Iliad | Legend of the Trojan War

The events leading up to the Trojan War supposedly began with a wedding feast in Troy. The wedding celebrated the marriage of Thetis, who was a goddess, and Peleus, who was a mortal. Eris, the goddess of discord, showed up and left a golden apple inscribed “For the Fairest” with the wedding guests. This soon sets off a competition among three of the women—Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite—each of whom felt they deserved the golden apple. In order to avoid judging such a touchy contest, Zeus (king of the gods, and host of the party) chose Paris, the shepherd, to be the judge. Each...

[The entire page is 527 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass

Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...