1- Helen

Legendary Women- Section 1

who are Helens parents

daughter of Zeus and a mortal woman Leda; her mortal father is Tyndareus, king of Sparta

how was Helen born

born from an egg when Zeus raped Leda in the form of a swan

who is Clytemnestra

Helen’s half sister, also born from an egg but her father is Tyndareus

what was Helen known for

her beauty, known as “the face that launched a thousand ships”; every man across the Greek world wanted Helen to be their bride

why did Tyndareus make all the suitors swear an oath

he didn’t want any of them to get angry if they weren’t chosen, and try to abduct Helen or wage war at Sparta

where did Helen live

they chose to stay and rule Sparta instead of going to Menelaus’s home of Mycenae

Hermione

Helen and Menelaus’s daughter

Paris

a prince of Troy

what did Paris do that made him want to abduct Helen

judged a beauty contest of the gods, between Athena, Hera and Aphrodite, and chose Aphrodite as the winner; as a prize Aphrodite promised Paris the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world (Helen)

what did Paris’s abduction of Helen cause

the Trojan war; enacted the oath and so every Greek king and prince was called to war to get Helen back from Troy

what do different versions of the story say Helen did upon being abducted?

• she agreed to go, making her unfaithful to her husband and bringing herself shame; also makes her the cause of the Trojan war

• influenced by Aphrodite; means she had no agency to make her own decisions and therefore the Trojan war was caused by the gods

• taken by force; means she once again had no agency and therefore the Trojan war was caused by Paris

sources for the Helen story

• Homer’s Iliad

• Euripides’ Helen

the Iliad genre

epic poetry (dactylic hexameter; one line has six dactyls (3 syllables)

purpose of the Iliad

• to tell the story of part of the Trojan War

• teach the audience about their society, their past and their gods

• describes the 10th and final year of the Trojan War

“white armed”

the Iliad- means she stays inside all day and doesn’t go out; very honourable

“weaving a great double width purple cloth, showing the many battles on her behalf between the Trojans and Achaeans”

Iliad- weaving was very virtuous for women to do, making Helen seem good; weaving a purple cloth, and purple was a very expensive dye meaning she was rich; shows the wars, which displayed that women can tell stories, as this was though to only be for men to do (bards)

“veiled herself in linen”

Iliad- modest and honourable for Helen to do; white the colour of purity

“let her sail home, not stay to be a bane to us and our children”

Iliad- elders of Troy admire her beauty but want her gone for the sake of Troy; shows the only thing she’s valued for is her beauty

what’s the relationship between Helen and Priam

he tells her that she’s not to blame, and he’s the only person who likes her and talks to her properly and that it is the gods to blame for the war

“I wish I had chosen death rather than following your son”

Iliad- shows that Helen regrets her choice to go with Paris and for her involvement in the war; not to blame

when was Euripides’ Helen written

412BCE

when was the Iliad written

unknown, first recorded 8th cent. BCE

Euripides’ Helen genre

tragic drama

purpose of Euripides’ Helen

• to entertain audiences at a drama competition; part of a religious festival and so was also meant to praise the gods

• didactic (educational); meant to teach the audience about proper behaviour

what does Hera do in Euripides’ Helen

she was angry with Paris, and so made an eidolon of Helen for him to take to Troy

what happened to real Helen after Paris received the eidolon

she was taken to Egypt where she stayed for the duration of the war

how does Euripides’ Helen portray Helen

as neither victim or a villain but as a pawn in the gods schemes, NO AGENCY

reverses classic story and shows her as innocent as she refuses to commit adultery

who forces Helen to marry him in Egypt

Theoclymenus, the local ruler

how does Helen escape the person trying to marry her

she seeks sanctuary in a sacred tomb; she refuses to commit adultery although the whole world believes she has- reverses the classic story and show

comparison between Euripides and Homer

• Helen portrayed as a victim in Euripides and as the villain in Homer’s

• Helen wasn’t actually in Troy in Euripides’ version, but was in Homer’s

what does Helen show about the nature of women

• cause bad things and destruction; cause of the war

• necessary evil

• deceit; Helen beautiful yet caused destruction

• misunderstood and honourable; Euripides’ version shows Helen as a victim

• beauty is what is wanted in a bride, as shown by the suitors

• weaving virtuous

• women have no agency; Paris took Helen from her home, Aphrodite promised him Helen’s hand despite her already being married

female virtues shown in both HELEN AND PANDORA

• fertility; women valued for their ability to produce heirs after death was introduced into the world (PANDORA)

• beauty; PANDORA accepted by Epimetheus due to her beauty, HELEN’S beauty caused the Trojan War

• weaving; Athena gives PANDORA the skill of weaving, HELEN is weaving

• purity and faithfulness to their husbands so as to ensure heirs are legitimate; HELEN seeking sanctuary in the tomb as to not cheat on Menelaus

• modesty; HELEN wearing a veil