WEBVTT
00:00:02.950 --> 00:00:07.700
Episode 2 – Choices
00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:25.160
[Opening music]
00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:28.970
Far, far away from that island,
00:00:28.970 --> 00:00:34.370
where Achilles had been dressed as a girl and hidden by his mother;
00:00:34.370 --> 00:00:41.400
far, far away across the blue Aegean sea there stood a city.
00:00:41.400 --> 00:00:46.760
Imagine the walls towering high above your head.
00:00:46.760 --> 00:00:56.430
Imagine painted palaces, carved temples, broad streets, houses of wood and stone.
00:00:56.430 --> 00:01:04.140
The great city of Ilium, the magnificent city of Troy.
00:01:04.140 --> 00:01:09.130
The king of that city was called Priam –
00:01:09.130 --> 00:01:12.970
white-bearded Priam, the father of Troy,
00:01:12.970 --> 00:01:17.300
the father of the bull-herding Trojans.
00:01:17.300 --> 00:01:24.270
And the queen of the city was called Hecuba, Queen Hecuba.
00:01:24.270 --> 00:01:27.590
Now Hecuba had already had two sons –
00:01:27.590 --> 00:01:29.880
two strapping boys.
00:01:29.880 --> 00:01:34.390
One was called Hector and one was called Deiphobus.
00:01:34.390 --> 00:01:37.990
And now she was expecting another baby.
00:01:37.990 --> 00:01:41.930
She was big with the baby she was carrying.
00:01:41.930 --> 00:01:46.560
And one night she was lying on her bed, fast asleep,
00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:48.690
and she had a dream.
00:01:48.690 --> 00:01:51.750
And in her dream she gave birth.
00:01:51.750 --> 00:01:55.910
But she didn’t give birth to any mortal child.
00:01:55.910 --> 00:01:59.120
She gave birth to a blazing torch,
00:01:59.120 --> 00:02:06.550
with red flames and yellow flames like flickering snakes that set the whole city on fire.
00:02:06.550 --> 00:02:11.470
And when she woke up she told the dream to her husband, King Priam.
00:02:11.470 --> 00:02:13.070
And Priam said,
00:02:13.070 --> 00:02:18.110
“You must take this dream to the priests and the wise men.”
00:02:18.110 --> 00:02:21.010
And so Hecuba went to the priests and the wise men,
00:02:21.010 --> 00:02:22.950
and she told them her dream.
00:02:22.950 --> 00:02:25.720
And they shook their heads and they said,
00:02:25.720 --> 00:02:29.080
“This dream is a bad thing.
00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:33.360
This dream means that you will give birth to a son –
00:02:33.360 --> 00:02:35.100
a baby boy.
00:02:35.100 --> 00:02:39.610
And if that child is allowed to grow up to become a man,
00:02:39.610 --> 00:02:43.370
then he will cause the whole city to burn,
00:02:43.370 --> 00:02:45.480
like a blazing torch.”
00:02:45.480 --> 00:02:48.580
And Hecuba said, “Then what am I to do?”
00:02:48.580 --> 00:02:51.320
And they said, “There’s only one thing you can do.
00:02:51.320 --> 00:02:54.050
As soon as the child is born,
00:02:54.050 --> 00:02:56.550
he must be killed.”
00:02:56.550 --> 00:03:00.760
Well some days later Hecuba gave birth.
00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:03.730
And she gave birth to a baby boy,
00:03:03.730 --> 00:03:07.570
but he was the most beautiful child.
00:03:07.580 --> 00:03:10.570
His face was shining with light.
00:03:10.570 --> 00:03:13.750
His little hands were opening and closing.
00:03:13.750 --> 00:03:15.360
And, as soon as he was born,
00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:21.350
King Priam drew his sword and he raised the blade of the sword above his shoulder.
00:03:21.350 --> 00:03:23.780
But what would you have done?
00:03:23.780 --> 00:03:25.840
He looked at the child.
00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:32.550
He looked at the beautiful boy and he could not bring himself to kill him.
00:03:32.550 --> 00:03:35.780
And so he called his soldiers and, one after the other,
00:03:35.780 --> 00:03:40.940
the soldiers came into the room and they drew their swords but not one of them –
00:03:40.940 --> 00:03:45.220
even the most hardened, cut-throat in his army –
00:03:45.220 --> 00:03:49.280
not one of them could kill the beautiful child.
00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:54.270
And so he grew up in the palace of Priam and Hecuba,
00:03:54.270 --> 00:03:58.360
and he was given the name Paris.
00:03:58.360 --> 00:04:02.260
And from a beautiful baby to a beautiful boy.
00:04:02.260 --> 00:04:06.260
And from a beautiful boy to a beautiful young man.
00:04:06.260 --> 00:04:10.930
And the priests and the wise men watched him growing and they shook their heads and they said,
00:04:10.930 --> 00:04:13.820
“This is a bad thing.”
00:04:13.820 --> 00:04:17.680
And seventeen years passed –
00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:20.870
seventeen long years.
00:04:20.870 --> 00:04:27.920
And one time Zeus, the cloudcompeller, the king of the gods,
00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:30.740
on the high slopes of Mount Olympus,
00:04:30.740 --> 00:04:35.170
Zeus was looking down at the world and he saw Paris.
00:04:35.170 --> 00:04:40.850
He saw this beautiful young man out hunting on the foothills of Mount Ida –
00:04:40.850 --> 00:04:45.680
the mountain that stretched up behind the city walls of Troy.
00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:49.250
Now Zeus had a headache.
00:04:49.250 --> 00:04:52.100
He’d had a headache for a long time
00:04:52.100 --> 00:05:01.220
because those three goddesses had never stopped arguing and bickering and quarrelling as to who was the most beautiful.
00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:05.830
And he looked down at the beautiful young man, a king’s son,
00:05:05.830 --> 00:05:07.510
and he thought to himself,
00:05:07.510 --> 00:05:11.960
“He will decide who is the most beautiful.”
00:05:11.960 --> 00:05:15.260
And he called Hermes, the messenger of the gods.
00:05:15.260 --> 00:05:19.700
And Hermes strapped on his winged sandals and, swift as thought,
00:05:19.700 --> 00:05:22.310
he flew down out of the sky and he came to Paris.
00:05:22.310 --> 00:05:25.360
He said, “Paris, I’ve been sent by great father Zeus.
00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:32.600
And he has told me to tell you that you must decide which of these three goddesses is the most beautiful.”
00:05:32.600 --> 00:05:34.710
And he clicked his fingers.
00:05:34.710 --> 00:05:36.340
And out of the light,
00:05:36.340 --> 00:05:40.300
three goddesses appeared in front of Paris.
00:05:40.300 --> 00:05:44.250
There was Hera, the wife of Zeus, the queen of heaven –
00:05:44.250 --> 00:05:47.990
ox-eyed Hera, magnificent.
00:05:47.990 --> 00:05:51.820
There was Athene, the goddess of war and wisdom,
00:05:51.820 --> 00:05:55.200
her grey eyes shining with light.
00:05:55.200 --> 00:05:58.780
And there was Aphrodite, the goddess of love –
00:05:58.780 --> 00:06:01.760
beautiful, beautiful Aphrodite.
00:06:01.760 --> 00:06:02.500
And Hermes said,
00:06:02.500 --> 00:06:09.080
“Paris, you must decide who is the most beautiful and you must give her this golden apple.”
00:06:09.080 --> 00:06:12.800
And he dropped the golden apple into Paris’ hand and he was gone.
00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:20.200
And Paris was left standing, staring, goggle-eyed, at three goddesses.
00:06:20.200 --> 00:06:24.000
But his eyes kept wandering towards Aphrodite –
00:06:24.000 --> 00:06:25.490
the goddess of love.
00:06:25.490 --> 00:06:27.520
And Hera stamped her foot.
00:06:27.520 --> 00:06:28.770
She said, “It’s not fair.
00:06:28.770 --> 00:06:32.490
Aphrodite is wearing her belt of love and desire.
00:06:32.490 --> 00:06:36.450
Paris must decide when he’s seen us naked.”
00:06:36.450 --> 00:06:38.530
And Athene agreed.
00:06:38.530 --> 00:06:43.330
And so it was the three goddesses took off their clothes.
00:06:43.330 --> 00:06:45.230
They disrobed.
00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:49.120
They stood stark naked in front of Paris.
00:06:49.120 --> 00:06:57.390
And now Paris was looking from one to the other and he could not decide who was the most beautiful.
00:06:57.390 --> 00:07:02.860
And so Hera stepped forwards, the wife of Zeus,
00:07:02.860 --> 00:07:06.140
her ox-eyes shining and she said,
00:07:06.140 --> 00:07:11.270
“Paris, choose me and I will give you power.
00:07:11.270 --> 00:07:18.450
Choose me and I will make you a king over the whole of Europe and the whole of Asia.”
00:07:18.450 --> 00:07:20.700
And she stepped back.
00:07:20.700 --> 00:07:23.320
And then Athene came forwards,
00:07:23.320 --> 00:07:26.880
her long limbs unblemished and she said,
00:07:26.880 --> 00:07:31.390
“Paris, choose me and you’ll never lose a battle.
00:07:31.390 --> 00:07:38.620
Choose me and you’ll be famous the length and the breadth of the world for your wisdom, your cleverness.”
00:07:38.620 --> 00:07:40.740
And she stepped back.
00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:45.450
And then Aphrodite came forwards, beautiful Aphrodite,
00:07:45.450 --> 00:07:48.410
smelling of musk and honey.
00:07:48.410 --> 00:07:49.040
And she said,
00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:56.810
“Paris, choose me and I will give you the most beautiful woman in the world.”
00:07:56.810 --> 00:07:58.390
And Paris said, “Who is she?”
00:07:58.390 --> 00:08:00.120
“Her name is Helen.
00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:03.840
She’s the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta.
00:08:03.840 --> 00:08:06.020
I will blind her with love for you.
00:08:06.020 --> 00:08:09.600
She will give you everything.”
00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:10.500
And Paris said,
00:08:10.500 --> 00:08:12.260
“What does she look like?”
00:08:12.260 --> 00:08:14.190
And Aphrodite said,
00:08:14.190 --> 00:08:18.450
“She is as beautiful as I am.”
00:08:18.450 --> 00:08:20.200
And she stepped back.
00:08:20.200 --> 00:08:27.970
And Paris lifted the golden apple above his shoulder and he looked from one goddess to the other.
00:08:27.970 --> 00:08:30.230
What did he do?
00:08:30.230 --> 00:08:33.400
What would you have done?
00:08:33.400 --> 00:08:37.760
Well he looked from one to the other and then he said,
00:08:37.760 --> 00:08:42.630
“The golden apple goes to Aphrodite.”
00:08:42.630 --> 00:08:45.590
And Hera and Athene were furious.
00:08:45.590 --> 00:08:46.870
They turned on their heels.
00:08:46.870 --> 00:08:49.650
They flashed into the sky and they were gone.
00:08:49.650 --> 00:08:52.500
And, as for Aphrodite, the goddess of love,
00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:54.980
she loosed an invisible arrow,
00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:57.760
which struck Paris in the heart.
00:08:57.760 --> 00:08:59.630
And from that moment,
00:08:59.630 --> 00:09:02.090
even though he’d never seen her,
00:09:02.090 --> 00:09:06.280
even though she was nothing more than a name, an idea,
00:09:06.280 --> 00:09:08.370
he was in love with Helen,
00:09:08.370 --> 00:09:12.170
the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta.
00:09:12.170 --> 00:09:17.160
And Aphrodite reached down and she picked up her belt of love and desire.
00:09:17.160 --> 00:09:19.140
And she tied it round her waist,
00:09:19.140 --> 00:09:20.990
and she was gone.
00:09:20.990 --> 00:09:23.820
And, as for Hera and Athene,
00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:27.290
from that moment they hated Paris,
00:09:27.290 --> 00:09:36.540
and they were pondering in their hearts how they could bring about his death and the destruction of the whole city of Troy.
00:09:36.540 --> 00:09:40.870
And, as for Paris, dazed, confused,
00:09:40.870 --> 00:09:44.910
he made his way back to the city of Troy.
00:09:44.910 --> 00:09:49.420
And some little while later, his father, King Priam, called him and he said,
00:09:49.420 --> 00:09:50.670
“Paris, my son.
00:09:50.670 --> 00:09:53.030
You’re young, you’re handsome.
00:09:53.030 --> 00:09:55.260
The time has come for you to choose a wife.
00:09:55.260 --> 00:09:58.350
The city is full of fine women.”
00:09:58.350 --> 00:10:03.930
But there was only one woman in the world who Paris wanted,
00:10:03.930 --> 00:10:06.180
even though he’d never seen her,
00:10:06.180 --> 00:10:10.760
even though she was nothing more than a name, an idea.
00:10:10.760 --> 00:10:12.690
And that was Helen,
00:10:12.690 --> 00:10:17.850
the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta.
00:10:17.850 --> 00:10:28.460
[Opening music]
00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:32.640
Let me tell you the story of Helen.
00:10:32.640 --> 00:10:40.400
Zeus had many mortal sons but only once did he ever have a mortal daughter –
00:10:40.400 --> 00:10:41.960
Helen.
00:10:41.960 --> 00:10:44.880
She was the most beautiful woman in the world.
00:10:44.880 --> 00:10:47.940
Everyone who saw her fell in love with her.
00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:50.210
Some said this was a blessing,
00:10:50.210 --> 00:10:54.110
others that this was a curse.
00:10:54.110 --> 00:10:58.090
Rumours of Helen’s beauty spread across Greece.
00:10:58.090 --> 00:11:03.120
Many a Greek king wanted her for his wife.
00:11:03.120 --> 00:11:06.690
They travelled to the palace of her foster father.
00:11:06.690 --> 00:11:08.550
He had an idea.
00:11:08.550 --> 00:11:14.800
He welcomed all of the Greek kings into the bronze-floored feasting hall of his palace,
00:11:14.800 --> 00:11:18.320
and then he led into that hall a stallion.
00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:20.800
He slaughtered it with his sword.
00:11:20.800 --> 00:11:25.110
He laid out the severed pieces of the stallion across the floor.
00:11:25.110 --> 00:11:26.760
Here the legs,
00:11:26.760 --> 00:11:28.340
there the flanks,
00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:29.500
there the neck,
00:11:29.500 --> 00:11:30.910
there the head.
00:11:30.910 --> 00:11:36.220
And he made each of them stand upon a severed piece and swear an oath,
00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:38.610
make a promise,
00:11:38.610 --> 00:11:41.060
that when Helen chose a husband,
00:11:41.060 --> 00:11:43.100
they would accept her decision.
00:11:43.100 --> 00:11:45.130
And, if ever she was stolen,
00:11:45.130 --> 00:11:49.480
they would come to her husband’s aid.
00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.030
Once they had done this,
00:11:52.030 --> 00:12:01.010
the doors of the hall opened and in came Helen.
00:12:01.010 --> 00:12:04.320
All of them stared at her.
00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:06.420
What was she to do?
00:12:06.420 --> 00:12:10.500
Who was she to choose?
00:12:10.500 --> 00:12:16.930
She looked from one to the other to the next.
00:12:16.930 --> 00:12:26.300
And then she took the hands of the red-haired king of Sparta, Menelaus.
00:12:26.300 --> 00:12:31.910
Him she chose for her husband.
00:12:31.910 --> 00:13:27.330
[Closing music]