The Trojan Women
Euripides: Past Time Activist for Women In The Trojan Women, there are four
enduring women who dominate the play and only two men who say anything at all.
Moving us with their rants and dramatic reactions, these women engulf the audience
in overwhelming grief and irresistible pride. Euripides emphasizes these four women
to help us understand one of his main themes. Hecubawith her pride, Cassandra with
her virginity and uncanny wisdom, Andromachewith her misery and heartache, and
Helen with her powerful, seductive reasoning all represent superior illustrations of
feminism throughout the play.
The first woman introduced is Hecuba, who grieves for her family, people, and
ravaged homeland. She says, Sorrow, my sorrow. What sorrow is there ... Show more
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While frantically celebrating her appalling marriage to King Agamemnon, giving
praise to Hymen, the god of marriage, she says, O Mother, crown my triumph with
a wreath (I, i, 361). Here she does not show signs of terrible heartache about being
sent to a bridal bed that will ruin her life s work and sacrifice her virginity. Until
she begins to tell her mother how she will try to take revenge for her family does
she show pain by saying, I shall kill [Agamemnon] mother, lay his house as low as
he laid ours, make him pay for all he made my father suffer, brothers . . . (I, i, 367
369). Raving, she prophecies, If Apollo lives, my marriage will be bloodier than
Helen s, and in time we see that she is right with the fall of Greece (I, i, 364 365).
She also makes an interesting point on the defeat of Troy. She explains that the
Greeks are just there to fight and conquer, and that their families are not there to
soften their hearts. The Trojans fight as a family for their people. The Trojans
have lost, but they died with great honor trying to save and protect their country
and kinsmen. Cassandra refers to those soldiers, her family, who fought with a
final divination, Brothers, in Troy s earth laid, my father, a little time and I am
with you. You dead, I shall come to you a victor. Those ruined by my hand who
ruined us (I, i, 469 472). Even though she is portrayed as mad, the evidence of her
wisdom, whether it be given to her by the god she has devoted her life, or just insane
predictions, shows us that women could be intelligent and know of things to come
just as men. Giving us our second example of feminism, Cassandra shows her
intellect equivalent to