Heroes of Troy: 1. Is it love?
Paris - prince of Troy - arrives in Sparta, the home of King Menelaus and his beautiful queen, Helen. Paris quickly makes himself at home and when Menelaus is called away the young Trojan and the Spartan queen get to know each other better...
He's maybe a bit full of himself...The Old Soldier on Paris
The story is told by the Old Soldier, looking back forty years to when he was a bodyguard at the Spartan court... Paris, prince of Troy, is blown off course and his ships put in at Sparta. Troy is a powerful city and Paris is welcomed by King Menelaus and his beautiful queen, Helen. Paris makes himself at home and his familiarity with Helen gives the Soldier cause for concern. When Menelaus is called away on business Paris uses the opportunity to declare his love for Helen and persuade her to return with him to Troy. The Soldier watches as Paris smuggles Helen on board his ship and the Trojan fleet ups anchor. The Soldier knows how Menelaus will react when he finds out; he knows it will mean war...and that he will be 'in it up to my neck'.
In this episode
| Name | Reminder |
|---|---|
| David Grant | Vocal coach. Join David in Tutorial 1 to learn the opening song 'Is it love?' about Prince Paris |
| Paris | Prince of Troy, son of King Priam. Also younger brother of Hector and Cassandra |
| Menelaus | King of Sparta and a very powerful Greek ruler, in part because he is the brother of Agamemnon |
| Helen | Queen of Sparta - but leaves her husband, Menelaus, to live in Troy with Paris |
| Sparta | One of the many kingdoms that make up the Greek side |
| Troy | A powerful, fortified city across the sea to the east of Sparta |
Extended vocal warm-up
Join David Grant to sing the extended vocal warm-up
Story questions
Why does Paris arrive at the court of King Menelaus?
His ships are blown off course in a storm
What job does the Soldier have at the Spartan court?
He is a bodyguard assigned to King Menelaus
Why is King Menelaus eager to welcome Paris?
Paris is son of Priam, King of Troy, and Troy is a very wealthy trading city
Where is the Soldier when Paris and Helen leave Sparta?
Watching from the jetty...pretending to be fishing
How will King Menelaus react when he finds out Helen has gone?
The Old Soldier says he will 'be livid - and when Menelaus gets livid, Menelaus goes to war'
Resources
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Heroes of Troy - Notes
Information on the episodes (pdf)
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Lyrics - Is it love?
Download / print the lyrics (pdf)
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Music - Is it love?
Download / print the music (pdf)
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Story transcript
Download / print Episode 1 (pdf)
