Bulfinch’s Mythology · Chapter
The Fall of Troy—Return of the Greeks—Orestes and Electra explained
This chapter recounts the final events of the Trojan War, including the deaths of Achilles, Ajax, and Paris, the stratagem of the wooden horse, and the fall of Troy.
What happens
This chapter recounts the final events of the Trojan War, including the deaths of Achilles, Ajax, and Paris, the stratagem of the wooden horse, and the fall of Troy. It then follows the returns of Menelaus and Helen to Sparta, and the tragic homecoming of Agamemnon, who is murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus. The chapter concludes with the story of Orestes and Electra: Orestes avenges his father's death by slaying his mother and Aegisthus, is pursued by the Furies, and ultimately acquitted by Athena's court.
Themes in this chapter
Fate and Free Will
The fall of Troy is portrayed as fated, with prophecies and divine interventions (e.g., the Palladium, the arrows of Hercules) guiding events, while characters like Orestes grapple with the command of the oracle versus personal moral horror.
Jealousy and Revenge
The narrative is driven by revenge: Orestes avenges Agamemnon's murder, Ajax's suicide stems from jealousy over Achilles' armor, and Oenone's refusal to heal Paris is rooted in past betrayal.
Mortality and Immortality
Achilles' invulnerability except for his heel highlights the tension between mortal vulnerability and divine protection; the hyacinth flower springs from Ajax's blood, symbolizing a form of immortal remembrance.
Characters to notice
- Achilles
Slain by Paris with a poisoned arrow guided by Apollo, striking his vulnerable heel.
- Ulysses
Awarded the armor of Achilles after his death; devises the stratagem of the wooden horse; enters Troy in disguise to steal the Palladium.
- Paris
Kills Achilles with a poisoned arrow; later wounded by Philoctetes and dies after being refused healing by the nymph Oenone.
- Menelaus
Recovers Helen after the fall of Troy; they are driven by storms to various lands but eventually return safely to Sparta.
- Helen
Reconciled with Menelaus after Troy's fall; aids the Greeks secretly and returns with Menelaus to Sparta.
- Agamemnon
Murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her paramour Aegisthus upon his return from Troy.
- Orestes
Saved as a child by Electra; later avenges his father's death by slaying Clytemnestra and Aegisthus; pursued by the Furies and finally acquitted by Athena.
- Electra
Saves her brother Orestes by sending him away; later aids him in avenging their father's murder.
Key passages
“The body of Achilles so treacherously slain was rescued by Ajax and Ulysses.”
Ajax and Ulysses recovered the corpse of Achilles after his treacherous killing.
Describes the retrieval of Achilles' body after his death by Paris.
“It was awarded to Ulysses, thus placing wisdom before valor; whereupon Ajax slew himself.”
The armor was given to Ulysses, valuing cleverness over bravery, which drove Ajax to suicide.
Explains the judgment that led to Ajax's suicide.
“Orestes, mistaking Electra for one of the domestics, and desirous of keeping his arrival a secret till the hour of vengeance should arrive, produces the urn in which his ashes are supposed to rest.”
Orestes, not recognizing Electra and wanting to conceal his identity until revenge, shows her an urn he claims contains his own ashes.
Describes the dramatic scene of mistaken identity from Sophocles' play.
