Point of View

The entirety of Black Ships before Troy is narrated from a third-person omniscient narrator. This narrator can understand and provides insight on the emotions and perspectives of every character in the novel, including the immortal Gods. The narrator thus appears to be God-like as well, being able to understand the thought processes and motivations of the Gods, which are incomprehensible to the mortals of the novel. In the first two chapters, which occur before the start of the war, the narrator alludes to the future suffering of the characters. The narrator concludes “Golden Apple” by noting that Paris got his promised bride, and “from that came all the sorrows that followed after” (13). This foreshadowing warns the reader of the impending war. However, once the war commences, the narrators do not explicitly refer to events of the future, nor comment on any prophecies or their validities...