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The goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite wanted to know who was the fairest of them all, and Prince Paris of Troy had been chosen to give a golden apple to fairest goddess. Aphrodite told him that if he gave her the golden apple, she would give him Helen, the most beautiful women on Earth. Immediately, Paris gave Aphrodite the golden apple. But, Paris didn't know that Helen was already married to King Menelaus of Sparta.
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While King Menelaus was visiting Crete, a Greek island, Paris abducted Helen and took her back to Troy. King Menelaus soon discovered that she had been kidnapped. When Menelaus asked for Helen back, Paris refused. This is what started the Trojan War.
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Everyone was ready to go, but a strong wind stopped them. The Greeks discovered that Artemis was causing the wind to blow and that she’s upset. The only thing that would please her was if someone sacrificed a royal maiden. So, Agamemnon sacrifices his own daughter Iphigenia to allow the armies to set sail. This trip to Troy took 10 years.
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Menelaus sought out Helen in the conquered city. Raging at her infidelity, he raised his sword to kill her, but as he saw her weeping at his feet, begging for her life, Menelaus' wrath instantly left him. He took pity on her and decided to take her back as his wife.
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Classical dramatizations differ on how willing either father or daughter was to this fate; some include such trickery as claiming she was to be married to Achilles, but Agamemnon did eventually sacrifice Iphigenia.
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Helen returns alone to Troy, where Paris dies later the same day. In another version, Paris himself, in great pain, visits Oenone to plead for healing but is refused and dies on the mountainside. When Oenone hears of his funeral, she runs to his funeral pyre and throws herself in its fire.
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King Menelaus invokes the Oath of Tyndareus to bring Helen back to Greece. He got together all of the Greek kings to help him fight. Achilles and Odysseus tried to avoid going, but they were soon caught and forced to fight.
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10 years later, the troops arrive at Troy. Menelaus fights Paris to determine whether Helen will return to Greece. Menelaus wins, but Aphrodite rescues Paris and spirits him away. Then, Athena prevents the Trojans from surrendering Helen.
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After Patroclus is killed, Achilles gets angry over the loss of his dear friend and joins the fight. Achilles kills Hector.
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Prince Paris surrenders to the Greeks after the massacre.
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After Achilles kills Hector, he is shot in the heel by Paris. The Greeks retreat to plan their next move
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Odysseus came up with the idea for the Trojan Horse. Since, the Trojans have big walls for protection, the Greeks made a wooden horse to give to the Trojans with them hidden inside.
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In 1986 the song Crimes of Paris by Elvis Costello on his album Blood & Chocolate asks the question, "Who'll pay for the Crimes of Paris, who's gonna pay for the Crimes of Paris?"
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Prince Paris surrenders to the Greeks after the massacre.