The Stratagem of the Wooden Horse

Related by Aeneas
 Who is Aeneas?
He is the son of Venus, the goddess of beauty, a Trojan
hero and a cousin of Hector, a brave warrior.
What is the Iliad about?

• Its theme is the affirmation of the truth

that one’s fate is the result of one’s
actions.
• The deities give only what a person asks
for; one’s destiny is largely a matter of
one’s own making.
What is the Iliad about?

• It showcases the passions found in and the

cruelty of war.
• It is story of love and heroism.
The Mythological Background of the Iliad
Zeus, the father of the deities, seemed to
have realized that the Earth was getting
terribly overcrowded. To solve the problem
of overpopulation, he devised a great war
that would sweep like a conflagration over
Greece. This was the Trojan War.
 Zeus
- in ancient Greek religion, chief deity
of the pantheon, a sky and weather
god who was identical with the Roman
god Jupiter. Zeus was regarded as the
sender of thunder and lightning, rain,
and winds, and his traditional weapon
was the thunderbolt. He was called
the father (i.e., the ruler and
protector) of both gods and men.
The Mythological Background of the Iliad
A minor goddess, Thetis, was married to a
mortal, Peleus. Out of this marriage, Achilles,
the greatest warrior, was born. Eris, the
goddess of mischief, was not invited to the
marriage feast, so into the middle of the
banquet hall she threw this golden apple
with this note: To the fairest of the
goddesses.
The Mythological Background of the Iliad

Thetis- a
sea
nymph,
goddess of
water
The Mythological Background of the Iliad

Peleus-king of the Myrmidons of

Thessaly; he was most famous
as the husband of Thetis (a sea
nymph) and the father of the
hero Achilles, whom he outlived
The Mythological Background of the Iliad
Each of the most beautiful goddesses-
namely, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite-
claimed the golden apple. A quarrel ensued
and Father Zeus was asked to decide who
was the most beautiful of the three. This
placed Zeus in a predicament since Hera was
his own wife and Athena and Aphrodite were
his own daughters.
Hera
Facts about Hera
Hera was Queen of the OLYMPIAN GODS.
She was the wife of Zeus.
Hera was a jealous wife, and she fought with Zeus
frequently over his extramarital affairs and illegitimate
children. For this reason, Hera was known for punishing
offending husbands.
She was the protector of women, presiding over
marriages and births.
The peacock was sacred to her.
Hera
Facts about Hera
Hera had few, if any, redeeming qualities. She never forgot
an injury.
Though she may have been physically attractive, her
vindictive personality makes her less so.
The Trojan War would have ended in peace, but Hera had a
vested interest in its outcome and influenced Zeus to
either switch sides or remain neutral.
Hera had no concept of justice when angry or jealous; she
could not forgive the women with whom Zeus had sexual
relations—even if they were innocent of wrongdoing.
 Aphrodite
Facts about Aphrodite
• Aphrodite was the goddess of fertility, love, and beauty.
• Two different stories explain the birth of Aphrodite. The
first is simple: She was the child of Zeus and Dione.
• According to the second story, however, Aphrodite rose
from the foam of the sea.
• Aphrodite was married to Hephaestus, but Aphrodite did
not enter into this union of her own volition.
• She and Ares conceived HARMONIA, who eventually
married Herodotus.
 Athena
-She was the daughter of Zeus, produced without a mother, so
that she emerged full-grown from his forehead.
- also spelled Athene, in Greek religion, the city protectress,
goddess of war, handicraft, and practical reason, identified
by the Romans with Minerva.
- In Homer’s Iliad, Athena, as a war goddess, inspires and
fights alongside the Greek heroes; her aid is synonymous
with military prowess.
- Athena was customarily portrayed wearing body armour
and a helmet and carrying a shield and a lance.
The Mythological Background of the Iliad
So he parted the clouds covering Mt. Olympus,
the dwelling place of the deities, and showed the
three goddesses a prince of Troy named Paris.
Zeus suggested that the three beauty contestants
take their problem to Paris and ask him to decide.
The goddesses descended upon the earth, circled
Paris by turns, and each proceeded to bribe him
so that he would award her the golden apple.
The Mythological Background of the Iliad
Hera promised him power; Athena promised
him wisdom; Aphrodite promised that she
would give him the most beautiful woman in
the world for his wife. Paris awarded the
golden apple to Aphrodite.
Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy
• It happened that Helen , the most
beautiful woman in the world, was already
married to Menelaus, King of Sparta. With
the help of Aphrodite, Paris abducted
Helen and took her to Troy where she
remained until the end of the Trojan War.
That is the reason why she is called the
Helen of Troy.
Helen of Troy
• The Greeks (Achaeans) banded together to restore
Helen to Menelaus. Agamemnon, king of Mycenae,
was their general. Many adventurous Greek heroes
joined the Greek expeditionary forces. Among them
were Achilles, the greatest and the bravest of the
Greek heroes; Odysseus, the clever and wily warrior;
Diomedes, the bold one, Nestor, the prudent old
man; Aias, the giant; Patroclus, Achilles’ friend; and
a host of other heroes.
Paris of Troy
• Paris is one of the most infamous mortals from
Greek mythology; for Paris is blamed for bringing
about the destruction of one of the most famous
cities of the Ancient World.
• Paris of course came from Troy, and his abduction
of Helen from Sparta is the reason why a
thousand ships, all packed with heroes and men,
arrived at the gates of Troy; and ultimately the
city of Troy would fall to that force.
Paris of Troy
• PARIS SON OF PRIAM
• Paris was more than just an inhabitant of
Troy though for he was a prince of the city, the son of
King Priam and his wife Hecabe (Hecuba). King Priam
of Troy was well known for his many offspring, and
some ancient sources would claim that he was father
to 50 sons and 50 daughters, meaning that Paris had a
lot of siblings, although amongst the most famous
were Hector, Helenus and Cassandra.
Paris, Helen, Hector
The Iliad: A Summary
• After ten years of preparation, the
Greek army landed in Troy and began
to attack its fortifications. The Iliad
begins in the tenth year of the war.
There was a prophecy that in that
year Troy would fall and be destroyed
by the victorious Greeks.
The Iliad: A Summary
• The story opens with a violent quarrel
between Agamemnon, the
commander in chief of the Greek
army, and Achilles, their greatest and
bravest warrior. Briseis, a concubine
of Achilles, is unjustly taken by
Agamemnon and as a result, Achilles
makes a sacred vow no longer to fight.
The Iliad: A Summary
• For the duration of most of the
pitched battles between the Greeks
and the Trojans, Achilles stays sulking
in his tent. Because of his absence
from the battlefield, the Trojans, led
by Prince Hector, makes bold
advances in battle and the Greeks are
driven back.
The Iliad: A Summary
• Their situation rapidly deteriorates until
most of the Greek leaders are wounded
and are forced to leave the battle.
Patroclus, the dear friend of Achilles,
saddened by the growing losses of his
countrymen, begs Achilles to let him
lead Achilles's men, the Myrmidons.
Achilles gave him his permission.
The Iliad: A Summary
• Patroclus rallies the Greeks and
succeeds in making the Trojans
retreat, but he is killed by Hector, the
Trojan prince who is equal to Achilles
in courage and fighting skill. Angered
by the death of his dear comrade,
Achilles now enters the fight, routs
the Trojans, killing them mercilessly.
The Iliad: A Summary
• Filled with dark passion of revenge,
he goes after Hector and slays him.
With beastly cruelty, he ties the dead
body of Hector to his chariot and
drags it round and round the city of
Troy. The story ends with the funeral
rites for Hector.
The Iliad: A Summary
Task 1:
1. Work with your group.
2. Discuss the paragraphs assigned to
you.
3. Write your explanation for each
paragraph in a manila paper.
4. You will present your output
tomorrow.
The Iliad: A Summary
The Stratagem of the Wooden Horse
The Stratagem of the Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy
What is the story about? Who are the characters in the story?
• The story is about how the • Thymoetes
Trojans was finally defeated • Capys
by the Greeks. • Laocoon
• Sinon
• The Greeks
• The Trojans
 The Stratagem of the Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy
Who built the wooden horse: the The Greek army sailed away, but the heroes were left
Greeks or the Trojans? behind. Where were the heroes hidden?

• The Greeks built the • They were hidden inside the

wooden horse as a strategy body of the wooden horse.
to enter the city of Troy.
 The Stratagem of the Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy
What did Laocoon do to the wooden According to the Trojans, how did Athena punish
horse? Laocoon?

• He hurled a mighty spear • The snakes entwined the bodies

against the wooden horse, of Laocoon’s sons, and each snake
bit into their miserable bodies.
against its belly.
• The snakes seized him too. They
• He didn’t want the wooden raised their heads and spat their
horse to enter the city. black poisoned gore on him.
 The Stratagem of the Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy
Why did the Trojans have to destroy the city
walls when they dragged the wooden horse
into the city? Why did the Trojans hold feasts throughout the city?

• They destroyed the city • They hold feasts because of the

walls in order for the thought that it was a peace-
offering to them by the Greeks.
wooden horse to be
• They also rejoiced because they
dragged inside.
had at last brought the wooden
horse into the city.
 The Stratagem of the Wooden Horse and the Fall of Troy
Sinon unbarred the prison doors and secretly
released the hidden Greeks. What was the The Greek warriors burned Troy. What did they do to the
“prison” in the above sentence mean? men? to the women and children?

• It means the city walls of • The men were massacred

Troy. and the women and
children were carried to
slavery.