Trojan War Research Paper

Barry Strauss organizes his summary of the Trojan War by referencing Homer 's the Iliad and the Odyssey and compares it to the historical contexts of what he thinks happened. Most scholars agree that the Trojan War dates back around 1200 B.C. during the Bronze Age. The most popular tale of how the Trojan War starts is when Paris, Prince of Troy, goes to visit Sparta to mend relations. In Sparta, Paris is welcomed by Menelaus, King of Sparta and his beautiful wife Helen. According to ancient sources, Menelaus went to Crete for business and foolishly left Helen all alone with Paris (Strauss, 15). Afterward, Helen is seduced by Paris and flees Sparta to accompany him back to Troy, along with bountiful treasures.

The Trojan war was a ten year siege on the city of the city of Troy at the hands of the Greek forces led by a psychopathic king, Agamemnon. This conflict, which took place about 1200 B.C has become one of the most well known Greek mythology events in history. In the 13th century B.C, Troy and Sparta had stopped their wars and become allies, this was until Paris the youngest prince of Troy seduced Helen, the Queen of Sparta and left with her back to Troy. When Menelaos (The King of Sparta) found out what had happened, he vowed

During that entire time, Achilles’ justification for wallowing in self-pity is that he has been “dishonored”. This argument becomes null and void when Agamemnon offers lavish compensation for the affront. In addition to returning Briseis, Agamemnon offers Achilles seven unfired tripods, ten gold bars, twenty burnished cauldrons, a dozen horses, seven beautiful women from Lesbos, twenty Trojan women, his daughters’ hand in marriage along with a rich dowry, and the ownership of seven populous cities. Any reasonable person would have taken the offer but not prideful, bitter Achilles. Instead he continues on with the same old rhetoric and refuses to fight. As if standing idly by while his countrymen were being killed was not enough, Achilles has his mother call in a favor to Zeus asking him to help the Trojans so that even more Greeks would die during his absence. Not only did he abandon his comrades, he actually prayed for them to die because his pride had been hurt.

Once the Greeks finally arrived to their destination in Troy, Operation Beachhead comes into play, which is essentially the first battle in the Trojan War. The Greek’s stability status is significant because they needed a reliable location, which is also known as a camp. As they started reaching ashore, the Trojans were preparing their actions. In fact, the first person to die in the battle was because of King Priam’s son, Hector, who stabbed the first person to set foot on the beach. The King of Troy already had a plan set out in which he wanted to take an approach where the Trojans focus on defense, especially away from the city’s walls.

Around the twelfth to thirteenth century B.C. God intervention caused one of the bloodiest wars in history, the Trojan War. The main characters in this war and the story that comes with it (The Iliad) are Achilles the best fighter on the Greek side and Hector the Trojans best warrior. Hector and Achilles were heroes in the story but they were different types of heroes. Achilles is known as the epic hero because he had supernatural help and characteristics but Hector was the modern hero the regular human hero because he was just human and had no supernatural power or help.

Achilles’, similar to Sakuntala, had to struggle with a curse that was placed on his life. He was told by his mother, Thetis, of his cursed prophecy that he will die in the Trojan war. Even a warrior of his stature fears

Although this quote is very gory, it shows his taste for fighting and how badly he wants to be great. When Achilles was young he was given the choice from his Mother, Thetis Goddess of the Sea, he could either be a great warrior, have a ton of glory, be remembered for ever but would have to die young, or Achilles could live a normal life, not be a great warrior, or be remembered, but he would live to a ripe old age. This is

Although Achilles was quite outraged at this, he gave a respectful response, stating that he would drop out of the war because Agamemnon had dishonored him. Later, the Trojans killed Patroclus, Achilles’ dearest and most trusted friend. Achilles was overcome with grief, but realized how stubborn and selfish he was being by dropping out of the war. He decided that he had to join the war once again to honor Patroclus. He told his mother, “Enough. Let bygones be bygones. Done is done. Despite my anguish I will beat it down, the fury mounting inside me, down by force. But now I’ll go and meet that murderer head-on, that Hector who destroyed the dearest life I know.” It is clear that he knew that in those ancient times, a real hero avenged the death of a dear friend, and would sacrifice his own life to save the dead body and give it a proper burial.

“I conjure the boy I knew. Achilles, grinning as the figs blur in his hands. His green eyes laughing into mine. Catch, he says. Achilles, outlined against the sky, hanging from a branch over the river. The thick warmth of his sleepy breath against my ear. If you have to go, I will go with you. My fears forgotten in the golden harbor of his arms. The memories come, and come. She listens, staring into the grain of the stone.We are all there, goddess and mortal and the boy who was both.”

He thinks about others before himself; he takes responsibility for his men and wants to protect them even if it means risking his own life. He demonstrated god-like qualities and morals to inspire his men. Odysseus is arrogant, brave, and wise, however he is sentimental. He states that, “Sometimes you need to serve in order to lead” (Odysseus). Odyssey has done his job after defeating the Trojans, so the reason why he went to war was to encourage liege lord, Agamemnon, and now that it is over, he can return to Ithaca.

Achilles was arrogant, stubborn and he held an overly high view of himself. In his wrath, he alienated himself from not only his allies but also from humanity. “But Achilles weeping went and sat in sorrow apart from his companions” (69; bk.1, ln.348-349). Ignoring the consequences, he still withdrew himself from the war.

Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis. He also lets his best friend, Patroclus, go into battle alone only to die when Hector kills him with his spear. Achilles joins the war when he hears of Patrclus death, but it was not out of bravery; out of guilt, revenge and anger, when he hears of his friend's death. When Achilles kills Hector, he binds his feet to his chariot and drags his body around the walls of Troy. In my opinion this was not an act of heroism. But in the Iliad the Greeks loved Achilles. Achilles was considered half mortal and half God. Achilles has all the characteristics of a heroic warrior on a grand scale, and he possesses more than a common measure of all the merits and all the faults of a hero (Bowra 193). All of Achilles traits and glory are won primarily in battle, which sets Achilles apart from Hector because Achilles knows little about home and family. He has no wife: his father he has not seen in years; his mother, even though she helps him but he cannot help her and she isn't even a human being (Bowra 194).

Eventually, Achilles refused to fight in the Trojan War because of Agamemnon’s dishonor. He asked his mother to help him punish the Greek; he wanted to see the army to suffer; and he wanted the Greek to be killed. All of those happened just to protect his excessive pride. He was only concerned about his honor, but the Greek or the lives of others (Homer 240). His selfishness and egotism was illustrate best when the Greeks asked him to return to the army. After being defeated by the Trojan, King Agamemnon had to ask Achilles to go back and fight for the sake of the army. Achilles decided to reject the offer, and abandoned the need of the Greek. He reasoned how his pride was not honored; how many of the battles that he has won; and how good he

His actions directly cause even more difficulties on his journey home. In Achilles’ case, his pride indirectly influenced the fate of countless Greeks willing to fight against Troy, while he remained pouting. In an article about the Trojan War, Kevin Osborn states, “His tremendous pride caused him at one point to abandon his Greek comrades and quit the war because he felt insulted,” (Osborn). Had Achilles fought sooner, the war would have ended faster, and less lives would have been lost. Yet, as any great hero should be, both these men are terrific fighters. These men do not shy away from any form of combat and have no fear of getting blood on their hands. The real differences between these heroes appears in their methods of enacting violence.

He is heroic because of many things. For example, he shows courage during tough situations. When he was facing Achilles, he knew that he will lose but he still fought. Furthermore, he takes part in in life-threatening activities. The Trojan war is one of the many battles he has taken part in and it was life-threatening causing him to end up dead. Lastly, Hector placed his honor above his life. While battling Achilles, he could have escaped, but he did not. It is honorable to face challenges and Hector faced Achilles even if thought he might die. In Homer’s, The Iliad, Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus are characters who follow the heroic code. Achilles and Odysseus followed the heroic code, but Hector fits the hero role the