Priam

Priam
Species:	Human
Place of origin:	Earth
Children:	Cassandra, Paris, Hector, Troilus
Grandchildren:	Troilus's children
First appearance:	The Myth Makers [+]Loading...["The Myth Makers (TV story)"]
Appearances:	PROSE: Troilus and Cressida [+]Loading...["Troilus and Cressida (short story)"]
Main actor:	Max Adrian

Priam was the king of Troy during the Trojan War. He led the city throughout the ten year conflict which had started when his son Paris persuaded Spartan Queen Helen to leave her husband Menelaus.

After his death, he became a grandfather to the children of Troilus and former First Doctor companion Vicki Pallister.

Biography

Priam was the father of Paris, Hector, Cassandra and Troilus in circa 1200 BC.

When Paris brought the captured TARDIS into Troy, Priam ordered it burned. He saw Vicki Pallister emerge from it and believed she was a god, despite his daughter's protests. He treated Vicki well, but when Vicki recognised the captured Greek soldier Diomede as Steven Taylor, Priam ordered them sent to the dungeons.

When Paris found a large wooden horse outside Troy, Priam ordered it be brought into the city. The Greeks attacked, and Priam died in the fall of Troy at the end of the war. (TV: The Myth Makers ^[+]Loading...["The Myth Makers (TV story)"])

Legacy

In 1945, the Treasures of Priam disappeared from Berlin, Germany. (PROSE: Past Reckoning ^[+]Loading...["Past Reckoning (short story)"])

In fiction

Priam was featured in the play Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare, which was set during the Trojan War.

In Act II Scene II, he discussed a message from Nestor of the Greeks, which promised a peaceful resolution to the conflict if they simply returned Helen, with Hector, Troilus, Paris and Helenus. Priam asked Hector for his thoughts and he advocated for her Helen's release, saying their high losses of men were not worth it to keep her, although Troilus disagreed. Priam later commented on the arrival of Cassandra, who prophesied Troy's destruction. In a variant version of the play, the entire conversation was overheard by the Prologue who was concealed within an urn. The Prologue noted he wished especially to be hidden from Priam, describing him as an "unmanly creature that I can't abide" and a "churl who dines on peacock's breast and fills the luckless air with boring anecdotes". (PROSE: Troilus and Cressida ^[+]Loading...["Troilus and Cressida (short story)"])