Trojan Horse: More Than a Ruse The Trojan War has been one story that has helped shape the way we have viewed Greek culture. One of the main sources of this battle is Homer’s Iliad which questions if The Trojan War and the famous Trojan horse are myth or a part of history. It is believed that a conflict did occur between Mycenaean and Hittites but because of Homer’s Iliad, it can be concluded that the Trojan Horse was just a myth to help shape the culture.
According to the Iliad, the war began when Menelaos, King of Sparta, attempted to reclaim his wife Helen from Paris, the Trojan prince. Both the King and the Greeks wanted her returned and revenge against the Trojans and their bold act of disrespect. The gods were also involved in the conflict,
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Many authors have pieced together different stories of the historic war. This draws a red flag as if this is if this is a popular myth or an actual historic event. The Trojan War can be called a myth because it uses supernatural forces, such as gods and demi gods, to teach a story and history to future generations. Its main purpose was to keep history alive, which has been done well beyond expected. The story of the Trojan War has been expanded and elaborated by several authors making it a myth and unrealistic in a historical stance. The story has also been passed down through several time periods and translated into different languages, the interpretation and language of the story could have also been …show more content…
It has been depicted my several artists and several authors in several different forms of media. The Trojan War and Horse have been recreated through several current movies as well. It has become an iconic symbol and known by many. That in itself is an accomplishment for Homer. The Iliad started as way to elaborate a story and keep history alive for the culture, ultimately Homer’s epic poem help shape how people view the Greek culture and customs and make it common knowledge. It has become popular in current marketing as well. Without Homer’s elaborate and memorable story of the Trojan Horse, the Trojan War would not be as common knowledge as it is today. Also without other artists’ depictions in art, it wouldn’t have reached the vast audience it has. In conclusion, there is no evidence of a Trojan Horse, but that does not mean that it is any less important to the culture or how it has shaped how the world has viewed Greek history and
As most know, Greek Mythology is a very complex concept that is free for interpretation and is shown in multiple ways. Many believe Greek Mythology is fiction, whereas some believe that it is nonfiction. As seen in Barry Strauss’s The Trojan War: A New History, the author argues that the Trojan War was significant and then shows evidence from as of late that supports the concept of the Trojan War actually occurring. Throughout his book he explains and gives insight into what happened during the Trojan War and how it developed based off of Homer’s writing. Strauss’s sole purpose is to inspect what was previously said about the Trojan War and evaluate it enough to the point where he is able to make logical reasoning to determine the
The Most Dangerous Game is a thriller in which the main character, Rainsford, is being hunted down in the jungle by the cruel General Zaroff. High Noon is a 1800's western story in which the main character, Will Kane, is a sherif and has to fight for his life against a thief by the name of Frank Mitchell. These two books sound like they are completely different. But actually, they are more similar that different. The mains characters from each story share a lot in common. The themes both show violence and strength throughout the book. The setting is completely different though. Here are some of the reasons why these two books share some similarities but one main difference.
The Trojan War and its characters are detailed in the writings of Homer, Vergil, Dante and many others. It is a fantastical tale of a decade-long siege of a powerful city by a massive pan-hellenic force. However, even though it has proved to be such a rich source of inspiration for writers, poets and artists throughout
The Minister’s Black Veil is a parable meant to present the hypocrisy of Puritan society. Mr. Hooper’s titular black veil is meant to be a symbol of hiding one’s darkest secrets from the world. It is never explicitly stated why Hooper has decided to wear the veil, but it is implied that Hooper is guilty of a sin that warrants the obstruction of his face. “I, perhaps, like most other mortals, have sorrows dark enough to be typified by a black veil.” While not everyone wears a black veil to conceal their secret sins, metaphorically, everybody wears something to conceal their true self.
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The Trojan War has long been debated on historical accuracy by experts on whether or not it actually happened. In Barry Strauss ' book, The Trojan War, he draws from multiple sources to illustrate what occurred during this time period. Strauss utilizes archeological evidence and descriptions from poets, such as Homer, surrounding the Trojan War to argue what probably happened and what was likely made up.
The Greek forces won the Trojan War. The story of the war is a cornerstone of Greek legend, and pervaded Greek literature and culture. Though the evidence for the Trojan War as historical fact is scarce, it was a formative event in Greek cultural memory, producing some of the classical world’s most famous heroes and narratives. The War was won, Helen was retrieved from Paris, whose violation of ξενία was redressed, the heroes attained the κλέος that many of them fought for – and yet the positive outcomes of the Trojan War are difficult to grasp. For the victims of the Trojan War, the tragedy is obvious; the War ended in genocide and total cultural destruction. But such a war, burnt into legend, should have left the victors far better off; and yet, the Greek heroes only suffer because of it. They die tragic, dishonourable deaths; their households are left in ruin; their families are torn apart. From both modern and classical perspectives, the Trojan War is a tragedy, a “harrowing destruction of life” (Euripides, Andromache, 291). The victory is pyrrhic, the loss of life is horrific, the reparations non-existent.
According to the Encyclopedia source the Author Mark Cartwright defined the Trojan War as the way the Ancient Greek culture was viewed up to the 21st century. It depicts the story of gods and heroic warriors and offers acumens into the warfare, customs, religions and attitudes of the ancient Greeks. “The war was also the subject of a long oral tradition prior to Homer’s work, and this, combined with other sources such as the fragmentary Epic Cycle poems, give us a more complete picture of what exactly the Greeks thought of as the Trojan War” (Cartwright).
The suspected start of the war- over the abduction of Helen, Queen of Sparta- was caused entirely by a godly conflict over who was the most beautiful- Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, was selected to judge. He chose Aphrodite, who in turn gave him Helen, who was her equivalent in beauty amongst humans. In both versions, Paris is portrayed as a wife stealing, thief in the night. His brother Hector and he were on a peace mission in Sparta on behalf of Troy visiting the king, Menelaus, when Paris ran off with Menelaus' wife, Helen. This action divides the Gods who constantly meddle with the mortal's lives. Naturally, Aphrodite is on the Trojans' side, as was her lover and God of War, Ares, and Apollo. Although Zeus, King of Gods, tried to be neutral, he was pro-Trojan. Hera, Queen of Gods, and Athena help the Greeks because they were mad that Paris chose Aphrodite. Poseidon, God of the Sea and Zeus' brother, also sided with the Greeks whenever Zeus was not looking. An example of this constant intrusiveness of the Gods in the Iliad was when King "Menelaus hurls his spear, lightly wounding Paris. Paris' helmet strap becomes caught at his chin and Menelaus has nearly dragged him away before Aphrodite intervenes, breaking the strap. She then wraps Paris in a mist, sets him in his own perfumed bedchamber, and hurries to catch Helen" (Bloom 13). Of
I disagree with this statement, there is evidence a Trojan War or Wars did happen, possibly around north-western Turkey. Eric Cline from the George Washington University says “The archaeological and textual evidence indicates that a Trojan War or Wars took place and that Homer chose to write about one or more of them making it into a great ten-year-long saga”.
The Trojan war was a ten year siege on the city of the city of Troy at the hands of the Greek forces led by a psychopathic king, Agamemnon. This conflict, which took place about 1200 B.C has become one of the most well known Greek mythology events in history. In the 13th century B.C, Troy and Sparta had stopped their wars and become allies, this was until Paris the youngest prince of Troy seduced Helen, the Queen of Sparta and left with her back to Troy. When Menelaos (The King of Sparta) found out what had happened, he vowed
Homer’s famous poem, the “Iliad,” is one of the most powerful pieces of literature which narrates the Trojan War from beginning to end. Moreover, this essay will focus on analyzing Homer’s ancient stories about the Trojan War and how movies, such as, “Troy,” have mercilessly altered and wrecked the essence of the epic poem. It will be argued that the film depicts a severely inaccurate chronological sequence and imprecise setting. Besides the mentioned, this writing will begin by scrutinizing the events in both the movie and the poem, and mentioning various archaeological evidences to testify their existence. Summarizing, there will be supported statements that will unveil the truth about Troy.
The Trojan War is described as one of histories most legendary battles. This battle is told to have lasted ten years, resulting in the eventual collapse of Troy, under the siege of Greek forces. Modern knowledge of the Trojan War has survived mainly through the account given in Homer’s Illiad, and while having proved to be a rich source of inspiration for other writers, artists, and even filmmakers in recent history, much speculation still exists surrounding his account. I will analyze modern interpretations of the Trojan War and examine both speculation and support for Homer’s account. Concluding with sufficient evidence that has been collected surrounding this epic battle, proving Homer’s account of a massive battle between these two powerful city states to not be just a tale of myth and legend, but actual history.
Barry Strauss, professor of classics at Cornell University attempts to redefine a one of history’s biggest love affairs, the Trojan War. Strauss explains how certain events and characters from Homers “The Odyssey” might have actually existed, but also uses modern discoveries from the Bronze Age to compare Homers account to those of Egypt, the Middle East, and etc. While Homer’s epic should not be read as a historical document which recounts the Trojan War hundred percent accurately, it can still be seen as document which embodies some historical truth. The novel as a whole explains the customs, economic standing, fighting styles and beliefs of the Greeks. Strauss’s writing style allows for the book to be accessible to both students and historians. He argues that just like Franz Ferdinand was the spark which ignited World War 1, Helen on the other hand was just a spark which escalated an existing tension between the Greeks and Trojans. Strauss’s personal input on the war itself gives the novel a different outlook on the Trojan War because, it allows for readers to see beyond the facts and make connections with ideas that Strauss had made with recent discoveries and Homers epic.
The Trojan War was during the Bronze Age in the 12th or 13th century BC. It was between Greece and Troy. The Trojan War mainly started when the Greeks brought a wooden horse over to Troy as a sign of “peace.” However, it was used to take over Troy since there were many armed men in the horse. A downfall the Trojans had that led up to this point in time was that they were foolish, “Four times did the Horse halt as they dragged it, before it passed through the gate, and each time their might have been heard a great clashing of arms within” (Church 9). In the Horse, there were sounds being made but the Trojans did not pay attention to these signs and Troy suffered as a result. Overall, the Trojan War was created due to many gods fighting over Helen and because of this Troy was taken over by Greece and Aeneas and his crew had to relocate and find a new safe place to live with the help of Venus and Apollo by their side.