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David Hernandez Ocampo World Lit Honors Helen of Troy The Iliad is a long, complicated tale leading up to the fall of Troy. The oracles foretell that should Paris and Helen meet, Troy and its people will die. Many events lead up to the attack on Troy, as well as the fall. While it is not told outright in the poem, the idea that Helen was to blame for the death of the Trojans is a popular one. In the actions of the characters, some are made to be heroes, while others are made to be cowards. Helen, for the most part, is thought to be solely at fault for the Trojan War, but the events that took place were out of her control. Zeus was at fault for the Trojan War for he was the father of Helen, handed Paris the decision which locked his fate, and could not control the gods who sought to interfere in the war. Gods in Greek mythology are hardly perfect, for they trick and argue with each other over tedious matters. A perfect example of this, as well as an argument that Zeus could have put a stop to the Trojan War early on, is the Greek myth The Judgment of Paris. The synopsis of the myth goes as follows: Zeus held a banquet celebrating the marriage of Peleus and Thetis. All of the gods were invited but Eris, as she was the goddess of discord and bound to cause trouble. Angered by this, Eris arrived at the banquet regardless with a golden apple marked To the Fairest. Eris threw the apple into the crowd for the gods to find. When found, the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite laid claim to the golden apple. Zeus, being ruler of the gods, was handed the decision. He knew it would not be wise to show favor to any one goddess; instead he passed the decision on to Paris, a shepherd who had shown fairness being the judge of a race between Ares in bull

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form and his own prize bull. The goddesses went to Paris and presented him with the choice. Each showed him what they could offer in return: Hera promised Paris wealth and power for the entirety of his life, Athena victory in all battles coupled with glory and wisdom. Finally, Aphrodite used her swoon over mortal men to speak to Paris. She promised the gift of love, but love of the most beautiful mortal woman, equal to her in beauty. Paris, intoxicated by Aphrodites presence, handed the golden apple to her. True to her word, Aphrodite gave Helen, the most beautiful mortal woman to Paris; however, to enjoy her, Paris would have to take her from the powerful king Menelaus. Thus began the bloody ten-year war known as the Trojan War (The Judgment of Paris). Many people fail to see the mistakes and the hand the gods had in the Trojan War. Zeus being the god of gods, he had every opportunity to avoid or end the Trojan War. Instead, Zeus let himself be used as a puppet to fulfill his peers desires. They plotted behind each others back, manipulating Zeus at every turn. Zeus attempted to stop the gods interference about halfway through the war. He said no one was allowed to influence the tide of battle any more. This failed to deter the meddling of those who took sides. Zeus, as ruler of the immortals, failed his duty of keeping everyone in check. Helen did only what she could do. She could not change who fell in love with her, for the effects of her beauty would not have been had Zeus not raped Leda. All throughout the poem is mention of the supernatural effects she has on men, however unwanted . Gods change the tide of war however they please. Their actions cause more trouble than that of the mortals. They push men to war, save those they favor, and lead men to their deaths masquerading as loved ones. Zeus was the driving cause in the Trojan War, saving mortals he favored and turning the tide of war, even going back on his word and giving free reign to the gods when he saw he had failed to control them.

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