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Euripide's 415 BC Ancient Greek Tragedy the Women of Troy

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Euripide's 415 BC Ancient Greek Tragedy the Women of Troy Euripide’s 415 BC Ancient Greek Tragedy The Women of Troy depicts the women in many noble and benevolent situations, standing often in direct contrast to the inhumane and barbaric actions of the victorious Greek warriors. Focusing on the aftermath of the 10 year Trojan War, and set admist the backdrop of the atrocities of the Peloponnesian War, Euripides confronts his audience with the notion that one can still be noble in their suffering. Euripides investigates the plight of the women following the sacking of Troy, posing to the largely male Athenian audience that when hubris is involved in decision making, leaders can easily become distanced from the reality of the decisions they are making. The harsh existence of the women of Troy is aptly compared against the barbarism of those victorious, being the Greeks, showing the audience that the women rely on the existence of hope to carry on, and when this hope is removed by the atrocious act, like the murder of Astyanax, little is worth left to live for. Cassandra, Hecuba’s “god-crazed daughter” is brave in the acceptance of her assignment to the Greek officer Agamemnon, and shows nobility when no one else will believe her prophesies. Due to her curse, Cassandra is often disregarded as harmless to the other characters in the tragedy, she is even patronised by Hecuba who accuses her of madness, complaining that “all this suffering hasn’t brought you to your senses, you’re just as much a poor mad thing as you ever were.” Cassandra’s act of immense nobility and bravery is shown to the audience when she realises that she has little other choice but to “celebrate” her triumph of marrying a king. Cassandra knows full well that upon the Greek’s return home, her “naked flesh will be thrown into a rocky gulley, where the storm waters rush.” The significance of this is to the audience is that her ability to prophesise and foresee that Agamemnon will also suffer death convinces Cassandra to show bravery and exclaim to Hecuba that “if I do not seem overwhelmed … give me a good shove,” for she knows that her suffering will not be in vain. Furthermore, the actions of Agamemnon show vast inhumanity, as told by Talthybius upon to the already grief stricken women. Agamemnon demands that Cassandra is “for him… In his bed,” and he only wants her “because she’s sacred.” It is precisely this action that “flouts all religious feeling” and shows the ruthless, lust driven man that Agamemnon has become. Cassandra’s acceptance of fate allows Euripides to show that nobility can come from suffering, and inhumanity can come from causing those suffering more grief. Hecuba shows immense nobility during times of devastating grief, consoling the women of Troy around her to collectively raise their hope prior to a certain life of slavery at the hands of the Greeks. Hecuba is constructed by Euripides to suffer huge losses as a result of the Trojan war, leading her to be quite literally “throned in the dust” at the hands of the Greeks. Euripides depicts this so Hecuba gains credibility as a voice that represents the suffering of the women of Troy as a collective, detailing powerfully that as a group, “the riverbank of the Scamander echoes with the screams of captured women.” By representing the grief all women suffer, she acts for all when she calls upon these suffering women to gain hope at the sight of Andromache’s suffering, explaining that “no, no one is happier dead. The living at least have hope.” Hecuba exudes nobility when she exclaims finally that “to be dead is to be nothing.” The audience is greeted by a woman that has suffered so much, that nothing could “encompass the grief that I feel.” Moreover, the inhumanity of the Greek officer Talbythius is also shown in this circumstance, as it is true that his “diplomatic evasion concealed” the death of Hecuba’s daughter, Polyxena, who was “brutally sacrificed.” This action further positions the audience to compare the brutality of the victorious Greek warriors to the seemingly endless plight the women of Troy continue to endure. It is the suffering of Hecuba and her ability to continue to provide support for Andromache after learning the extent of Talbythius’ lies that shows a great deal of nobility. The Greek Officers decision to kill Astyanax, the son of Hector, simply because “the son of such a father must not be allowed to grow up” conveys how distanced from humane reality war time can bring those involved. Many of the women of Troy are depicted carrying noble characteristics, suffering inhumane circumstances, but it is truly made apparent the extent of these values when compared to the raw brutality of the Greek warriors, showing them to be often unthinking and inhumane. Euripides has employed this tactic to challenge his male Athenian audience with regards to the tragedy in Melos that occurred a year beforehand, but contemporary audiences are posed with just of potent an anti-war message. Talbythius, the Greek Officer, acts as the intermediary between the Greeks and the women of Troy, and likewise can be seen sometimes showing sympathy, but is utmost interested in following orders and impressing superiors. Cassandra labels him as “just as much of a slave”, and this can be seen when he explains to Andromache the decided fate of Astyanax; that “there is no decent way to say an indecent thing,” for he has no say in the matter either, it “has to be.” However, in other decisions, Euripides depicts Talbythius as a very inhumane officer in the denial of traditional fragile burial procedures, explaining that he “took this opportunity to wash the body [of Astyanax], and wipe away the dirt and blood from his wounds.” It is clear that Talthybius is only interested in ensuring his “work will end as quickly as yours must.” It is the culmination of the distanced Greek Officer’s decision to kill Astyanax by throwing him from the walls of Troy and the expeditious carrying out of traditional burial procedures that truly ensures the audience is made aware of how bestial and cruel the Greek warriors have become in wartime. Through the unending images of death and suffering in his tragedy, Euripides highlights the plight of women during the conclusion of the sacking of Troy. However, it is this dystopian outlook that provides for the nobility in the actions of the women to truly shine through. Furthermore, the reality of many of these women’s plight can easily be contrasted against those of the Greek Officers and warriors, showing how immensely devastating on the women their decisions have thus far proved to be. Cassandra’s bravery in the acceptance of her assignment to Agamemnon above all reinforces that not all suffering is in vain, and even though she is not believed, the nobility of the slave women is shown to be courageous and without compromise. Euripides explores through Hecuba’s lamenting, the nobility that can be shown by a grieving woman upon the death of her daughter, and suggests to the audience that we find solace in the support of those around us, shown by the case of Andromache. The inhumanity of the Greek’s decision to murder Astyanax in cold blood simply cements the view of barbaric men carrying out orders of their superiors in the Trojan War, ultimately disconnected from the situations they are deciding upon. Euripides suggests that through suffering hope can come in the form of noble actions, and challenges the notion that to suffer and grieve collectively does not show nobility. .
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