The Siege and Fall of Troy begins ominously. Following the commands of an oracle, Prince Scamander of Crete founds his new city of Troy where "earthborn enemies should disarm his men under cover of darkness." In subsequent generations, King Laomedon cheats Apollo, Poseidon, and Aeacus out of the fees he promised them for their help in building the city's walls, and later swindles Heracles. This sets the stage for King Priam, who was warned to kill his son Paris at birth.

Ill-fated Paris makes a disastrous judgment that earns him one friend but two enemies who eventually cause the downfall of Priam's kingdom.

Because Homer begins his Iliad only in the last year of the Trojan War, much of Graves's material for these opening scenes is derived from other classical authors. He tells how Zeus chooses unfortunate Paris to decide who is most beautiful...