39 pages • 1 hour read
Barry StraussThe Trojan War: A New History
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapter 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary: “War for Helen”
According to Homer, the abduction of the Greek Queen of Sparta, Helen, by Paris, Prince of Troy is the spark that ignited the Trojan War. The story runs a little like Romeo and Juliet, with the charming Paris and the exquisite Helen falling in love despite their dynastic loyalties. Paris violates the sacred laws of marriage and hospitality by taking Helen, who is married to Sparta’s puissant King Menelaus, home with him to Troy. Helen’s wronged husband, Menelaus, summons a mighty army to claim back his bride and honor.
Chapter 1 Analysis
In actuality, there may have been political reasons for Helen’s flight or abduction to Anatolia. Greek historian Herodotus (ca. 485-425 BCE) concurs that there was more than a romantic motive for the war. Bronze Age conflict was often framed in interpersonal rather than abstract terms. Hittite texts chart increased tensions between Troy and Greece in the 1200s, and an eventual alliance between them in 1280 BCE. From Helen’s perspective, it was an auspicious and ambitious move. Anatolian women enjoyed autonomy more than those in Mycenaean Greece. Women’s appearance on seals discovered by archaeologists suggest a level of equality with men.
Dynastic marriages were typical of Bronze Age diplomacy. Helen, with her vast dowry, represented the wealth and the kingdom of Sparta, to which her husband’s claim was shakier without her. Bronze Age shrines, mansions and cemeteries in Laconia may be linked with the fabled king and queen of Sparta. Greek historian Thucydides wrote that it was Agamemnon’s influence that enabled him to marshal the Greeks into war with the potent and prestigious Troy following Helen’s abduction. Troy was rich in resources and a gold mine, if it could be taken.
