Euripides \'Women of Troy\' Essay PDF

Preview

Summary

A high scoring text response essay about Euripides' play Women of Troy, responding to the topic: '“The Women of Troy demonstrates that nobody wins in war’ To what extent do you agree?'...

Description

“The Women of Troy demonstrates that nobody wins in war’ To what extent do you agree? Set against a backdrop of Classical Greek society, in the midst of the battle between Athens and Sparta, Euripides’ Women of Troy explores the horrors and costs of war, confronting the audience with scenes of brutality and savagery. Most characters are forced to endure extreme hardships, yet, to a lesser extent, certain individuals demonstrate the utility of war when used for self-serving purposes. The utter anguish of the surviving Trojans, whose “hearth and home [has been] destroyed”, emphasizes the devastating consequences of war. Additionally, the fruitlessness of battle is further illustrated through the Greeks’ loss of integrity. However, certain characters emerge triumphant due to their capacity to attain their selfish desires. Euripides accentuates the futility of war through the immense suffering of the Trojans who were enslaved by the Greeks. Hecuba’s utter misery is immediately conveyed through her body language. Initially portrayed to be “lying face down and quite still”, her forlorn depiction is symbolic of her grief, an emotion shared by the other remaining women of Troy. Much like the Chorus of Trojan women, Hecuba experiences extreme loss, as she is forced to see members of her family and city “slaughtered by the swords and spears of the Greeks”. The extent of her despair is epitomized in the exodus when she attempts to run into the flames of Troy and “die in its embrace”, thus highlighting her relentless agony. Hecuba’s torment exemplifies the disastrous impacts of war upon its victims who completely lose their dignity, prompting them to choose death over a life of torture. Paralleling her hopelessness, Andromache’s fall from status leads her to believe that “to die is better than a life of agony, because the dead feel nothing and no pain can touch them”. Already believing that she has “lost everything” in her fall from status, Andromache’s despair is exacerbated when she learns of the fate of her son, who is “callously murdered [and] butchered by the Greeks”. This highlights the futility of battle, as there can be no advantages to war for those who endure the severe suffering that ensues. By the end of the play, both Andromache and Hecuba, succumb to their tribulations, preferring death over a life controlled by their Greek masters. Thereby, Euripides’ Women of Troy primarily demonstrates the worthlessness of battle through the suffering of the women, thus challenging the audience to question the value of a war that inflicts so much pain upon its victims. Highlighting their loss of honour, Women of Troy suggests that even the Greeks did not benefit from the war. Despite emerging victorious, the Greeks still lost many soldiers in the battle, as it “cost [them] tens of thousands dead”. Even those in power suffered from the cruelty of war, as Cassandra ““kill[s King Agamemnon], and destroy[s] his whole family”, and the demigod Achilles lies in “his tomb”. The death of these significant Greek hero’s brings into question the validity of war when it can provoke such dire, unforeseen consequences on Greek society. Furthermore, Euripides criticizes the hubris of the Greeks, as their actions result in the Gods “mak[ing] their return home a disaster”. In the prologue, Poseidon foreshadows their impending downfall, for “when a man sacks a town and destroys everything… the same destruction, sooner or later will fall on his own head”. Thus, although the Greeks triumph over the Trojans, their actions nevertheless result in the death of many soldiers and powerful figures, with further imminent deaths alluded to. Euripides also accentuates the Greeks’ loss of dignity through Cassandra’s monologue, which condemns the actions of the Greeks who started a war “for the sake of one woman, and one moment/

Of uncontrollable lust”. By vividly portraying the “smoking ruin” of Troy that was caused by the Greeks, Women of Troy implies that the motives behind war are frivolous and not worth the chaos it precipitates. Moreover, suggesting that the “city of Troy is far happier than the whole nation of the Greeks”, Cassandra illustrates the moral corruption of the Greeks, whose “bodies lie forgotten in a foreign country”. This demonstrates that the Greeks lost their integrity and decency due to their obscene and immoral actions. Hence, Women of Troy accentuates the triviality of war as the Greeks sacrificed honour in physically triumphing over the city of Troy. To a lesser extent, Euripides demonstrates that there are certain characters who come out of war victorious due to their ability to achieve their desires. Emphasizing her deviousness, Helen’s cunning and calculating nature enables her to emerge from the conflict whilst maintaining her position of power. Utilizing her beauty and charm to manipulate Menelaus for her own self-interest, Helen illustrates her own guile as “with one look/ she makes men’s eyes her prisoners”. Although a Classical Greek audience held the belief that “wives who betray their husbands must expect to die for it”, Euripides relies on their mythological awareness that Helen escapes her impending death. Thus, Euripides portrays Helen as a beguiling woman who is able to attain her goals at the end of the war through sheer duplicity, for she reclaims her position as Queen of Sparta. Similarly, Menelaus’ initial capture of Helen and revenge against Paris further highlights the possible profits of warfare. As Menelaus’ “real motive was to get [his] hands on the man who stole [his] wife … [and] treacherously deceived [him]”, Euripides accentuates his victory as a ruler and husband, as he “certainly made [Paris] pay for that”. Hence, Menelaus is portrayed as a victor in war, as he is able to reach his initial goals which catalyzed the conflict. Not only did he succeed in turning the city of Troy into a “smoke blackened ruin”, he also “finally get[s] his hands on… Helen” and brings death to King Priam “whom the Greeks barbarously killed”. Consequently, Euripides demonstrates how certain characters motivated purely by self-interest are able to achieve their selfish objectives, thereby communicating to the audience that there can be winners in war when one foregoes their morality. Ultimately, Women of Troy is an exploration of the shortcomings of conflict, as even those who emerge victorious must sacrifice their integrity. Euripides primarily underlines the suffering of victims in bloodshed, challenging the audience to consider whether war is worth the misery it entails. Further illustrating the ramifications of battle, Euripides cautions the audience of the consequences of greed, as individuals may lose their dignity in pursuit of power. To a lesser extent, certain people may perceive war as useful in attaining selfish personal aims. However, overall Euripides urges his Greek audience to consider if the profits of war are worth the losses....