TROY

1. TROY Adele Geras

2. Refreshing our Beautiful Brains… • Greek Gods: • Aphrodite = goddess of love, desire • Ares = god of war • Eros = god of love, desire • Hades = lord of the Underworld • Hephaestus = god of fire • Hera = goddess of marriage • Hermes = fast; guide to Underworld • Poseidon = god of the sea • Athena = goddess of the city, wisdom • Apollo = god of music • Zeus = lord of the sky; rain god

3. Remember this? Amazons: Women warriors Elysian Fields: Paradise of heroes Mount Olympus: Where powerful gods hold council River Styx: Separates Earth from Underworld Odysseus: King of Ithaca, wife = Penelope, stranded on Calypso Island for 20 years

4. The Blood Room What is it? • Where wounded soldiers are taken after battle Who works there? • Xanthe, Charitomene, Boros Which gods are in the Blood Room? • Eros – shoots Xanthe • Aphrodite – shoots Marpessa and Alastor • Ares – god of war • Zeus – briefly observing, bored of war

5. Helen & Paris’ Quarters • Helen = beautiful, blonde, heavily jeweled, in love with Paris (because of Aphrodite), left daughter Hermoine in Sparta when she left King Menelaus, motherly to Marpessa, kind, selfish? • Paris = handsome, dark hair, blue eyes, Prince of Troy, commits adultery, drinks, getting fat, cowardly • Marpessa = orphan, barely speaks, weaves best tapestries in Troy, beautiful, teenager

6. Andromache and Hector’s Quarters • Andromache = dark hair, beautiful, skinny, caring, mother of Astynax and devoted wife to Hector • Hector = Troy’s best soldier, dark hair, handsome, father of Astynax, loyal??? • Astynax = 2 year old son, speaks very little, loves horses, future heir to the throne, curly hair • Xanthe = teenager, beautiful, works in Blood Room and caretaker of Astynax

7. King Priam’s Quarters • King Priam = King of Troy, father of Paris, Hector, Cassandra (among others), caring father, good king • Queen Hecuba = Queen of Troy • Cassandra = “crazy” sister, hears and remembers things from gods (Apollo’s curse is that no one believes her) • The Singer = Singer for the King, tells stories of past and present events for guests, gossips, old man • Polyxena = The Singer’s granddaughter, genuine friend, honest, loyal, horse-like features, “monkey-face”, gossips

8. All you need is Love… You’re dreamy, I love you. Polyxena Iason Hey buddy can you ask Xanthe to marry me?!

9. So much drama… Iason Loves Xanthe… Xanthe loves Alastor… I’m madly in love with someone, but it’s a secret! If you see Marpessa tell her I said hey Who do you love? Where are you going? Meh, maybe later Marry Iason, he’s amazing

10. Alastor and Marpessa I desire you Go away, maybe I’m Pregnant

11. Okay, let’s recap: The Greeks left a big wooden horse on the Plains, the Singer and citizens of Troy tell the King it is a sacrifice to Athena for stealing The Luck Of Troy (small statue). They think they’ve won and celebrate. In the middle of the night, the Greeks attack, killing many very easily and overpowering the ones who fight back.

12. The Attack! • Pg. 304 – Agamemnon (Agy) • Tells of their brilliant plan to attack in the middle of the night while all of Troy is drunk and asleep • Kill men, don’t waste time with women – bring them to ship, we’ll deal with them later (rape, slavery) Iason wakes up to see Troy ablaze! Gets horses safe Mission – FIND XANTHE! Pg. 307 – FIRE • Personification is giving human qualities to animals or objects. • How is fire personified?

13. Still Attacking… • Andromache sleeping peacefully for first time since Hector’s death = IRONY • Astynax wanted Xanthe so he’s with her. Xanthe has agreed to marry Iason because she hates her sister • Marpessa goes to Helen – she regrets the fight with Xanthe then has a miscarriage, Helen very helpful • Pg. 312 (Pyrrhus) • The Fall of Troy is easy, few are fighting back as Odysseus warned – Pyrrhus MUST kill King Priam, wants it

14. More… • Polyxena is looking for The Singer, then remembers he is with King Hector (oh no!) • Poly sees city on fire and hears someone tell Agy that Priam is his to kill (Pyrrhus) – Poly knows shortcuts and runs off • Pg. 314 – Greek soldiers (unnamed) • Attack on Phrontis’ house – they see an old mouthy woman and kill her, one young girl (Agamede) runs off, Alastor is not there. • Soldiers kill them and drink

15. Alaster left to save Marpessa – left his mother because he figured no soldier would murder an old woman (rules of war) – Whoops! • Boros thinks he’s Greek, almost kills him then doesn’t • Pg. 317 – Who is this? • The swords and fire are not enough • Ground swells up, shaking sturdy rock structure (earthquake) – who is responsible? Why?

16. Poly walks through Palace – everybody dead. She sees The Singer (318) – sad scene • Queen, Cassandra, women of Palace all captured and brought to ship, say the Gossips before being captured themselves. • Which one kicks/hurts a soldier? • Pg. 322 – Menelaus • Thinking about what to do to Helen – take her back and kill her? Or will she weaken him again? What do you think?

17. The Most Tragic Event of ALL TIME • 3 Soldiers come to Xanthe’s room with Andromache captured, Astynax cries at mother’s agony • Xanthe tries to protect Astynax but no use, soldiers take him and knock him out when he cries • WHY ARE THEY KILLING ASTYNAX? • Pg. 328 – Greek soldier • Hears Boros cry for Xanthe so he stabs him – says he doesn’t want to be part of what they’re about to do to Astynax, would be easy to just quickly kill the baby but they’re doing something “spectacular” and he disapproves. Effect?

18. Poly and Iason see each other – Poly in tears, they go hide • Marpessa in agony – Helen helping her. Aphrodite tells Marpessa she had to do this otherwise Marpessa would have taken the poison which is much worse on the body. Helen will take care of Marpessa and Marpessa will take care of Xanthe. • Pg. 333 – Traitor! Odysseus comes to get Helen, she jokes about going back. • Alastor looking for Marpessa – sees Charitomene die (crushed) and takes her scarf, he remembers his mother saying he had skin of youth, eyelashes of a girl… he has a plan!

19. 336-339 (italics) - BRUTALITY • Astynax’s death told from Greek POV – soldier says the captain talked about the plan over and over and not all soldiers agreed • Image and sounds will haunt him forever • Who is speaking? • What is the effect? • How did you feel while reading this?

20. The Aftermath • King M has forgiven Helen – is it genuine???? • Helen takes Marpessa, Alastor (dressed as a girl), and Xanthe • Hecuba and Andromache – what do you think happens? • Page 346 – DISTORTED NARRATIVE • Effect – This is Xanthe’s mind, no reason or rationale – the reader sees the traumatic effect Astynax’s death is having on Xanthe. She speaks/thinks in gibberish fragments • Is Helen just allowed to be Queen again? What do you think?

21. Happily Ever After? • Polyxena and Iason still in Troy – together! • Athena tells Marpessa Xanthe will be fine someday and they only helped the Greeks because it was fate • Xanthe sees an OWL – symbolism: • Owl is Athena’s animal • An owl flying over after a war symbolizes VICTORY in Greek mythology • Battle ended as it should have WHAT DID YOU LIKE/DISLIKE?