The Iliad

Greeks Achilles Odysseus Agamemnon Menelaus Helen Clytemnestra Patroclus Calchas Ajax Trojans Priam Hecuba Paris Hector Andromache Briseis Chryseis Deiphobus When Paris was born, there was a prophecy that he would be the destruction of Troy. His parents gave him to servants to kill, but they put him on a mountainside to die. He was found by a shepherd and his wife and was raised. He found his way back to his family. When Thetis and Peleus got married, Eris, the goddess of Dischord, showed up and threw a golden apple into the wedding hall. It said, "For the Fairest." Three goddesses wanted the apple. To decide who would get it, Paris was brought in to decide. Hera offered him wealth and power. Athena offered him wisdom, bravery, and victory. Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world. The woman happened to be Helen, who was married to Menelaus. So that she would win, Aphrodite helped Paris go to Greece and take Helen back to Troy with him. Menelaus went to his brother, Agamemnon, who gathered the other kings and warriors together and headed to Troy to get Helen back. When the Greeks got to Troy, they needed to restock their food and supplies. During their raiding, Agamemnon took a woman, Chryseis, for himself, while Achilles took Briseis. Chryseis was the daughter of Chrysys, priest of Apollo. He prayed to Apollo for help, and the Greeks were punished with plagues until she was returned. Agamemnon then took Briseis from Achilles. Achilles took the Myrmidons, returned to the camp, and refused to fight until Hector brought fire to the ships. He called upon his mom, Thetis, who asked Zeus to help. Zeus sent Agamemnon a misleading dream. There was a Battle of Champions. Paris fought for the Trojans. Menelaus fought for the Greeks. Paris didn't hurt Menelaus, but Menelaus was getting ready to hurt Paris by dragging him on the ground by his helmet. Aphrodite saved him and took him back to his room.Hector went to see his mom. She told him to be careful and pray to Zeus. He then went to Paris' room and told him to get back out to the battlefield and fight since the whole thing was his fault. After that, he went to see his wife, Andromache, and his son. His wife told him not to go because he was going to die. He knew he was going to die, but he had to fight because he had to try to protect them and the rest of the city. He was going to die a noble death.The Trojans were fighting very well, and Agamemnon was ready to give up and go home. Odysseus wouldn't let that happen. They decided to try to get Achilles to come back and fight. Odysseus, Ajax, and Phoenix took the message that Agamemnon would give him many gifts if he would come back. Achilles said that he would not. Nestor told Patroclus that he should take Achilles' armor and go fight because that would scare the Trojans. Achilles gave it to him, but told him that if the Trojans started to run, he should return to the camp and not go to the Trojan wall. Patroclus took the armor and scared the Trojans. He didn't go back to the camp, but went to the Trojan wall to fight. Apollo knocked him off the wall three times. Finally, Hector speared Patroclus in the stomach. Patroclus told Hector that he would die in the same place by Achilles. Everyone fought over Patroclus. The Trojans got the armor, but the Greeks were able to recover the body.Achilles found out that Patroclus had died and was crying on the beach. Thetis came to him and told him that she would get some more armor so he could avenge Patroclus by killing Hector. Hephaestus made armor for Achilles so he could go fight. When Achilles got to the Trojan Gate, Hector was there waiting for them. He chased Hector around the city three times. Athena appeared to Hector as his brother Deiphobus to help him, but then disappeared. Achilles killed Hector with a spear to the throat. Hector asked Achilles to return his body to his father, but Achilles said he would feed him to the dogs. He threaded an oxhide cord through the tendons in his ankles and dragged him behind his chariot. Even the gods thought this was bad and put a protection around Hector so his body wouldn't be damaged. Priam went to see Achilles to beg for his son's body back. He offered many gifts and told Achilles how much he was mourning Hector. Achilles pitied him and returned Hector's body. Everyone stopped fighting so funerals could happen and funeral games could be played.When fighting resumed, Paris shot an arrow while Apollo helped it find its way to Achilles' heel, where he was the most vulnerable. During his funeral games, there was a competition for Achilles' armor between Ajax and Odysseus. Odysseus won and Ajax went insane. He thought the cows were men who were making fun of him and he killed them. When he realized what he had done, he fell on his sword and killed himself.When the Greeks were on their way to Troy, they stopped at an island, and a venomous sea monster bit one of their crew, Philoctetes. His leg became infected and smelled so badly that they decided to leave him behind because he would surely die anyway. The prophet Calchus told the Greeks that Philoctetes was still alive, and if they wanted to kill Paris, they had to have their abandoned crew member do it. Odysseus and Diomedes retrieved Philoctetes, and Paris was killed by the Greeks' poisoned arrow.Odysseus got a great idea from Athena to build a big wooden horse to give to the Trojans as a gift and hide in it to get into the city. Amazingly, it worked. While the Trojans were passed out from celebrating too hard, the Greeks attacked and killed all of the men. The Greek leaders claimed the women, and Astyanax was thrown from the Trojan city wall.