Written in the aftermath of Athenians’ crushing defeat at the Sicilian Expedition, Euripides’ Helen is noted both for its anti-war qualities and its focus on virtues such as the power of oath and intelligence, both personified in the form of the titular heroine. Drawing on the version of the myth created by lyrical poet Stesichorus instead of Homer’s best-known version, Euripides portrays the Trojan War as a massacre committed for a phantom rather than a real woman.
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