Euripides \'Women of Troy\' Essay PDF

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A high scoring text response essay about Euripides' play Women of Troy, responding to the topic: '“We are loot, my son and I, soldiers’ plunder”. Discuss how Euripides highlights the plight of women as slaves in war.'
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“We are loot, my son and I, soldiers’ plunder”. Discuss how Euripides highlights the plight of women as slaves in war. Set against a backdrop of Classical Greek society, in the midst of the battle between Athens and Sparta, Euripides’ Women of Troy confronts the audience with the subjugation of women taken as slaves of war. Most women of Troy succumb to their tribulations, yet, to a lesser extent, certain characters demonstrate resilience and determination in the face of adversity. The anguish of women, whose “hearth and home [has been] destroyed” through war, emphasizes their loss of hope. Their plight is further illustrated through the merciless actions of men, yet their authority is challenged through certain characters who dissent against their oppressors. Euripides accentuates the despair of women who have lost their sense of hope being claimed by men as a result of battle. For Andromache, her reputation as the “ideal wife” prompted her own downfall. Feeling that her suffering was greater because she was “born royal and made [a] slave”, Andromache lost her pride after losing her “beloved Hector”. Already believing that she had “lost everything” in her fall from status, Andromache’s despair is exacerbated when she learns of the fate of her son, who is to be “callously murdered, butchered by the Greeks”. Epitomizing a woman who has lost all hope, Andromache laments that “to die is better than a life of agony/ Because the dead feel nothing, and no pain/ Can touch them”. This illustrates her utter misery when confronted with the death of her husband and following enslavement, as she would rather die than live as “a slave in the very house of the man who murdered [her] husband”. Paralleling this, while Hecuba attempts to cope with her circumstances, she ultimately succumbs to her misery and impending enslavement. Hecuba’s imminent subjugation is juxtaposed with her former glory, as she was once “a Queen, half divine”, and is now “throned in dust”. This demonstrates the harsh reality that no one can escape the repercussions of war. Hecuba’s lack of hope is exemplified when she ascertains that “luck always runs out”. Consequently, she manifests her despair in the exodus when she attempts to run into the flames of Troy and “die in its embrace”, thus accentuating her utter helplessness. By the end of the play, both Andromache and Hecuba surrender to their tribulations as they would rather die than be a slave of the Greeks. Hence, Euripides’ ‘Women of Troy’ conveys that loss of hope is inevitable when people are faced by such bleak futures. Women of Troy emphasizes the suffering of women during war through the cruelty of the male characters. Odysseus’ command to kill Atsyanax exemplifies the inhumanity of the Greeks. It is “Odysseus speech [that] carrie[s] the whole council”, ordering the Greeks to murder the child who could grow up to become “the saviour of Troy”. Through Odysseus, Euripides demonstrates the hubris of the Greeks, who are willing to commit obscene acts in order to maintain their power, which thereby highlights the plight of women who are forced to endure such tragedies. Furthermore, despite initially demonstrating sympathy towards the women of Troy, Talthybius can be interpreted as the most merciless of the male characters. Although he witnesses the women’s suffering, he remains a perpetuator of the “Greek war machine”. While he is aware that the women are “without any power to prevent” their future as slaves, he nevertheless leads them to their fate as “bride[s] for [his] commander[s] and chief[s]”. This illustrates the powerlessness of women in the patriarchal society of Classical Greece, enabled by the brutality of men. Telling his soldiers that “you need not treat her with kid gloves!/ She belongs to Odysseus now”, Talthybius’ lack of

empathy is epitomized in the exodus when he prevents Hecuba from running into the fires that were consuming Troy. Stripping her of her last shred of dignity, Talthybius’ objectification of Hecuba illustrates the cruelty of this character and accentuates the subjugation of women. Through his savage portrayal of men and the Greek army, Euripides conveys to the audience the suffering that women are subjected to in battle. To a lesser extent, Euripides demonstrates the strength of women who challenge the men who subjugate them. Highlighting her anger and desire for revenge against the Greeks, Cassandra’s celebration of her forced marriage to Agamemnon emphasizes her courage in the face of injustice. Determined to be “more destructive as a wife than ever Helen was”, Cassandra is unflinching in her intent to “kill [Agamemnon] and destroy his whole family” despite foreseeing her inevitable death. Her resistance against injustice, symbolized through “the torch… [that will] burn everything sacred to Apollo”, proves her tenacity in trying to subvert her oppressors. Mirroring Cassandra’s fortitude, Helen’s manipulative and cunning nature accentuates her power against her oppressors. Prompting Menelaus to believe that her “life in Troy was the most abject slavery”, Helen deceives her former husband, stating that there was “nothing glorious about it”. Assuming that the audience is aware that she escapes her impending death, Euripides portrays Helen as a beguiling woman who is able to control the men who view her as a possession in war. Hence, Euripides accentuates the resilience of women who are able to dissent against the male hegemony in the aftermath of the Trojan War. Euripides’ Women of Troy demonstrates the unnecessary costs or war by illustrating the agony and grief of women who are victims of battle. Emphasizing the utter helplessness of women, Women of Troy highlights the devastating impacts that can result from being taken as a slave in war. Additionally, Euripides amplifies this suffering through the brutal portrayal of the “Greek war machine” which shows no mercy to the women. Nevertheless, characters are able to defy their tyrannical suppression and display strength in the face of despair. Euripides ultimately perturbs the audience by challenging them to question the morality of war when it precipitates such suffering and consider whether any one of these enslaved women deserve their fate....