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The idea of Helen and her role in the Trojan War is a theme that is open to endless revisitation. Even in the time of Euripides, it was an open question of how she should be interpreted.
The question is often whether she should be seen as unfaithful to her husband or the victim of kidnapping who did her best to survive. Euripides sets both options aside and asks what if she were just an unfortunate bystander, removed from the action and bearing the burdens of misunderstanding and baseless accusation. What if greater powers were using her and forgetting her in the process?
The way this connects to The Iliad itself is a stretch, perhaps, but how fantastical is too fantastical when we are dealing with stories of warring gods? You may not relate to clones made of air and being flown to Egypt on a cloud, but the play is a means to ask who deserves blame and credit for conflict? How are women commodified and trivialized when circumstances change? What’s the definition of marital loyalty?
It’s not perfect, and many of the chanted sections will be hard to follow for modern audiences. But beyond the immediate, there’s a story worth telling. It’s not that long; give it a shot.
The question is often whether she should be seen as unfaithful to her husband or the victim of kidnapping who did her best to survive. Euripides sets both options aside and asks what if she were just an unfortunate bystander, removed from the action and bearing the burdens of misunderstanding and baseless accusation. What if greater powers were using her and forgetting her in the process?
The way this connects to The Iliad itself is a stretch, perhaps, but how fantastical is too fantastical when we are dealing with stories of warring gods? You may not relate to clones made of air and being flown to Egypt on a cloud, but the play is a means to ask who deserves blame and credit for conflict? How are women commodified and trivialized when circumstances change? What’s the definition of marital loyalty?
It’s not perfect, and many of the chanted sections will be hard to follow for modern audiences. But beyond the immediate, there’s a story worth telling. It’s not that long; give it a shot.