The Greek society was highly patriarchal; it was a masculine world where war was glorified. Helen of Troy is one of the most imperative characters in both ancient and modern literature. For centuries she has been portrayed as the woman whose beauty sparked the Trojan War. But there are writers whose characterization of Helen and description of her beauty differ from the stereotypical mainstream narrative. This chapter investigates how the mythical character of Helen has been explored by such female writers, through poems of Sappho and Wislawa Szymborska. In Sappho's “Fragment 16,” the readers observe how she refashions the character of Helen and projects her as a “hero” because she had followed her heart. She only mentions her beauty and does not describe her in an elevated way. But Szymborska is more effective in describing the consequences of her unsurpassed beauty that becomes her weapon. In the poem “A Moment in Troy,” Szymborska criticizes the internalization of patriarchal values. She manipulates patriarchy by using a patriarchal narrative to empower women.
TopLiterature Review
Helen of Troy is one of the most imperative characters in both ancient and modern literature. In the earliest mythological accounts, Helen’s ancestry is stated as the daughter of Zeus and the goddess Nemesis. However, according to the most common origin story in Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of Zeus and Leda; her putative father was Tyndareus − the King of Sparta. According to the myth, Zeus disguised himself as a swan and raped Leda. The Spartan queen then produced two eggs. From one egg Helen and her brother Pollux came out, while from the other emerged Clytemnestra and Castor. Helen was regarded as the most beautiful woman in the world, thus many men sought her in marriage. Menelaus was chosen to be Helen’s husband and her twin sister Clytemnestra married Menelaus’ brother King Agamemnon of Mycenae, who was one of the most powerful Greek rulers. Though Menelaus was valiant and prosperous, Helen’s love for him would prove tenuous. Paris, a prince of Troy, travelled to Sparta on the advice of goddess Aphrodite. She had promised him the most beautiful woman in the world after he proclaimed her the fairest goddess over Hera and Athena. When Paris saw Helen, he at once knew that Aphrodite had kept her promise. When Menelaus was away in Crete, Paris went back to Troy with Helen. Some stories say Helen went willingly, seduced by Paris’ charms. Others claim that she was abducted by Paris, who had defied the ancient laws of hospitality. When Menelaus discovers that Helen is gone, he and his brother Agamemnon along with the suitors of Helen who had sworn to support him if necessary set sail for Troy to wage a war against the Trojans. Their arrival at Troy marked the beginning of the Trojan War, thus Helen becomes “the face that launched a thousand ships/ And burnt the topless towers of Ilium” (Marlowe, 12.81-82, Act V Scene 1, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus; ancientadmin, 2021)
Homer is attributed to be the author of the two earliest surviving epic poems of Greek literature, namely the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad, supposedly composed in the Eighth Century BC begins in the last year of the Trojan War and records a few weeks of the ninth year of the war. Interestingly, Helen, who has been portrayed by Homer as the pivotal figure in the outbreak of the war, appears only in three episodes of the poem. In her first appearance, she is seen knitting a tapestry illustrating the scenes of war. As she weaves, the Trojan elders talk about her unmatched beauty. She is depicted as the embodiment of the feminine ideal in the Greek society, as a dutiful woman who weaves at home, and at the same time, she is immensely beautiful. Homer portrays Helen as someone who is ashamed and guilty of the fate that has been forced upon Troy due to her actions. Throughout the poem, Helen articulates a sense of remorse for having left her husband, Menelaus. Her compunction is so deep that she goes to the extent of calling herself a whore. Her character evokes pity from the audience due to this remorse that is depicted by Homer (Homer et.al, 1998).