Book 3

1. Book 3 Teresa G. and Michael C.

2. Summary of Book 3 • The Trojan and Achaian armies meet on the battle field. • Menelaos and Paris have a duel over Helen and her wealth, which could prevent the rest of the war. • If one of the men wins, then both armies will swear an oath of friendship and peace.

3. Summary, cont. • Menelaos almost killed Paris, but Aphrodite rescued him and prevented his death. • Athena assisted Menelaos in the duel, so that he won, but Paris was not killed. • At the end, Menelaos is declared the winner, but because neither man died, the oath of friendship was broken.

4. Connection to the Entire Story • This book introduces the plot to the audience and how the Trojan war began. • Paris stole Helen from Menelaos, which started the ten-year war. • It begins the whole story’s rising action, and is the first battle of the last year of the war.

5. Heroes • A hero is someone who stands up for what they believe in and would risk their life for someone else. • In the book, a hero, such as Achilles or Hector, is someone who is bold and who will go to any length to fight for what they believe in, even with swords and spears.

6. Heroes cont. • Paris, a hero in the Trojan army, stole Helen and fought a duel. • He thought he could get away from Menelaos, but the gods kept him from doing so. • Menelaos, a hero in the Achaian army, challenged Paris to a duel to fight for Helen. • He thought he could end the rest of the war, but since Aphrodite saved Paris from death, he could not.

7. Heroes, cont. • The poet’s idea of a hero is one who fights for their army. • A soldier who dies fighting for their army is considered a hero. • Greek society believes that heroes are people who do not give up hope in what they are fighting for, even though it may cost them their life.

8. Paris • Also known as “Alexandros.” • He is the son of Priam, and the brother of Hector. • He stole Helen from Menelaos. • He and Menelaos have a duel over Helen, but Paris loses because the gods interfere.

9. Menelaos • He is the King of Sparta and the son of Atreus. • Menelaos is the brother of King Agamemnon and the husband of Helen. • Athena assisted him in his duel with Paris, so that he was able to overcome him and force the Trojans to hand over Helen.

10. Hector • He is the eldest son of Priam and brother of Paris. • He is a chief leader of the Trojan army. • He is the husband of Andromache and the father of Astyanax. • Hector pleads with Paris to fight and try to end the war with a duel.

11. King Agamemnon • He is the King of Mycenae and the son of Atreus. • He is the brother of Menelaos. • He is the husband of Clytemnestra. • Before the duel began, he calmed down his army so they would not help Menelaos fight Paris.

12. Aphrodite • She is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. • She is the goddess of love and beauty and was said to had been born of ocean foam. • She assisted Paris in his duel with Menelaos, which saved his life. • She is also the Roman goddess, Venus.

13. Gods and Mortals • In book three, gods intervene during Paris and Menelaos’ duel. • Their interference caused the duel to come out differently than it would have. • Because of the change in the outcome of the battle, the war over Helen continued. • Aphrodite saved Paris from death, and the oath of friendship and peace was broken. • In Greek society, the gods are the supreme rulers, and control man’s fate on Earth.

14. Bibliography • http://www.robotwisdom.com/science/aegean.gif • http://www.britaininprint.net/learning/include/images/common/trojan_war.jpg • http://www.davidsiar.org/WorldLit/images/iliad2.gif • http://dragonsedge.biz/images/Rittersteel_Trojan_Sword.jpg • http://www.dl.ket.org/latin1/mythology/1deities/gods/olympians/images/aphrodite_.jpg • http://www.mythweb.com/encyc/index.html