Background of the Iliad

Zeus, the father of the gods, seemed to have realized

that the earth was getting terribly overcrowded. To solve the
problem of overpopulation, he devised a great war which
would sweep like a conflagration over Greece. This was
the Trojan War.
A minor goddess, Thetis, was married to a
mortal, Peleus. Out of this marriage, Achilles, the greatest
Greek 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 a golden apple. The golden apple has this
note: To the fairest of the goddesses. Each of the most beautiful
of the goddesses- namely, Hera, Athena, andAphrodite-
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. So he parted the clouds
covering Mount Olympus, the dwelling place of the gods, and
showed the three goddesses a prince of Troy named
Alexandros.
Zeus suggested that the three beauty contestants take
their problem to Alexandros and ask him to decide. The
goddesses descended upon the earth, circled Alexandros by
turns, and each proceeded to bribe him so that he would award
her the golden apple. 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. Alexandros awarded the golden apple
to Aphrodite.
It happened that Helen the most beautiful woman in the
world was already married toMenelaos, king of Sparta. With
the help of Aphrodite, Alexandros abducted Helen and took her
to Troy where she remained until the end of the ensuing Trojan
War. That is the reason why she is called Helen of Troy. The
Greeks banded together to restore Helen of Menelaos.
Agamemnon, King of Mycenaea, was their general.
Many adventurous Greek heroes joined the Greek
expeditionary forces. Among them wereAchilles, the greatest
and bravest of the Greek heroes; Odysseus, the clever and witty
warrior;Diomedes, the bold one; Nestor, the prudent old
man; Aias, the giant; and a host of other heroes.
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.