Plot
In 1184 BC, King Agamemnon unites the Greek kingdoms. Achilles, a mighty warrior, fights for Agamemnon but is sickened by his brutal leadership. Meanwhile, Prince Hector of Troy and his brother Paris forge a peace treaty with Menelaus, King of Sparta. Paris begins an affair with Menelaus's wife, Queen Helen, and he smuggles her aboard his homebound vessel. Angered, Menelaus meets Agamemnon, his elder brother, and asks him to help take Troy. Agamemnon agrees, as conquering Troy would give him control of the Aegean Sea. Agamemnon sends Odysseus, King of Ithaca, to persuade Achilles to join them. Conflicted, Achilles seeks guidance from his mother, Thetis, who tells him that if he remains in Larissa, he will live a peaceful life, while going to Troy will bring him both death and eternal glory. Inspired by the promise of lasting fame, Achilles chooses to join the war.
In Troy, King Priam welcomes Helen when Hector and Paris return home, and decides to prepare for war. The Greeks eventually invade and take the Trojan beach, thanks largely to Achilles and his Myrmidons. Achilles has the temple of Apollo sacked, and claims Briseis — a priestess and the cousin of Paris and Hector — as a prisoner. He is angered when Agamemnon spitefully takes her from him, and decides that he will not aid Agamemnon in the siege.
The Trojan and Greek armies meet outside of Troy. During a parley, Paris offers to personally duel Menelaus in exchange for Helen and the city being spared. Agamemnon, intending to take the city regardless, accepts. Menelaus wounds Paris and almost kills him, but is himself killed by Hector, violating the pact. In the ensuing battle, Hector kills Ajax the Great and many Greeks die due to Hector's skillful leadership of the Trojan army which forces Agamemnon's army to retreat. He gives Briseis to the Greek soldiers for their amusement, but Achilles saves her and they begin to bond. Later that night, Briseis sneaks into Achilles's quarters to kill him; instead, she falls for him and they become lovers. Achilles then resolves to leave Troy, much to the dismay of Patroclus, his cousin and protégé.
Despite Hector's objections, Priam orders a counterattack. In battle, Hector duels a warrior he believes to be Achilles and cuts his throat, but then sees it is Patroclus. Distraught, Hector finishes him off in a coup de grâce, and both armies agree to stop fighting for the day. Achilles is informed of his cousin's death and vows revenge. Wary of Achilles, Hector shows his wife Andromache a secret tunnel. Should he die and Troy fall, he instructs her to take their child and any survivors out of the city to Mount Ida.
The next day, Achilles arrives outside Troy and challenges Hector. The two duel until Hector is killed, and Achilles drags his corpse back to the beach. Priam sneaks into the camp and implores Achilles to return Hector's body for a proper funeral. Ashamed of his actions, Achilles agrees and allows Briseis to return to Troy with Priam, promising a twelve-day truce so that Hector's funeral rites may be held in peace. He also orders Eudorus and the surviving Myrmidons to return home without him.
Agamemnon declares that he will take Troy regardless of the cost. Concerned, Odysseus concocts a plan to infiltrate the city: he has the Greeks build a gigantic wooden horse as a peace offering and abandon the beach, hiding their ships in a nearby cove. Priam orders the horse be brought into the city. That night, Greeks hiding inside the horse emerge and open the city gates for the Greek army, commencing the sack of Troy.
The soldiers of Troy attempt to defend the city but they are overwhelmed and massacred while most of the population is killed or taken as slaves. As the lower city is being sacked, Andromache and Helen guide the Trojans to safety through the tunnel. Paris gives the Sword of Troy to Aeneas, instructing him to protect the survivors and find them a new home. As the Greek army penetrates the palace walls, Glaucus leads the remaining Trojan soldiers in a valiant defense of the palace. Trojans kill many Greeks, but are ultimately overwhelmed and killed. Agamemnon enters the throne room, kills Priam and captures Briseis. She kills Agamemnon with a concealed knife, then Achilles fights his way through the city and reunites with Briseis. Paris, seeking to avenge his brother, shoots an arrow through Achilles' heel and then several more into his body. Achilles bids farewell to Briseis, and watches her flee with Paris before dying.
In the aftermath, Troy is finally taken by the Greeks and a funeral is held for Achilles, where Odysseus personally cremates his body.
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