Helen Of Troy And Greek Mythology - 1179 Words

â€Å"Helen of Troy was the daughter of Zeus and Leda in Greek mythology. She has a twin sister named Clytemnestra as well as her twin brothers Castor and Pollux (Dioscuri). Helen was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the known world. As a young girl she was abducted by Theseus, who left her in the care of his mother but Helen was later rescued by her brothers when they invaded Athens. Many suitors tried to win Helen’s hand after her return and eventually Menelaus brother of Agamemnon become the victor. All the suitors who tried to court Helen were bound by an oath to assist, in case Helen was abducted again in the future. Marrying Menelaus, king of Sparta Helen became queen to the city of Sparta. Paris the prince of Troy was†¦show more content†¦Another theme was choices that were made; first Zeus chooses not to get involved with the matter so he tells Paris to be the judge. Then Paris has to make a major decision on who to choose as the fairest of them a ll. Each goddess starts bribing Paris with things that could change his life which makes it harder for Paris to choose as he is deciding on his entire future depending on who he chooses. Paris chooses Aphrodite meaning Paris wins the heart of Helen. Helen was under a spell by Aphrodite so she had no free will to choose whether she wanted to stay or go with Paris. Paris took Helen and unfortunately for many people that choice ended up causing thousands of deaths and the destruction of Troy. This myth is important to the ancient world as it was what started the Trojan War which went on for 10 years due to Paris taking Helen with him to Troy. The Iliad is the ancient source in which the myth is originally told. This is an artwork known as The Loves of Paris and Helen by Jacques- Louis David it was painted in 1788 during the Neoclassicism period. David took great trouble over the details of this painting to show the physical attraction between both Helen and Paris. We see a statue of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty in the back placed on a column with wreaths of myrtle hanging from the columns as a symbol of Aphrodite. When examining theShow MoreRelatedResearch Essay - Trojan War1431 Words   |  6 Pageswas often considered the most important aspect of life. Mycenaean Greeks (Spartans) and the Trojans believed that the gods they prayed to were at war and because of this, they were at war too; this lasted for ten bloody years. In brief, the Trojan War began when the Supreme God of the Olympians, Zeus was asked to judge a beauty contest between three of the other Goddesses. Not being able to make the decision, he asked Prince of Troy, Paris, to decide. Each Goddess bribed Paris with different gifts;Read MoreBarry Strausss The Trojan War1664 Words   |  7 PagesAs most know, Greek Mythology is a very complex concept that is free for interpretation and is shown in multiple ways. 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