Why is Helen important in the Iliad?

Why is Helen important in the Iliad?

Helen. Reputed to be the most beautiful woman in the ancient world, Helen was stolen from her husband, Menelaus, and taken to Troy by Paris. She loathes herself now for the misery that she has caused so many Trojan and Achaean men. Although her contempt extends to Paris as well, she continues to stay with him.

What did Helen do in the Trojan War?

Helen felt guilty about leaving her husband because of all the deaths she caused by starting the war. She no longer felt strongly about her new husband, Paris. Finally, Helen helped the Trojans by identifying Achaean kings and heroes by name, but that was the extent of her assistance.

What happens to Helen in the Iliad?

According to a variant of the story, Helen, in widowhood, was driven out by her stepsons and fled to Rhodes, where she was hanged by the Rhodian queen Polyxo in revenge for the death of her husband, Tlepolemus, in the Trojan War.

How is Helen described in Odyssey?

In “The Odyssey”, Helen is shown as living happily with Menelaus after he brought her back from Sparta. She is portrayed as an intelligent person who sees things for what they truly are, but is mostly reserved to wifely duties.

What do you think is the importance of knowing and studying the background of Iliad?

The Iliad, an epic poem by Homer, provides a unique insight into both Greek history and the formation of a Greek identity. Beyond its significance for promoting a historical understanding of a Greek identity, The Iliad also serves as a lesson in warfare in modern days.

How does Helen describe herself in the Iliad?

In her encounter with Hector, Helen is self-deprecating, calling herself “a dog, evil-contriving and abhorred.” She says she wishes she had a better husband, implying she wishes she had a husband more like Hector.

What does Helen say she wants to do why do you think she does this?

Why do you think she does this? She says she wants to return to her husband.

Is Helen a victim or villain?

Now, at the end of ten years of battle, the other characters, Hecuba and Menelaus especially, blame her for all the lives lost and the destruction wrought. In her own words, Helen was merely a victim of fortune, first bewitched by Aphrodite who brought Paris to her, and then held in Troy by force.

Why was Helen kidnapped?

In her youth, she was abducted by Theseus. A competition between her suitors for her hand in marriage saw Menelaus emerge victorious. All of her suitors were required to swear an oath (known as the Oath of Tyndareus) promising to provide military assistance to the winning suitor, if Helen were ever stolen from him.