Trojan War - Saga of Love, Glory, Honor and Revenge - Essay Example

13 April Trojan War: A Saga of Love, Glory, Honor and Revenge Introduction: Human history, right fromthe ancient times, is replete with sagas of war waged between nations for reasons varying from accession of territory to exploitation of natural resources; showing of might to fulfilling personal egos; spreading religion to annihilating believers of other faiths; and abducting a loved one to uniting with the loved. The Trojan War, or the War of Troy, falls in the latter category, where a prince of a nation falls in love with the queen of another nation, who elopes with him to his country. The Trojan War is perhaps the greatest and the most popular war fought in the annals of human history till today. Many scholars consider this war, which occurred around 1250 BC, as a conflict between nations that “established no boundaries, won no territory, and furthered no cause” (Alexander 1). Though this epic war has occurred even before the printed word has been discovered, the story prevailed through oral culture preserved by the ancestors. The most authentic and descriptive details of the war is present in the Epic by Homer called “The Iliad” and partially in his other work, “The Odyssey.” This war between the Greeks and the Trojans is believed to have lasted for about a decade and during the last year, the Greeks lay siege on Troy, and finally conquered it. Prince of Troy, Paris, who comes to Greece, becomes enchanted by Helen who is said to be the most beautiful woman on earth and he elopes with her to his country. The Greek pursues them to their nation and after a heroic war that causes the loss of many lives, destroys Troy. Trojan War can be perceived as the greatest war fought in human history, for the love of two young hearts on the one hand and for the revenge and honor of a king as well as the glory of valiant soldiers on the other. Different Perspectives of the War from Various Characters: Achilles (Glory and Revenge): Achilles, one of the greatest soldiers in the world, is the most dominant character in the Iliad, who plays a crucial and critical role in the War of Troy. The son of Peleus, the previous king of Myrmidons, and the Goddess Thetis, he grows up into a most daring and valiant soldier, who later becomes the king of Myrmidons. He considers glory as the greatest virtue for a human being and he is prepared to even sacrifice his life for attaining it. The pursuit of glory motivates him and thus he becomes the hero of the Trojan War and determines its fate. However, this character suffers from the flaw of unrelenting anger that turns into wrath on many occasions and this trait triggers in him personal vendetta against Hector, the elder prince of Troy who kills his friend Patroclus, as well as conflict with Agamemnon who takes away his prize of the slave girl, Briseis. On the other hand, he shows respect to the other valiant soldiers including Priam, the king of Troy. In fact, Achilles never harbors any hatred towards the Trojans but he has come to the war with “no personal stake” but due to peculiar position as a soldier in military service (21). Also, he retorts at Agamemnon that he has come to the war to protect his “honor” as well as that of his brother Menelaus (21). Many people consider Achilles as an impulsive person but no one denies that he is courageous and wise though on occasions he acts quite outrageously against not only the warriors but also against gods. The characteristic trait of Achilles, which blends the qualities of altruism and unquenched wrath, seems to be motivated by his peculiar positioning as the hero who has to lead his men to victory in a war that will end up in the termination of his life. This existential crisis in which he fights for the ultimate glory that “walks hand in hand with his doom” finally ends up in his death at the hands of Paris, the second son of Priam, who abducts Helen and thus triggers the Trojan War (Peterson 2004). From Achilles’ perspectives, the war becomes a platform for him to claim the glory that he pursues even at the cost of his life. On the other hand, during the course of the war, Agamemnon strips Achilles of his “prize, a captive” called Briseis, Achilles who takes it as an insult on him, becomes annoyed to the extent that he draws his sword to kill the former. However, Goddess Athene appears before him and he yields to her request to put away his sword but gives an ultimatum to Agamemnon that he will no more “obey” him and avoids the war (Alexander 25). Subsequently, Achilles’ friend Patroclus puts on his armor and goes to the battle in which Hector kills him. Grief stricken at the loss, Achilles swears vengeance and at this point vendetta comes into play as his motivation. He goes to the walls of Troy and challenges Hector and finally kills him in a dual. This can be seen as a turning point in the Trojan War as Hector has been the leader of Troy, in whom the soldiers as well as the king have reposed great faith. A fight occurs between Achilles and Hector, in which the former kills the latter and takes his dead body to the Greek camp, wanting to deprive him of an honorable burial. However, when Priam the king of Troy comes and pleads with him, Achilles agrees to return the body and stop the war for the duration of the mourning. When the war resumes the Greeks realize that the wall of Troy is impenetrable and then Odysseus thinks of an idea. The Greeks pretend to leave Troy and most of them head in a ship to a nearby island. The remaining people construct an enormous wooden horse, which they keep in the deserted campus and hide themselves inside. When the Trojans see the horse some are apprehensive of trickery by the Greeks but many believe that the Greeks have made the horse for appeasing the gods and taking it to their city will not only bring them prosperity but also will endow them with the “power to attack” their enemies (Woodford 105). However, the Trojans hauled the horse into their city and kept it there in the hope that the gods will bless them. During the night the Greeks come out of the horse, smash the gates of the city and attack the Trojans and destroy their city. Unfortunately, Achilles gets killed in this battle when an archer, who some believe is Paris, shoots an arrow into his heel, the only weak spot of this chivalrous warrior. Through the character of Achilles, Homer portrays anger and pursuit of honor as the motivations of a human being for engaging in war. Paris and Helen (Love): Queen Helen, the wife of Menelaus, who was the king of Sparta, and glorified as the most beautiful women in the world, falls in love with Paris, the prince of Troy and her “elopement” with him not only triggers a war that lasts for a decade but also ends up in the destruction of the “greatest civilization” (Maguire ix). Though there is controversy as to whether Helen has been abducted by Paris or she has run off with him, Maguire finds the latter theory more logical. In this context, it becomes clear that there has been an affair going on between the two. If there has not been an element of love between them, Paris would have easily got rid of her and avoided the war. The very fact that Paris agrees to fight Menelaus in a dual rather tends to validate his love for Helen and his desire to live with her after killing the latter. However, Menelaus wins the dual and the Trojans agree to part with Helen. However, they back out from their promise and this causes the war to resume. Paris, at all stages, seeks to protect Helen and he does not want to leave her lose her to the Greeks. This is the reason he takes her to his country despite the odds against them. He is already aware of the immense military power of the Greeks and also he is aware that many of the gods are on the Greek side. However, his love for Helen makes him ignore all the consequences the abduction or eloping can have on them as well as their country. On the one hand, as the finest archer in the Trojan army he defies the Greeks and challenges them. On the other hand, when the Greeks say that Menelaus will fight him, Paris accepts the challenge though he is not sure of his chances of winning. Externally, Paris appears to be valiant and courageous but within his mind he becomes awed by the Greek might and some evidences suggest that he is a “weakling and… coward” (Hamilton 1). Thus, the love that develops between Helen and Paris becomes the reason for the war between the Greeks and the Trojans, which finally ends up in the fall of a strong nation and a great civilization. Menelaus (Honor, Revenge): King Tyndareus, the husband of Helen’s mother has obtained a solemn oath from all of her suitors, when they came with the proposal to marry her, that they will unite and “punish to the uttermost” person who causes harm to her husband (Hamilton 1). Later, when Paris comes to Sparta, Menelaus trusts him completely and allows him to stay at his home while he goes to Crete. The Greek civilization considers the bond between guests and hosts as very strong and honorable. However, when Menelaus returns from Crete, he finds that Helen is gone and he calls upon the other Greek chieftains to help him as per their oath. For Menelaus the act by both Paris and Helen has been something that challenged his honor and respectfulness, especially as the king of Sparta. Thus, he assembled the other kings and chieftains in Greece under his brother Agamemnon’s leadership. The large army of the Greeks set sail to Sparta in a “thousand ships” to wage the war with Troy and restore their fellow king’s honor (2). In this context, it becomes clear that Menelaus has been right in calling up for the help of the other kings, who were duty bound to come to his assistance. On the other hand, Paris has been guilty of breach of trust of a king, who is his host and abducting his wife is an act of extreme dishonor. Thus, it transpires the deception by the Trojan prince Paris, who has abducted the wife of the Spartan king Menelaus, is the root cause of the Trojan War. When Menelaus confronts Paris during the course of the initial war, Priam and other elder Trojans understand that a pact has been made between the two armies to allow both concerned men to “fight it out” rather than having the whole soldiers to bear the brunt (2). In the fight that ensues, Menelaus almost has Paris taken captive but Aphrodite intervenes, catches him up “in a cloud” and takes him back to Troy (2). Menelaus searches for Paris in the entire Trojan army but fails to locate him and Agamemnon declares him the winner and thus demands that the Trojan give Helen back to the Greek. However, Goddess Athena does not want the war to end until Troy is destroyed and, therefore, persuades Pandarus, a Trojan, to shoot at Menelaus and when the latter is hit, the Greeks becomes raged at the “treachery” and resumes the war (3). The events prior to and during the Trojan War are suggestive of deception and injustice on the part of the Trojans. Initially, their prince Paris abducted the queen of their host nation, Helen, which has prompted the Greeks to attack Troy. On the other hand, they are also guilty of treachery in the context of not handing Helen over to the Greeks when Menelaus defeated Paris in the dual. Thus, the deception of his host by Paris, and the subsequent unethical actions of the Trojans, has culminated in the destruction of their great city and civilization. Conclusion: Countries wage war for many reasons such as accession of territory, exploitation of the natural resources and accumulation of wealth etc. However, the Trojan War has been fought for none of these reasons. The abduction of the queen of Sparta, Helen, by the prince of Troy, Paris, has been the root cause of the Trojan War. This war, which lasted for over a decade has seen many chivalrous warriors such as Achilles, Hector and Odysseus. However, the people involved in the war have had different motivations for fighting the war. For Achilles, the hero of the Greeks, it has been his pursuit of glory that makes him wage the greatest war in human history. Extracting vengeance for the killing of his friend has also been another factor that motivated him to continue participating in the war. On the other hand, Paris has fought the war for Helen whom he loved. The Trojan, despite the dislike for Paris has to support him, which has finally entailed in the destruction of their great city. Menelaus and the other Greek chieftains have had to fight the war to restore his honor and claim Helen back from the Trojans. The war becomes significant on many counts because it has been a long drawn conflict between two major civilizations in the world. The Trojans have begun the war for the wrong reasons whereas justice has been on the side of the Greeks. They have had every reason and a right cause to fight the war and this may be reason why they have won it. However, the Trojans have been unethical and deceptive before and during the war, which has caused their down and the ultimate destruction of their beloved city and great civilization. Works Cited Alexander, Caroline. “The War that Killed Achilles: The True Story of the Iliad.” London: Faber and Faber Limited, 2010. Print. Hamilton, Edith. “Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes.” Little, Brown and Company, 2013. Print. Maguire, Laurie. “Helen of Troy: From Home to Hollywood.” Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2009. Print. Peterson, Wolfgang. “Troy.” Perf. Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Diana Kruger, Orlando Bloom and Rose Byrne. Warner Brothers, 2004. Film. Woodford, Susan. “The Trojan War in an Ancient Art.” New York: Cornell University Press, 1993. Print. Read More