Iliad

CHARACTER DISCUSSION Greeks vs Trojans (Present day Turkey) Who participated in the Trojan War?

1. Greeks (aka Achaeans)
2. Trojans
3. Gods The Greeks
4. Agamemnon
5. Menelaus
6. Achilles
7. Odysseus
8. Nestor
9. Patroclus The Trojans
10. Paris
11. Hector
12. Priam
13. Hecuba
14. Andromache
15. Helen The Gods
16. Zeus
17. Hera
18. Athena
19. Aphrodite
20. Ares
21. Eris

The Gods The Instigators Hera Athena Aphrodite discord The Instigators Greek Goddess of Hera ● One of the original 12 olympians and the wife of zeus.Daughter of titans Rhea and Cronos. ● She was the goddess of marriage and life of women and people prayed to her for safe childbirth,good health and to aid them in marriage ● She supports the Archaeans and helps bring the downfall of troy. She hasn’t forgiven the trojans for choosing aphrodite over her as the most beautiful. Aphrodite ● She was the goddess of sexual love and beauty and married to ares, the god of war. Her Roman counterpart is Venus ● She also seduced the mortal Anchises and conceived Aeneas ● Paris picked her as the most beautiful and therefore she supported the Trojans in the war. Athena God of Wisdom Athena in the Trojan War acts as a mentor to Achilles, battling on the side of the Achaeans Although Zeus forbade the gods and goddesses from interfering in the war, Athena takes an active role Eris ERIS was the goddess of strife, discord, contention and rivalry. She was often portrayed, more specifically, spirit of war haunting the battlefield and delighting in human bloodshed. Because of Eris’ disagreeable nature she was the only goddess not to be invited to the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. She appeared anyway and threw a golden apple amongst the goddesses inscribed “To the fairest.” Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena all claimed the apple which led to the war of Troy. Zeus Vowed to remain neutral, but shows favor to the Trojans He gives advantage to the Trojans at the request of Thetis He sends Hector extra strength to cast a large stone against a wall blocking the Achaean ships. He sends Apollo to help Hector in battle after Poseidon helps the Achaeans. Ares God Of War originally promised Hera that he would support the Greeks in the Trojan War but Aphrodite convinced him to switch sides He takes his physical form and fights along with Hector Other Notable Gods- Hermes - Messenger God. Plays an important role in the ending when he escorts Priam to Achilles, to retrieve Hector’s body Hephaestus - God of the forge; made a new armor for Achilles Poseidon - God of the Seas and Earthquakes. Favoured Greeks Apollo - Son of Zeus, God of archery, music, Sun, and disease. Sent a plague to the camp of the Greeks. Helped Paris kill Achilles. Favoured the Trojans The Achaeans Agamemnon King of Mycenae [my-see-nee] Older brother of Menelaus Led the expedition against Troy Killed upon his return by his wife’s lover, Aegisthus [Ee-jis-thus] Achilles WHO IS ACHILLES? Achilles was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and is the central character of Homer’s Iliad. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, king of Phthia. ACHILLES IN THE TROJAN WAR ● Achilles’ most notable feat during the Trojan War was the slaying of the Trojan prince Hector outside the gates of Troy. Although the death of Achilles is not presented in the Iliad, other sources concur that he was killed near the end of the Trojan War by Paris, who shot him with an arrow. ● He was invulnerable except for one part of his body, the was his heel. ACHILLES’ CHARACTER ● The Romans, who traditionally traced their lineage to Troy, took a highly negative view of Achilles. Virgil refers to Achilles as a savage and a merciless butcher of men,while Horace portrays Achilles ruthlessly slaying women and children.Other writers, such as Catullus, Propertius, and Ovid, represent a second strand of disparagement, with an emphasis on Achilles’ erotic career. This strand continues in Latin accounts of the Trojan War by writers such as Dictys Cretensis and Dares Phrygius and in Benoît de Sainte-Maure’s Roman de Troie, which remained the most widely read and retold versions of the Matter of Troy until the 17th century. ● But he is most widely recognized as a brave and valiant soldier vulnerable only at the heel and ofcourse matters of the heart. Menelaus (meh-nuh-lay-us} King of Sparta Younger brother of Agamemnon Served under his brother in the Trojan War Helen’s husband After the war, Helen and Menelaus live happily till their death Odysseus [ah-di-si-yus, not oh-dee-see-us] King of Ithaca The focus of the epic “Odyssey” Was responsible for bringing Achilles to Troy (A prophecy said that without Achilles, the war could not be won) Gave the idea of the Trojan Horse Patroclus ● Patroclus was a childhood friend,war time companion and the presumed lover of Achilles ● Patroclus lead the myrmidons into battle and killed many trojans but he was then defeated and killed by hector after his wits were removed by Apollo ● He was said to be the lover of Achilles by later writers such as Ledbetter and James Hooker. Nestor •Nestor is the king of Gerenia and fought against Troy along with the Greeks •He advises and motivates the people around him, and he moves the plot of the story forward. •His tales are usually paradigmatic and serve as examples for present situations. •He is the oldest man among the Achaeans, and the Greeks saw advantages in old age Other Notable Characters Diomedes - youngest of the Greek commanders. is assisted by Athena. manages to wound two different gods, Aphrodite and Ares Ajax The Greater - Second greatest warrior. Almost kills Hector twice. Ajax The Lesser - Known for his speed and cleverness. Fights along Ajax The Greater The Trojans HECTOR WHO IS HECTOR? • Eldest son of the Trojan King Priam and his Queen Hecuba the chief warrior of the Trojan army •He was also a devoted husband to Andromache and they had one son Astyanax •He is a special favourite of Apollo HECTOR IN THE TROJAN WAR • He is said to be the mightiest warrior in Trojan Army but he did not approve the war between Trojans and Greeks. • During the Trojan War, Hector’s chief exploits were his defence of the wounded Sarpedon, his fight with Ajax, and the storming of the Greek ramparts. • He is also the first and only Trojan to set the Archean ship on fire • He also kills Patroclus HOW DID HECTOR DIE? • The success of Hector against Patroclus proves to be a turning point in the war, but not a turn in favour of the Trojans. • Achilles faces Hector in a battle when he finds out about his close friend’s death. • Achilles defeats Hector and then drags his body around the gates of Troy • Aphrodite and Apollo, preserve the body from corruption and mutilation • Later, Priam, guarded by Hermes, the messenger of gods, goes to Achilles to entreat him to give back the body. The Iliad ends with Hector’s funeral during which his body is buried with great honour. HECTOR’S CHARACTER • positive light as a good son, loving husband and father and a trusty friend. • Hector has dedicated his life to the service of others; he is an example of “model” Homeric man • Hector’s relationship and attitude toward women and children is deeply embedded in Homeric culture. • Blinded by military success, Hector becomes more presumptuous and doesn’t seem as the same Hector portrayed earlier in the epic. Paris • Best known for eloping with Helen, queen of Sparta, • this serves as the immediate causes of the Trojan War. • Later in the war, he fatally wounds Achilles in the heel • Hector and much of the Trojans are angry at Paris for bringing the war upon them • Prophesied to bring the fall of Troy, was asked to be killed by Hecuba. The servants abandoned him instead of killing him. He was raised by shepherds and then returned to Troy where he was accepted by Priam Helen Wife of Menelaus, is regarded as the “most beautiful woman in the world” Homer depicts her ambivalently, both regretful of her choice and sly in her attempts to redeem her public image After the death of Paris, she marries Deiphobos [dee-ay-fuh-bus], one of Paris’ brothers. But she betrays him by hiding his sword when Menelaus arrives. Menelaus brutally murders Deiphobos King Priam

• the last king of Troy.
• He succeeded his father, Laomedon, as king and extended Trojan control over the Hellespont.
• He first married Arisbe and then Hecuba, and he had other wives and concubines.
• He had 50 sons, according to Homer’s Iliad, and many daughters. Hecuba bore 19 of the sons, including Priam’s favourites, Hector and Paris.
• Plays a key role in the ending
• One of the most emotional parts of the Iliad is the ending, where King Priam is teary eyed and asks Achilles to return Hector’s body so that he may be buried properly Hecuba
• The Queen of Troy and wife of King Priam,
• Hecuba, plays a significant role in The Iliad, even though her most important actions take place before the story begins
• When pregnant with Paris, she had a dream which the prophets of Troy interpreted as the doom of the Kingdom. The prophecy said that if Paris lived, Troy would fall. The Queen orders her servants to kill Paris, but they don’t Andromache [en-dro-ma-key] Andromache the wife of Hector, was from Thebes. •Her brothers and father was killed by Achilles and her mother also passed away. •Hector weds Andromache and then brings her to Troy •Andromache functions as the loving wife, giving a sense of Hector’s loyalties and life outside of battle. •In the epic, Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, holds Andromache captive and enslaves her and throws Astyanax from the walls of Troy. •Neoptolemus was slain at Delphi, and he left Andromache and the kingdom to Helenus, the brother of Hector. • Andromache died of old age in Pergamos named after her son. Aeneas Son of Aphrodite; a Trojan nobleman. He is second in command of the Trojan army and a brave, skillful warrior Almost killed multiple times, but Apollo and Aphrodite keep rescuing him