Athreya Ramesh
Greek Philosophy Essay
November 22, 2015
One of the most important events in ancient Greek history was the Trojan War. Long after the
end of the war, it remained a popular topic in works such as The Iliad by Homer and The Women of Troy
by Euripides. The Iliad documented the events of the Trojan War, whereas The Women of Troy explored
the effects of war on the people of Troy. Although both works have the same subject, they were written
approximately three hundred years apart from each other, therefore directed towards very different
audiences. During those three hundred years, the city-states of Greece fought in two great wars, the
Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. These wars, as well as the growing popularity of philosophical though,
changed Greek society. The differences in characterization between Book Six of The Iliad and The
Women of Troy demonstrate how the social and philosophical views of the Greek people changed as the
city-states of Greece underwent multiple wars.
The differences in the characterization of Hecuba between The Iliad and The Women of Troy
show how the Greek views on conflict and loss were changed by participation in multiple wars. In The
Iliad, Hecuba is shown to be a simple character, submissive to both Hektor and the gods of Olympus.
When Hektor returns from the battle to tell the women to pray to Athena, she immediately obeys.
There is no dialogue or thought, just obedience. In one instance Hecuba says, “Surely it is these accursed
sons of the Achaeans who wear you out” (Homer 75), demonstrating Hecuba’s detachment from the
tragedies of war. She believes Hektor is only tired, and does not comment when Hektor tells her that he
must return to the battlefield. These actions clearly show that the Greek people viewed war and battle
as honorable feats. In contrast, the Hecuba described in The Women of Troy is distraught once she hears
of the tragedy that was caused by the war. On page 136 of The Women of Troy, Hecuba cries out in
sorrow that her fifty sons are dead at the hands of the Achaeans. The misery that lies in the wake of war
is made apparent to her. This shift is demonstrative of the changing perspective of the Greek people,
especially those within the city-state of Athens, due to the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars. As Greece
survived through these two wars, the people began to see war as a destructive force, causing only pain
and suffering. This negative perspective changed the Greek people’s views on the Gods of Mount
Olympus. Before the wars, in the time that Homer wrote The Iliad, people were god-fearing, never
questioning the natural phenomena attributed to these supposedly all-powerful gods. This is shown in
The Iliad, when the women of Troy pray to Pallas Athena, even though the goddess supports the
Achaeans. They pray to her, “twelve heifers, yearlings, never broken, if you will only have pity of the
town of Troy, and the Trojan wives, and their innocent children. However, in The Women of Troy, this
faith is shown to waver within Hecuba. Although she vindicates the three goddesses of Helen’s
accusations, she does so while questioning the motives of the goddesses. An example of this is when
Hecuba says, “What reason could the goddess Hera have for being so anxious about beauty? Did she
want to get a husband of higher rank than Zeus?”(Euripides 140). This questioning demonstrates two
changes in the Greek people. Firstly, it shows how the Greeks no longer believed that the gods should
not be followed blindly and that the mysterious ways that they worked through could be revealed
through asking questions. It also shows that people of Greece during the time of the writing of The
Women of Troy were more introspective. This is especially true for the people of Athens, where
philosophy was budding in the minds of scholars such as Thales and Socrates. Hecuba, in The Women of
Troy, demonstrates these shifts of perspective through her characterization as an intelligent, dynamic
character, distraught from the tragedies of war.
The differences between Andromache’s actions before and after Hektor’s death demonstrate
how society’s views on women changed due to the philosophical growth in Greece. In The Iliad,
Andromache is characterized as a doting wife. When Hektor comes back from the war to tell the women
to pray, Andromache, begging him to stay home, says, “Please take pity on me then, stay here on the
rampart, that you may not leave your child an orphan, your wife a widow” (Euripides 78). When Hektor
responds, she does not speak to him again, only listening to him, clearly demonstrating her obedient
nature. There is an obvious lack of introspection and she is not a very developed character. In contrast,
the Andromache described in The Women of Troy is much more independent. The loss of her husband
has made her stricken with grief. Unlike the women in The Iliad, Andromache thinks and acts for herself,
instead of blindly following the orders of men. When speaking with Talthybius, she actively speaks,
asking questions. She even acts proactively, contemplating suicide instead of watching her son thrown
from the walls of Troy. The characterization of Andromache demonstrates how the audience of The
Women of Troy more clearly sees the effects of the tragedies caused by war than the audience of The
Iliad. In addition to this, it also shows a change in the role of women in society. Instead of static
characters, only used to further other male roles, the women in The Women of Troy are dynamic
characters, reacting to different events within the plot and acting independently from others. These
changes show the changes that the Greek people underwent as they proceeded through war.
The characterization and development of Helen shows how the people of Greece became more
accustomed to independent thought and less reliant on blind faith in the gods. In The Iliad, Helen seems
to blame herself for the war. On page 77, she says to Hektor, “But come now, come in and rest on this
chair, my brother, since it is on your heart beyond all that the hard work has fallen for the sake of
dishonored me and the blind act of Alexandros” (Euripides 77), demonstrating that she blames herself
for Paris not fighting, yet she still tries to convince Hektor to stay with them. Helen is characterized as a
woman who caused the war because of Aphrodite’s intervention. This description of her is very different
from the one in The Women of Troy. When Menelaus arrives to take Helen back to Sparta, she comes
out of the building dressed beautifully, in harsh contrast of the death and destruction around her. This
shows how enjoys her power and her luxurious life, even when Troy has been lost. In this work, Helen is
characterized as a selfish woman, enjoying her luxuries even in the midst of a war that she herself
caused. Just as Andromache and Hecuba, Helen is a static and undeveloped character in The Iliad, only
serving to develop the characters of Paris and Hektor. In The Women of Troy, she is a fully developed
and dynamic character, thinking independently and even placing blame upon the gods. When Menelaus
and Hecuba ask her why she did nothing to help stop or prevent the war, she immediately begins to
blame the three goddesses involved within the war. This act represents an extremely important change
in Greek culture because the gods were accepted as perfect beings who could not be questioned.
Although this would be blasphemous during the time of Homer, within the city-state of Athens during
the time of Euripides, it would have been more acceptable. Her actions correspond with the growth of
philosophical and rational thought in the minds of the Greek people. The character of Helen represents
how Greek culture and society changed from the time of Homer to the time of Euripides.
The Persian and Peloponnesian Wars forced rationality upon Greek society. Greek society
became more aware of the tragedies caused by war and began to question the true effects of war. In
addition to war, the people began to question the origins of their beliefs. Philosophy as a way of life
became more prominent and blind faith in the gods of Mount Olympus slowly disappeared. The honor
that was previously seen in war was lost, and Greek people came to the realization that war only brings
suffering and pain.