ch 1: Golden Apple
When the Greek King, Peleus, and the Sea Nymph Thetis got married, they made one of the goddesses very upset.
Who was upset with them? Why? What did she do about it?
Eris - goddess of discord
She wasn't invited to the wedding.
She dropped a golden apple on the table that said, "To the Fairest" and it started an argument between 3 other goddesses.
When Menelaus discovered that Helen was taken by Paris, what did he do?
What did this person do to help him?
He went to his brother Agamemnon (High King) and told him that Paris had run off with Helen.
Agamemnon declared war on Troy and called all the Greeks together to get her back.
Why were the Greeks stuck on the beach of Troy for over 9 years if they were such amazing warriors?
They didn't know anything about siege warfare. They didn't think of ways to get the Trojans OUT of the castle.
Thetis DID go to Zeus and ask for a Trojan victory. Zeus didn't really want to help, but he did help a LITTLE. What did he do?
Did it work?
He gave Agamemnon a fake dream. It was NESTOR saying that they should go to battle NOW and they would win.
Ag didn't believe the dream and asked the other kings what they thought.
Why did Athene make the Trojan ally (Pandarus) shoot Menelaus even though there was a truce?
She wanted the war to continue.
She wanted to make Aphrodite look bad because she was angry over losing the argument about the golden apple.
At the beginning of chapter 6, the Trojans are doing really well. What does Athene do to interrupt their progress?
She puts in Hector's head that he should offer another one-on-one battle.
This time HE would fight and the winner would keep Helen.
Who were the 3 goddesses who were fighting over the golden apple? What reasons did they give for feeling they deserved the apple?
Athene - Goddess of wisdom (there is nothing greater than wisdom)
Hera - Wife of Zeus the All-Father, Queen of the gods.
Aphrodite - Goddess of beauty
Who is Thetis' son?
What did she do to try to protect him when he was a baby?
Why didn't it work?
Achilles
She dipped him in the river Styx to make him invincible.
She was holding him by the heel - thus, his heel is not protected.
What did the Greeks do while they were waiting for the Trojans to come out and fight (to keep themselves from being too bored).
They attacked neighboring cities and towns for food, horses, and slaves.
What did Agamemnon do to try to test the morale of the men?
What ended up happening?
He told all the men that they could go home. He expected them to refuse and want to fight.
All the men were SO happy and ran for the ships. Ody had to drive them back.
Agamemnon was very worried when Menelaus was shot by Pandarus. Why?
Who ended up helping Menelaus?
If Menelaus died, the Greeks would have no reason to continue to fight and they would go home.
Machaon the Greek healer pulled the arrow out and told them all Menelaus was ok.
Why doesn't Menelaus fight Hector?
Who DOES fight him?
Ag wouldn't let him because he was already wounded.
Ajax, the tallest and strongest Greek warrior fights him.
King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy had a baby son. Who was he? What did King Priam order be done with him? Why?
Paris
He said to put the baby in the woods to let him die.
The Trojan soothsayer said that he was a "firebrand" or someone who would cause trouble. He said he would be the DOWNFALL of Troy.
Other than being nearly invincible, why was Achilles such a good warrior?
He was trained by the famous Chiron, the centaur when he was young.
Achilles led a raid on a nearby town, what did he bring back to the Greek camp?
What did he have to do with what he brought back?
He brought back two girls as slaves, Chryseis and Briseis.
He had to give Agamemnon Chryseis and he kept Briseis.
Describe Paris' attitude when the two armies were facing off. What did he do to make his brother Hector (the Trojan war chief) mad?
He offered to fight any Greek one-on-one.
When Menelaus accepted, he hid behind the Trojan army.
Who ended up killing Pandarus (the Trojan ally who shot Menelaus, thus breaking the truce)?
Diomedes.
He was shot by Pandarus, but had a friend pull the arrow out for him, then killed him with a spear.
How does the hand-to-hand combat between Hector and Ajax end?
How do the guys feel about each other after? How do you know?
They were so evenly matched, it was a tie. They had to stop because it was dark out.
They parted as friends because they both fought with honor.
They gave each other presents.
Why did the 3 goddesses choose Paris to judge their debate over the apple?
What did each promise him?
Who did he choose?
He wouldn't be afraid to choose between them because he didn't know them.
Athene: Supreme Wisdom
Hera: Wealth, power, honor
Aphrodite: A beautiful wife
When Thetis realized that Achilles would have to go to war, how did she try to keep him safe?
She dressed him up as a girl (under a spell) and hid him at King Lycomedes' palace with his many daughters.
Who is Apollo, and why was he angry?
What did he do?
He is the Sun god.
He is angry because his priest is Chryseis' father. When he went to ask for her back, Agamemnon was rude to him.
He made the Greeks sick.
Describe what happened during the one-on-one battle between Menelaus and Paris.
Who got involved? Why did she do this?
Menelaus was winning and was dragging Paris back to the Greek lines, and Aphrodite unclipped the helmet and made Paris disappear to his palace.
She did this so that Athene and Hera wouldn't win the argument - she wanted to keep her bargain to Paris to keep Helen.
He was supposed to leave the command of the army to Aeneas and go tell his mom to pray to Athene to help them in the war.
After the battle resumes, Agamemnon gets scared and decides that the Greeks CAN'T win. He wants to go home. Why?
Zeus got involved and threw a thunderbolt to distract Diomedes' horses because he was doing too well. Ag thought that if Zeus was against him, there was no way that they could win.
Who was Helen?
Who was she married to?
Helen was the most beautiful woman in the world.
She was married to King Menelaus of Sparta.
Why did Odysseus go looking for Achilles instead of just going off to fight in the war without him?
Calchus, the Greek soothsayer, told the Greeks that they COULD NOT win the war without Achilles.
Who is Calchas, and what does he say has to be done in order for the Greek to stop dying from disease?
What was Agamemnon's response?
He said that they had to give Chryseis back to her father.
He said that if he had to give up his slave, he would take Achilles' slave Briseis.
Why was Helen angry with Paris?
He swore an oath that he would stick to the rules of the one-on-one battle, and whoever wins, gets to keep her.
When Paris "disappeared" she feels he forfeited and Menelaus is the winner.
After speaking to his mother, he went to see Helen to comfort her. What did he find there? Why was he angry?
He found Paris just hanging out shining his armor. He was angry because it was Paris' fault that everyone was fighting, and he wasn't helping.
Nestor (the oldest and wisest of the Greek chiefs) comes up with a plan. What does he say that they HAVE to do?
Who carries out this plan?
He says that they have to get Achilles to agree to fight with them again.
They send Ody, Ajax, and Phoenix to talk to him.
Why did Paris go to see Helen?
What trouble did he cause in Sparta?
He wanted to see the most beautiful woman in the world for himself.
He talked her into running away with him to Troy (with Aprhodite's help).
How did Ody break the curse and get Achilles back?
He dressed up as a peddler (traveling salesman) with a big pack of goods.
When he set them in front of King Lycomedes' daughters (including Achilles) all of them chose what they liked the best.
Achilles chose a sword, and when he touched it the spell was broken.
Achilles got VERY angry when Ag demanded that he give up Briseis. What did he SWEAR he would NOT do?
What favor did he ask of his mother?
He said he would NOT fight for the Greeks.
He asked her to go to Zeus and pray for a Trojan victory so that Ag would feel badly about making him mad.
How and why does Aphrodite intervene between Helen and Paris?
She makes Helen stay with Paris by telling her if she doesn't, Aphrodite will make BOTH the Greeks and Trojans hate her.
Again, Aphrodite doesn't want to break her promise to Paris (of having the most beautiful wife) so that Athene and Hera don't win.
Who did Hector go to see after he yelled at Paris?
What was he so worried about?
His wife Andromache and son Astynax.
He was worried that if the Trojans lost the war, she would end up as a Greek slave.
Why? What did Ag offer Achilles to get him back?
Phoenix says that he taught him better than that, and when someone apologizes, you should accept.
Ag offered Achilles:
An apology, Briseis back, gold, horses, slaves, land, and his own (Ag's) daughter as a wife.