple “For the Fairest”
Aphrodite, Hera, & Pallas Athena
Zeus refused to make the judgment
Mount Ida near Troy – find Paris with sheep

2. Paris’s Decision Son of King Priam, King of Troy
Working as shepherd – predicted he would ruin his country
The 3 goddesses asked him to chose the fairest of them
Hera promised to make him Lord of Europe and Asia

3. Athena – he would lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks and lay Greece to ruins
Aphrodite – that the fairest woman in all the world should be his.
Paris: young, weak, coward, chose Aphrodite and gave her the apple.

4. The Greek Addition Leda, wife of King Tyndareus of Sparta (G)
Bathes in the river and is seen by Zeus
As a swan – Zeus seduces her
Same night Leda is with husband
Nine months later Leda gave birth to a giant egg, from which came Helen and Polydeuces
Later that same day she bore Clytaimestra and Castor

6. Helen’s Beauty
As an infant, Helen was beautiful, but her beauty grew as she did.
At 12, she was already so famous for her beauty that she was abducted by Theseus.
He entrusted her to his mother’s care, as he was 50 and wanted to keep her pure and unviolated.

7. As her beauty grew, so did his desire
Helen was rescued by her brothers
King Tyndareus realizes her beauty is going to cause problems, so he designs a plan.
Oath demanded of all suitors
“Regardless of whom Tyndareus’s daughter takes for a husband, him will I defend. Should ever anyone lay hands upon her and spirit her away, I vow hereby to march against that man with all my forces and lay his city, be it Greek or foreign, in utter ruin”

8. Marriage of Helen
Many suitors (Odysseus of Ithaca, Diomedes, Heracles, Ajax…..)
Menelaos, brother of Agamemnon, King of Mycenai. King is already married to Cltaimestra, Helen’s sister.
All willingly put signature to oath
Menelaos is chosen

9. Paris & Helen
Paris hears of Helen’s beauty and believes he is now entitled to her. Aphrodite encourages him
Travels to Greece
Welcomed in the household of Menelaos and Helen and entertained royally for nine days
Tenth day, Menelaos must leave because his father has died
Paris takes advantage of the time, seduces Helen, and sails off with her to Troy
Menelaos declares war and calls upon those who swore the oath

10. Odysseus is Called
Menelaus call upon all Greek kings & chieftains to help reclaim Helen & punish Paris & Troy
All come willingly except Odysseus & Achilles
Odysseus does not want to leave his house, wife, and family for a faithless woman

11. Odysseus’s Trick Odysseus, known for his shrewdness & clever ideas
Pretends to be crazy and is plowing a field with salt instead of seed
Shrewd messenger tests Odysseus by placing his son in front of the plow
Odysseus turns the plow to avoid child and is discovered. He must join Menelaus.

13. Face that launched a 1000 ships

15. 10 year war 1000 ships leave with Menelaus
Fighting goes on for 10 years with the victories going back and forth
Athena & Hera on side of Greeks (Remember, it was Paris, a Trojan, who awarded Aphrodite the apple)
Odysseus finally comes up with idea of Trojan Horse

16. The Trojan Horse
Greeks appear to sail home, but their ships are all hidden behind a near by island.
Trojan Horse is wheeled to gate & is accepted as a gift by most.
Cassandra, daughter of King Priam, warns her father of “Greeks bearing gifts”, but he accepts the horse as a peace offering.

17. City gates open and horse is wheeled in.
City parties over the end of the battle. Most finally fall asleep drunk.
When all of Troy is drunk and asleep, the soldiers in the horse exit, open the gates, & bring in all the Greek soldiers who have sailed back under cover of darkness.
City is flattened.

18. Cassandra, King Priam’s daughter is torn from alter in Athena’s temple.
Athena protested at the sacrilege. She asked Poseidon to help her get vengeance.
Poseidon agreed. Many of the Greeks were blown off course and some lost their ships and lives. Many eventually found their way home.
Odysseus’s trip took the longest. His journey home took 10 years.

19. Odysseus Returns Home Homer sings Innvocation to the Muse
Story told in two parts
The first half of the story tells of all his wanderings and adventures.
Begins with an Invocation (Prayer) to a muse.
Is told after the fact – almost as a flashback
The story is of the actual return of Odysseus
to his beloved home island, Ithaca.
The story is told as it is occurring.