The Judgment of Paris
November 24, 2008The story of the judgment of Paris is one of the most important in all of Homer. (Homer the great epic poet, not our friend Homer Simpson….) What is this story? What is the significance to the rest of this epic, history, art, life? Include many details to support your opinions and remember to respond to at least one other comment in this thread, unless you are the very first person to respond.
November 24th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Omg I erased my entire story!!! Now I have to start all over again…….
The story of the judgement of Paris is one of the most important in all of Homer. The godess Eris, was angered by the gods at mount Olympus acting hostile towards her. She made a golden apple which would go to the fairest of all the godesses. Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite all wanted it. They asked Zeus who was the fairest, but he could not decide. He then told them to go see Paris, who would decide for them. When the godesses went to him, he got very scared. They all bribed him with gifts and fame, but in the end he picked Aphrodite. The godess of love brought Paris to Helen, who was the the fariest. When her husband left, he kidnapped her to Troy. This is how the godesses caused the Trojen War.
The signifigance to the rest of the stories history is that because of this disagreement, many lives were lost. This disagreement turned all the gods against against each other, mainly Zeus, Poseidan, and Hera. The history that becomes of this is the Trojen War, which was a bloody war in which many soldiers died, including Hector and Achilles.
The signifigance of the story to life is that this story has taught us many lessons. It taught us that even if your losing, you can still win. This happened with the Greeks, because they were losing the war, but they came back and won. Another lesson this story taught was that even thought Achilles was very strong, the girl he liked got the best of him. He did not fight for many months, or even years because she had went back to the trojens.
Overall I believe this story provided us with great literature, but besides that, it provided us with lessons aswell as history.
November 24th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
The judgment of Paris is the prologue of The Trojan War.
) or Hera. I wouldn’t want to rule over Asia and Europe because it would give me a lot of stress and take too much work.
Zeus held a banquet in celebration of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis (future parents of Achilles). However, Eris, goddess of discord, was not invited. Angered by this snub, went to the celebration anyway and threw a golden apple into the hall, on which were the words “for the fairest”.
Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. They asked Zeus to judge which of them was fairest. Zeus probably didn’t want any of them to be angry at him, so he said that Paris, a shepherd prince, would judge their case.
All three candidates appeared to Paris on Mount Ida, in the climactic moment that is his “judgment”. Each attempted with her powers to bribe Paris; Hera offered to make him king of Europe and Asia, Athena offered victory over Greece in war, and Aphrodite offered the love of all the world’s most beautiful women. Being a weak coward, Paris accepted Aphrodite’s gift and awarded the apple to her.
Because Paris stupidly favored one of the goddesses, the other two would definitely hold the judgment against him for the rest of their endless lives. The event probably was the reason why Hera and Athena favored the Greeks over the Trojans during the war. If Paris had remained neutral and not favored one over the others, the Trojan war may not have even happened. Just as Matt said, so many lives were lost because of Paris’ poor judgment.
Honestly, if I was forced to choose, I would give the apple to Athena. She would help me a lot more than Aphrodite (duhh…why would anyone want the whole world to love them? hahaha
What would you have done?
I
November 24th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I honestly don’t know why that “I” is at the end. I didn’t write that. :\
November 24th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
First of all, in the beginning of the story, Eris, the evil goddess, reminds me a lot of Malevolence in “Sleeping Beauty.” Of course, there is the part that she is evil, but also that Malevolence is not invited to the royal banquet, and it angers her. As soon as I read that, this popped into my head. Then, another thing that caught my attention was the part that she would give a “Golden Apple” for “The fairest.” This is like in “Snow White” when the wicked witch gives her the apple, and it kills her, and also “The fairest of them all.” I know this seems weird that I’m relating a legendary story to a Disney movie, but this is what it reminded me of.
Next, I’d like to bring everyone’s attention to the fact: why are all the females in this story useless, human sacrifice?! There was the example of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, who is sacrificed to stop the harsh winds from stopping the ship from sailing. There was also the example of Laodamia, who killed herself to be in the underworld with Protesilaus. Also, there was Chryseis, who was the daughter of Apollo’s priest, whom the Greeks had carried off and given to Agamemnon; she was to be returned to her father. And of course, the reason for the entire war: Helen, who was kidnapped by Achilles. There are just too many to be a coincidence, Homer must have been trying to say something. Was it that women were only there as simple desires to the men? Helen, who is extremely important, was taken by Achilles because he wanted her for his own. But on the other hand, a huge battle was fought for the possession of this beautiful woman, so she must be better than a useless rag doll to be admired.
Additionally, I agree with Matt that an important moral for this story is that people were turned against each other, husband against wife, friend against friend, over a simple disagreement. This can be applied to life nowadays, how countries fight against each other all the time over what is looked at as silly disputes, and the price to pay is thousands of human lives. Something I remember learning last year in Social Studies class was how in the Civil war, brother had to fight against brother, sometimes face to face, when the North and the South fought. This is like how the highest of all gods, Zeus, had to turn his back on the wish of his wife, Hera.
November 24th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
The judgement of Paris took place before the Trojan war. It was said to be the true reason why the war was actually fought. Like Matt said, Eris created a golden apple that she brought to a banquet. Apparently, the apple was For the Fairest, therefore, clearly beginning a fracas. The three goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite asked Zeus who of the three was the fairest. Zeus simply replied that they should ask a prince/shepherd named Paris, who lived the nymph, Oenone. And so, they did. The three goddesses did their very best to bribe him. Hera offered him the rule of Eurasia, Athena offered victory over the Greeks, and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world. Since love conquers all, he named Aphrodite the fairest, earning him Helen.
The significance of the story is that lives were lost because of one man’s choice. Had Paris not chosen Aphrodite, the Trojan War would have never occurred because Helen would not be kidnapped. Like what Matt said, when the news about the war got to Mount Olympus, the gods began to quarrel too because of their different opinions about both places. I personally believe that the root of this was Paris’ choice. Homer was probably trying to send the messages that a.) Some people fight over others and b.) What you do in the past will leave an affect on your future.
One thing that confuses me a bit was how Athena offered Paris victory over the Greeks when the war actually occurred AFTER he chose Aphrodite. Is/was Athena possibly a soothsayer or did she just mean that generally? That certainly confuses me quite much.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
The story of the judgment of Paris is one of the main events that led up to the Trojan War (according to Greek Mythology of course). It starts out with the great gods of Mt. Olympus refusing to let Eris, the evil god of discord, attend the marriage of the great King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. Enraged, Eris puts a golden apple at the banquet marked For the Fairest. A fight started between the three main goddesses of Olympus (Hera, Athena and Aphrodite). Originally Zeus was to judge who would receive the apple but doing the smart thing he gave the duty to Paris. Paris was now judging their bribes, not their beauty. He accepted Aphrodite’s bribe because she was to give him the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course the most beautiful woman had to be of royalty from Greece, so when Paris took Helen away to Troy, all of Greece declared war on the won city state, Troy.
The story of the judgment of Paris does inspire a lot of modern day entertainment, art and literature. I think the one most people would refer to would be some the old Disney movies. As Darra had said in her post Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are great examples of a theme with two people wanting to be the best. Of course the kind hearted one is always the best and like in Snow White and Sleeping Beauty the antagonist always tries to kill them or make them less fair. This might sound kind of weird, but it might have inspired what Zeus did. If a guy has to say to two or more girls straight to their face which one is the best the guy does not say anything at all. The story also shows greed will always lead down a path of sorrow, anger or violence.
I like how Charissa states because of one man’s choice many lives were lost. This is even relivant today when a country goes to war. It is always one person’s selfish choice that leads to war not an entire group’s.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
The Trojan War is a disgusting eye-opener of the world we live in today. You may say, “We’re not that bad.” But we are. First of all, the fact that it is a WAR! Why must everything be resolved in fighting? There’s a beautiful girl. Who should she marry? I don’t know. LET’S START A WAR! It’s completely irrational. In our world today, it is the same. Everything must be solved with a brawl. There are bar fights, cat fights, even sports in which you win by fighting, verbal fights, cyber fights, fights between parents, kids, friends, family, COUNTRIES! Why? WHY, Oh WHY? I may seem exaggerated, or hippy-like- but seriously- if we are so different, so much smarter from the animals that live among us, why must the answer to every issue be fighting? It’s just not right. I think that if the world would just open their eyes, the future would not involve so many nuclear weapons- ready to kill everyone in a second. It is quite interesting that Homer pointed out all the lives killed by the fight, the drama created from war, even how the Gods chose sides and even broke out into a fight over killing Hector or not. What I thought to be particularly interesting in that scene is how Zeus SMILED at all the fighting Gods. It’s horrible; smiling about people hurting each other to get what they want.
Popularity is another repulsive concept that existed in the myth, and in the present. Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite all desired the label- “Fairest of Them All” When Paris was said to conduct the contest and choose the winner, instead of letting their beauty rule the judgment, whoever could offer the best prize won. In other words, if you have the best stuff, you’re automatically the prettiest and the best in the land. It was sick how Paris chose the prize of the most beautiful woman on earth, when right in front of him was his wife. It shows that once again, Helen (fairest in the land) had the most beauty, she was therefore coveted by Paris and Paris’s former wife was not, because she had less beauty even though Paris had pledged his love for her and she loved him back.
I disagree on how Darra said that Homer was trying to tell us that Woman are useless- only there to be a desire to men. First, I’d like to point out that even though more powerful and immortal, there are woman Gods. The Goddesses played a big role- choosing sides, helping soldiers, twisting fate, in this war. I’d also like to bring up the mothering role. Achilles mother was the one that dunked him in the well, making him invincible. I would call that important. Also, Aphrodite is the mother of Diomedes, and she attempted to protect him. She is not alive only to be desirable, she was trying to save he son.
In conclusion, I think that the world has some horrible habits such as fighting and popularity and materialism- but it still has its strengths such as teaching, and science, and literature.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
The Judgment of Paris is such a famous, classic story by Homer. The evil goddess, Eris, was not popular on Mt. Olympus. When the gods left her out of a banquet, she was determined to make trouble. Eris threw a golden apple into the banquet hall marked For the Fairest. In the end, the choice was narrowed down to Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. Zeus refused to choose between them, so he told them to visit the young prince Troy on Mount Ida, where he would judge their beauty. Paris was asked to consider each of the goddesses’ bribes and choose which one seemed the best worth taking. It was a very difficult decision– Hera promised to make him Lord of Europe and Asia, Athena promised he would lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks, and Aphrodite promised that the fairest woman in all the world should be his. In the end, Aphrodite received the golden apple, and the Judgment of Paris led to the Trojan War.
I believe the theme of the myth is lust can sometimes overpower a person. Paris was trusted for his sound judgment; however, his lust and desire for a woman overpowered him. Isn’t that simply human nature, though? This whole myth has been influenced by decisions made by human nature (although gods made some of the decisions, so let’s call it human/god nature). Eris’s decision to get back at the gods: Check. All of the goddesses’ want for the golden apple: Check. Paris’s decision to choose Aphrodite: Check. These decisions have all been influenced by human/god nature. They have also caused the Trojan War. These silly disagreements have caused a WAR, where so many lives were taken! I think that’s horrible, but so many wars have been caused by stupid, natural reasons. That leads to another moral of the story, which I think is people turn against each other over stupid disagreements. That causes more disagreements until there is a tangle of conflicts.
The Judgment of Paris has great significance to the rest of this epic, history, art, and life. First, this event ultimately led to the Trojan War (which I find hard to believe). Was it all really over Helen? As Dr. Kalmar says, myths are history with sauce. The Trojan War definitely happened, but the Greeks just made it into this interesting story about a woman being kidnapped. The judgment and war greatly impacted history because during the war, many lives were lost and soldiers including Achilles and Hector were killed. The Judgment of Paris also caused the gods to turn against each other (as Matt stated). The Judgment of Paris also has a huge significance in art. The event was a popular topic for sculptures and pottery in Greece and Rome during early times. The three goddesses were usually shown nude (sorry I included that part) consulting Paris. The Judgment of Paris was also painted many times during the Renaissance and later Middle Ages.
Darra- GREAT point about the women! I was thinking the same thing as I read. The Greeks act as though humans are useless beings that are constantly sacrificed. What’s up with that?! Women appear as only desires for men, and they are only described as beautiful… What about being intelligent, strong or talented? Women were certainly admired for their beauty, considering Helen was the cause of the war, but why can’t they ever be the main characters of these myths? Most of mythology is about heroes; I think there should be myths about heroines too.
All in all, this was a great piece of literature. It taught important morals and lessons of humans nature and even taught a little history!
November 24th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
The judgment of Paris is one of the most famous tales of all Greek mythology. It begins, as said by Charissa, with three goddesses- Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera; all of whom declare themselves the fairest. Each deity bribes Paris with rewards, but he eventually succumbs to Aphrodite. The goddess of love and beauty had offered him to world- and as payment for the declaration that she was the fairest- she gave to him Helen of Troy. This was problematic, for she was loved by many suitors and was greatly missed when Paris whisked her away. And so started a great war, beginning with the vain nature of the gods.
This story had many significant meanings, or morals. One being, as Matt said, that even if you are on the lower end you can still win! This is obliviously showed by the continuous turning outcomes that the war had been giving. Greeks, Trojans, the tables kept turning- until the gods interfered. The turning point in the story (I thought) was in the beginning, when Paris judges Aphrodite as the fairest. (Which makes sense- she is the goddess of love and beauty) No matter who Paris chose, there would have been some conflict; so a war could have come out of the judgment anyway- just not including Helen of Troy. So this goes to that ever present theme of fate- was it destiny for Paris to choose Aphrodite, or was in coincidental?
November 24th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
The Judgment of Paris is the story that apparently, in mythology, begins the Trojan War. Paris has to judge which goddess-Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite- is beautiful enough to receive the golden apple that Eris left behind. But actual beauty of the goddesses was no factor in Paris’s decision; he just accepted bribes. He accepted a beautiful woman as his prize for choosing Aphrodite to receive the apple. This was ignorant and stupid, like most decisions made by men in the times when they found women to be nothing more than prizes.
While on the topic of ignorant men, I would like to add that women sacrifices are the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of, and that there’s no way a war should ever be started over one, mortal, totally common woman. For women sacrifice; why women? Were they more special for sacrificial purposes? Would they be missed less, not as skilled at killing as men?
Paris’s prize, Helen, was the spark that set off the Trojan War. It is significant because if it wasn’t for his decision to love a woman he had never once met, just known of her beauty, then nothing would have ever happened. This teaches us one thing that to me seems very apparent; don’t wish for someone whom you have yet to meet, and only want for her beauty. It’s absolutely ridiculous. One careless mistake of man, and a war can begin-a war only fought for a mere woman. Honestly, if Menelaus wasn’t her husband, and Helen wasn’t beautiful, would anyone really care about Helen?
But I must say that I am honestly curious; did every single Greek really CARE about Menelaus and his lost wife? Or were they really just fighting because they hated the Trojans?
One could see from these feminist views that I agree with Darra’s points of how females are worth nothing in this story, just little toys. This all leads to a simple point of why Paris’s judgment played such an important role in the Trojan War; if Paris hadn’t judged the goddesses so incorrectly, thinking only of his desires, there would never have been a Trojan War. Then again, one could argue that it was all the doing of Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
Though I did my English homework already, I feel that I must reply to what Devin said about Zeus laughing at the gods and goddesses. To be truthful, I wouldn’t blame him for laughing. They were fighting for something that was equivalent to him as a cookie. Think about it. Here, you have all of these superior gods and goddesses fighting over what a mortal has done? I would certainly laugh too.
November 24th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
The Judgment of Paris causes the Trojan War, a major an event in Greek history, and so the Judgment of Paris is highly important due to its relation to the Trojan War. The Judgment of Paris started in Mount Olympus, with the goddess of discord Eris. When the gods threw parties they would intentionally leave her out (with good reason in my opinion, even though it is rather cruel to socially outcast someone like that). She eventually let this exclusion get to her, and plotted her revenge. She came uninvited to one of the parties, and threw a golden apple into the crowd (I’m pretty sure she is famous for this apple, it has become her symbol in a way, if I’m not mistaken). This golden apple, engraved “To The Fairest” was wanted by all the goddesses, but in the end, it was narrowed down to Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena. Zeus was asked to decide between them, but he wisely declined, and told them of someone else who could be more a help, this man being Paris. Each goddess bribed Paris with whatever they could think of, and Paris was temped most by Aphrodite’s bribe. She told him she would give him the most beautiful women in the world. She was true to her promise, and took Paris to Helen, who was at that time married. Paris took her away from her husband and back to Troy. Her husband was angry to find her gone, and gathered all of the leaders of Greece to attack Troy and win her back. This upcoming war is the Trojan War.
The Judgment of Paris was as I said before important to the rest of the story because it is the sole cause of the war in the events to follow. I’m positive that Eris and her apple have been used in modern day TV shows, art, literature, etc.
I liked what Matt said about people so close to each other turning on one another. We saw that all throughout the story, especially in the Gods, but also in Achilles, he stopped fighting when the Greeks needed him most.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
The story begins at the wedding of King Peleus and Thetis. All of the gods were invited, except Eris the goddess of Discord. In her anger, she casted a golden apple among the goddesses that said “To the Fairest” Three goddesses adressed the apple to themselves. These goddesses were Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Zeus was the first to be asked who is the fairest. Zeus didn’t want to anger any of them. He sent Hermes as their guide to troy to seek Paris. When they found Paris they bribed him with gifts and treasures because of course, they wanted to be fairest. Hera offered to make him king of Europe and Asia. Athena promised to lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks. Aphrodite promised the fairest woman in all the world to be his woman. Of course Paris chose Aphrodite to be fairest and she kept her promise. She promised him a woman named Helen. Helen was the wife of Menelaus. Menelaus was the king of Sparta. This is what is said to be the whole reason of the Trojan War.
Agreeing with what Devin said- wars shouldn’t be fought over some beautiful woman! I mean sure, shes the fairest in the land but is it really worth having so many people fight and die because of her? I would say not! She didn’t even do anything to stop the war either! She’s just sitting there on her high horse looking at people dying because of a barbaric reason that some beautiful woman left her husband for another prince. I just think it’s unnecessary.
As barbaric as the reason of the war is, it makes sense. The judgement of paris explains plenty as to the starting of the war. It even fits so well with mythology. I’ve heard versions of the war WITHOUT the mention of the gods and goddesses and it was really confusing in my opinion. The gods really fit into the whole story and the fun part is the war actually happened. Whether the reason was the whole judgement of paris situation or not.
This famous scene in mythology is also heald in art and literature today. So many people paint the judgement of paris or even some events of the Trojan War. I’ve seen some paintings and they are stunning. They are so detailed and vivid.
There was actually a movie based on the Trojan War. The movie is called Troy. It’s such a great movie but it has no mention of any of the gods. As I was reading the assignment I kept refering to the movie and I noticed a HUGE difference. Despite the fact that movies leave out so much information- There was a noticible difference between the two. Then when I really thought about it, I understand the reading more then the movie (as i should).
I just thought of something…The judgement of paris was history’s first beauty pagent! I mean really think about it, 3 amazing ladies competing for the golden apple on who is the fairest. Sounds a whole lot like some sort of pagent to me! Even though Paris judged them by their gifts not on their beauty..
There are many morals in this epic tale. One of them would be how a silly thing (the golden apple) can cause something far greater then anyone had expected (the Trojan War). Another one would be one that Matt and Maggie mentioned, if you aren’t doing so well, you can still come up on top! Just as the battles tables kept turning until the gods got in the middle of it. Another moral is for every one of your actions, prepare for the outcome because you never know what can happen, just as Paris chose Aphrodite he caused the Trojan War. Lastly, a moral could be as simple as don’t go around stealing other peoples wives! Isn’t that just plain common sense? I mean if you go around taking a king’s wife, you better expect some kind of a fight.
To wrap up, I’d like to mention that our little theme about ‘fate’ is used throughout this reading. When they mentioned Hectors fate, Achilles, and the fate that Paris chose for his people when he chose Aphrodite as the fairest. There are many hidden themes and morals in this tale, you just need to find them!
November 24th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Let me start out by saying that Eris, the evil goddess, reminded me a lot of Malevolence in “Sleeping Beauty” too. Darra, “Of course, there is the part that she is evil, but also that Malevolence is not invited to the royal banquet for the wedding of King Peleus and Thetis, and it angers her.” This is one part where I have to agree with you!!! The “golden apple”, and The “fairest” one had also popped into my head. After all, maybe like Ms. Quinson says, the person who wrote these scripts for Disney probably would have taken some mythology classes!
The verdict of Paris took place before the Trojan War, and apparently outcome of Paris’ decision was the reason why the Trojan War was fought. Okay, so what. Eris, the evil goddess was not the most well known person on mount Olympus, and she was not invited to any of the banquets thrown by the goddess’. If I were she, I would be bound to be troublesome to those who forgot me, on purpose. Nah, JK. =)
So the golden apple was marked for the fairest one of them all. It was thrown into a hall where a party was being held. The “fairest” one was finally narrowed down to three choices: Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. Zeus was asked to chose the fairest one but he refuses. In stead he suggests going to Paris, the Prince of Troy.
Each deity bribes Paris, but the young prince finally falls for Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. Because Paris declares that Aphrodite is the fairest one of the all, she gives to him Helen of Troy.
The judgment of Paris causes the Trojan War, a major event in Greek History. As a result of Paris’ judgment, Helen is achieved. It as a result of when was given to Paris, that Helen’s husband comes home to find her gone. In order to get her back, Her husband, and a couple of the Greek leaders attack Troy to win her back. This is the well known event is the Trojan War.
How do these myths apply to modern day? Easy. As I had mentioned earlier, Disney. Snow White and the devious apple, though, instead of being golden, it was a red delicious one. Now I feel that almost all Disney stories are based after Greek Myths! And also if you walk into some place like a museum, you will see that there is at least one tapestry or picture in that museum which was inspired by the Trojan War.
Agreeing with Devin and Amila, wars shouldn’t be fought over women. Sure it may be seen important to those who are really affected by the outcome, but think of those who won’t be affected. Do you really think that they care?
Amila: “There are many hidden themes and morals in this tale; you just need to find them!” I think this should apply not only to this tale put to every myth out there!
November 24th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
The Judgment of Paris was to choose which goddess was the “fairest”. A judgment that Zeus would rather have not made, he decided to make the judgment unbiased and hoped that someone not involved within the affairs of god would choose candidly. But instead the goddesses tempted him with gifts and treasure until the decision became a bidding match between poker players. The judgement of paris looks as though it is another moral myth. Maybe it’s warning about the consequences of choosing with greed and lust. All the goddessess participating within the contest all appealed to the greed and lust of the human nature within Paris and Aphrodite ended up as the person whose gift appealed to Paris the most. This also reflects what lobbyists do today. They influence the decision of people who would choose with integrity if not influenced by greed and the want for money. This is almost like the first example of corruption, except instead of in government it is among the gods of Mount Olympus.
After reading the beginning of this myth i have begun to believe that Greek mythology doesn’t revolve around the gods but around the concept of faith. It was Paris’ fate to start the war and eventually ruin Troy. It was Achilles fate, it was Hector’s fate, its everybodies fate. There is just too much fate within the stories of Greek Mythology.
I do think that the godessess did argue over a very silly thing, the title of fairest. Who cares about titles, other than Matthew Pocket’s wife. It really shouldnt matter but even today we have people fighting over titles. Who is the best at this who is the best at that. All pageants are fights over titles and the judgment of Paris is like the first ever beauty pageant (like Amilia said).
I also agree with Devin about how silly it is to start a war just because you want to marry this women that is really pretty. She’s already married too which makes its even worse.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:38 pm
The judgement of Paris resulted in the huge historical event called the Trojan War. The story of the judgement of Paris starts when the evil goddess Eris is not invited to parties and banquets that the gods throw. Eris gets angry of the exclusions and decides to get revenge. One day, she goes to one of the parties(uninvited of course) and throws in a golden apple that was marked “For the Fairest”. Naturally, all the goddesses wanted it. The three final choices were Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite. They went to Zeus so he could choose the fairest goddess. He wisely decided not to get involved and sent them to a young prince named Paris in Troy. Troy picks Aphrodite because she promises to give him the most beautiful woman as a wife.
Unfortunately, the beautiful woman who was named Helen, had recently gotten married. Aphrodite brought Paris to Helen’s home and he stayed there for a while. When Helen’s husband left for a trip, Paris kidnapped Helen. This kidnapping enraged the husband and resulted in the Trojan War.
The judgement of Paris is important to the rest of the story because it caused the Trojan War. The war caused long years of bloodshed and it made the gods and goddesses have huge arguments. Opinions like what side you’re on for a war can make you fight with family and even the closest of friends.
Lastly, I agree with how Darra said the golden apple and “the fairest” totally reminds me of Snow White. That immediately popped into my mind when I read the story. I also agree with how Eris is like Malevolent in Sleeping Beauty. It never occurred to me while reading the story, but it makes a lot of sense.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
The Judgment of Paris from the famed Greek poet Homer was one of the most significant and influential of the ancient epics. It all began with the marriage of King Peleus to the beautiful sea nymph Thetis. There were marvelous and joyous celebrations for the union of the two, until an uninvited guest dropped an unexpected “present.” Unsurprisingly, it was the goddess of discord Eris, who was angry that she had not been invited to that night’s festivities. After all, being the goddess of discord would not have really made her a favorite among both gods and men. Eris drops a golden apple at the banquet hall inscribed with the words, For the Fairest. At the time, it seemed nobody noticed the trick to cause disturbance, so all of the goddesses fought over who should have the golden apple until it came down to Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera. Nobody wanted to decide between any of the goddesses, not even Zeus, so he instructed them to ask Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy. Perhaps the story began with the oracle who told Priam this son would bring the ruin of his city, which was why he was sent to live with the nymph Oenone, but nonetheless, even getting rid of him would not allow any of the Trojans to escape the horrible fate. Paris did not truly judge on beauty, instead he judged on bribes. Hera offered him power of Europe and Asia, Athena offered him victory over the Greeks, while Aphrodite offered him the love of the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen, wife of Menelaus, King of Sparta. Paris goes to Sparta as a guest and ends up stealing Helen away despite Menelaus’ hospitality, thus causing a war. Menelaus had the support of many Greeks from an oath taken from the many who desired to marry Helen, to support the man married to Helen’s cause. Thus, many years of fighting, divisions between the gods, and bloodshed spurred.
There were dozens of lessons learned from the story and significances. I definitely agree with Darra and Matt that a major significance were the divisions. Like they said, it was even husband against wife, like in the case of Zeus and Hera. One thing that I really found as a lesson was to not take bribes. Paris did not truly judge fairly, it seemed he was more blind than deaf in the sense that he did not pay much attention to who was more beautiful, but instead listened to their wonderful bribes. Of course they were tempting, after all who would not want to be married to the most beautiful person ever or become the most powerful? Still, I think he should have been more like Zeus, if he did not want to cause trouble or bring destruction, he should have just stayed out of it in some way. Paris did get the most beautiful woman in the world, but did it ever occur to him how many people had to die for his sake? In the end, she went back to Menelaus, so his prize was lost, what was the use in causing so many to die? His prize turned against him. Darra, I think I got slightly confused with the whole Achilles steals Helen. I believe it is Paris that steals Helen, but Achilles loses Briseis. Also, I really see your point about how Homer makes it seem like women started most of the quarrels in the story. Helen, the most beautiful woman causes the biggest and main conflict in the story, the Trojan War. Chryseis causes the sudden division between Agememnon and Achilles and Briseis finalizes it. Another thing I observed in the story was man versus fate. It seems that in most of the Greek mythology we have studied so far, fate is inescapable. In the story of Perseus, King Acrisius, his grandfather, cannot avoid the fate of death by his grandson. Like Perseus, fate is inescapable. King Priam cannot escape the fate that his son Paris shall cause the demise of Troy no matter what he does.
I really like the way Darra connected this story to Snow White. The golden apple caused death, in this case, mass death, while in Snow White, the apple caused the tragic death of the main character. I felt that Eris symbolized the witch rather well.
November 24th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
The Judgment of Paris is all about Jealousy. It began with Eris, jealous because she was not invited to the wedding of King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. So she decided to ruin it for everyone who was invited. So she threw down a golden apple, for the fairest. Of course, this began a fight among Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena, who all thought they were the fairest. They asked Zeus, but he was smart enough to know not to get involved, and referred them to Paris, a prince who was a shepherd. Then the competition stopped being about who was the fairest, and instead about who had the best offer to bribe Paris for the title. Being a typical guy, he picked Aphrodite, who promised him the fairest woman in all the world (Helen). Which is ironic, because she wants the title of being the fairest, so she offers him the fairest woman, who’s a different person altogether. I thought that was a little odd.
So of course, this starts a whole war over Helen, which I think is kind of ridiculous, because all of these big, brave heroes are dying so that some king can have the woman he wants. I wonder how Helen felt about this… or the wives of these men. Just think – your husband’s out there, dying in war, and it’s because some guy wants the pretty girl. One of the most important wars in history, because of a pretty girl, who was probably conceited because of all this.
And then, on top of that, the gods were getting all worked up over it! I think the gods are pretty funny. It’s kind of like a soap opera or something. Zeus, the most powerful being in the world, wanted to stay neutral because “Hera was so disagreeable when he opposed her openly.” Of course, later he tries to help, but I think it’s funny that he doesn’t help at first because he doesn’t want another fight with his wife.
It’s also really ironic that the Trojans lost the war, when Athena had promised Paris that if he picked her, he would lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks and lay Greece in ruins. He could have won the war, but they lost because he picked Aphrodite.
This had a lot of affects. The Judgment of Paris caused the Trojan War, obviously, and there were countless paintings of this war. It also caused the downfall of Troy. I think this story shows how far jealousy can go. Eris was upset she wasn’t invited to the wedding, so she caused a city to be burned down. Like Matt and Maggie said, it also proves that things can turn around. It seemed like on every page, someone new was winning. I also liked Amila’s – don’t steal other people’s wives. She has a point – you can’t steal someone’s wife and expect everyone to be okay with that. Especially the really powerful guys who have the power to start big wars. Even though I think this is kind of a guy thing, and they seriously need to get over themselves…
November 24th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
I agree with Merin. The evil goddess, Eris, reminds me very much of the evil queen in the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. In fact, this whole story reminds me of Sleeping Beauty! Both have a similar plot. The queen in Sleeping Beauty wanted to believe that she was the “fairest of them all”. Eris threw a golden apple into the banquet with the words “for the fairest” engraved. Instead of a poisonous red delicious, there was a golden apple. Now, I agree with the statement that all literature relates to Greek Mythology.
Something that I found interesting in this story was vainity. After Pandora let all the evils out of the box, it seems like every story in literature has gone mad (just like Tim Robinson in To Kill A Mockingbird!). I think a life lesson in this story would be that you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Most of the time you do it to prove something to yourself. Of course, Athena, Aphrodite, and Hera would be fair because they’re gods. But what really made them special (fair) was their ability to prove that they were actually fair. Everyone knew they are special (I mean they’re gods, right?). But these three gods were jealous because they want to be the best. They want to be the “fairest of them all”.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I forgot to add a smiley face!
November 24th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
The events that took place at the Judgement of Paris eventually led up to the Trojan War. IT was initially designed to conjure up an honest and impartial decision of which goddess was the “fairest” of the land. Sounds familiar huh? “Mirror mirror on the wall-who’s the fairest of them all” (from Snow White). In this case, Paris is the mirror. However, unlike the mirror in Snow White who remained unbiased, Paris is tempted by gifts and his mind is easily swayed. These promises ran the gamut from him being Lord of Europe and Asia to him winning over the fairest woman of the land (Helen). Of course, his desires take over and the sense of right and wrong deserts him. But who can blame him, I mean power and women (someone pinch him because this stuff only happens in his dreams)…that’s a pretty powerful combination right there. In the end, Paris claims that Aphrodite deserves the golden apple and in exchange he gets Helen.
People these days are exactly the same. We care A LOT about our place in society, where we rank, what others think of us. The result is sheer evil. People do whatever it takes to get to the top, disregarding loved ones, common sense, and sometimes even their own health and well-being. The question is why? Why do people want what they can’t or are not supposed to have? It’s an age-long debate so I guess we’ll never really know. But now looking back on these myths I realize that they are all psycological-all the battles fought, risks taken etc… all stem from something in the mind versus something from the heart which is what we are used to thinking.
I agree with Devin and Michael how it’s pointless to start a war over a woman. But I also have to disagree with them as it is not a war over a woman it is more or less a war over love (or lust, in which case I have to go back to agreeing with Michael and Devin). Though we know it’s not true, Paris would most likely justify that it was over a “spiritual bond” of love-hey, whatever gets you through the night. But since the judgement of paris was a competition…let us be reminded “all’s fair in love and war.”
November 24th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
The Judgment of Paris resulted in the Trojan War. It all began when Eris, an evil goddess, became a social outcast (thanks Keith for the word). She was never invited to parties and weddings, making her mad and resentful. (Come on, who wouldn’t be?!) In rage, Eris threw a golden apple engraved with the words “For the Fairest” into the banqueting hall of King Peleus and Thetis’s wedding. All the goddesses wanted it, but they narrowed it down to three: Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. Wisely, Zeus refused to choose, but instead told them to go see Paris. The goddesses bribed him with power, riches, love, and dignity. But in the end, it was Aphrodite’s promise of the fairest woman that made Paris decide to give the apple to Aphrodite. She brought Paris to Helen who was married. He took her away to Troy. Helen’s husband becomes angry that his wife had been taken away. This leads to the Trojan War, according to myth.
I must say it is quite hysterical that the Gods are fighting over one mortal like Charissa mentioned. To answer Caitlin’s question, the Trojans and the Greeks are really fighting for the control of the trade routes. However, most people want to believe that the war was for a woman. (That makes me think: maybe people want to believe that because it shows that humans fight for what they believe in or maybe because it shows their passion for a person?? Just an idea.)
I was google-ing the influences of the Judgment of Paris in art and history and I found a piece of art that depicts Paris giving the golden apple.
http://www6.miami.edu/lowe/art_renaiss_barq.htm (Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.) I found it interesting that the goddesses are not pictured as beautiful like in other paintings.
I noticed that Amila already mentioned the movie Troy in her entry. I also agree that it left many things out, but overall it was an awesome movie. :]
November 24th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Commenting on Katy, it was snow white not sleeping beauty
November 24th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Eris: Goddess of discord. Her name says it all; Eris was resented by all of the Gods and Goddesses of Mount Olympus. Because the Gods and Goddesses wanted to segregate Eris from themselves, Eris went onto a fit of rage. To take revenge she chose to haul a golden apple into the center of the room, during King Peleus’ wedding. This golden apple was to be given to one of the goddesses, and it was called, “For the Fairest”. This magnificent golden apple tempted the very covetous minds of the Goddesses and this apple was wanted by many of the goddesses but, only three goddesses were qualified. Since the apple was to be given to the fairest, the three that were chosen were the most powerful goddesses, being; Hera (goddess of marriage), Athena (goddess of wisdom), and Aphrodite (goddess of beauty and love). The three decided that the decision of who gets the apple was to be handed to Zeus, for he was the most powerful God. Zeus, acting on his often, accurate instincts, decided that he did not want to be involved in a mess involving Eris, and to satisfy the problem he decided that the decision was to be made by Paris, Prince of Troy. When the goddesses first appeared in front of him, he was surprised and very overwhelmed by their glorious stature. Paris soon learned that he needed to decide which goddess was the “fairest” and the fairest was to be given the apple.
The paradox of this is that the apple was “For the Fairest” but the goddesses used bribery and took advantage of Prince Paris’ weak mental power. All three of them were trying to soothe the princes’ desires; Athena was willing to guarantee a victory over the Greeks in the war, Hera ensured him the position as Ruler of Europe, and Aphrodite was willing to give him the fairest women in the entire world. Prince Paris, being a typical man, chose Aphrodite’s offer.
Aphrodite knew that no man could reject his desire if he was offered it. Paris’ decision eventually gave him the women of his dreams but, while obtaining his desire, at the same time he sparked the beginning of the Trojan War, the only war I know of where the two nations were fighting over a women.
This seemingly unimportant part of the epic is actually quite important. Eris caused the Trojan War by simply dropping a golden apple on the floor. However, we cannot use Eris as a scapegoat. The greediness of the goddesses and the desire of one man also contributed to the spark of the war.
I think this epic is the perfect example that shows how one person can change fate of many others. The one decision that Paris made was the cause of the civil war. Homer was quite intelligent, and I think Paris was to be seen as the typical male and the three offers were to be seen as the three main desires of men, love being first.
While I read this myth I was reminded of Dr. Kalmar’s (my S.S. teacher) saying. It was something along the lines of, “Mythology is history with some sauce.” To be honest, at first I didn’t get it but now I totally understand! It’s true too. Mythology is simply recounting some history but with a little more……umph.
I am totally in accordance with Emily when she said that Paris should have been more like Zeus and should have given the responsibility to somebody else. However, like we discussed before fate cannot be controlled. It was already said to The King of Troy that his son would cause the downfall of Troy.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Actually i’m not sure if Dr.Kalmar said tht……………..she might have…..
srry if I lied.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
As Matthew said, the Judgment of Paris is one of the most important in all of Homer. It is told that Zeus held a banquet in celebration of the marriage of Peleus and Thetis (parents of Achilles). However, Eris, goddess of discord, was uninvited. Angered by this snub decision, Eris arrived at the celebration, where she threw a golden apple (the Apple of Discord) into the proceedings, upon which was the inscription “for the fairest of them all.” Three goddesses claimed the apple to have their description upon it, these three were Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Zeus made a very wise decision by taking no part and instead sending them to Paris, who would judge their cases for the best. Each attempting with her powers to bribe Paris, Hear offered to make him king of Europe and Asia, Athena offered wisdom and skill in war, and Aphrodite, who had powers to enhance her charms with flowers and song offered the love of the world’s most beautiful woman. After Paris kidnapped Helen the wife of the Greek king Menelaus, the Greeks’ expedition to retrieve Helen back from Paris in Troy was the basis of the Trojan War.
Many paintings were influenced by accounts of the Trojan War in medieval narratives, many of which include Paris being made fun of and portrayed as a coward. The gods, like human beings, have bodies. But how are we to conceive of these bodies in all of their difference and divergence than those of humans? How are we to comprehend a body that can bleed, but can only with blood that isn’t true blood but is immortal. As was the case with Aphrodite when she was wounded beneath the walls of Troy while aiding her son Aeneas against the Greeks. This does not make any sense to me. I say that if you are immortal you do not bleed, and cannot get hurt, no if ands or buts.
I noticed that a few people mentioned the movie Troy and I absolutely love that movie besides the fact that they leave out numerous events. I agree with Charissa that the significance of the story is that many lives were lost due to one single man’s choice. And, again fate has to do with the story. As keep saying over and over, you cannot escape your fate, it is bound to happen. In the beginning of the myth it says that Paris’ father had sent him far away because he was warned that his son would be the cause to the downfall of Troy one day, and what do you know! He was the cause!
I’ve come to the conclusion that all of these Greek Myths that we are reading all have something to do with fate.
November 24th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
This whole myth is based on Helen’s kidnapping. When Paris chose Aphrodite he was promised the most beautiful women in the world. This happened to be Helen. When Helen was kidnapped war was declared.
I think that one of the themes was to choose wisely. Even though some things seem amazing, there is usually something bad about it. Paris was promised the most beautiful women in the world, and that is what he got. However, he did not know that it would lead to mass destruction and the death of many people.
This leads to the beginning of the Trojan War. The Trojan War was so important because it completely wiped out a group of people. Their city was destroyed to so many artifacts were lost.
I didn’t realize the connection to Sleeping Beauty, but now I see it. After all, what Disney movie is not based on a myth or folktale? This just goes to show you just how much influence the myths have on many modern forms of literature.
On Darra’s subject of women, I am going to have to agree that women never play a big part. But in what old tale is the women not in trouble and had to be saved by a man. I do not agree with this, but most people felt that women were useless. Men tended to be stronger so they were preferred to farm and fight in combat, and also most of history was written by man. So of course the women are always going to look helpless. It just continues to help them look more prestigious. For example, if a king was saved by a woman he would obviously change the story. If not he would be looked down on forever. This is not my opinion about women but as to why I think women are always portrayed as helpless.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Maybe if Eris were more admirable, this whole war would not have begun. Although I enjoyed this myth, I thought it was quite interesting. Did it not seem that the whole war was fought for the purpose of winning Helen? Did she not have any kind of say in this? Maybe she was an independent woman! I suppose she did have the choice when she ran away with Paris, but still. The men obviously did not believe her beauty should have been wasted. Agreeing with Tom, women are not helpless, although they are portrayed to be.
I wonder how Eris slipped the coveted golden apple into the wedding. She must have been in disguise, because no one noticed her. So, the apple read, “To the fairest.” One must admit; Eris was quite intelligent. What better way to start a war than to have goddesses competing with each other? Of course, every goddess wanted to be the fairest, but it all came down to Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera. Not to the reader’s surprise, they all attempted to bribe poor Paris. He obviously had a lot of pressure! He had to decide which gods were the most beautiful. The gods! Couldn’t the two who were not chosen make his life miserable forever? I feel like Zeus only wants to enjoy women, not help them.
Zeus, being wise, did not want to get involved in determining who is the most beautiful. I mean, wouldn’t Zeus want all the women to love him? I guess it makes sense. Anyway, Paris, son of Priam, King of Troy, was left with this burden. Each of the stunning goddesses had bribed him, making his decision even more difficult.
Hera promised that he would be the Lord of Europe and Asia. If I were he, I would not want that. I mean, he was already royalty, so why would he choose more? He seemed to be quite content with his life.
Athena offered him victory against the Greeks. I think this was a good offer, considering the fact that the war was long, and he could have ended it.
But of course, Aphrodite’s bribe and beauty swayed him. She offered him the fairest woman in the world. As mentioned, Paris is quite a coward. So, he picked this option, thus allowing Aphrodite to be the “fairest.”
Of course, men were always lined up to marry Helen, the fairest woman of them all. She was Menelaus’s husband, so when Paris took Helen away, none of the kings wanted to help find her. I think the fact that Odysseus did not want to help Menelaus was a bit selfish. It sounds like Menelaus was a kind and fair man, seeing as though he was hospitable towards Paris. If he were in the same situation, would he need help? Like I said earlier, this new army and war revolved around winning Helen over.
I agree with Michael when he talks about how the war revolves around fate as well. Paris was destined to destroy his father’s country. This was out of Priam’s control, but he still tried to avoid this fate by sending Paris away. (This sounds a bit like Danae in Perseus!) Acrisius could not prevent his fate. So, once again, Zeus got involved and sent three beautiful women to Paris, thus allowing his fate to take action.
I also agree with Devin. A nine-year war over a woman sounds ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as esteemed and wise goddesses fighting over whom is the fairest. Why can’t they all just realize that they are each beautiful and get over it? It sounds a bit ungodly to me. Its like jealous woman fighting over whose pie is better. All of them are delicious, yet one must rise. Everyone is so competitive. I guess that is part of human nature. Everybody wants to feel better about him or her, so competition allows that to occur.
Emily makes a good point when she brings up Paris’s poor judgment. I wonder why Zeus picked him if he was cowardly and did not base his decisions on beauty. He only picked Aphrodite because she offered him a beautiful woman. Which man does not wish for that? If Paris truly were a good judge, he would have disregarded all of the bribes and based his choice purely on physical and mental beauty. Well, probably more along the lines of physical, but it is the same concept.
This war is really just division. Paris’s decision caused division among the goddesses, because they felt envious. Aphrodite’s bribe caused separation between Helen and Menelaus, and Paris and Oenone. The war caused division among the Trojans and the Greeks. Even Zeus and Hera had conflict when Zeus became interested in Thetis. Her jealousy is normal, but still caused conflict. The long, gruesome, dividing war was not even worth it. Helen returned to Menelaus and people’s lives were lost for nothing. Darra’s comparison with Snow white was similar to what I was thinking. The apple is a symbol of competition. While the goddesses competed for beauty, Snow White’s (stepmom?) tried to destroy her out of sheer jealousy. Competition brings out the worst in people.
And whose fault is all of this? The owner of the golden apple that started it all: Eris.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:16 am
Advice: write as word document save frequently then copy and paste
Matt, don’t you just hate it when you have written a great post, and you press a button, then poof! The post is gone there is no way to get it back, and you have to rewrite it all over again. And as the case was for me, the second one isn’t as good as the original.
The Trojan War is the story of the Greek version of the world wars. It could have started off as a broken promise made to another to help them if they got into a fight, and escalating up, by means of an extremely complicated series of events and forgotten then remembered alliances, from two small nations/groups fighting over a simple offence, into a full fledged war involving many nations and superpowers and sometimes forgetting the purpose of the war just fighting and trying to prove their dominance over the other.
And yes that was a highly elaborated version of Charissa’s view of how it was like the gods and goddesses fighting over a cookie.
But if you really want to argue the wars origins, you could say that it was Eris’s fault for throwing the apple in.
And for you perfectionists trying to capture each little detail, yes it could be the fault of the titans who then created Cronos and his wife who conceived Zeus and other gods, then creating Eris among them, which led her to be the goddess of discord, which led her to be unpopular thus leading to the extremely intricate series of events (that I will not mention here because it would be a hug e waste of time and space) that eventually led up to the Trojan war.
This story, or at least the war it was based on, triggered a wave of art and life lessons along with constant daily allusions to it. I’m not really sure, but did it cause people of that time after wards (at least according to the story) to learn to respect each other the dead and the impact our decisions might make on our lives later or something like that.
Observation: The theme that what you do now affects you and others later in life, keeps coming up this unit
November 25th, 2008 at 12:17 am
thomas: that also leads to the phrase damsel in distress among others i cannot remember but it is a recurring theme in literature
November 25th, 2008 at 12:30 am
The story of the Judgment of Pairs is one of the most important in all of Homer. The evil goddess of Discord, Eris is not invited to any royal banquets or parties on Mount Olympus. For revenge, she throws an apple that is marked For the Fairest on a Golden Apple during the wedding of King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis. All the goddesses wanted the apple, but it was narrowed down to Hera, Athena and Aphrodite. Not wanting to deal with the matter, Zeus chose Paris, a fair, young, royal prince, to choose the fairest. To decide who the fairest was, the goddesses decided that each of them would offer him a gift and the gift that was chosen would determine which goddess was the fairest. Helen offered him to be King of Europe and Asia, Athena offered him to lead the Trojans to victory against the Greeks and lay Greece in ruins and Aphrodite offered him that the fairest woman in the world would be his. Be a weakling, Paris chose Aphrodite. This choice led to the Trojan War.
The Judgment of Paris impacted the rest of the epic, history, art. In the epic, many people die due to one man’s decision. As well as the Greeks and Trojans, the gods are at constant quarrel, using devious and clever tricks to benefit one side because of Paris’s decision. The gods are in the war as much as humans. Without the judgment of Paris, Helen would have never been captured and there would not have been a Trojan War. On the historic side, Dr. Kalmar told us how “Greek Mythology is history with a little sauce.” This is shown throughout Homer’s version of the Trojan War. Historically, the War started over key geographic straits used for trade and transportation. The story of the Judgment of Paris adds a lot of sauce to the cause of the Trojan War. This extra “sauce” contributes to the development of Greek ethnocentrism and rivalries between city-states. In art many people made beautiful paintings and pottery out of the Judgment of Paris. Through these gorgeous pieces of art, interesting depictions of the gods were made. In recent times many movies relate to the Trojan War and the Judgment of Paris. Snow White has an apple that says to the fairest of them all just like Paris (ahh… isn’t Disney all over mythology). Other movies on Trojan War include Troy (2004) and Trojan War (1997), these were both great movies?.
The Judgment of Paris and the Trojan War develop many themes important to the Greeks and people today. This story includes a golden apple which is seen in many other Greek myths including Atalanta and the Garden of the Hesperides. The Golden Apple symbolizes immortality, strength, importance and endurance. An important theme is that even though gods are usually kind and are supposed to do good, the gods can be devious when they want. Another theme is to not judge people by “gifts”, as Paris makes a wrong choice to choose Aphrodite by her promise. A key theme in this story is that the gods can be humanlike such as the controversy and quarrels over beliefs and stupid arguments. Zeus’s laughing at the gods shows the god’s stupidity at times. Agreeing with Darra the way Greeks view women in this story is very interesting. Greeks view women poorly and think they are just supposed to be beautiful and used by men for whatever they want. The Greeks also think women are the cause of all trouble as Homer states “Again a woman was the reason.” For example Helen caused the start of war, Thetis told Zeus to make sure Trojans win because of Achilles disobedience which caused much trouble and disagreement, Iphigenia caused raging winds which prevented the Greeks from sailing so she was killed and (the most interesting to me) Hera’s way to impress Zeus to get his mind off the Trojans is to dress irresistibly. The Judgment of Paris develops important concepts on all aspects of life.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:31 am
sry but the question mark at the end of the second paragraphy was supposed to be a smiley face but it didn’t work out
November 25th, 2008 at 12:34 am
THE JUDGEMENT OF PARIS was a contest between the three most beautiful goddesses of Olympus–Aphrodite, Hera and Athena–for the prize of a golden apple addressed to “the fairest.”
The story begins at the Wedding of Peleus and Thetis to which all of the gods were invited, all except Eris, the goddess of discord. When she appeared at the festivities, she was turned away, and in her anger cast a golden apple amongst the assembled goddesses addressed “To the Fairest.” Three goddesses laid claim to the apple–Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. Zeus was asked to mediate and he commanded Hermes to lead the three goddesses to Paris of Troy to decide the issue. The three goddesses appearing before the shepherd prince, each offering him gifts for favor. He chose Aphrodite, swayed by her promise to bestow upon him Helene, the most beautiful woman, for wife. The subsequent abduction of Helene led directly to the Trojan War and the fall of the city.
As Lauren stated, I believe the central theme of this myth is lust, or desire among humans for their wants. The wishes of receiving the golden apple were strong throughout the beginning of this story. Because of this silly disagreement of who deserved the apple, war broke out, causing so many innocent lives to be lost.
Furthermore, I agree with Matt that an important moral for this story is that people were turned against each other, husband against wife, friend against friend, over a simple disagreement. Just as the Civil War impacted and revolutionized our country, the Judgment of Paris led to a civil war that greatly impacted the world of both gods and humans.
This myth was very significant, and readers should carry the morals that were taught throughout this story. Desire and selfishness of oneself can lead to contemptuous thoughts among friends, family, or neighbors. As I read Greek myths more and more, I learn something valuable to hold with me throughout life.
As Dr. Kalmar says, “Mythology is history with sauce.” It gives a clear understanding of the past, while presenting interesting stories along with it; in short, mythology spices up the past history.
November 25th, 2008 at 12:37 am
The story of Paris is very interesting actually. It starts out with a little devil named Eris. She was always jealous of the three goddesses Aphrodite, Hera, and Athena. Eris was also not one of the most popular among them either. She was not invited to the wedding of King Peleus. The problem of the story started out with a little golden apple that said “For the fairest.” Now, obviously the three goddesses read it and assumed that the apple was for them self. When they asked Zeus for his opinion of which the apple should go to, he did the wise thing and stayed out of their conflict. However, he guided them to a man named Paris. Zeus said that he was an excellent judge of beauty and could steer them in the right direction. When Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera questioned Paris, he listened to their bribes instead paying attention to their looks and qualities. Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world, Athena offered him victory over the Greeks, and Hera promised to make him lord of Europe and Asia. Paris being the weakling that he is chose Aphrodite’s proposition, and he awarded her with the golden apple.
I know… could you believe something as stupid and as simple as jealousy, a golden apple, and beauty caused war among people, and the gods on Mount Olympus? Aphrodite sided with Paris, while Athena and Hera were against him. Ares was with Aphrodite, while Poseidon favored the Greeks. Also, Zeus and Apollo helped Hector and his people. However, Zeus stayed out of it because it would cause another problem, only with his wife. On top of all the fighting going on in the sky, there are lives being lost down on planet earth. I agree with Matt that a lesson this myth taught us was that you should never give up. Even though you might loose a couple of battles, it does not mean that you have lost the war. Another lesson I think that this story taught us is that favorites is not such a good idea. I know…it sounds kind of stupid, but let’s think for a second. If Paris did not make that stupid decision in the beginning, none of the bloodshed would have occurred.
Well, to just wrap everything up, this myth began with a golden apple and led to a war that is wide known today. Even though people might not think so, something as small and insignificant as jealousy or revenge can turn into a huge CATASTROPHE!
November 25th, 2008 at 1:07 am
This is the story of the judgment of Paris. This story was to see which goddess was the fairest. one day when the gods were having a banquette at mount Olympus, Eris the evil goddess rolled a golden apple in there that said “to the fairest”. She did this to cause some trouble since the Gods ignored her and didn;t invite her. The goddesses told Zeus to chose out of Athena, Hera, and Aphrodite Which of them was the fairest, but Zeus being wise did not get involved in this. Instead he told them to let Paris, a sheaperd who was a to chose between them. He choe Aphrodite as the fairest of the godesses because she said that if he choses her, that she would gave to him the fairest women of all the world. He gave her the golden apple. this decision of Paris’ was said to have been the judgment of Paris. It is said that this is what caused the Trojan war to take place throught the events it lead to.
The fairest woman of all the world was Helen, The daughter of Zeus and Leda. King Tyndareus Was her reputed father, the husband of her mother. The problem was that Helen was already married to Menalaus who was chosen by her father and he was also the brother of Agamemnon. The significance of the rest of this story is that it shows people’s jealousy, greed and those who try to escape there fate. The Gods were also split up for the Trojan war some favored the Trojans and some favored the Greeks. Aphrodite fovored the Trojans, so Athena and Hera favored the other side because the were still very jealous that she was chosen as the fairest of the goddesses. There was also some greed in this story as well. Even though Paris already knew that Helen was the wife of Menalaus, he still wanted her and so he took her when Menalaus wasn’t there. This is what actual cause of the big conflict between Troy and Greek and was the reason for the Trojan war. The judgment of Paris lead to this event that became th reson for the war. Also, Priam the king of troy was told that his son Paris would be the ruin of his country so he sent him away to try to avoid his fate. By doing that it lead to the Judgment of Paris and after that it caused the conflict that lead to the ruin of Troy.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:56 am
(Oh no, not this ridiculous posting-after-everyone-else-does nonsense again…!)
The story of the Trojan War that we read had the more fanciful reason for its beginnings; as Steven said, the real cause was economic conflict over the straits, which were a great help in overseas trade, which Greece depended on much. The capture of the beautiful Helen after the bribe of Aphrodite – silly Paris, silly goddesses, squabbling over a simple apple and a few words! – and the resulting war was the focus of this version, drawing from different sources to give us a more complete revision. Themes included love (and the possessiveness that comes with it), fate (Paris dooming us all with his weak choice to have the most beautiful woman in the world as his wife, and then Hector and Achilles’s fate), and jealousy, the one thing that triggered Eris, goddess of discord – why hadn’t they invited me all these times, simply because of what I rule over? Why discriminate because of what I possess? – to bring the golden apple, to take advantage of the gods’ human flaws and pettiness with the words: “For the fairest”.
The story shows the extents of human emotion: going to war for a single, mortal woman, simply for her beauty. (Assuming Helen wasn’t a Spartan, she must have been “protected”, kept from the outside world – women were not as public in Athens and the other city-states, considered “imperfect beings” who “could not think with the power of reason” that apparently /all/ men had, and so /only valued for her beauty/. Her suitors took her only for appearance! They’d assume all the females of the world to be less than they were, and most likely never question their intellect and go into their actual mind and personality. And what if she had been a rotten woman on the inside, what if the Greeks made women more than just the pretty creatures to be saved and fought over, and extended the plane of their character to actual flaws and virtues? What then, what then?) Lives were lost for /one/ person. (This rings faintly of sacrifice, again – how valuable we rank the people among us! How much we value and love, even, the things around us!) Another theme to add to our list. This show of human emotion – devotion – passion – compassion – and our terribleness, our loathing! – has been echoed through nearly every literary and visual work of art in society. Perhaps not in the form of going to war for one, but other extreme kinds of sacrifice. Lay your life down for another, be they a friend, a parent, a teacher, a lover…
…This echoes everywhere, everywhere, everywhere.