Discuss Euripides differing portrayals of women in ‘The Trojan Women’ and the ‘Hercuba’
...us decree because she feels she has no choice. The drama, ruthless in its depictions, slays the idea of hope as a virtue. Hope is self-delusion and folly. The main character in ‘The Trojan Women’ is Hecuba, she is the wife of the late king of Troy, Priam. She is an extremely prominent character as the story is how her once husbands kingdom has been over taken and how slowly people are picking off her family members until she is left almost alone. It is not until ‘Hecuba’ that her final child is slain and she is left alone in the world. In the ‘Iliad’ she remains in the background fulfilling the role of the bereaved queen destined to survive the sack of Troy and the loss of her husband and nearly all her children. In Greek tragedy this latter part of her life becomes a favourite subject, being rich in dramatic possibilities. In ‘The Trojan Women’ of Euripides, she is allotted as spoils of war to Odysseus, and has to endure the sacrifice of her daughter Polyxena to Achilles' tomb and the murder of Hector's only son Astyanax. In the ‘Hecuba’, also by Euripides, she discovers the murder of her last remaining son Polydorus, and it is then that the prophecy is made that she will be metamorphosed into a bitch. Later legend elaborated upon this topic. It is said that Hecuba, a dog with fiery eyes, jumps into the Aegean sea and disappears. Women, in plays, it was expected that they would sit around in the background, not be leading characters. In ‘The Trojan Women’ Hecuba not only leads the play she also seeks revenge over the death of her child, Polydorus. When Troy fell, Polymestor( King of the Thracian Chersonese) had murdered the boy in order to secure the treasure for himself, and had thrown his body into the sea. It has now been washed up and is brought to Hecuba. She appeals to the Greek leader Agamemnon for vengeance; but he, though sympathetic, is timid. Hecuba thereupon takes vengeance into her own hands. She lures Polymestor and his sons to her tent, where her women put out his eyes and kill the sons. Agamemnon orders the blinded king to be left on a deserted island; he then prophesies that Hecuba will turn into a bitch, and that the site of her tomb will be commemorated by the name Cynossema, (which translates to ‘dog’s tomb’) on the cast coast of the Thracian Chersonese. “You will become a dog with fire-red eyes” Dogs are highly loyal creatures, known as ‘man’s best friend’ this could mean that when the decision that Hecuba was going to live on in the body of a bitch she could retain the loyalty, love and devotion she showed to her family. However, this could also be turned around as a dog is a very weak and forgiving creature, some people beat them and almost starve them yet the dog will still obey them obediently. This could portray the stereotypical view of women at the time. Women were meant to be seen and not heard, their ‘job’ was to have children to carry on the husbands family name. Many women were affected by the Trojan War. Though the war lasted only 10 years, it influenced the future. Because of it, kings, such as Agamemnon, were murdered and queens, such as Dido, died in grief. Each woman brings a unique perspective. Those in Troy got to see the war first-hand, for example Andromache, Briseis, Cassandra, Creusa, Hecuba, Helen, Penthesilea, Polyxena, Tecmessa. Others waited in distant lands for the war to end namely, Clytemnestra, Deidameia, Laodamia, Penelope. Some were not affected until the war had ended (Dido). And some took a more active stance in the war by wielding swords and fighting like Penthesilea and the Amazons. Helen was a beautiful woman, even today she is renowned for her beauty. The English dramatist Christopher Marlowe described Helen as having the "face that launched a thousand ships." Marlowe continues with the line, "Sweet Helen, make me immortal with a kiss". It is the story of Helen and the Trojan War that ensued, that dominates over the person of Helen. That is, her fate and plight is told and retold, while her feelings and personality are more ambiguous. So, while Helen is a main character in the Trojan War, her character - in and of itself - is very weak. Her character, in fact, is defined by the Trojan War - and her place in it. Euripides, perhaps, recognized this irony, and used it as the basis for his romantic comedy ‘Helen’. In ‘Helen’, Euripides states that Helen never actually made it to Troy. Instead, the Helen who went to Troy was an illusion made of cloud by Hera, who was angry that Paris did not name her the most fair. The real Helen, according to Euripides, stayed with Proteus. Pride is a core theme throughout all kind of Greek plays, ‘The Trojan Women’ and ‘Hecuba’ are no exceptions. A good example of this is when Polyxena, the daughter of Hecuba is led away to be sacrificed, she does it with dignity and acceptance. “Mother mine! seek not to hinder me by word or deed, but join in my wish for death ere I meet with shameful treatment undeserved…far happier would he be dead than alive, for life of honour reft is toil and trouble.” She holds her head high and understands what is to come. She refuses to allow the situation to make her become hysterical, as would have been expected. She is almost outspoken, something that would never have been understood or appreciated in thos...