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Most photographs reproduce acceptably on positive microfilm or microfiche but lack the clarity on xerographic copies made from the microfilm. For an additional charge, 35mm slides of 6”x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations that cannot be reproduced satisfactorily by xerography. Order Number 8726705 Beauty unblamed: A study on ancient portrayals of Helen of Troy Pantelia, Maria, Ph.D. The Ohio State University, 1987 UMI SOON.ZeebRd Ann Arbor, MI 48106 BEAUTY UNBLAMED: A STUDY ON ANCIENT PORTRAYALS OF HELEN OF TROY DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Maria PanteWa, B.A., M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1987 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Stephen U. Tracy John. W. Vaughn ^ — Joseph R. Tebben Adviser \J Vassilis Lambropoulos Department of Classics To my parents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to all my teachers, who, during informal conversations or through formal reading and evaluation gave me insights into ways of dealing with Helen. I owe a special debt of thanks to my dissertation readers. Professors John Vaughn and Joseph Tebben for their constructive comments; to Professor V. Lambropoulos, for his patience and constant encouragment during the last six years of my studies; to my adviser Professor Stephen Tracy, not only for directing this dissertation but also for his faith in me. Only those who have worked with him can understand my debt to his philological sense, literary sensibility and constant encouragement. Last but not least, I would like to thank my friends, Georgia Paletta, John Tzifopoulos and Stavros Frangoulides, who stood on my side through the good and hard times. No words can express my gratidute for their help and support. Ill UITA July 20, 1958............................ Born - Athens, Greece 1981................................................ B.A. University of Athens, Athens, Greece. 1983 ................................................ M.A. Department of Classics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. 1981-1987 .........................................Graduate Teaching Associate, Department of Classics, The Ohio State University. FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Classical Antiquity - Ancient Greek Language and Literature Minor Field: Historical Linguistics IV TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION...................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.....................................................................iii VITA.................................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................v INTRODUCTION...............................................................................1 CHAPTER PAGE I. HOMER The Iliad 6 The Odyssey 31 Notes 47 II. LYRIC POETRY Sappho 51 Alcaeus 58 Stesichopus 65 Notes 73 III. THE SOPHISTS Gorgias 78 Isocrates 83 Notes 87 IV. EURIPIDES 90 Notes 114 V. THEOCRITUS 142 CONCLUSION 147 BIBLIOGRAPHY 153 INTRODUCTION Helen of Troy, "the face that launched a thousand ships, the name that caused a thousand deaths," has fascinated the imagination of writers of all ages Cl], from Homer to the present day. Unlike other homeric women who exist primarily within the limits of Homer’s poems, Helen enjoyed a diverse prehistory as a saga heroine before she made her first appearance at the Scaean Gate in the third Book of the Iliad. C2] There is enough evidence to suggest th at Helen was originally a cult figure, a "faded goddess" who was later made into a mortal woman in the historical world C3]. The question of her nature, human or divine, has not yet been answered. One tradition makes her a goddess, daughter of Zeus and Nemesis or Oceanus and Tethys; another wants her entirely mortal, daughter of Leda and Tyndareus. According to the most widespread legend, she was semi-divine, product of Zeus’ erotic epiphany to Leda in swan form. Pausanias and Theocritus speak of sacred trees dedicated to her and provide evidence which indicates that Helen was at some point a vegetation goddess. Her worship throughout Greece reveals Helen as a figure of cult C4]. Even when she appears as a mortal it is usually suggested that she attained immortality 2 after her earthly death C53. Her immortality, however, is traditionally portrayed as a mixed blessing, sinister and beneficial at once. For example, together with her two brothers, the Dioscuri, she is presented as p ro tectress of mariners C63, but as daughter of Nemesis, according to the Hesiodic genealogy (Theo. 223ff.) she is also the niece of Doom, Death, Age, Strife and the three Fates. Thus, although she was known for her longevity and ageless beauty, she also exemplified the dangerous potential of a woman. The poet of the Cypria says that Zeus mated with Nemesis ê v $ lAotnt i and had Helen, BaOpa BpoTotoi, and these are the same words used by Hesiod for Pandora, the first woman, a beautiful evil which Zeus created as punishment for mankind and who by her sexual appeal distracted men from their noble pursuits (Theo 565-589). When Homer came to fashion Helen into the texture of his poem, he was apparently challenged by the mysterious shadow which surrounds her identity. Unable, perhaps, to resolve the enigma of her character, Homer incorporated the diverse elements of Helen’s legend into his two epics, thereby creating not only an ambiguous character but two different portraits of the same heroine, deliberately ambiguous and inconsistent with each other. Later authors, puzzled about the diversity of Helen's myth and Homer’s presentation, isolated or further developed specific aspects of her Homeric character in an attem pt to explain her nature and interpret the motivation of her actions. The issue of 3 Helen’s guilt has been a subject of continuous debate, and different historical periods have offered different assessments - ranging from fanatic hatred of ner as the archetypal adultress to sympathy and idealization of her beauty - usually depending upon their particular attitudes towards classicism, women, and moral and aesthetic values. Homer himself prompted this debate, first, by leaving open the question of Helen’s ultimate Judgment and possession in the Iliad and fu rth er, by restoring her to her royal status - enhanced with the promise of immortality - in the Qdusseu. One would expect th a t in the ancient Greek world, in particular, Helen, because of her role as the direct cause of the outbreak of the Trojan War, would be considered the cause of death and destruction. A study of the ancient literary sources, however, shows that actually the opposite is the case. Attacks on her character and conduct, it is true, are not completely absent in classical literature - no one forgets Aeschylus’ famous é&èvas, eAavfpos, eAenToRis (&g. 689)- but for the most part such attacks appear as sporadic expressions of pain and anger from the victims of the Trojan War. No author uses them to mount a full scale negative characterization of Helen. In spite of the great number of modern studies on Helen’s character and the various transformations C7J of her myth in classical literature, the positive view of Helen in antiquity has not been so far the subject of comprehensive discussion. It is generally accepted that Stesichorus and Euripides altered 4 her myth as to absolve her from culpability and Gorgias and Isocrates used rhetorical techniques to exculpate her and raise points in her favour. Modern scholarship, however, has not recognized the extent of the so-called "rehabilitation" of Helen. All ancient authors who undertook the task of presenting Helen and who turned her myth into literatu re not only did not present her as a wanton woman but they either evaded the moral issue of her actions or took it upon themselves to Justify them. The purpose of the present study, therefore, will be to examine all classical works th a t centered on Helen’s character and show th at for the ancient Greeks Helen was a figure beyond blame. Although her elopement with Paris and the Trojan War are unquestionably p arts of her legend, classical authors do not touch the issue of morality but they view Helen as the personification of female attraction and beauty, as an irresistible ideal whose pursuit and attainment entices men even when its presence threatens death and disaster. NOTES 1. Helen’s career in Western literature is beyond the scope of the present study. There is no doubt that her adventures were read in Western Europe in Latin through the works of Virgil, Ovid, Seneca and other authors even during the Middle Ages when Greek authors were not yet popular in the West, and that her beauty continued to fascinate authors in every literature such as Chaucer and Shakespeare (Troilus and Cressida). Goethe (Faust). Tennyson (Lucretius). Marlowe (Tragical Historu of Dr. Faustus). Giraudoux (La guerre de Troie n’ aura pas lieu, translated into English by C. Fry as "Tiger at the Gates"), and many others. 2. For the pre-homeric nature of Helen and cults associated with her, see, L. L. Clader, Helen: The Evolution from Divine to Heroic in Greek Eoic Tradition.