A Modern Retelling of the Judgement of Paris

I wrote this for my English class that focused on Greek Mythology for the entirety of the semester. This assignment was to shortly retell a Greek Myth of your choice and summarize it into a movie plot.

Inspired by the Judgement of Paris, Fairest transforms this ancient Greek myth into a modern teen drama set at an exclusive and elite boarding school located in New York City. At Troy Academy, social hierarchy is the main controller of the school. From friendships to future opportunities, each student knows their place, and the top of the social ladder is only reserved for a select few. At the center of this world is the indecisive student council president, Paris Johnston, who has built his entire reputation at Troy Academy on being a neutral party. Since he avoids drama, Paris has always managed to easily balance friendships across the different social groups at the school, up until one moment when absolutely everything changed for him. 

During lunch one afternoon, a golden trophy with a minuscule golden apple on the top appeared in the lobby. There was no message, simply the engraved words on the trophy which said: “To the Fairest.” No one knew who placed it there, and the security footage was mysteriously wiped clean. Whispers began circulating that it was the elusive Sire, an unknown woman who continually attempts to disrupt the elite and cause discord among the members of high society. 

The inscription on the trophy caused the entire school to turn its attention to deciding who was the fairest person at the academy. Unfortunately, Paris must choose between who receives the trophy despite his desire to remain neutral. All eyes then turned to the three most prominent students at Troy Academy: Hera Dalton, Athena Blake, and Aphrodite Campbell. Hera Dalton, whose father is the richest man in the city of New York, represents power, influence, and, most obviously, control. Her family connections deeply tie her to the school, and Hera has the ability to shape reputations and maintain her position as one of the most popular girls at Troy and quite possibly the entire city of New York. She attempts to bribe Paris with access to an elite future and an even more prominent place in New York society.

Athena Blake, the smartest girl in the entire school with academic achievements too numerous to count, resembles both intelligence and strategic thinking. As captain of five different school clubs and a closet full of scholarships to the top universities in the world, Athena is known for always being one step ahead. Her strength lies in her mind. She offers Paris all of her connections to the top universities and opportunities beyond high school. She chooses to give him a list of all the top scholarships, internships, and apprenticeships that she could help him receive. 

Paris then receives a third enticing offer from Aphrodite Campbell, who controls the social scene of Troy. Her beauty, charm, and influence have paved the way for her to be the ultimate trendsetter and fashion icon of the academy. With this role, she has the ability to manipulate people’s emotions and relationships without them even realizing it. Aphrodite offers Paris something quite different from Hera and Athena. She offers him the attention, affection, and adoration of Helen Smith, the most admired girl in the school. Helen had won the Miss Troy Academy Pageant every year since preschool, and her beauty was so overwhelming to behold. Rumors circulated that she was on track to become a supermodel once she was of age. Unfortunately, she had been dating Laus, more formally known as William Menalaus Kinsington III. 

Laus, the extremely confident and well-respected captain of the football team, came from a family whose power and influence rivals even Hera’s. His relationship with Helen symbolized perfection. Aphrodite’s offer was not only tempting, but it was dangerous. Choosing Helen would unravel one of the most powerful alliances in the entire school. As the pressure for Paris to make a finalized decision continued to build, the Academy began to crumble. Social media became a battlefield and hallways were full of whispers. Friendships began to collapse and betrayal became inevitable with the student body choosing to side with either Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite. A full-scale social war erupted from the most simple question. Who at Troy Academy really is the fairest? 

As Paris narrows in on a decision, he chooses to award the trophy to Aphrodite Campbell. His desire for Helen surpassed the want for power or intellect. The moment Paris announces the winner at the prom, the entire school erupts into chaos. Hera and Athena stood there humiliated in their glittering gowns, already plotting how to retaliate in ruthless ways, using their influences at the school to make the lives of Paris and Aphrodite miserable. Meanwhile, Aphrodite followed through on her promise to unite Paris with Helen. Helen’s desire for Paris begins to grow, and they quickly enter into a relationship, leaving Laus furious and determined to protect his reputation and bruised ego by rallying his football team to physically destroy Paris. The polished image of Troy Academy became tarnished with desire, power, and betrayal colliding and leaving the entire school in irreversible chaos. 

The trailer for Fairest would open with a cinematic shot of Troy Academy, highlighting the prestigious academy before cutting to the trophy itself sitting, gleaming in the lobby. With intense classical music, quick clips of Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite with each plotting their way to persuade Paris, would flash across the screen. Scenes of confrontation and whispered gossip with short flashes of text messages, social media posts, and secret meetings would show how Troy Academy begins to spiral out of control due to the drama resulting from the competition over the trophy. As the trailer builds toward its climax, a clip of Paris would be shown of him sitting alone on the mahogany entryway holding the trophy. The tension would then reach its peak at prom night, where the entirety of Troy Academy awaits Paris’s final decision. Just as Paris walks up to the podium and holds the trophy, the screen cuts black. A final line would then appear on the screen, which would say, “Everything is about to change.”