- The Tojain War was a war between the Greeks and the people of Troy
- It started when the prince of Troy (Paris) abducted Helen, wife of Menelaus of Sparta. Paris refused to give her back.
- Menelaus asked his brother , Agamemnon to lead an army against Troy. At Aulis, troopships gathered, led by the greatest Greek heroes.
- In order for the gods to be on his side, Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis.
- For nine years the Greeks attacked Troy's surrounding cities and countryside, but could not get through the city itself
- Finally the Greeks built a large wooden horse which held some of the Greeks inside so that the Greeks could get into the city.
- At night the Greeks returned; their companions crept out of the horse and opened the city gates, and Troy was destroyed.
- The gods took great interest in the war. Poseidon, Hera, and Athena aided the Greeks, while Aphrodite and Ares favored the Trojans.
Major Characters
Achilles The central character of the Iliad and the greatest warrior in the Achaian army. The most significant flaw in the temperament of Achilles is his excessive pride.
Agamemnon The well-meaning but irresolute king of Mycenae; commander-in-chief of the expedition against Troy. He is a brother of Menelaos.
Helen Originally married to Menelaos, she ran away to Troy with Paris and became his wife. She is also known to be very beautiful.
Paris (Alexandros) A prince of Troy; son of Priam and Hekuba; also husband of Helen. He seems content to allow the Trojans to fight for him.
Menelaos King of Sparta and brother of Agamemnon He was the husband of Helen, who was abducted by Paris.
Agamemnon The well-meaning but irresolute king of Mycenae; commander-in-chief of the expedition against Troy. He is a brother of Menelaos.
Homer is the poet behind the Odyssey. Both Odyssey and the Trojan War because they both have the same main character The hero is long-suffering Odysseus, king of Ithaca and surrounding islands and hero of the Trojan War. He has been gone 20 years from his homeland, his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus.
