Iliad

Iliad : 

Iliad

The major characters : 

The major characters Menelaus — King of Sparta; husband of Helen. Agamemnon — King of Mycenae; leader of the Greeks. Odysseus —the wiliest Greek commander, and hero of the Odyssey. Hector — son of King Priam; the foremost Trojan warrior. Paris — Helen’s lover-abductor. Priam — the aged King of Troy.

Helen : 

Helen Helen is the daughter of Zeus and Leda, the wife of the Spartan king.In the form of a swan, Zeus was chased by an eagle, and met Leda. The swan gained her affection, and the two mated. Leda then produced an egg, from which Helen was produced.

Achilles : 

Achilles Achilles was the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus, the king of the Myrmidons. Zeus and Poseidon had been rivals for the hand of Thetis until Prometheus, the fire-bringer, warned Zeus of a prophecy that Thetis would bear a son greater than his father. For this reason, the two gods withdrew their pursuit. When Achilles was born Thetis tried to make him immortal by dipping him in the river Styx. However, he was left vulnerable at the part of the body she held him by, his heel.(Achilles Heel)

Golden Apple & Judgement of Paris : 

Golden Apple & Judgement of Paris All of the gods were invited to Peleus and Thetis' wedding except Eris ("Discord"), who was stopped at the door on Zeus' order.Insulted, she threw from the door a gift of her own:a golden apple on which were inscribed the words "To the fairest". The apple was claimed by Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. They quarreled bitterly over it. Eventually, Zeus ordered Hermes to lead the three goddesses to Paris, a prince of Troy, who, unaware of his ancestry, was being raised as a shepherd, because of a prophecy that he would be the downfall of Troy. The goddesses resorted to bribes. Athena offered Paris wisdom, skill in battle, and the abilities of the greatest warriors; Hera offered him political power and control of all of Asia; and Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta.

Elopement of Paris and Helen : 

Elopement of Paris and Helen Paris, in the guise as a diplomatic mission, went to Sparta to get Helen and bring her back to Troy. Helen was shot with an arrow from Eros, and fell in love with Paris when she saw him as promised by Aphrodite. Menelaus then asked Agamemnon to uphold his oath. He agreed and sent emissaries to all the Achaean kings and princes to call them to observe their oaths and retrieve Helen.

Death of Hector : 

Death of Hector Agamemnon took Achilles' concubine Briseis as his own. Enraged at the dishonor Achilles decided he would no longer fight. he allowed his close friend,and relative Patroclus to go into battle wearing Achilles' armor and lead his army. Patroclus was then killed by Hector. Achilles, maddened with grief, swore to kill Hector in revenge. Achilles killed Hector, and afterwards he dragged Hector's body from his chariot and refused to return the body to the Trojans. Afterwards, Priam came to Achilles' tent, and asked Achilles to return Hector's body.

Death of Achilles : 

Death of Achilles Achilles chased the Trojans to their city, which he entered. The gods, seeing that he had killed too many of their children, decided that it was his time to die. He was killed after Paris shot a poisoned arrow that was guided by Apollo.

Trojan Horse : 

Trojan Horse The end of the war came with one final plan. Odysseus devised a new ruse—a giant hollow wooden horse. The hollow horse was filled with soldiers led by Odysseus. The rest of the army burned the camp and sailed for Tenedos. When the Trojans discovered that the Greeks were gone, believing the war was over, they "joyfully dragged the horse inside the city",when it was midnight and the clear moon was rising and the soldiers from inside the horse emerged and killed the guards. Troy was sacked.