How are women portrayed in the Trojan War?

In The Iliad, women are presented as manipulators and liars who use sex to get what they want. For example, the goddess Hera seduces her husband, the god Zeus, in an attempt to get the Trojan War to go in her favor. Here, Zeus is lashing out at Hera for being able to seduce him to get what she wants.

In what ways does Euripides The women of Troy give voice to those who have suffered as a result of conflict?

Similarly, Euripides utilises women as a means to articulate the fears endured but also to highlight their desire to challenge their subjugation of the Athenian patriarchy and seek justice for what they have lost.

What happened in the myth of Helen of Troy and the Trojan War?

The usual tradition is that after the goddess Aphrodite promised her to Paris in the Judgement of Paris, she was seduced by him and carried off to Troy. This resulted in the Trojan War when the Achaeans set out to reclaim her.

What are the themes of women of Troy?

Themes

• The Cost of War. Although at the time of Euripides many Greek writers wrote about the Trojan War, there were few that chose to focus on the aftermath and even fewer still that made the women and children their primary plotline.
• Duty and Honour.
• Fate.
• Loss.
• Social Class.

Did women fight in Trojan War?

Penthesilea and her warrior women turn up to fight alongside the Trojans against the Greeks. The Amazons were fascinating to ancient artists. The idea of female warriors was both compelling and troubling to ancient audiences – war was (and still is) a traditionally masculine sphere.

What is the role of women in the Iliad does it contain any female strong character or do the acts and deeds of male dominated the work?

Does the poem contain any strong female characters, or do the acts and deeds of males dominate the work? The Iliad certainly contains strong female characters. Even the other male gods cannot stand up to them, and Ares, supposedly the god of war, must cede to Athena’s superior might on two occasions.

What is Euripides message in Women of Troy?

The play makes extensive moral arguments against unjust conduct in war by presenting a sympathetic look at the great suffering experienced by the vanquished women just after their defeat, calling attention to their misery due to their unfortunate predicament of being at the mercy of brutal victors.

When did Euripides write Women of Troy?

April 415 BC
Euripides, the third of the great Athenian tragedians, wrote the Trojan Women for performance at the City Dionysia in late March/early April 415 BC, where it won second prize. The play was written against the backdrop of the Peloponnesian War (a long and destructive war between Athens and Sparta).

How did Helen of Troy become involved in this myth?

How did Helen of Troy become involved in this myth? Since she was the fairest lady, Paris stole her from Sparta. Menelaus called upon all Greece to help him get her back. Basically, she is the reason for the Trojan War.

What does Helen represent in Women of Troy?

Nevertheless, Helen is not merely the beauty who passively started the war, whatever her actual role in her abduction was, but she is also a symbol of the fears and anxieties non-womanly women produced.

Do the women of Troy retain their dignity?

She values honesty and personal integrity, and remains deeply dedicated to her family, to her city, and to the gods that rule her world. Almost everyone else in the play follows the same principles that she has set out, careful to honor their families (living and dead), the gods above, and their own personal dignity.