Download Greek Philosophy Essay

Alex Jayyosi
Section B
11/24/15
The Trojan War
In Greek Mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans
after the Trojan prince Paris swept Helen away from her powerful husband Menelaus, king of
Sparta. This war, one of the most notable and important stories of Ancient Greece, has been
depicted by many famous works, such as Homer’s Iliad and Euripides’ The Women of Troy. Each
of these authors offers a unique perspective on the war, due to the fact that the two works were
written for different purposes. Homer wished to glorify the Achaean victory over Troy, whereas
Euripides sought recognition and accolades for his work, resulting in very different approaches
to storytelling. The differing purposes of these famous works show how perspective can be very
powerful in describing the true nature of war and its destructive implications.
Unlike Homer’s Iliad, The Women of Troy explains how Troy’s defeat meant much more
than simply the loss of countless lives. As described earlier, the Iliad was meant to be a source of
nationalism for the Achaean people. In order to achieve this goal, Homer had to celebrate the
battle and describe the grandeur of fighting. Line 12 of Book VI of the Illiad describes a glorious
battle when “Diomedes of the great war cry cut down Axylos, Teuthras’ son, who had been a
dweller in strong founded Arisbe.” The use of epithets highlights the glory of each soldier.
Diomedes is described as ‘of the great war cry,’ which shows his ability to encourage his fellow
warriors in battle, something any man would be proud of. This line describes a strong, heroic
figure, influencing the reader to feel heightened in spirit. The enthusiasm of the Iliad is
contrasted by the melancholy mood of The Women of Troy, which describes the sadness
associated with war. Rather than promoting battle, Euripides describes the aftermath of Troy’s
fall. Hecabe, queen of what once was Troy, tells of her strife on page 130, when she cries, “My
sons, my husband, gone, all gone! What pride of race, what strength once swelled our royal sails!
Now shrunk to nothing, sunk in mean oblivion.” The audience can see that death is not as
triumphant as Homer had described it. Hecabe is reduced to grieving over her lost family and
screams in agony. Euripides shows the emotional side of war which could make contemporary
viewers, who have also lost loved ones, connect with Hecabe and sympathize with her struggle.
The two authors show how differing points of view can change the tone of a work.
Leaders often have to make difficult decisions that can change the tides of war. The Iliad
and The Women of Troy describe how those decisions affect the soldiers and the citizens. In the
Iliad, when Menelaus captures Adrestos, begs for his life and offers a reward to Menelaus.
Before Menelaus can accept the bribe, Agamemnon persuades his brother to reject the offer, and
then kills Adrestos. The action between Agamemnon and his brother inspires Nestor, a
commander in the Achaean army, shouts on line 70, “Let us kill the men now, and afterwards at
your leisure all along the plain you can plunder the persisted corpses.” In doing so, he, “brought
the spirit and strength in each man.” Overall, Homer is able to describe an instance where a
leader’s decision was able to rally the support of his men and push them forward to victory.
Whereas the Iliad shows how leaders can raise peoples’ morale, The Women of Troy shows how
leaders’ decisions can wreak havoc on peoples’ lives. Odysseus, a hero of some Greek works, is
portrayed by Euripides as a trickster and murderer. Odysseus’ character is described when Greek
herald Talthybius brings grave news to Andromache, wife of the late Hektor, that, “The Greeks
are going to kill your son… Odysseus in a full assembly made this point.” Hektor the once great
Trojan warrior, had a son, whom the Trojan women hoped would one day bring back the glory of
Troy. Odysseus, with one swift move, puts an end to these dreams by ordering the execution of
the son. Tactically, this decision by the Greek general is brilliant. By putting an end to any future
uprisings, Odysseus secures the Greek victory beyond the end of the war. However, Euripides
showed how emotionally devastating this judgment was, by making his audience realize that
Odysseus is executing an infant. Homer and Euripides continue to counter each other by
portraying the differing consequences that result from the actions taken by powerful leaders.
Any piece of Ancient Greek literature would not be complete without the involvement of
gods, but each work delivers a unique interpretation of the all powerful beings. Homer made sure
to incorporate the gods in a respectful manner. He portrayed the gods as strong and wise,
showing how their favor can turn the tides of battle. Helenos, a son of Troy, commands Hektor to
tell their mothers to go to Athene’s temple, grab the nicest robes “and lay it along the knees of
Athene the lovely haired. Let her promise to dedicate within the shrine twelve heifers, yearlings,
never broken.” By doing this, the Trojans hope that Athene will be persuaded to help them in
battle. This reverence shows how the people have great respect for the gods. The Women of Troy,
on the other hand, was written during the time of philosophy, in which some of the people started
to question the ideas of the gods. This can be seen on page 140 when Hecabe tries to argue
against Helen’s claims that the gods forced her to go to Troy by saying, “To cloak your own
guilt, you dress up the gods as fools… And Aphrodite, you say - what could be more absurd? went with my son to Menelaus’ palace!” The irony about this line is that the story about
Aphrodite helping Paris steal Helen is true. Hecabe calls the story absurd which shows the
impact of philosophy on Euripides’ view of the gods. Whereas Homer shows complete respect to
the gods, Euripides questions their ideas and shows how their power is destructive to the lives of
the Trojan citizens.
The story of Troy has been told countless times over the years. According to historians,
there was a battle at Troy, but the validity of the Trojan horse legend is still up for debate.
Nevertheless, Homer’s Iliad and Euripides’ The Women of Troy show how war has two faces,
glory and annihilation. For the defeated, war can only spell doom, whereas for the victors war
boasts glory and wealth. Modern individuals can take the lessons from the two works, to
consider whether or not murdering thousands of people is worth the pain and suffering.