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I was surprised when reading the critical introduction after I had finished this play that it is considered almost a comedy. In fact, no one is quite sure if it’s a comedy. Here’s the thing: if you can’t be sure something is comedy, then the humor can’t possibly be very good. I found it be a dry and dull collection of overly long monologues.
It’s a shame, because I actually found the premise fascinating: Helen isn’t physically taken to Troy by Paris, but is instead carried to Egypt by the gods while her ghost/phantom/spiritual double is brought to Troy. While I settled in to read what I thought might be an interesting ancient take on the divided self or the concept of exile as a metaphor for gender, I instead found myself largely bored by the halfway point. Maybe those ideas are actually present in the text, but I just couldn't muster up enough interest to think about them.
It’s a shame, because I actually found the premise fascinating: Helen isn’t physically taken to Troy by Paris, but is instead carried to Egypt by the gods while her ghost/phantom/spiritual double is brought to Troy. While I settled in to read what I thought might be an interesting ancient take on the divided self or the concept of exile as a metaphor for gender, I instead found myself largely bored by the halfway point. Maybe those ideas are actually present in the text, but I just couldn't muster up enough interest to think about them.