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Introduction to the trojan war annotations
Analysis of trojan war
The history of the Trojan War
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A war is a behavior patterned of organized violent conflict, which the causes are extreme aggression, societal disruption and high mortality. It involves two or more groups which has found a conflict which may not be resolved, only through war. In all cases, there is always one participant or group which remains successful at the end. Leaders always enter a war with their nation even though they say their actions were defensive; however when viewed objectively, their actions may more closely be due to a sign of disrespect. The Trojan War was written by Barry Strauss.
The Trojan War is a conflict shrouded in mists of myth, fragmented historical evidence and often-inconclusive archaeological clues. The Trojan War was considered as one of the greatest conflicts in Greek Mythology. It was a war that influenced many people in literature and in arts for centuries. This war lasted for about ten years and it was fought between the Trojans and the Achaeans. Troy was a renowned city since it was known for its great defensive walls and its highly aimed and trained archers. It was also known for its great reign by their king, Priam. Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War. Hecuba was the wife of Priam. He said that the gods were always by their side, the reason why they could never lose battles against other nations. Troy was a powerful nation, mostly because of the great leadership by one of their prince, Hector.
The Achaeans were a nation, it formed a significant diaspora with Greek communities established around the world. The Achaeans were composed of Sparta, with Menelaus as their king; Mycenae, with Agamemnon as their king; and other cities in the Greek forces. Agamemnon was the leader of the Greek forces in the Trojan ...
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...as used to get the Trojans to open the gates and that the Greek sailing back at night was a highly likely tactic. It was not uncommon for commandos to sneak into a city and kill the gate guards, opening it to an invading force. It was also common for turncoats to be bribed in the cities to open the gates for armies as well. The very choice of the Trojan War as one of the subjects is a statement of ambiguous meaning. On the one hand, it may amount to envisaging the Trojan War as a full-scale historic event on a par with the Peloponnesian War. On the other hand, it may be based on the assumption that, whether or not the Trojan War actually took place, the historic impact of the myth of the Trojan War is so great that it merits serious consideration in its own right. Greed, not jealousy was the cause of the war. ("Troy VII and the Historicity of the Trojan War", 2007)
Homer’s Iliad has been a European myth for many millennia , the long poetic narrative written in the 8th century B.C. recounts a fearsome war fought over a beautiful woman. The reliability of Homers Iliad as a true historical document has been challenged for hundreds of years and only through archaeological studies can the truth be deciphered. The Iliad was written five centuries after the war, where the stories had been passed down through the oral tradition, therefore the type of society reflected within the poems resemble much more the time of Homer . The fact and fiction of the Iliad has been uncovered through archaeology. Archaeologist found a site in which they thought to have been ‘Troy’ destroyed by the powerful country of Mycenae in the late Bronze Age. They found large amount of material culture from where they could reconstruct the society, this included pottery, engravings, murals and clay tablets. A reason for the Trojan War has always inspired great controversy. The Trojan War according to Homer was fought over the abduction of a beautiful women but this theory appears improbable. Other causes which could have sparked a war is Troy’s geographical positioning. This made it extremely opulent, where other countries of the Aegean would trade there goods and use its harbour. The Mycenaean’s being an extremely imperial, violent and militaristic country would have seen Troy as a great opportunity to gain territory and wealth, on this motive the war took place.
Goldwyn, Adam J. "A Literary History of the Trojan War from Antiquity to the Middle Ages." Order No. 3426747 City University of New York, 2010. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 13 ‘May 2014.
The Trojan War was incited by Paris’ theft of Menelaus’ wife. This is the first, and only, breach of xenia in all of the Iliad, with good cause. Paris was Menelaus’ guest but chose to steal Menelaus’ wife and much of his riches instead of honoring xenia as he should have. Paris’ transgression against xenia is what initially agitated Menelaus’. Although this act is not explicitly pictured in the Iliad, the Trojan War is essentially the fallout of Paris’ breach of xenia and without his infraction, many lives
What is war? Is war a place to kill? Or is it a place where something more than just killing happens? War, as defined by the Merriam Webster is “a state or period of usually open and declared fighting between states or nations.” War, can also be viewed with romantic ideals where heroes and legends are born. Even the most intelligent of us hold some rather naïve notions of war. Upon reading Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, intelligent readers have been divested of any romantic notions regarding war they may have harboured.
war that has lasted for centuries and may last for centuries more. It is a war
...an Empire were a direct result of the governments and laws put in place in these two poleis. From the sacrifice of 300 Spartans to the democratic command at Marathon, the differences between Athens and Sparta were shown even in battle. The united Greek forces finally defeated the Persians after the battle of Thermopylae, greatly thanks to the Athenian battle at Salamis, and the Spartan battle at ____. In a way, Sparta and Athens were opposites, sharing only the slightest of similarities. The Athenians focused on freedom and democracy, and the Spartans focused on war, training, and equality in every aspect in life aside form politics. These principals were hammered into the citizens of each polis, with the citizens from each polis believing his was the superior. Through these principals, the two distinct cultures of Athens and Sparta were created.
Achilles, the greatest of the Greek warriors, is portrayed as a hero in some ways but, on the other hand, performs some controversial acts in the Iliad. Throughout the entire Trojan war, Achilles spent most of his time pouting in his tent after Agamemnon kidnapped his prized maiden, Chryseis.
To those who already knew the stories of the Trojan War heroes (which all of the original Greek audience of the epic would),
Throughout the Ancient Greek world, there have been many wars and standoffs. However, there has been only one which changed the course of Greek history forever; the Peloponnesian War. Caused by the growing tension between Athens and Sparta, it came and left, leaving only destruction in its wake. The defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War caused the downfall of Greece, and the end of the Classical Age.
focus on the Trojan War and its aftermath. Throughout the poem, Homer represents the gods intervening in human affairs and by this changing the destiny of human life. Because of the intervention, the gods start the war between Trojans and Achaeans and the reason of the war leads them to take sides. Homer represents the gods in many aspects; as humanlike, having miraculous actions, super being, controlling, life savers, and disguisers.
story of the Achaeans and their fight against the Trojans in a microcosm of the
Homer, Iliad is the narration of the Trojan war. The Trojan war was one of the most important and significant wars of Greek mythology, Homer described how the war was triggered by the abduction of the most beautiful women known as Helen. This paper will argue how the traditional view of this poem is accurate because it indeed was Helens beauty and her selfishness that sparked the Trojan war. Although Helen was not happy about the outcomes of her mistakes. This paper will present how Helen faced many forms of self judgment, how she created many relationships with significant characters, such as Paris, Priam and Aphrodite. Homers portrayal of this significant women was remarkable as we were able to feel her pain and anguish, the readers were
War is a mean to achieve a political goal.it is merely the continuation of policy in a violent form. “War is not merely an act of policy, but a true political instrument....” Moreover, the intensity of war will vary with the nature of political motives. This relationship makes war a rational act rather than a primitive and instinctive action, where war uses coercion to achieve political goals instead of use it only for destruction, and it cannot be separated from each other even after the war has started, when each side is allowed to execute its requisite responsibilities while remaining flexible enough to adapt to emerging
Ten years ago, the greatest of Greek heroes were sent with an army of one hundred thousand men and one thousand one hundred and eighty-six ships to fight against the Trojans in Troy. Before the armies gathered in the harbour of Aulis, sacrifices were made to the Gods to secure their good will. These sacrifices however were fruitless as the omen, Calchas, saw “a snake dart out from under the altar, rise to the top of a tree and murder eight young sparrows and their mother before being turned into stone” which he interpreted as Zeus, the God of the sky and the Thunder God, rejecting their sacrifices. Calchas warned the armies of this and predicted that the war would last nine years and end on the tenth with the destruction of Troy.
War has been around for centuries. From the time modern civilizations began, war has played an integral part in human history. It shaped the world into the modern world we live in. War has been said to be a great motivator, for example, the Great Wall of China was built to fend off the attackers from the north. However, the negative aspects of war far outweighs any positive effects it might have. The destruction of civilizations, cities and countries, mass killings of men, woman and children alike, the disastrous effect it has on economy and the after effects of war can last for centuries.