updated 7-24-04

Chapter 19-a
The Trojan War:  The House of Atreus
The House of Tyndareus
The House of Troy
The Judgment of Paris
The Gathering at Aulis
pages 511-523

In these pages we meet the cast of characters whose actions lead to The Trojan War.  

From the House of Atreus come Menelaus, the abandoned husband, and Agamemnon, the leader of the Achean forces.  

From the House of Tyndareus comes the beautiful Helen, daughter of Zeus, whose elopement serves as the trigger for the war itself.  

From the House of Troy, the doomed city, come Paris, lover of Helen, and Hector, brave defender of the walls of Troy.  

We also meet many of the Greek warriors including Ajax, Achilles, Odysseus, as well as Agamemnon and Menelaus.  While the jealousies and rivalries of the gods and goddesses underlie and prolong the Trojan War, it is the human characters--their pride, their grief, their courage--that we remember when the pages have told their story.

There are no questions in this study guide.  Instead, you should have a handout from class that outlines the three royal houses and summarizes the important myths and legends that surround the Trojan War.