Summary of Events TROJAN WAR

Part 1: Prologue

Chapter 1 - The Golden Apple

Zeus, father of the gods, desired the nymph Thetis. However, a prophecy said she would have a son who
was greater than his father. Zeus decided to marry her to Peleus, king of the Myrmidons. At the wedding
dinner, the goddess Discord, angry she was not invited, threw an apple on the table. On it was written,
"For the Fairest." The goddesses Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite fought over who was most beautiful, and
chose the young shepherd Paris as the judge.
Paris was actually the son of the king and queen of Troy. A prophecy said he would cause Troy's
destruction, so his parents Priam and Hecuba abandoned him in the wilds of Mount Ida, where he lived
with the nymph Oenone. Paris chose Aphrodite as the fairest goddess and she promised him the most
beautiful woman in the world as his wife.

Chapter 2 - Helen
The most beautiful woman in the world was Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Paris came to visit and
fell in love with Helen when he saw her. She left with him in the middle of the night, and they returned to
Troy.

Chapter 3 - The Madness of Odysseus

Menelaus was the overlord of Greece. When the Trojans would not return Helen, Agamemnon, the brother
of Menelaus and king of Mycenae, told him to call all the kings of Greece to Aulis to get ready for war
against Troy. Many kings did not want to come, including Odysseus.
Agamemnon sent Palamedes to bring Odysseus to Aulis. Odysseus pretended to be insane, driving his
oxen on the seashore, plowing the sand, and throwing salt on the ground. Palamedes threw Odysseus's
son under the feet of the oxen and Odysseus had to stop.

Chapter 4 - The Discovery of Achilles

Achilles was the son of Thetis and Peleus. His mother tried to protect him from a prophecy of early death
by dipping him into the River Styx, which would make him invulnerable. However, she held him by the
heel so his heel was unprotected. She sent him to hide in the court of the king of Scyros, where he was
disguised as a girl and married the princess Deidamia. Odysseus disguised himself as a traveling
merchant, and tempted Achilles into revealing himself using a beautiful sword.

Chapter 5 - Iphigenia
In Aulis, the wind was coming from the wrong direction. The prophet Calchas told Agamemnon the gods
wanted him to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia in order to get a fair wind. When Agamemnon ordered
Iphigenia killed, his wife Clytemnestra swore vengeance.

Part 2: Opening
Chapter 1 - The Trojan Princes
The Trojan princes argued over what they should do. Priam's son Hector said war was inevitable. Antenor
thought Hector just wanted revenge against the Greeks. Aeneas thought Troy would win because a
prophecy foretold success for him. Priam said there was no choice.
Cassandra, Priam's daughter, was a priestess of Apollo with a gift of prophecy. She was cursed by Apollo
so that no one would ever believe what she said. She predicted that Hector would die and Troy would
burn.

Chapter 2 - The Foremost Man

The Greeks Laodamia and Protesilaus were married. Protesilaus joined the war against Troy but left a
sculpture of himself to keep his wife company. One night she dreamed that she was with him as they
approached Troy. He was the "foremost man" to leap from his ship onto the shore, and was killed.
Laodamia knew this was a vision of the future. She prayed to Zeus, and he granted her three hours with
her husband before he died, by making the statue come to life. Then Laodamia herself died.

Chapter 3 - The Host Musters

Agamemnon walked through his forces on the shore of Troy. He argued with Achilles and accused Achilles
of holding back a prisoner. Achilles said he had captured the boy, Priam's son Lykaon, the night before
behind Troy. The gods too watched the war.
The battle began. Achilles fought with Cycnus, the son of Poseidon. No weapon could pierce him. However,
Achilles strangled Cycnus by the straps of his helmet.

Chapter 4 - Troilus and Cressida

Cressida was the daughter of Calchas, the Trojan prophet who joined the Greeks. He left his daughter
behind with her uncle Pandarus. Troilus, a prince of Troy, fell in love with her and gave her his shield. The
Greeks exchanged a captive for Cressida and though she swore to return to Troilus, she gave the shield to
the Greek hero Diomede instead.

Chapter 5 - The Time of Discouragement

After many years, the war was still not over. Palamedes seized power over the Greeks while Agamemnon
was away. Odysseus told Agamemnon he would spread a rumor and plant evidence that Palamedes had
sold out to the Trojans, and Agamemnon agreed to the plan.

Part 3: The Wrath of Achilles

Chapter 1 - The Quarrel

The god Apollo made the Greeks sick. Calchas said it was because Agamemnon refused to release a
captive girl (Chryseis) who was the daughter of a priest of Apollo (Chryses). Agamemnon said if he had to
give up his captive, he would take Achilles' favorite captive Briseis. Achilles said if that happened, he
would refuse to fight for Troy.

Chapter 2 - The Combat

Paris challenged Menelaus in single combat for Helen. They fought, and Menelaus was winning, but
Aphrodite saved him.

Chapter 3 - Hector and Andromache

The mighty Hector rallied the Trojans and they fought off the Greeks. Hector and his wife Andromache
talked. She asked him if he could say, but he told her he was fated to be killed, and she was fated to end
her days as a slave. He returned to the battle.

Chapter 4 - A Night Adventure

Odysseus and Diomede set off by night to do something to encourage the Greeks. Meanwhile, the Trojans
sent Dolon the Wolf as a scout to find out what the Greeks were planning. Odysseus and Diomede
captured Dolon, got information about the Trojans (including their password) and killed him. Then they
killed the Thracian king, who was coming to help the Trojans, and stole the king's horses.

Chapter 5 - The Death of Patroclus

Agamemnon, Diomede, and other Trojans were wounded in battle, but Achilles still refused to fight. He
sent his friend Patroclus, wearing the armor of Achilles, to lead the Myrmidons in battle. Patroclus killed
Sarpedon and then chased after the Trojans. Hector killed Patroclus and took his armor.

Chapter 6 - The Death of Hector

Achilles mourned the death of Patroclus, and rejoined the battle. He confronted Hector, and chased him
around the walls of Troy. Hector asked him to return his body to the Trojans if he was killed, but Achilles
refused and killed him. Then he dragged Hector's body behind his chariot, and decided to give Patroclus a
great funeral.

Chapter 7 - Funeral Games

After the funeral pyre of Patroclus, the Greeks held funeral games. In the chariot race, Diomede won and
Antilochus edged out Menelaus with reckless driving. Menelaus refused to take last place because he said
it was unfair, and Antilochus let him have second prize. In the wrestling, Odysseus defeated Ajax by hitting
him behind the knee. Odysseus also beat Ajax in the foot-race. Achilles was still mourning the death of
Patroclus.

Chapter 8 - The Ransom

Achilles still refused to release the body of Hector. Priam drove out by himself in a chariot and threw
himself in front of Achilles in his tent, asking Achilles to think of his own father. Achilles gave Priam the
body and finally was at peace.

Part 4: The Close of the War

Chapter 1 - The Queen of the Amazons
Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons, joined the Trojans with her army of women warriors. She killed the
men of Protesilaus and pushed the Greeks back to their camp. Achilles killed her with a spear. He realized
that he could have loved her.

Chapter 2 - The Last Fight of Achilles

Memnon, king of the Ethiopians, killed Nestor's son Antilochus. Achilles fought and killed Memnon. Then
he chased the Trojans back to the gates of Troy. Apollo tells Paris to shoot a poisoned arrow at Achilles. It
would have fallen short, but Achilles turned and the point of the arrow entered his heel. He fell and his
body was trampled.

Chapter 3 - The Armor of Achilles

Thetis commanded the Greeks to burn her son's body, and she gave his possessions as prizes in the
funeral games for Achilles. The Greeks awarded Achilles' armor to Odysseus because the Trojans said they
feared Odysseus more than Ajax. Ajax plotted to kill Odysseus and Agamemnon, but Athene made him go
insane instead, and he attacked the sheep and captured the rams. When dawn arrived, he regained his
sanity and killed himself.

Chapter 4 - Pyrrhus
Calchas told the Greeks a prophecy said they must be led by the son of Achilles, Pyrrhus. Odysseus went
to Scyros to get Pyrrhus, and recognized him by his speed and strength. Pyrrhus returned with Odysseus
despite Deidamia's pleas.

Chapter 5 - The Bow of Heracles

Calchas says the Greeks still needed the Bow of Heracles. It was in the possession of Philoctetes, who was
abandoned by Odysseus on a deserted island. Odysseus and Pyrrhus went to get the bow. Odysseus told
Pyrrhus to lie to Philoctetes and say he had fought with Odysseus. When Odysseus appeared, Pyrrhus felt
sorry for Philoctetes, but the dead hero Heracles appeared himself and told Philoctetes to go along with
the Greeks.

Chapter 6 - Oenone

Paris was wounded, and had himself carried up to Mount Ida to ask the nymph Oenone to heal him.
Oenone was still angry with him for leaving her for Helen, but even as he was dying he could not tell her
she was more beautiful than Helen. She sent him away, and he died on the way back to Troy, even though
she changed her mind and followed him.

Chapter 7 - The Taking of the Palladium

A prophecy said that Troy could not be taken as long as the Palladium stood in the citadel. Odysseus
entered Troy disguised as a beggar, and Helen took him in. She told him how the Palladium was guarded,
and he escaped out the Skaian Gate. On the first dark night, Odysseus and Diomede approached Troy.
Odysseus gave Diomede a boost up the wall but Diomede refused to pull Odysseus after him, going on by
himself to get the Palladium. Odysseus was angry with Diomede.

Part 5: The Fall of Troy

Chapter 1 - The Trojan Horse
The Greeks built a wooden horse, which they filled with warriors. Then they sailed away and hid. The
Trojans came out and argued whether to take it inside the city. The Greek spy Sinon told them it was a gift
from the Greeks, and would make the Trojans rulers of all Greece. Laocoon, the priest of Poseidon, warned
them not to take it in, but Poseidon sent serpents to kill Laocoon's sons and Laocoon himself. The Trojans
took the horse into the city.

Chapter 2 - The Sack of Troy

At night, Sinon lit the signal and released the heroes from the horse. Priam and Hecuba took refuge on the
altar, but Pyrrhus killed Priam's son and then Priam himself. Aeneas and most of his family managed to
escape and left to become the founder of a great city.

Chapter 3 - The Women

The Trojan women were divided up as prizes. Hecuba was to be the slave of Odysseus. Hecuba's youngest
son was killed by the King of Thrace, who was supposed to be keeping him safe. Hecuba would kill the
Thracian king herself later on. Agamemnon took Cassandra, who didn't mind because she could see his
future. Troy was demolished, but the Trojan Antenor (who had helped the Greeks) was allowed to move to
a nearby city.

Part 6: The Return of the Heroes

Chapter 1 - Agamemnon's Death
In Mycenae, Clytemnestra had taken a lover, Agamemnon's cousin Aegisthus. When Agamemnon returned
with Cassandra, Clytemnestra made a big fuss over him. She had him walk on a red carpet, and invited
him in for a bath. She took his sword, threw a net over him, and killed him with an axe. Then she set off
with the axe to Cassandra, who knew what was going to happen and was happy because she had her
revenge on Agamemnon.

Chapter 2 - The Adventures of Menelaus

Menelaus took Helen and headed for home. His ships were scattered by a storm and he ended up in
Egypt, but could not get any further. A sea nymph told him to ask the god Proteus for help, but he had to
catch and hold the god in order to get his aid. Menelaus grabbed Proteus, who turned into a snake, a
leopard, a board, water, and finally a tree while Menelaus held on. Proteus told him to return to Egypt and
make offerings to the gods for a fair wind, and told him of the deaths of Ajax Oileus and Agamemnon.
Menelaus returned home and lived happily ever after with Helen.

Chapter 3 - Nestor at Home

Odysseus's son Nestor visited Nestor of Pylos, accompanied by the mysterious Mentor. Penelope, the wife
of Odysseus, was being pestered by suitors who want to marry her because they believed Odysseus was
dead, but she was stalling them by pretending to weave a shroud for her father. Nestor gave Telemachus
news of the Greek heroes. After this, Mentor rose into the air, turning into a black eagle, and Nestor and
Telemachus realized he had been a god (it was actually Athene).

Chapter 4 - In the House of the Swineherd

A mysterious old beggar visited the house of Eumaeus, the swineherd of Odysseus. The beggar told the
swineherd about the wanderings of Odysseus, and said Odysseus will take revenge on the suitors.
Eumaeus did not believe him but gave him a bed for the night. The next day Telemachus came to the
swineherd's house and the beggar reveals himself as Odysseus.

Chapter 5 - The Bow Is Bent

Penelope said she would marry the man who could string the bow of Odysseus and send an arrow through
the holes of twelve axes set in a row. The suitors tried but failed, and the beggar asked if he could try. He
did easily, and then shot Antinous, and then he and Telemachus killed the rest of the suitors. Penelope did
not believe it was her husband, and tried to trick him by asking that the marriage bed be brought out, but
Odysseus knew it had been built around a living tree.

Now that Odysseus had returned home, the Trojan War was truly over.