Trojan War Essay

The Trojan War and its characters are detailed in the writings of Homer, Vergil, Dante and many others. It is a fantastical tale of a decade-long siege of a powerful city by a massive pan-hellenic force. However, even though it has proved to be such a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets and artists throughout history, it is debated whether it

Promoting Greek unity gave the Greeks greater strength in numbers during the wars. Plutarch states “The greatest of all his achievements was to put an ending to all the fighting within Greece, to reconcile the various cities with one another and persuade them to lay aside their differences because of the war with Persia”. Themistocles’ relationship with naval commander Eurybiades also was very important. With Themistocles’ great foresight and decision making, the value of this working relationship with Eurybiades was the ability of Eurybiades to trust in Themistocles and his opinions. This proved very effective in the battles of Artemisium and Salamis. Thucydides praises this: “This man was supreme at doing precisely the right thing at precisely the right moment.” All of these pre-war efforts are contributions to which Themistocles played a great role in Greek victory.

The Greek forces won the Trojan War. The story of the war is a cornerstone of Greek legend, and pervaded Greek literature and culture. Though the evidence for the Trojan War as historical fact is scarce, it was a formative event in Greek cultural memory, producing some of the classical world’s most famous heroes and narratives. The War was won, Helen was retrieved from Paris, whose violation of ξενία was redressed, the heroes attained the κλέος that many of them fought for – and yet the positive outcomes of the Trojan War are difficult to grasp. For the victims of the Trojan War, the tragedy is obvious; the War ended in genocide and total cultural destruction. But such a war, burnt into legend, should have left the victors far better off; and yet, the Greek heroes only suffer because of it. They die tragic, dishonourable deaths; their households are left in ruin; their families are torn apart. From both modern and classical perspectives, the Trojan War is a tragedy, a “harrowing destruction of life” (Euripides, Andromache, 291). The victory is pyrrhic, the loss of life is horrific, the reparations non-existent.

Had Agamemnon demonstrated the same sort of compassion towards the supplicant Chryses, the Greeks would have been spared the wrath of Apollo. Hector's compassion and his respect for the gods, engenders the trust and respect of his people, and makes him an ideal leader.

The second reason that proves he is a bad leader is that his men didn't listen to him on there way back to Ithaca. The third is He makes bad choices and it leads into not getting his men home.

In the Odyssey, Odysseus is an amazing leader because, time after time, get his men out of difficult situations. For example, Odysseus gets his men out of a difficult situation on the island of cyclops. He does this by blinding the eye of the cyclops, then riding out on the sheep when they get let out, saving most of his men. He felt the urge to get his men out because they were getting eaten. He is a good leader because he cares for his men and gets them out of difficult situations. Odysseus also saves his men when they are with Circe. She turns half of them into pigs, so to keep the other half human, he slept with her. So she let them stay safe with her for a year because of Odysseus. He saves his men once again by doing this. Some

In the Odyssey, Odysseus was a very effective leader in many ways. One example is when Odysseus protects one of his crew members after he was turned into a pig.The crew was very hungry, and was on Circe's island. Some members went off to find food, and one came back with a pig. He said that they couldn't eat this pig because it was his friend, and that Circe turned him into a pig. Odysseus showed leadership by telling his crew to wait, and to let him go and see if he is telling the truth. Odysseus He had to sacrifice himself to Circe, so she could change his men back to humans. Odysseus was brave, and strong. He climbed up the mountains, and gave himself to Circe, but the whole time was thinking about his wife, Penelope. Another example is

Referring to the first claim once again, Achilles’ overall disdain towards Agamemnon shows how unheroic characters tend to be the opposite, solidifying the idea that a hero should be contributing with their hard work to gain honor. Achilles describes Agamemnon’s contribution to the war to be minimal, seeing the Lord of Men “skulking behind the lines, /safe in his fast ships” (Il.9.402-03; Fagles 262). While Agamemnon’s contribution is meek, he is the one who would “take it all, /[parceling] out some scraps but [keeping] the lion’s share” (Il.9.403-04; Fagles 262),

In book one of the Iliad, a plague is placed on the Achaian army because Agamemnon wouldn’t release Chryseis, a maiden he’d taken as a prize for sacking a Trojan-allied town. Agamemnon refuses to give up Chryseis until Achilleus surrenders Briseis, another maiden, to him as consultation. This insults Achilleus’ pride and is the first event in the epic to fuel his burning rage (1.8-1.611). Due to his leader, Agamemnon, wounding his pride, he refuses to fight for the Achaians for the first 15 books. However, the tide turns in book 16 when Patroklos, Achilleus’ friend, is killed (16.816-16.821). His rage causes him to join the Achaians once more and develope aristeia, where a hero in battle has his finest moments. He nearly single-handedly slaughters the Trojan army by splitting their ranks and pursuing half of them into the river, where he recognizes Lykaon (21.1-21.35).

Atreus, Agamemnon's father, murdered two of his brother Thyestes children and fed them to Thyestes after finding out that Thyestes' was having an affair with his wife Aerope. When Thyestes found out what his brother did, Thyestes cursed Atreus and all of his bloodline. He also took Aegisthus, who was just a baby at the time so that he can avenge what was done unto his father. Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus gathered a huge fleet and army to set sail to Troy in the Trojan War, to free Helen, Menelaus' wife, who was stolen by Paris, a Prince of Troy. In order for

A good leader trait describes someone in a way that represent them as a leader. Some of these traits consist of someone who has emotional stability, dominance to get the job done, enthusiasm for the job; self- assuredness, maturity, empathy for one, responsibility, and the ability to be able to adapt in situations. As a good leader, being honest and strategic is crucial, someone who has a clear, courageous vision of their goal; Believing in the power of teamwork too. In The Odyssey, Odysseus doesn’t fit this topic, a good leader; although he may have been a hero to many people, he is not a good leader. Odysseus isn’t a good leader because of his strong arrogance; he manipulates his men and puts them

Achilles is selfish when, being dishonored, he leaves his men and goes crying to his tent.Agamemnon also acts like this when he takes the most honor (booty) just because he is the king, not because he earns it.Diomedes, while establishing glory by the great feats he accomplishes, is able to keep order in the troops.He cares for other troops and his people.He does not run away when Agamemnon calls him a coward.Instead he holds steadfast, realizing that Agamemnon is just doing his job and accepts dishonor.Most heroes in the Iliad are able to establish great

In The Iliad, the first of many quarrels between Agamemnon and Achilles is ignited by Briseis and Chryseis. Because Agamemnon is forced to relinquish his prize,

Barry Strauss, professor of classics at Cornell University attempts to redefine a one of history’s biggest love affairs, the Trojan War. Strauss explains how certain events and characters from Homers “The Odyssey” might have actually existed, but also uses modern discoveries from the Bronze Age to compare Homers account to those of Egypt, the Middle East, and etc. While Homer’s epic should not be read as a historical document which recounts the Trojan War hundred percent accurately, it can still be seen as document which embodies some historical truth. The novel as a whole explains the customs, economic standing, fighting styles and beliefs of the Greeks. Strauss’s writing style allows for the book to be accessible to both students and historians. He argues that just like Franz Ferdinand was the spark which ignited World War 1, Helen on the other hand was just a spark which escalated an existing tension between the Greeks and Trojans. Strauss’s personal input on the war itself gives the novel a different outlook on the Trojan War because, it allows for readers to see beyond the facts and make connections with ideas that Strauss had made with recent discoveries and Homers epic.

Agamemnon returns from Troy, a victorious general, bringing home spoils, riches and fame. He is murdered on the same day as he returns. Clytemnestra, his adulterous wife, has laid in wait for her husband's homecoming and kills him whilst he is being bathed after his long journey. During the Agamemnon, large proportions of the Queen's words are justifications for her action, which is very much concerned with the sacrifice of Iphigenia to the gods, in order for the fleet to set sail for Troy. Aegisthus, the new husband of the Queen Clytemnestra, and partner in the conspiracy to murder the war hero, had reasons, which stemmed from the dispute between the Houses of Atreus and Thyestes. Was the