The Trojan War

Mary Shelley is best known today as the author of Frankenstein, a Gothic novel widely considered the first work of science fiction. As demonstrated by her Swiss sojourn with the married Percy Shelley and the scandalous Lord Byron, Mary's own life was as sensational and tragic as ...  Show more

The First English Civil War ended with King Charles I defeated, his armies broken, and his cause apparently lost. But military victory for the Parliamentarians brought no real peace. Instead, the months that followed saw an even more volatile struggle, as Parliament turned on its ...  Show more

The story of the Trojan War – featuring the daring Achilles, beautiful Helen and one very deceptive horse – is a classic of western literature. But did this famous war ever really happen? And was Troy even a real place? On today’s ‘Everything you wanted to know’ episode, Professo ...  Show more

The story of Helen of Troy, her remarkable birth and her infamous love affair with Paris, the Trojan prince, resounds across the centuries. A figure of condemnation, pity and tragedy, her beauty set in motion the most legendary literary conflict of all time: the Trojan Wars. Yet, ...  Show more

ODYSSEY: THE PODCAST - my 14 episode, 24 hour sequel to Trojan War: The Podcast - is now recorded and waiting for you. Subscribe through your usual podcast provider, or go to odysseythepodcast.com! THE STORY: (40 minutes) Zeus, King of the Gods, hosts a wedding. An uninvited gues ...  Show more

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great epic poem attributed to Homer, telling the story of an intense episode in the Trojan War. It is framed by the wrath of the Greek hero Achilles, insulted by his leader Agamemnon and withdrawing from the battle that continued to rage, only ...  Show more