Term 2 - Lec 11 (Causes of the Trojan War) Flashcards
what are the major sources for the Trojan War?
- 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)
What was the House of Tyndareus?
- Tyndareus + Leda = Clytemnestra, Castor
- Leda + Zeus (swan) = Helen, Polydeuces
What was Tyndareus’ problem?
What was the solution? On whose advice was this on?
- 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)
What was the House of Atreus
Tantalus –> Pelops –> Thyestes, Atreus
Atreus + Aerope –> Agamemnon, Menelaus
Thyestes –> Aegisthus, 2 other sons
Who is Peleus?
Who does he marry?
= 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
Why do the gods agree to let Peleus marry Thetis even though she’s divine?
What was Thetis’ response
- 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
What happened at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis?
- 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
Describe the divine beauty contest
- Hera, Aphrodite, Athena lay claim to the apple
- Zeus problem: how to decide
- makes Paris judge
- Hermes escorts the goddesses to Mt. ida
How are Zeus and Tyndareus similar?
both have a problem where they don’t know how to decide
What do the 3 goddesses offer Paris?
- Hera: power because she’s queen of Olympus
- Athena: glory in battle as a soldier
- Aphrodite: most beautiful woman in the world
Who does Paris choose? Why? What outcome does this decision have?
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
How was Paris raised?
- 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
How does Aphrodite’s promise come true?
- Paris’ identity revealed, rejoins Trojan family
- Priam sends him on embassy to Sparta
- Abduction of Helen
What does the abduction of Helen violate?
What occurs as a result?
- violation of xenia (punishable by Zeus) and marriage
- Menelaus invokes the oath of the suitors
- Menelaus brother, Agamemnon, commands the Greek fleet
What is Paris choice in the contest representative of?
- Paris chooses most beautiful girl in the world over military prowess
(lust over military power) - less of a man
- therefore Greeks > weak Trojan
How does Odysseus try avoiding recruitment? Does this work?
- 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
Who is the one hero that goes without being bound by oath?
Why does he go?
Achilles!
Because he’s a magnificent warrior
How is Achilles hidden from recruitment?
- 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
Where do the ships launch from?
What is the path of the Trojan Expedition
Who is in charge here?
- ships gather at AULIS from all over Greece
- “face that launched a thousand ships”
- path from AULIS TO TROY
- AGAMEMNON = admiral in charge
Who was Sappho?
= 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
Take Home Message of Sappho Fragment 16
- whatever one loves best is the most beautiful
- Helen ran away to Troy, leaving everything, once Aphrodite and love one her over
Summarize the major causes/events leading up to the Trojan War
- marriage of Peleus and Thetis
- divine beauty contest
- marriage of Helen and Menelaus
- abduction of Helen by Paris
