Summary of Helen of Troy

Prince Paris of Troy, shipwrecked on a mission to the king of Sparta, meets and falls for Queen Helen before he knows who she is. Rudely received by the royal Greeks, he must flee…but fate and their mutual passions lead him to take Helen along. This gives the Greeks just the excuse they need for much-desired war. The Greeks are plotting to invade Troy to steal the treasures of the Trojans. Meanwhile Prince Paris is assigned by his wise father and King of Troy to travel to Sparta and shows the peaceful intentions of his people. Along his journey, he falls into the sea during a storm and is rescued on the shore by the Queen of Sparta, Helen. When he recovers, he believes that she is a slave and they fall in love with each other. When he arrives at the Spartan palace, he is arrested by King Menelaus but Helen helps him to escape. They travel together to Troy and give the excuse the Greeks need to start the war and put Troy under siege for years. The Greeks are unsuccessful in their intents, until they listen to the cunning Ulysses. The Greeks then withdraw their one thousand ships from the Trojan waters and offer a wooden Horse of Troy as a gift to the winners. –Helen of Troy (1956)

Throughout time, men have waged war. Some for power, some for glory, some for honor–and some for love. In ancient Greece, the passion of two of history’s most legendary lovers–Paris, Prince of Troy and Helen, Queen of Sparta–ignites a war that will devastate a civilization. When Paris steals Helen away from her husband, King Menelaus, it is an insult that cannot be suffered. Familial pride dictates that an affront to Menelaus is an affront to his brother Agamemnon, powerful King of the Myceneans, who soon unites all the massive tribes of Greece to steal Helen back from Troy in defense of his brother’s honor. In truth, Agamemnon’s pursuit of honor is corrupted by his overwhelming greed–he needs control of Troy to ensure the supremacy of his already vast empire. The walled city, under the leadership of King Prium and defended by mighty Prince Hector, is a citadel that no army has been able to breach. One man alone stands as the key to victory or defeat over Troy–Achilles, believed to be the greatest warrior alive. Arrogant, rebellious and seemingly invincible, Achilles has no allegiance to anyone or anything, save his own glory. It is his insatiable hunger for eternal renown that leads him to attack the gates of Troy under Agamemnon’s banner–but it will be love that ultimately decides his fate. Two worlds will go to war for honor and power. Thousands will fall in pursuit of glory. And for love, a nation will burn to the ground. –Helen of Troy