Homers Iliad from The Iliad retold by Alfred J. Church: Link to Reading Guide A
Reading Notes for Reading A: Week 3
I enjoy how Homer/Church share their story very matter of fact and fluid. This particular version of the story does not say whether Helen wanted to be stolen or not, but other sources such as Britannica Online say that she fled with Paris willingly when Menelaus was away. It makes for a sort of confusion for the start of this struggle to have so many conflicting versions.
Caption: Patroclus Dying
Link: Patroclus - Wikipedia
The most finicky part of this genre is that the gods are constantly interfering. An example of this is when Patroclus had gone to fight Hector to save the ships from Troy's fire. Patroclus killed Sarpedon and became proud, vowing that he himself would take the city of Troy. Rather than letting Patroclus try, Apollo wanted him to die, so he prevented him from climbing the wall and instead had Hector kill him. These parts of the story provide unforeseen plot twists, though, that keep the readers entertained.
If I was to write a story based off of the battle over Helen, I would either include Zeus, Achilles, and Achilles' mother, Thetis, or I would write one over Andromache and her golden-haired child.
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