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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
definitely funniest of eurip's work so far - really hilarious passages when Helen and Menelaus are standing right in front of Theoclymenus and he has no idea that Menelaus is still, in fact, alive, and that the 'burial rite' is all a ruse. Interesting mis-use of a deeply-embedded part of Greek culture (burial rites), and the drowning of the funeral materials to honour sailors lost at sea.
I read this as a follow-up to Euripides's The Trojan Women inspired by a reading of Christa Wolf's beautiful novel Cassandra to return to some of the Greek originals surrounding the female figures of the Trojan War. I read this one mostly for this alternate myth of Helen being an Eidolon or ghost-image in Troy, her real self having been spirited away to king Proteus's palace in Egypt, since the poet H. D. use this alternate version in her Helen in Egypt and Wolf uses it as well in Cassandra.
Sad to say, Euripides's version didn't really give me any new insight into this other version of Helen's story, as this play only uses it as a kind of plot device in order to create a romance kind of plot. (Needless to say there's none of the feminine critique here that H. D. and Wolf are aiming at either.) It was interesting, however, to discover that there were romance plays in the Greek tradition as I'd always assumed it was merely a catch-all phrase invented to explain those later Shakespearean plays like The Tempest and A Midsummer's Night Dream that are neither straight comedies, histories, nor tragedies.
Frankly, I found the device a little clumsily used here, making this longer play much less aesthetically pleasing to me than The Trojan Women, which I guess I enjoyed for its unrelenting bleakness. This plot felt belabored and contrived, even if there was a certain amount of pleasant verse (particularly in the long digressive speeches of the chorus) and lovely little pearls of wisdom thrown in as commentary on the action--all offstage, as is normal in the Greek tradition. My favorite of these was Castor's final summation that things would all turn out alright for Menelaus and Helen because "Heaven never hates the noble in the end. / It is for the nameless multitude that life is hard." Ain't that the truth--although it also kind of belies the whole tragic tradition. I guess even Euripides got tired of himself sometimes.
Sad to say, Euripides's version didn't really give me any new insight into this other version of Helen's story, as this play only uses it as a kind of plot device in order to create a romance kind of plot. (Needless to say there's none of the feminine critique here that H. D. and Wolf are aiming at either.) It was interesting, however, to discover that there were romance plays in the Greek tradition as I'd always assumed it was merely a catch-all phrase invented to explain those later Shakespearean plays like The Tempest and A Midsummer's Night Dream that are neither straight comedies, histories, nor tragedies.
Frankly, I found the device a little clumsily used here, making this longer play much less aesthetically pleasing to me than The Trojan Women, which I guess I enjoyed for its unrelenting bleakness. This plot felt belabored and contrived, even if there was a certain amount of pleasant verse (particularly in the long digressive speeches of the chorus) and lovely little pearls of wisdom thrown in as commentary on the action--all offstage, as is normal in the Greek tradition. My favorite of these was Castor's final summation that things would all turn out alright for Menelaus and Helen because "Heaven never hates the noble in the end. / It is for the nameless multitude that life is hard." Ain't that the truth--although it also kind of belies the whole tragic tradition. I guess even Euripides got tired of himself sometimes.
Radnja je puna jeftinih preokreta, premisa je pristojna a izvršenje jadno, likovi su apsurdni; ova drama čini Trojanski rat jos besmislenijim nego što već jest a kraj je jedna deus ex machina.
I guess it's not a comedy but Euripides writing a rom-com, mixed up lovers, clone drama? Love to see it.
"Hail! Swift Phoenician ship from Sidon, with oars that beat so dear to Nereus' waves, dance-leader of the skilful dolphins when the sea is windless and still..."
Worth reading for that line alone. Interesting reinterpretation of the story of Helen, drawing from Stesichorus as opposed to Homer etc. Ends in classic Euripides fashion with a deux ex machina, really removing any semblance of "tragedy."
Worth reading for that line alone. Interesting reinterpretation of the story of Helen, drawing from Stesichorus as opposed to Homer etc. Ends in classic Euripides fashion with a deux ex machina, really removing any semblance of "tragedy."
This was good but very long winded. No need to be 70 pages
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Once again, Euripides writes these really compelling and complicated women really well. Which is surprising for a man from Ancient Greece to be able to do, and especially when writing about a woman who very famously was not particularly popular in Greek mythology.
Helen, as written by Euripides, is a complicated and intelligent woman. Capable of running rings around the men in her vicinity but also desperate to be reunited with her husband. Which we don’t typically assume from what we know of the story of Helen and the war that followed her. But is actually a really interesting point of perspective.
I also liked the irony of the Trojan war being fought over a woman who was, at the end of it all, not real. Isn’t that a perfect metaphor for women being blamed for things that are entirely out of their control? I think so.
Helen, as written by Euripides, is a complicated and intelligent woman. Capable of running rings around the men in her vicinity but also desperate to be reunited with her husband. Which we don’t typically assume from what we know of the story of Helen and the war that followed her. But is actually a really interesting point of perspective.
I also liked the irony of the Trojan war being fought over a woman who was, at the end of it all, not real. Isn’t that a perfect metaphor for women being blamed for things that are entirely out of their control? I think so.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A