Term 2 - Lec 11 (Causes of the Trojan War)

Question 1

what are the major sources for the Trojan War?

Answer 1

• Epic Cycle (Archaic Period)
• -> Lost Greek epic poems preserved in fragments, summaries, etc.

Later literature based on early myths:

• Athenian tragedy, Pindar (Classical Period)
• Latin Epic (Roman period)

Question 2

What was the House of Tyndareus?

Answer 2

• Tyndareus + Leda = Clytemnestra, Castor

- Leda + Zeus (swan) = Helen, Polydeuces

Question 3

What was Tyndareus’ problem?

What was the solution? On whose advice was this on?

Answer 3

• Helen was super hot, had lots of suitors
• Odysseus’ advice: make suitors take oath to defend the relationship no matter what, then let Helen decide
• Helen chooses Menelaus (not the greatest suitor compared to others)

Question 4

What was the House of Atreus

Answer 4

Tantalus –> Pelops –> Thyestes, Atreus

Atreus + Aerope –> Agamemnon, Menelaus

Thyestes –> Aegisthus, 2 other sons

Question 5

Who is Peleus?

Who does he marry?

Answer 5

= king of Phthia in Thessaly
= on of the Argonauts
- nereids including Thetis swim out of the sea to admire the Argo
- Peleus sees her and wants to marry ehr

Question 6

Why do the gods agree to let Peleus marry Thetis even though she’s divine?
What was Thetis’ response

Answer 6

• prophecy that her son will be greater than his father
• marrying her to mortal poses no threat to gods
• Thetis was unwilling and ashamed, she shape shifted into different animals to avoid the marriage
• Peleus had to hold her down to subdue

Question 7

What happened at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis?

Answer 7

• commensality (gods + mortals feast)
• Eris (Strife) not invited
• she arrives with her ‘apple of discord’
• apple causes trouble because she says apple is intended “for the fairest” and 3 gods lay claim

Question 8

Describe the divine beauty contest

Answer 8

• Hera, Aphrodite, Athena lay claim to the apple
• Zeus problem: how to decide
• makes Paris judge
• Hermes escorts the goddesses to Mt. ida

Question 9

How are Zeus and Tyndareus similar?

Answer 9

both have a problem where they don’t know how to decide

Question 10

What do the 3 goddesses offer Paris?

Answer 10

• Hera: power because she’s queen of Olympus
• Athena: glory in battle as a soldier
• Aphrodite: most beautiful woman in the world

Question 11

Who does Paris choose? Why? What outcome does this decision have?

Answer 11

Aphrodite because he’s so overcome by her beauty

• causes problems (incurs wrath of Hera and Athena - they fight on Greeks side)
• wins Helen’s hand and Aphrodite’s favour

Question 12

How was Paris raised?

Answer 12

• Hecuba (mom) had a weird dream
• Priam and Hecuba consult Oracle
• Oracle says that the child will grow up to destroy the city
• exposure of baby on Mt. Ida
• • DOESN’T WORK **
• Found and raised by shepherds

Question 13

How does Aphrodite’s promise come true?

Answer 13

• Paris’ identity revealed, rejoins Trojan family
• Priam sends him on embassy to Sparta
• Abduction of Helen

Question 14

What does the abduction of Helen violate?

What occurs as a result?

Answer 14

• violation of xenia (punishable by Zeus) and marriage
• Menelaus invokes the oath of the suitors
• Menelaus brother, Agamemnon, commands the Greek fleet

Question 15

What is Paris choice in the contest representative of?

Answer 15

• Paris chooses most beautiful girl in the world over military prowess
  (lust over military power)
• less of a man
• therefore Greeks > weak Trojan

Question 16

How does Odysseus try avoiding recruitment? Does this work?

Answer 16

• has a son so pretends to be crazy so he doesn’t have to go
• plows sand by the sea, throws salt onto the sea (pointless)
• Palamedes exposes trick by putting Odysseus’ son in the way of plow
• Odysseus stops immediately therefore not insane

Question 17

Who is the one hero that goes without being bound by oath?

Why does he go?

Answer 17

Achilles!

Because he’s a magnificent warrior

Question 18

How is Achilles hidden from recruitment?

Answer 18

• Thetis hides Achilles on Skyros, raised as a girl with Lycomede’s daughters
• Odysseus finds him with a prophecy that gives him a clue
• Odysseus pretends to be a merchant, has a ship full of things girls love
• all the daughters go through it
• Odysseus pulls out a trumpet
• Achille’s true nature comes out: throws off woman’s disguise and grabs a fight

Question 19

Where do the ships launch from?
What is the path of the Trojan Expedition
Who is in charge here?

Answer 19

• ships gather at AULIS from all over Greece
• “face that launched a thousand ships”
• path from AULIS TO TROY
• AGAMEMNON = admiral in charge

Question 20

Who was Sappho?

Answer 20

= poet from Lesbos

• born 620 BCE, wrote at the end of the 7th century
• super respected in the past
• 9 books of poems
• only a fraction survives now

Question 21

Take Home Message of Sappho Fragment 16

Answer 21

• whatever one loves best is the most beautiful

- Helen ran away to Troy, leaving everything, once Aphrodite and love one her over

Question 22

Summarize the major causes/events leading up to the Trojan War

Answer 22

• marriage of Peleus and Thetis
• divine beauty contest
• marriage of Helen and Menelaus
• abduction of Helen by Paris