Implied Differences Of The Characterization Of Helen With Respect To "The Encomium Of Helen" And The Iliad
“Surely there is no blame on the Trojans and the strong-greaved Achaians if for a long time they suffer hardship for a woman like this one (Homer, III, 156-157. Helen is the woman mentioned in this line. Although some say she is to be blamed for the Trojan War, Helen is but a minor character in The Iliad. There are but a few lines, with respect to the entire epic poem involving this woman. This little bit, though is enough for the reader to develop a characterization of Helen. A characterization which Gorgias, in his essay "“The Encomium of Helen, simplifies and is very different from the one Homer tries to depict.
Helen was a character who roused emotion. For example, in ...
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III, 160). Although blame is not the focus of this essay, the fact that Priam does not blame her shows the reader that there is something likeable about her personality. In Book XXIV, Hektor, although not in his own words for he is dead, also shows us this quality about Helen. In lines 765-772, Helen herself goes on to state how Hektor never insulted her and when another citizen of Troy would insult her, Hektor would defend her and “put them off and restrain them”(Homer,XXIV,771)
From Helen herself the reader also gets the impression that she regrets her decision, in regards to Paris, and is sorry. “I wish better death had been what I wanted”(Homer,III,173). This line shows us two human qualities, penance and lust. We also get an insight into her anger and contempt for Paris with lines like, “Oh, how I wish you had died there,”(Homer ,III,428), and “I will not serve his bed,”(Homer,III,410). Yet toward the end of Book III, the reader sees how indecisive, ...
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Implied Differences Of The Characterization Of Helen With Respect To "The Encomium Of Helen" And The Iliad. (2004, December 27). Retrieved April 20, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Implied-Differences-Characterization-Helen-Respect-Encomium/19620
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"Implied Differences Of The Characterization Of Helen With Respect To "The Encomium Of Helen" And The Iliad." Essayworld.com. December 27, 2004. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Implied-Differences-Characterization-Helen-Respect-Encomium/19620.
"Implied Differences Of The Characterization Of Helen With Respect To "The Encomium Of Helen" And The Iliad." Essayworld.com. December 27, 2004. Accessed April 20, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Implied-Differences-Characterization-Helen-Respect-Encomium/19620.
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