Assignment #9

The Iliad 

 It all started with the marriage between Thetis, a sea goddess, and Peleus. The couple did not invite Eris, the goddess of discord to their wedding, and she got very angry. Eris crashed the wedding reception, and as her gift, she put down one golden apple on the table and said the apple belonged to whomever was the fairest in the room. Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all reached for the apple. Since they could not decide whom among them was the fairest, they had a judge, the handsome mortal Paris determine who was the fairest. In return for deeming each goddess the fairest, they all bribed him. Athena promised Paris wealth, Hera promised him power, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful women in the world. Paris chose Aphrodite, and Paris wanted Helen, who was already married to the Greek, Menelaus who ruled Sparta. Paris then took off for Sparta to take Helen. Paris successfully takes Helen back to Troy with him. Menelaus of course wants his wife back, so they Trojan war begins.

             Officials came to my kingdom Ithaca in search of soldiers to fight in Troy. I tries to avoid the war by pretending I was crazy, but that eventually failed. I set off to Troy with my men and sailed for two days. When reached Troy, I was used more as a adviser than a combat soldier. Achilles, one of our best soldiers defeated the Trojan warrior Hector. Paris killed Achilles by shooting an arrow in his heel. After Paris was killed with Hercules bow, Helen married his brother, Deiphobus. Helena later betrayed him to Menelaus.The Greeks fought for ten years. I came up with a plan known as the Trojan Horse.

           I ordered the great artist Epeius to build a huge hollow wooden horse. The most skilled warriors hid inside the horse. To trick the Trojans into thinking that is Greeks had retreated, all the ships and Greeks sailed away. One Greek stayed behind, Sinon, who pretended to be angry with the rest of the Greeks for sailing away and deserting him. He assured The Trojans the wooden horse was safe to take into the walls of Troy. The two prophet twins,  Laocoon and Cassandra, argued againts taking the horse in, but no one listened to them. Later that night when the Trojans were asleep and totally drunk from celebrating there victory, we crept out with the help of Athena, and we slaughtered the Trojans. Helen and Menelaus went back to Sparta where they lived happily until their deaths.