If I were to choose who is a greater man between Paris and King Menelaus, I would pick King Menelaus. King Menelaus is a brave and noble man. He is very skilled in battle and would fight until the end. He is also the brother of King Agamemnon, the ruler of Achaia. He is the greater man because he does not give up easily, especially when his wife was stolen from him. Instead of weeping because of the loss of his wife, he asked help from his brother so that they may declare war against the Trojans and take back Helen. Also, even if the war took ten years, he still did not give up on Helen. He is also a brave man especially in battle. On the tenth year of the war, when Paris challenged him to a one-on-one fight to decide the fate of Helen and the two nations, he immediately accepted the challenge without hesitation. Another event that proves his bravery was when Pandoras shot him with an arrow, piercing the skin in his waist. He did not panic or cried out in pain, but instead remained calm and immediately asked that his wound be attended. He really is a great man that should be respected by all.
Paris is one of the sons of King Priam, the ruler of the city of Troy. He is young and is loved by the goddess Aphrodite. For me, he can never be equal to the greatness of King Menelaus because first and foremost he is a coward. He is a coward and also a cheater because he stole Helen from King Menelaus. King Menelaus won Helen fair and square but instead of fighting for her, Paris took her away in the middle of the night and brought her back to Troy. He can never be great because this evil act of his brought shame and troubles to the city of Troy and its citizens. It also created a massive war between the Trojans and Achaians which lasted for 10 years. One more event that prove Paris’ cowardice was when he was preparing to battle the Achaians in books 4. He stood in front of the army looking proud but he cowered in fear and went to the back of the army when he saw Menelaos. Paris is also a man who does not fight his own battles. It was his fault that the war started but he made no effort to stop it. Worst of all, when the war started, he did not even join their armies and his brothers fight the war but instead he was in his room making love to Helen. This was evident in books 3, 4 and 5. When Paris lost to Menelaus, he was still alive because Aphrodite saved him from the hands of Menelaus and took him to a safe place. After the war started between the Trojans and Achaians, his brothers were all fighting but he was just in his room together with Helen. Paris truly is a shame to his family, to his city and to his people.
Today, I could consider the Ampatuans, the people responsible for the Maguindanao massacre, a modern day Paris because they do not fight their own battles. They ordered other people to do their dirty work for them; which was to kill innocent media men. Also, they are protected by the former president Gloria Arroyo. Because of this, the judges are having hard time proving them guilty of their evil deed. They do not try to prove their own innocence but instead rely on other people to keep them from being proved guilty.
Here is a video of the fight of Paris and King Menelaus from the movie Troy: