The Combat Between Menelaus and Paris PDF

# The Combat Between Menelaus and Paris Agamemnon met with the Greek chiefs, who soon called their armies to battle. Many brave warriors were there, but none that could compare with Achilles, who sat apart and refused to fight. The leaders of Troy were also gathering their forces within the city. F...

# The Combat Between Menelaus and Paris Agamemnon met with the Greek chiefs, who soon called their armies to battle. Many brave warriors were there, but none that could compare with Achilles, who sat apart and refused to fight. The leaders of Troy were also gathering their forces within the city. From their walls they had observed the movements of the Greeks, and Zeus had sent a messenger to tell them to get ready for battle. On the plain before the city walls, the two great armies advanced. As the armies approached each other, Paris rushed forward from the Trojan lines and challenged the Greeks to send their bravest warrior to fight him in single combat. His challenge was speedily answered by Menelaus. Menelaus leapt from his chariot, eager for revenge on the man who had so greatly wronged him. When Paris saw Menelaus, a great fear seized him and he ran back to his companions. The noble Hector spoke to his brother in angry words. "Paris," said Hector, "you are good to look at, but you are worth nothing. You have brought evil on your father, your city, and your people, by carrying away a beautiful woman from her husband, yet you now fear to meet him in battle. It would have been better if you had never been born than to bring such disgrace upon us all." Paris answered, "You speak the truth, great Hector. But now, listen to me. Let Menelaus meet me in single combat-we will fight man to man. If he kills me, let him take Helen and all her possessions and leave. But if I kill him, then she shall stay here. So, whatever may happen, either way you will live in peace." Hector, pleased by what Paris had said, went along the line of the Trojans, holding his spear in the middle. He did this to show that he was not meaning to fight, and to keep his men in their places so that they should not begin the battle. Seeing Hector approach, Agamemnon cried out, "Hold! Great Hector has something to say." "Hear me, Trojans and Greeks," cried Hector. "Paris, who is the cause of this quarrel between us, says this: 'Let Menelaus meet me in single combat. Everyone else, whether Greek or Trojan, shall lay his arms upon the ground, and look on while we two fight together. For the fair Helen and her riches we two will fight, and the rest will cease from war." When Hector had spoken, King Menelaus stood up and said, "The Greeks and Trojans should be at peace, for there is no quarrel between them. This is my affair. Let me fight Paris alone, and let him be slain whose destiny it is to die. And now let us make a sacrifice to the gods, and swear a great oath that we will keep our agreement. Only let King Priam himself come and take the oath, for he is to be trusted." So spoke Menelaus, and both the armies were glad, for they were tired of the war. Hector sent messengers to King Priam. At this time, Priam was looking out from the high walls of Troy. With him were other princes of the city, old men who could no longer fight. And walking toward them was Helen, who had come to the wall to see the army of the Greeks. When one of the old princes saw the fair Helen approach, he said to another, "See how beautiful she is! And yet it would be better that she should go back to her own country, rather than staying here and bringing a curse upon us and our children." The messengers sent by Hector arrived and told King Priam that he was wanted on the plain below to approve the terms of the challenge. Immediately the king mounted his chariot and drove to where Agamemnon waited. A bowl was brought forth, and in it wine from each side, Greek and Trojan, was mixed together. Then Agamemnon, stretching forth his hands, prayed aloud. "O mighty Zeus!" said Agamemnon. "We call upon you, and upon the Sun, who beholds all things, to be witnesses to this agreement. If Paris slay Menelaus, let him keep Helen and all her possessions, and let us return home in our ships. But if Menelaus slay Paris, let the Trojans give back Helen and all her treasures." Then the kings drank of the mixed wine, while the Greeks and Trojans joined in praying that terrible punishment might be sent upon any person who might break the agreement. When this was done, King Priam said, "I will go back to Troy, for I could not bear to see my dear son fighting with Menelaus." So he climbed into the chariot and with troubled thoughts returned to the high-walled city. Then Hector put two pebbles into a helmet, one for Paris and one for Menelaus. These he shook, looking away as he did, for it was agreed that the man whose pebble first flew out of the helmet would be the first to cast his spear at the other. The pebble of Paris flew out first. The two warriors armed themselves and stood facing each other. First Paris threw his spear. It hit the shield of Menelaus but did not pierce it. Then Menelaus hurled his spear. It went right through the shield of Paris, and through the armor that he wore upon his body. But Paris bent himself sideways and so escaped the full force of the weapon. Then Menelaus drew his sword and struck the helmet of Paris with a great blow, but the sword broke into pieces. Menelaus rushed upon Paris and caught him by the horsehair crest of his helmet, and dragged him towards the army of the Greeks. Paris struggled as the strap of the helmet choked him. He would have been taken prisoner and killed had not the goddess Aphrodite come to his aid. She broke the strap under his chin, and the helmet came off in the hand of Menelaus. Grabbing another spear, Menelaus rushed furiously at Paris. But the goddess covered Paris with a mist, snatched him away, and set him down in his own house at Troy. Menelaus looked all around but he could not find Paris. Furious as a lion, he paced up and down the field, but not even the Trojans knew where Paris was. With Paris nowhere to be found, the Greeks claimed the victory for Menelaus. Agamemnon cried out, "Now you Trojans must keep your promise. You must give back fair Helen and her treasures, and we will take her and leave you in peace." But such was not the will of the gods. Fate had decreed the destruction of Troy, and so the war could not have a peaceful ending. From the halls of Olympus, Athena came down and took the form of a youth, a son of King Priam. In this shape she approached Pandarus, a great archer, who could shoot an arrow with as good an aim as any among the Trojan allies. She urged him to aim an arrow at Menelaus. "You will have gifts from all the Trojans," said Athena, "if you slay Menelaus, and from Paris you may expect splendid gifts indeed." But Athena, who favored the Greeks, did not really wish that Menelaus should be killed. And so when Pandarus shot his arrow, she flew to Menelaus and kept the arrow from doing him deadly harm. She guided it to a space between the belt and the breastplate of his armor. There it struck and, piercing the skin, made the red blood gush out. When Agamemnon, who was standing near, saw the blood, he cried, "Oh, my brother, it was foolish of me to make a pact with the Trojans, for they are wicked men and break their oaths!" But Menelaus said, "Do not trouble yourself, my brother, for the wound is not deep." With their agreement broken by the treacherous act of Pandarus, both sides resumed their fierce fighting. And on both sides, the gods urged them on. ## How Hector Bade Farewell to Andromache With Ares, the god of war, at his side, Hector dealt death and destruction through the ranks of the Greeks. Hera and Athena saw him and were angered. They passed down to earth and helped the Greeks, who proceeded to drive back the Trojans. After much fighting, Hector went to the city to tell the mothers of Troy to gather in the temple of Athena and pray to the goddess to calm her anger. Andromache, the wife of Hector, saw him and hurried to meet him. With her was a nurse carrying Hector's only child, with his golden hair shining like a star. Andromache clasped Hector's hand and wept, saying, "Oh, Hector, your courage will bring you to death. If I lose you, then it would be better for me to die than to live. My father and my seven brothers all fell by the hand of the great Achilles. My dear mother, too, is dead. Have pity, then, and stay here. Do not leave me a widow, and your child an orphan." But Hector said, "Dear wife, I am not willing that any son or daughter of Troy should see me stay away from battle. I hate the thought of it. I must make haste to return to my countrymen." Then Hector stretched out his arms to his child. But the child drew back in the arms of his nurse with a loud cry, fearing the shining bronze armor and the horsehair that nodded from his helmet top. Father and mother both laughed aloud. And Hector took the helmet from his head and laid it on the ground, and caught the child in his hands and kissed him. Hector prayed aloud: "Father Zeus and all ye gods, grant that this child may be great among the sons of Troy. And some day, when they see him carrying home the spoils of war, may they say, 'He is even greater than his father." Then he gave the boy to his mother. She clasped him to her and smiled, but there were tears in her eyes. And Hector's heart was moved. "Do not let these things trouble you," he said. "No man will kill me unless it is my fate to die. But no man, whether brave or cowardly, may escape fate." Then Hector took up his helmet from the ground and put it on his head. Andromache returned to her home, often turning back her eyes to look at her husband, for in her heart she thought that she would never see him coming home again. Hector went into battle with renewed strength, and everywhere the Greeks fell before him. ## The Battle on the Plain On a later day, the two armies again clashed on the open plain between the walls of Troy and the line of Greek ships near the shore. In the sky, Zeus held out his golden scales. In one scale he placed a weight for the Trojans and in the other a weight for the Greeks. The weights were weights of death, and the army whose weight was the heavier would suffer most on that day. And the scale of the Greeks sank lower. Then Zeus sent a thunderbolt into the army of the Greeks, and there was great fear among both men and horses. The Greeks fled back to the barrier they had built to defend their ships. Hector drove them before him. As a dog follows a wild beast and catches him by the thigh as he flies, so did Hector follow the Greeks. On the top of Olympus, Hera said to Athena, "I fear the Greeks will perish altogether by the hand of Hector." Athena answered, "Make your chariot ready. We will go together to the battle, and Hector will not be glad when he sees us coming." So Hera made her chariot ready, while Athena put on her armor and clasped her great spear. From high Olympus they descended towards Troy. But Zeus saw them and called to Iris, the messenger of the gods, telling her, "Go now, Iris, and tell these two that they had better not set themselves against me. If they do, then I will lame their horses and break their chariot in pieces. If I strike them with a single thunderbolt, they will not recover from their hurts for ten years and more." So Iris hurried and met the two goddesses on their way, and gave them the message of Zeus. When Hera heard it, she said to Athena, "It is not wise for us to fight with Zeus for the sake of men." So they went back to Olympus and sat down in their chairs of gold among the other gods, both very sad and angry. Then Zeus came into the hall where the gods were assembled. When he saw Hera and Athena sitting by themselves with gloomy faces, he said, "Why do you look so sad? You know that what I choose to happen will happen. Even if all the other gods should join together against me, still I shall prevail over them." Athena, whose heart was bursting with anger, said nothing. But Hera said, "We know very well that you are stronger than all the gods. Still, we cannot help but pity the Greeks when we see them perishing in this way." Zeus spoke again. "Do you pity the Greeks for what they have suffered? There is worse to come. For Hector will not cease driving the Greeks before him and slaying them till the great Achilles himself shall be moved to rise from the place where he sits by his ships." And now the sun sank into the sea, and the night fell. The Trojans were angry that the darkness had come, but the Greeks were glad of the night, for it gave them time to breathe. Then Hector called the Trojans to an assembly at a place near the river. He stood in the middle of the people, holding in his hand a spear sixteen feet or more in length, with a shining head of bronze. To the gathered people he said: "Listen, men of Troy, and you allies who have come to help us. I thought that today we would destroy the army of the Greeks and burn their ships. But night has come and prevented us from finishing our work. So let us sit down and rest and take a meal. Let us gather fuel so that we may burn fires all the night, and keep watch to see whether the Greeks try to flee in the night. Truly, they shall not go in peace. Tomorrow we will arm ourselves and drive these Greeks to their ships, and burn these ships with fire. Tomorrow shall surely bring ruin on the Greeks." So Hector spoke, and all the Trojans shouted with joy to hear such words. And, just as on a calm night the stars shine bright, so shone the thousand watch-fires of the Trojans as they waited for the morning. ## The Ambassadors to Achilles The Greek leaders gathered for a council of war. Agamemnon advised that they should take to their ships and set sail for Greece. "It seems," said the discouraged king, "to be the will of Zeus that we shall never capture Troy." Upon hearing this, the chiefs sat for a time in gloomy silence. Then brave Diomedes, king of Argos, spoke out. "Do not be angry," said Diomedes to Agamemnon, "if I say that this talk of yours about fleeing in our ships is madness. Zeus has given you high rank and great power, but not much courage-and courage is the best gift of all. Return home if you want to, but we will stay until we have taken the city of Troy. We will not go back till we have done the thing we came to do." These words were loudly applauded by the assembled leaders. Then wise old Nestor spoke: "King Agamemnon, Zeus has made you lord over many nations. Therefore you have the greater need of good advice, even though it may not please you. It was an evil day when you sent the officers to take away Briseis from Achilles. The other chiefs did not agree to your deed, and I myself advised you not to do it, but you followed your own pride and shamed the bravest of your followers. Now, therefore, undo this evil deed, and make peace with this man whom you have wronged." Agamemnon stood up and said, "You have spoken true words, old sir. Truly I acted as a fool that day; I do not deny it. For not only is Achilles a great warrior but he is also dear to Zeus-and surely it is Zeus's will that we are put to flight so long as Achilles stands aside from the battle. And now, as I did him wrong, so I will make amends, giving him many times more than that which I took from him." The Greek chiefs were very glad to hear these words. They resolved to appoint ambassadors to send to Achilles to beg him to accept the gifts and make peace with Agamemnon. They chose for this mission an aged chief named Phoenix, who had taught Achilles in his youth. They also chose the valiant warrior Ajax Telamon, as well as swift-thinking Odysseus. The three ambassadors set out along the shore of the sea, and soon they found Achilles sitting in his tent with his friend Patroclus. Achilles warmly welcomed the three ambassadors as friends. Then wine was brought in, and after they had refreshed themselves, Odysseus stated the object of their visit. He described the dangers faced by the Grecian army, threatened with destruction by the terrible Hector and his allies. He told of the many gifts that Agamemnon offered, and urged Achilles to lay aside his anger and come to the aid of the Greeks. "For truly," Odysseus concluded, "our need is great. Hector vows that he will burn our ships with fire and destroy us all. Take the gifts Agamemnon has offered. And if you do not care for Agamemnon, yet think of the people who perish because you stand aside from the battle. Take the gifts, for by so doing you will have wealth and honor and love from the Greeks, and great glory also, for you will slay Hector. He is ready to meet you in battle, for he is proud and thinks there is none among the Greeks who can stand against him." Achilles answered, "I will speak plainly, Odysseus, and say what is in my heart-because to me, a man who thinks one thing in his heart but says another thing with his tongue is hateful as death itself. Tell me now, what good is it for a man to be always fighting day after day? I took many cities, and from all I carried away great riches. All this I brought to King Agamemnon, and he gave a few things to me and others, but kept most for himself. And then what did he do? He let the other chiefs keep what he had given them, but what he had given me, he took away. So to him I say, do not ask me to fight against the Trojans. There are other chiefs whom he has not wronged and shamed; let him go to them. As for Hector or any of the sons of Troy, I will not fight them again. Tomorrow, you will see my ships upon the sea, and my men rowing with all their might, back to our dear country, if the god of the sea is willing." Achilles paused in his speech. Then he continued in a thoughtful tone: "Long ago, my mother, Thetis of the sea, said to me, 'My son, two paths lie before you, and you may choose which you will follow. If you stay in this land and fight against Troy, then you will never go back to your own land but will die in your youth. Only your name will live forever. But if you will leave this land and go back to your home, then you shall live long, even to old age, but your name will be forgotten.' Once I thought that fame was a better thing than life. But now my mind is changed, for indeed my fame is taken from me, since Agamemnon has put me to shame before all the people." Then old Phoenix stood up and spoke. "Achilles," he said, "Peleus, your father, made me your teacher. Now, I pray you, listen to me. Put away the anger in your heart. If, indeed, King Agamemnon had offered you no gifts, nor restored to you that which he took from you, then I would not ask you to cease from your anger. But now he gives you many gifts, and promises you yet more. Take the gifts that Agamemnon gives you. So shall all the Greeks honor you." Achilles answered, "Phoenix, good old man, trouble me no more with prayers and tears while you seek to help Agamemnon." Ajax rose and said, "Let us go. We shall do no good here today. Achilles cares only for his anger and nothing for his comrades or his people. Surely he seems to lack reason." Achilles answered, "You speak well, great Ajax. Indeed, the anger is still hot in my heart, because Agamemnon put me to shame before all the people. Go and tell him that I will not arise to do battle with the Trojans till Hector comes to these tents and seeks to set fire to my ships. If that happens, I will arise, and I will stop him." So the ambassadors left to give the message of Achilles to King Agamemnon. ## The Wounding of Hector and the Battle at the Ships The next morning, as soon as it was light, Agamemnon led the Greeks into battle, and Hector led the Trojans. The first man to break through the Trojan line was King Agamemnon. He drove the Trojans back to the walls of the city. Hector himself did not dare to stand up before him, for Iris had brought him this message from Zeus: "So long as Agamemnon fights in the front, hold back, for on this day he will win great honor for himself. But when he is wounded, then you will have the strength to drive the Greeks back to their ships." Two Trojan warriors who were brothers drove their chariot straight at Agamemnon. The king threw his spear at the younger of the two, but missed. Then the younger Trojan thrust at Agamemnon with his spear, driving it against his breastplate. The king caught the spear in his hand and drove it through the neck of the young warrior so that he fell dead from the chariot. When the elder brother saw this, he thrust his spear at Agamemnon and pierced his arm beneath the elbow. Agamemnon, though wounded, fought back and killed the elder brother. The king continued to fight for a while, but when his arm grew cold and stiff, he said to his charioteer, "Now take me back to the ships, for I cannot fight any more." Now the Trojans advanced, led by Hector, whose eyes flashed with fire. When Poseidon, the god of the sea, saw the Greeks pushed back to their ships, he was troubled, for he loved the Greeks. Although Zeus had not allowed any god to help the Greeks, Poseidon saw that Zeus had his eyes turned from the battle. So Poseidon mounted his chariot and *(There is an image of Poseidon pulled on a chariot by 2 seahorses)* he passed over the waves, while the great beasts of the sea-whales and porpoises-sported about him. When Poseidon came to the land where the battle raged, he disguised himself as Calchas the soothsayer. He went among the Greeks and filled them with fresh strength, and they returned to the battle with new courage, driving back the Trojans. Even great Hector himself was struck down for a time. He cast his spear at mighty Ajax Telamon, but the point did not pierce the giant's thick, strong armor. As Hector turned to go back to his comrades, Ajax lifted a huge stone and threw it at Hector, hitting him on the neck. Hector fell as an oak falls when the lightning has struck it. When they saw him drop, the Greeks rushed forward to drag away his body, but the Trojans lifted him from the ground and carried him away to the river. When the Greeks saw that Hector was carried out of the battle, they took fresh courage and charged the Trojans. Zeus, who had turned his eyes again to the land of Troy, observed the Trojans fleeing, and Hector lying like one that has fallen in battle. In fury, Zeus cried out to Hera, "Is this your doing, rebellious one? Tell me the truth!" And Hera answered, "No-it is Poseidon who gives the Greeks strength and courage." Zeus sent Iris the messenger to deliver his angry command to Poseidon: "Go back to the sea and do not meddle with these affairs on earth!" Poseidon complained bitterly, but he obeyed. Then Zeus told Apollo, "Go to Hector, where he lies like a dead man on the plain. Put new life and courage into him, and send him back to the battle with new strength." Apollo hastened to Hector where he lay by the riverside, and said, "Hector, why do you take no part in the battle?" Hector answered, "Is this a god that speaks to me? Did you not see how Ajax struck me down with a great stone, so that I could fight no more? Truly, I thought that I had gone down to the place of the dead." "Take courage, my friend," replied Apollo. "Zeus has sent me to stand by you and help you. Call the Trojans together again, and lead them to the ships, and I will be with you." Then Hector stood up, and his strength returned to him. He called to the Trojans and led them toward the Greeks. The Greeks were amazed when they saw him, for they thought that his wounds meant certain death. Seeing Hector, they were struck with fear, like men who hunt a stag or a wild goat and find a lion instead. And still Hector came on, and Apollo went before him, a cloud of fire round his shoulders, holding the great shield of Zeus in his hand. Many of the Greeks were slain that day. And the Trojans advanced as far as the Greek ships, Hector first of all. Close behind Hector was a chief who carried a torch in his hand, with which he aimed to set fire to a ship-but Ajax thrust his sword through his breast and killed him. Hector cried, "Come on, men of Troy, for Zeus is with us. Even if a man die, it is a noble thing to die fighting for his country. His wife and children shall live in peace, and he himself shall be famous forever." Thus did Hector urge his people to battle, and the Greeks fell back before them. And Hector cried, "Bring me fire that we may burn the ships of these robbers!" On the deck of a Greek ship, Ajax fought bravely, thrusting at any one who came near with fire. As Ajax thrust at the Trojans with his spear, he cried to the Greeks with a terrible voice, saying, "Now you must fight like men! You are in the plain of Troy, and the sea is close behind us, and we are far from our own country. All our hope, therefore, is in courage, for there is no one to save you if you will not save yourselves!" The Trojans attacked more fiercely than before, so that Ajax himself was forced to give way when Hector cut his spear shaft in two by a stroke of his huge sword. Then the Trojans hurled their blazing torches, and the ship was soon wrapped in flames.