All language subtitles for Les.Grands.Mythes.S02E02.FRENCH.WEBRip.x264-ION10

(light dramatic music)

(waves rustling)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Agamemnon, the king of kings,

has convinced the major Greek rulers

to follow him to Troy.

All of them are Greek kings.

His brother, Menelaus, reigns over Sparta.

Old Nestor governs Pylos.

Ajax the Great is king of Salamis.

Idomeneus, king of Crete.

The young Diomedes, king of Argos.

Ulysses, king of Ithaca.

And Achilles, king of Phthia.

Together, Ulysses and
Achilles are to become

the scourge of the Trojans.

And yet, of all the kings
called upon by Agamemnon,

it is they that least
desire to fight this war.

(dramatic music)

Ulysses does not wish to
leave his kingdom, Ithaca.

And even less so, his wife
Penelope and son, Telemachus,

to make war on the
other side of the world.

But there is something
else holding him back.

Something haunting him like a nightmare.

Long ago an oracle confirmed to him

that were he ever to leave Ithaca,

he would only return 20
years later alone and poor.

Ulysses firmly intends to trick Agamemnon

so as not to answer the call to arms.

He has the cunning to do so.

Those who know him call him
The Man of a Thousand Rouses.

And he will have to use
one of his many tricks

to avoid going to war.

(water sloshing)

Ulysses puts on a peasant's hat

and makes his way down to
one of Ithaca's beaches.

Once there, he attaches a
donkey and a bull to a plow

and then, in front of his
flabbergasted entourage,

he starts to sow soot instead of wheat

and begins plowing the beach.

Penelope, weeping, introduces
Ulysses to the emissaries

sent by Agamemnon to
escort him to the war.

"Look at him.

"Look at what has become of proud Ulysses.

"A mad man, a poor fool."

Agamemnon's emissaries are sympathetic.

Indeed, how could the king of Ithaca lead

his men into battle if
he has lost all reason?

Having failed in their
task, they're about to leave

when one of the emissaries stops them.

He has heard of the king
of Ithaca's reputation,

and something tells him
that they are being duped.

(dramatic music)

Suddenly, he rips young
Telemachus from his mother's arms,

draws his sword, and standing
in front of Ulysses' plow,

pretends to slit the child's throat

before throwing him under the plow.

Ulysses stops his plow immediately

and rushes to rescue his son.

He has been found out.

His plan has been foiled.

(dramatic music)

Ulysses has no other choice but

to rally to Agamemnon's army.

He arrives at Mycenae, with his men

and with the other kings, ready to embark.

But there is one fighter who is missing.

Achilles.

(dramatic music)

It is hard to believe
that this brave young man

who is deemed to have
no rival on this earth

would not wish to join Agamemnon's war.

When Agamemnon hears
the news that Achilles

will not accompany the Greeks to war,

the king shrugs his shoulders.

There is nothing to be done about this man

whom he despises.

He's an ill disciplined soldier

who undermines his authority.

Never missing an opportunity
to publicly remind

him of his greed and desire for power.

Of all the kings of
Greece, Achilles is the one

Agamemnon hates most.

But Old Nestor insists that the Greeks

must have him by their side.

Achilles has been blessed by the gods,

he is the greatest warrior.

Without him, victory is impossible.

Reluctantly, Agamemnon
sends Ulysses to Phthia

to fetch Achilles and his
army, the formidable Myrmidons.

(swords clanking)
(men yelling)

(light music)

Thetis, the mother of Achilles.

A goddess from ancient times.

A nymph, and the daughter
of the old man of the deep.

Once upon a time, she was Zeus's lover

and he still cares deeply for her.

She was married at the
insistence of the gods

to Peleus, king of Phthia.

A mortal renowned for
his wisdom and piety,

he had been among the sailors who set off

in search of the mythical Golden Fleece.

Thetis welcomes Ulysses apprehensively.

She, too, knows the
king of Ithaca's tricks.

But more than that, she's
reminded of the terrible prophecy

that she has not revealed
to anyone, not even her son.

(dramatic music)

If Achilles leaves for
Troy, he will find glory.

His name will echo through the ages.

But he will die in the
full bloom of his youth.

(light music)

If he stays in Phthia he will grow old,

contented, and surrounded by loved ones.

But in the end, when his
children's children are dead,

his name will be forgotten.

Fortunately for Thetis, Achilles responds

with a categorical no to
all of Ulysses' arguments.

He will not go to fight Troy to save

the honor of a deceived husband.

Or to enlarge the empire
of a king he despises.

Filled with relief, Thetis
takes her son in her arms

and in her joy at his staying by her side

she reveals to him the deadly
fate that he has escaped.

Achilles is taken aback.

So, he has the choice.

To die young but as a hero,

or to grow old in comfort and happiness,

but to be extinguished,
consigned to oblivion.

He thinks long and hard.

Then he turns to Ulysses.

His mind is made up.

(light dramatic music)

Troy, the city of King Priam.

Hector points towards his brother, Paris.

He is to blame for everything
that is happening in Troy.

His appalling union is the cause of all

the misfortunes that stalk the city.

Hector has just learned that the Greeks

have rallied the largest
army the world has ever seen.

And they're on their way.

They are preparing to land
on the shores of Troy.

(dramatic music)

Hector is the eldest son of King Priam.

The defender of Troy,
the shield of the city.

The people adore him and
worship him like a god.

He is recognized as a
warrior of unparalleled valor

by friend and foe alike.

Fate with his brother's protests,

Paris counters for the same
arguments time and time again.

Troy is invincible.

It is protected by the gods.

The city of Priam could never
be defeated by Greek spears.

As for himself, he is in love with Helen,

madly in love, and she with him.

Nothing and no one will
ever separate them.

Hector is furious.

His brother does not
understand what is at stake.

The Greek army is not simply
coming to invade Troy,

but to destroy the city that has always

thwarted Agamemnon's desires.

A prince of Troy does not have the right

to behave with such
arrogance and such flippancy.

(dramatic music)

He, himself, is madly in love
with his wife, Andromache.

But he has always placed
the salvation of his city

above his personal happiness.

(dramatic music)

King Priam is an old man and
his head has begun to spin.

His wife, Hecuba, stands up
and walks over to her sons.

She takes hold of Hector's
hand, and that of Paris,

and brings them together.

The two brothers unwillingly
consent to join hands.

But suddenly, Hecuba's face freezes.

A silhouette draped in black
emerges from the shadows.

It is Cassandra.

Daughter of Priam and Hecuba.

Cassandra has barely moved forward an inch

when her mother signals her to be silent.

She knows only too well that the words

that this child utters are
portents of disaster and death.

Since Paris came back to
Troy with Helen on his arm,

Cassandra has repeatedly declared that

this illegitimate union will
cause the city to be lost.

(fire crackling)

Cassandra has, she says, the
ability to predict the future.

She is not wrong in this.

Apollo fell passionately
in love with Cassandra

the first time he set eyes on her.

He promised that if she
gave herself to him,

he would teach her the secret arts

known only to the great priestesses

who are able to divine
the will of the gods.

Cassandra agreed and
Apollo made her an expert

in the art of predicting the future.

(light dramatic music)

But also in understanding the
oracles and interpreting them.

But once educated in this art,

Cassandra granted the god nothing more

than a simple kiss on the lips.

And she laughed at his naivety.

Revealing that she had vowed
to always remain a virgin

and had dedicated herself since childhood

to Hecate, the goddess of virginity.

Apollo, in his anguish, fell into despair.

To avenge this betrayal at the hands

of the beautiful Cassandra,
he spat in her mouth.

Cassandra should've been more careful,

for in spitting in her mouth,

the god removed not the gift of prophecy,

but the gift of persuasion.

Thus, from that moment on,

Cassandra was condemned
to predict the future,

but never to be believed.

(dramatic music)

The Greek fleet is at full strength.

They're ready to weigh anchor.

Thousands of ships are
ready to face the waves.

The wind swells the sails.

It is time to leave.

But suddenly, as if by
magic, the wind drops.

There is no longer the slightest breeze.

(light music)

Agamemnon fears the worst.

There is nothing natural about this calm.

They must consult the gods immediately.

Among the Greeks, there is a seer

who knows how to interpret
the will of the gods.

Kalchas, he can see all
the secrets of the future,

the present, and the past.

(light dramatic music)

Kalchas studies the flight
of the birds at length.

(birds chirping)

His pronouncement causes all
the Greek kings to tremble.

There is one goddess who
opposes their departure.

Artemis, daughter of Zeus
and twin sister to Apollo.

Agamemnon becomes angry.

"Who has dared to offend
Artemis, the goddess of hunting?"

"It is you," replies Kalchas.

And the seer reminds Agamemnon of the day

he went hunting and came
across a magnificent doe.

(light music)

(bow creaking)

He tracked her for a long time

before firing the fatal arrow.

(dramatic music)

He exclaimed with victorious pride,

"Artemis herself could
not of done better."

The goddess who is also known
as the Queen of the Animals,

was both affronted and
insulted by this boasting.

Today, Artemis demands repentance.

That doe was her favorite.

So Agamemnon must also
sacrifice his favorite.

(crows cawing)

(dramatic music)

It's his daughter, Iphigenia.

The king of kings is distraught,
he will never agree to it.

"Only on this one condition will the winds

"once again favor the
Greeks," replies Kalchas.

Agamemnon is devastated.

(dramatic music)

His brother, Menelaus, burns with rage.

He's filled with impatience
to get his wife Helen back.

And he is supported by
the entire coalition

of Greek kings ready for war.

"What is one life worth in comparison

"to the honor of a country?"

Agamemnon refuses to yield.

The sacrifice the gods want
to impose on him is inhuman.

He prays to Zeus and to all the gods.

But his prayers are in vain.

He knows that one cannot
disobey the orders

of the goddess Artemis.

All the Greeks know her fierce
temperament and proud nature.

She is cruel, too.

The goddess of hunting
has always been stubborn

when she or one of her
followers feels offended.

There have been many men that
she has punished in the past.

All of those gathered here to set sail

remember the story of Actaeon,

one of the greatest hunters of all time.

But when Actaeon surprised the goddess

as she bathed naked in a stream,

she took terrible revenge by
turning Actaeon into a stag.

The hunter's dogs did not
recognize their master

and devoured him alive.

Artemis watched the scene
without lifting a finger to help.

Agamemnon knows it is impossible to bend

the will of the offended goddess.

So, the king of kings
suppresses his tears,

masters his trembling hands,

and finally accepts the
decision of the gods.

Ulysses, appalled that her father

could even contemplate such a sacrifice,

suggests to Agamemnon that Iphigenia

be made to believe that
the fate of the Greeks

depends on her submission to marriage.

This will soften her fate.

They agree to tell her
that Achilles will fight

for the Greeks, but only on one condition;

that he is to marry Iphigenia.

The girl agrees and offers no resistance.

She will obey the wishes of
her father and marry Achilles

if it means that the Greek
army will have amongst

its ranks one of the greatest warriors.

The wedding will take place.

And as custom dictates, it
must begin with a sacrifice.

Iphigenia walks confidently
towards the alter,

guided by Agamemnon.

The high priest is waiting for them,

his face remains expressionless.

Iphigenia looks into her father's eyes

and in his gaze, she can
read terror and dread.

The high priest leans over
the girl, the dagger falls.

The wind blows once more.

(wind whistling)

Upon Mount Olympus, the
gods have seen everything.

From this point onwards,
war is inevitable.

And they have all chosen sides.

(dramatic music)

Apollo founded Troy, he
is the city's protector.

He seizes his bow and quiver
and looks towards Priam City.

Artemis upheld her oath and released

the winds that carry the Greek army,

but she supports her
brother in all things,

so she sides with Apollo and the Trojans.

Aphrodite follows suit.

She intends to protect the
romance between Helen and Paris

which she has fostered.

(light dramatic music)

Hera and Athena have
already sided with Agamemnon

and the Greek kings.

Poseidon, and Ares, are still hesitating.

Their allegiance will doubtless fluctuate

as ever between both sides.

The wind has strengthened.

The Greek army sets sail for Troy.

(dramatic music)