0:00 the eldest son of priam hector was a brave and honorable

two thousand eight hundred years ago a blind poet known as warrior second only
homer would produce 1:43
0:18 to achilles in combat devoted to his homeland and committed
two of the greatest works that western civilization would ever to his family
see regarded as one of the most influential 1:49
0:25 hector loved none more than his wife andrew mackie and his
authors of all time homer's iliad and odyssey would tell the son astian axe for
tales of odysseus 1:55
0:30 whom he would sacrifice anything to protect the sister of
and achilles of paris and helen with their names echoing hector cassandra would be
throughout the ages 2:03
0:37 the least fortunate of priam's children she would once catch
[Music] the eye of the god
0:59 2:08
long ago when monsters roamed the earth a rich and powerful apollo who would give her the gift of prophecy in his attempts
kingdom sat across to seduce her
1:05 2:14
the sea from the great cities of athens and sparta its name but when she rejected the god he would curse cassandra in a
was troy with its famous walls jealous rage making
1:13 2:19
said to be indestructible having been built by the gods it so none would ever believe her prophecies finally there
themselves would be paris the brother
1:19 2:27
the city was ruled by king priam and queen hekiba who were of hector and cassandra who would be raised away from his
deeply loved and family
1:24 2:32
respected by their people with priam having 50 sons and 50 before his birth hecuba received a prophecy revealing that her
daughters during unborn son was
1:30 2:39
his reign the most admired of them would be prince hector destined to bring destruction to troy but unable to kill the child
troy's greatest warrior herself she
1:37 2:45
instructed a local shepherd to complete the task but just like 4:10
hekiba the agamemnon of maisini and ajax of salamis all putting
2:51 themselves forward
shepherd could not harm the helpless infant and instead would 4:16
raise paris in knowing her decision would lead to the rejection of so many
2:56 powerful men helen was worried that bloodshed would
secret a decision that would change the course of history 4:24
3:06 likely follow and so to try and prevent conflict odysseus of
[Music] ithaca made each suitor
3:11 4:31
but the shepherd's misguided generosity would not bring about swear an oath to protect her chosen husband with the threat of
the prophecy alone violence now gone
3:17 4:37
as for troy to fall another child needed to be born across the helen would choose prince menelaus of mycenae with the two
seas in the city of sparta soon marrying and
3:24 4:42
zeus the king of the gods had fallen in love with queen leader becoming the king and queen of sparta disappointed her other
transforming himself into a magnificent suitors would
3:32 4:49
swan zeus would lie with the queen with leader soon giving peacefully return home but unknown to them their oath to
birth to two eggs defend her chosen
3:39 4:54
out of the eggs would hatch two sons castor and pollocks as husband king menelaus an oath they had made to prevent
well as two violence would be the very thing that
3:45 5:01
daughters clytemnestra and helen with helen growing up to would draw them into one of the greatest wars the world had
become the most ever seen
3:50 5:13
beautiful woman in the world when helen came of age almost [Music] but high on mount olympus another
every man 5:20
3:56 marriage was taking place the parents of achilles thetis the
would attempt to win her hand in marriage with the greatest goddess of water and peleus king of
warriors richest warlords and even greece's 5:27
4:03 pythia had been invited to olympus to celebrate their marriage
princes travelling great distances to reach sparta with hosting a great feast they would invite
odysseus of ithaca 5:34
all the gods and heroes from across the land but they would shepherd in his exile and so the three goddesses would
make one exception approach paris with each offering him a
5:40 6:56
for amongst all the gods there was one who was universally different gift in return for his vote hera offered to make him
disliked king of europe
5:45 7:02
aerys the goddess of discord and strife who brought chaos and asia athena promised unrivaled skill in war but aphrodite
wherever she went hurt knowing the young man's
5:52 7:10
that she was not invited to the wedding eris would decide to desires would promise to give him the most beautiful woman in
attend anyway bringing with her a gift that would sow the world an
5:59 7:15
the seeds of conflict amongst the gods the gift was to be a offer he could not refuse with paris then giving her the apple
golden apple 7:20
6:05 aphrodite would tell him to travel to sparta where she would
inscribed with one simple phrase to the most beautiful use her magic to
6:11 7:25
she would then throw the apple amongst the goddesses of make queen helen whose beauty knew no equal fall in love
olympus knowing that their vanity would lead to conflict with him
6:19 7:31
soon hira athena and aphrodite were all fighting with each following the goddess's instructions paris would travel to
claiming the apple sparta and meet with helen with the two soon falling in
6:25 7:38
should be awarded to them unable to decide they would all love taking helen's hand paris and his men would fight through
turn to zeus but zeus had no desire to upset any the ranks of spartan guards who had been
6:33 7:46
of the goddesses and so decided to give the responsibility to a sent to stop her abduction but it was to no avail with the two
mortal boarding his ship before making the long
6:39 7:53
the man he chose would be a humble shepherd known for his voyage back to troy arriving home paris would be recognized
fair judgment by his father
6:44 8:01
a man that was none other than prince paris of troy who had king priam who welcomed him with open arms awed by
been raised as a helen's beauty the entire palace
6:50 8:08
would try to catch a glimpse of her overjoyed to see the new call and soon the greatest warriors from across greece or the
princess of troy achaeans as homer
8:14 9:39
however amidst the excitement there remained two who were would call them were assembling to return helen home to
concerned with her sparta
8:19 9:45
arrival prince hector was furious with his brother warning that the first to join menelaus would be his brother agamemnon the
his naive and lustful most powerful greek king
8:26 9:52
actions would bring war to the shores of troy but while hector's agamemnon would rule over maicini an ally of sparta with his
words were harsh it kingdom having
8:33 9:58
would be his sister cassandra who would have the worst the most wealth and largest army and so when the time of war
reaction shrieking in despair she would came it
8:40 10:03
prophesize that helen's arrival would lead to the fall of troy would be agamemnon who would command greece's mighty
itself but as fleet next to join would be the suitors of
8:45 10:11
she had been cursed by apollo no one would heed her helen who had pledged their allegiance to defend menelaus
warning with the royal guards dismissing her with the king's
8:52 10:16
prophecies as mad ravens and locking her deep within the odysseus nester and diomedes all honoring their word
palace 10:22
9:08 the youngest of the achaean kings diomedes ruled over the
arriving back in sparta from a funeral in crete menelaus was city of argos
informed that his 10:27
9:14 second in power only to mycenae a favourite of the goddess
wife helen had been abducted with the ship she was on athena
heading in the direction 10:33
9:19 diomedes was a skilled politician who was known for bringing
of troy enraged he would raise his armies to attack the trojans wealth and stability to his people
calling upon all of 10:41
9:26 the king of pylos nester was the oldest of the greek kings
helen's suitors to honor their oaths and join him in the conflict 10:46
men of their words they would answer his having lived nearly three generations thanks to the blessings
9:34 of the god apollo
10:52 answering the call prince of pythia achilles was the greatest
a former argonaut nestor had travelled the world with heracles warrior to have ever lived with
and now offered 12:16
10:58 his support ensuring victory in any conflict achilles was
his years of wisdom and experience to menelaus in his quest invulnerable to attacks and
to retrieve helen 12:22
11:05 without his assistance the conquest of troy was unthinkable
the last and hardest to recruit would be odysseus king of 12:28
ithaca the wisest and after his birth his mother the water goddess thetis would take
11:12 achilles to
most cunning of the greeks but although he commanded great 12:33
respect and power he was reluctant to send his the underworld submerging him into the river sticks whose
11:19 waters granted
men to war and so when agamemnon's envoys came to 12:39
11:24 immortality but as she had held him by the foot the waters
recruit him he would pretend to be mad mumbling and raving would not cover his
while plowing the 12:44
11:30 heel which would remain the only vulnerable part of his body
ground with an ox and horse seen through the deception one 12:49
of the growing up achilles would be raised by the centaur chiron the
11:36 teacher of
soldiers would decide to test his sanity placing odysseus's son 12:54
in front of the heracles with the young man learning music speechcraft and
11:42 warfare under his
plow having no choice but to stop odysseus would pick up his 13:00
son proving he was of tutelage but while achilles would take great pride in his
11:48 achievements he was
sound mind all along with him then raising his armies to send 13:06
to troy also cursed with a short temper something that would bring
11:56 him into conflict throughout his life
joining these powerful kings would be the best warriors greece 13:13
had to offer while he was studying his mother thetis would learn of a
12:02 prophecy that her son
with achilles patroclus as well as ajax the greater and ajax the 13:18
letter all was destined to travel on only one of two paths either he
12:08 would live a long and peaceful
13:25 would fetch his lifelong friend patroclus with the two of them
life dying as an old man without fame or he would live a short then joining odysseus and diomedes on the
and heroic life 14:49
13:32 journey back to sparta with the greatest fighters from across
dying a glorious death with his story becoming legend and so greece now assembled agamemnon would
when news came that greece's 14:57
13:39 command a mighty fleet of hundreds of ships but as they set
greatest warriors were gathering to attack troy she would do sail for troy they
everything she could to protect her son 15:03
13:46 would find themselves unable to move with the waters having
dressing achilles in female clothing she would send him to calmed and the
skyross where he would 15:08
13:52 ocean's winds have incest for agamemnon having killed a
hide amongst the island's many women but her plan would sacred deer had offended
take an unexpected 15:15
13:57 the goddess artemis who had stolen the winds so he could not
turn as diomedes the one sent to recruit achilles would be set sail
accompanied by none 15:20
14:04 anxious to reach troy agamemnon would consult a prophet on
other than odysseus the wisest and most cunning of the how to restore the
greeks 15:26
14:09 winds once again but to restore them the prophets revealed
realizing achilles was hiding on the island odysseus would that agamemnon would have to
come up with a plan to reveal him arriving with 15:32
14:17 sacrifice the one who was dearest to him his eldest daughter
presents for the women he would begin to hand them out ephigenia
however a particular present a set of 15:39
14:24 with thousands of men waiting idle in their ships agamemnon's
armor would excite one of the women in particular odysseus pride could not
would then sound a war horn 15:45
14:30 stand for such a delay claiming that achilles wanted her hand
with all the women fleeing except for one with achilles taking in marriage agamemnon would lure his
off his disguise and quickly putting on the 15:51
14:37 daughter to his camp with ephegenia arriving in excitement
armor ready for battle exposed by the cunning plan achilles with her father waiting for her at the
14:42 15:59
altar she would begin to walk towards him however as she got 17:18
closer she realised daughter of ares who could fight better than almost any man
16:05 17:24
it was not a wedding altar at all but rather a sacrificial shrine but while both sides possessed the best warriors and leaders
with her of their age the
16:11 17:29
father plunging his dagger into her broken heart with his gods too would be divided by the war still furious they had not
daughter now laying dead at his been given
16:18 17:35
feet agamemnon had appeased artemus who would release the apple by paris hira and athena would choose to support
the winds from her grasp the achaeans while aphrodite having
16:24 17:42
now setting sail it would not be long until they reached their gifted helen to the trojans would decide to give them her
enemies mighty support
16:30 17:48
city but awaiting them would be the greatest army troy had to the patron of troy apollo would come to the defense of his city
offer with poseidon
16:38 17:54
the son of aphrodite and cousin to the royal family aeneas jealous that the trojans worshipped apollo rather than him after
would join the fight they had both built the city's walls would decide
16:43 18:01
to protect his homeland but troy would not fight alone with to join the achaeans and finally ares lured by the promise of
16:48 18:07
priam calling upon his allies the lycians and the amazons who battle and wanting to best his sister athena would join the side
would come of the trojans so he could cause as much
16:54 18:14
to his aid bloodshed as possible [Music]
16:59 18:26
lycia would be led by sarpadon the son of zeus and grandson for nine long years the achaeans would attack troy with wave
of belerethron as after wave failing to break
17:05 18:33
well as glaucus a legendary warrior who would lead the lycean the city's impenetrable walls but with resources running short
armies into battle 18:38
17:12 achilles would lead greece's armies south searching for
they would fight alongside the amazons fierce warrior women supplies gold and
led by penthouse a 18:44
women they would first take the island of lesbos before landing agree to let her go with odysseus reuniting crisis with her
on the shores of father
18:50 20:09
asia minor pillaging all the towns and cities they came across but with his concubine now gone agamemnon would look to
as they made satisfy his desires
18:56 20:15
their way back up to troy from the cities of lionessus and turning to bryceus the slave girl of achilles if he would have to
19:01 go without his prize
hippoplasia the greeks would take many beautiful women as 20:22
slaves with bryceus then so too would his greatest warrior stealing her from his
19:07 tent agamemnon
being awarded to achilles and crisis given to agamemnon 20:28
19:12 would declare bryceus his own with achilles becoming
two women that would change the course of the war having enraged
taken crisis as a concubine 20:33
19:19 demanding her return achilles would only be laughed at by the
agamemnon would fall deeply in love with her however her king causing him to
father a priest of apollo 20:39
19:26 draw his sword in frustration but as he did so the goddess
was not happy with his daughter being taken as a slave and so athena
travelled to 20:44
19:32 would descend from the heavens holding his arm in place and
agamemnon's camp he would offer the king gold and silver in warning against
exchange for his daughter 20:49
19:38 such an impulsive action heeding the god's advice achilles
bataga memnon refused the offer taunting the old man by would put down his sword refusing to serve a
pointing and 20:57
19:44 king that had treated him with such disrespect returning to his
crises chained to his bed apollo disgusted at the way his priest tent the greek armies
19:50 21:04
had been treated would send a plague of arrows upon the would have to fight on without his assistance [Music]
greek armies 21:15
19:55 for a time the greeks would manage to fight on without achilles
refusing to relent until crises was returned home agamemnon although the losses on both sides would begin to take
having no other choice would 21:23
20:03
their toll in an attempt to end the war with no further bloodshed 22:45
both of helen's lovers went to bid his family farewell with his wife and son crying in
21:30 his arms
paris and menelaus would agree to jewel with the victor being 22:51
declared her true he knew this could be the last time he would ever see them
21:35 but he had no choice
husband with both armies standing by paris and menelaus 22:57
would begin their for troy to survive he would have to fight emerging from troy's
21:42 mighty walls hector
jewel with warriors on each side anxiously looking on onto the 23:04
two men would rally his men pushing the greeks all the way back to
21:47 their ships who were no match for him
that would decide the fate of the war as swords clashed and 23:10
crowds cheered a without achilles assistance but even on the verge of defeat
21:54 with his
clear victor was emerging with menelaus striking paris until he 23:15
fell to the men dying around him achilles would refuse to join the fight
22:00 23:21
floor at the very moment menelaus went to deliver the final taking matters into his own hands his best friend patroclus
blow aphrodite having would put on
22:07 23:26
a fondness for paris would appear above them taking his achilles iconic armor before charging into battle with it
feeble body back to his appearing that achilles had
22:13 23:32
bed chamber where helen awaited relieved to be alive rejoined the fight fear swept through the trojan forces who
22:18 began to flee back to the safety of the
paris would grab onto helen's robes with tears in his eyes 23:40
happy to be with her once again city's walls seeing his army crumbling before him hector would
22:25 decide to make a final
but helen having seen the battle from her window was not 23:47
impressed with the humiliation paris had suffered stand turning to face patroclus to save as many of his men as
22:33 possible
so devastating that her love for him would begin to wane 23:53
22:38 charging towards him with his sword in hand he would take
hector ii would be embarrassed by his brother's failure one swift blow
realizing that the war would continue he 23:59
striking patroclus dead shocked at the ease with which 25:19
greece's finest warrior had been defeated hector towards him hector would begin to run in fear with him being
24:07 chased around troy's
would crouch down to remove achilles helmet but when 25:25
patroclus face was walls three times before he was eventually caught unable to
24:12 run any further hector decided
uncovered he realized he had not defeated achilles at all 25:33
24:19 to make a final stand and fight achilles with honor charging at
[Music] him hector would draw his
24:25 25:41
seeing the death of patroglous the greek armies would rush to sword but as he took his final swing it would miss with him
claim his body falling down to the
24:31 25:47
fighting off the trojans as they went bringing him back to their floor realizing the end was near hector would refuse to beg for
camp achilles his life and instead
24:37 25:55
would be distraught when he saw his best friend laying dead would only request one thing that achilles treat his body with
before him respect so his family could properly
24:42 26:02
contemplating ending his own life achilles could not hold back mourn his passing but still enraged at the death of patroclus
his anguish achilles would plunge his
24:48 26:09
with his mother thetis coming to comfort him seeing her son in spear into hector's neck bringing an end to his life tying
such distress hector's legs to the back of his
24:54 26:17
thetis would go to olympus and retrieve a new set of armor chariot achilles would drag his corpse around the city parading
from the forge of his body for
25:00 26:23
hephaestus placing it on achilles when she returned with his all to see while hector's entire family watched from the walls
new armor equipped the grief above
25:07 26:29
achilles had felt would now turn to revenge with the destruction it was a sight too much for hector's father king priam to bear
of hector 26:34
25:12 as nightfall came priam would approach achilles in his camp
and troy the only things on his mind seeing the real achilles begging at his feet for his son's body
now charging 26:42
to be returned moved by the king's words that reminded him of shot achilles with a poisoned arrow in the only mortal part of
his own grief after the death of his body
26:49 28:11
patroclus achilles would give in and allow priam to take dropping to the floor and poison coursing through his veins
hector's body achilles skin
26:56 28:17
arriving back in troy the entire city would gather to see priam's would turn white as snow with him taking his last and final
son breath
27:02 28:22
mourning for the loss of their great hero but none would feel but paris would not live long enough to enjoy his victory for the
the pain more than greeks who had
27:08 28:28
hector's wife andremaki and his son astian axe who clung onto seen him shoot achilles would hunt him down and take their
his body as it revenge
27:14 28:33
passed through troy's somber streets with hector's death with their greatest heroes now gone each side would fall into
homer would mark the despair especially
27:21 28:40
end of the iliad but for the story of troy more tragedy was to the greeks who saw no way to penetrate troy's great walls
come without the strength
27:30 28:45
[Music] of achilles but there would be one greek who did not give up
27:39 hope with odysseus
with hector now gone all hope was lost within the city and with 28:51
achilles devising a cunning plan a plan so genius that its story would
27:44 28:57
closing in it looked like the end was near slaughtering the echo throughout the ages constructing a giant wooden horse
trojans one by one he 29:03
27:51 odysseus would hollow out the inside making enough room for
would make his way to the gates of troy but as he went to himself and a
scale the city walls 29:08
27:57 handful of greece's best warriors to be hidden within and so
he would feel a sharp and excruciating pain in his heel for when the next day dawned the
paris guided by the god apollo had 29:15
28:05 trojans awoke to find a great horse outside their walls
29:20
seeing the greek camp dismantled and their ships sailing off his end with pirus the son of achilles plunging his dagger into
into the horizon the old man's
29:25 30:44
a great cheer erupted throughout the city celebrating that the defenseless body leaving the king's body amongst his fallen
war had come men pirus would head to the royal
29:31 30:52
to an end mesmerized by its beauty and believing the horse to chambers where he would find hector's wife and son taking
be a peace offering the astionax from his mother's arms
29:38 31:00
trojans would decide to bring it within their walls but there was he would throw the infant to its death from this city's walls
one who was not fooled by before taking his
29:44 31:05
the gift cassandra claiming it was a trap would urge the trojans mother andremaki into slavery where she would serve as his
to burn the horse but concubine
29:52 31:11
once again she was ignored with the entire city laughing and after ten years of war troy's famous walls had finally been
ridiculing her for her insanity but that breached with its
30:00 31:18
night when all were asleep odysseus menelaus diomedes and king now gone and its great heroes defeated troy would now
ajax would begin lay at the mercy
30:07 31:25
to pour out of the horse killing the guards they would open of the greeks [Music]
troy's gates from within before 31:36
30:14 fleeing from the streets of troy cassandra would find refuge in
signaling with fire for the rest of the greek fleet to return the temple of athena watching in fear as her
30:20 31:44
the trojans would awake to their city ablaze with greek warriors fellow citizens were slaughtered before her eyes but
flooding unfortunately the greek warrior ajax
30:25 31:51
through the streets looting homes and slaughtering any the lesser had spotted cassandra hiding soon entering the
remaining defenders temple himself and
30:31 31:58
with his entire city burning before his eyes priam the king of violating her in front of athena's statue disgusted as the act
troy would meet performed in her
30:37 32:04
sacred temple as ajax went to board his ship athena would significant would be aeneas leading a small group of survivors
strike it with a bolt out of the
32:10 33:22
of lightning causing him to fall into the sea where poseidon burning city they would cross the mediterranean eventually
would drag him to landing on the
32:16 33:27
a watery grave but for cassandra things would only get worse shores of italy beginning a new life aeneas and his
32:22 33:32
with ajax now gone agamemnon would claim her as his followers would populate the land with his descendants
concubine where they would romulus and remus
32:28 33:38
return to his home in mycenae however agamemnon's wife founding a new city called rome finally reunited with helen
clayton nestra menelaus
32:34 33:45
was not pleased with her husband lying with another woman would return home to sparta where the two would rule as king
with her grabbing an and queen once
32:39 33:50
axe and butchering cassandra in a jealous rage but cassandra again when their time came they would pass on to the next
would not be the only one world where they would spend
32:46 33:56
to feel klitemnestra's wrath have he never forgiven eternity on the isle of the blessed however although some
agamemnon for sacrificing were able to
32:52 34:02
their daughter iphigenia to restore the winds clytemnestra return home and others were able to forge new beginnings for
would now take her one hero in
32:58 34:07
revenge waiting until agamemnon had fallen asleep she would particular a long and dangerous journey awaited for odysseus
sneak into his bed the most cunning of
33:04 34:14
chamber plunging her dagger into his heart with the king the greeks would have to travel for ten long years where he
facing the same would face the most
33:09 34:19
gruesome death he had inflicted upon their daughter of the few terrifying creatures known to man the odyssey had just begun
trojans to escape the most 34:38
33:16 [Applause] so
34:45
[Music] [Applause] [Music]
34:58
[Music]
35:27
you