Orpheus

The Trojan War was a legendary conflict between the early Greeks and the people of Troy that led to the destruction of the city Troy, and countless deaths. The beautiful queen, Helen of Troy, is considered by many to be the main villainess of this war. However, some people think that she was a victim of the feud between two men that was beyond her control. To decide whether she was an innocent bystander or the sole cause of the war, we need to know her role during the ten-year long war.

Most of us think that the Trojan War has its roots in the feud created by Prince of Troy, Prince, when he abducted Helen, the beautiful wife of King Menelaus of Sparta. Although it is partly true, the Trojan War actually has its connection in the marriage between Peleus and Thetis, a sea-goddess. Eris, the goddess of discord, wasn’t invited to their marriage. She was outraged. She threw a golden apple onto the table in the wedding banquet, and said that it belonged to the fairest. The goddesses, Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite reached for the apple. Zeus declared that the most beautiful man, Paris, would be the judge. He agreed. The goddesses tried to bribe him; Hera promised him power, Athena promised him wealth, and Aphrodite promised him the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris took Aphrodite’s side, and she promised him that Helen would be his wife. Later Paris set off for Sparta to conquer Helen. King Menelaus treated him as a royal guest. But when Menelaus left his kingdom to attend a funeral, Paris abducted Helen. In Troy, Helen and Paris were married.

Reasonably, Menelaus was outraged to find that news. He requested all of Helen's old suitors to go to war since they all had made an oath to back Helen's husband to def...

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... Homan expressed a slightly complex view of Helen’s character: all the other characters pose a negative attitude towards Helen. On the other hand, Helen displays consciousness for her scandalous behavior. The guilt and shame portrayed through her character is her distinction. Homer thinks that she disgraced all the warriors who went to a ten-year long war for a non-virtuous woman. It is not clearly described why Helen left her husband for a foreigner. Was she actually in love with Paris or she was forced by the goddess Aphrodite? It is interesting to see that her husband, Menelaus, thinks of Helen as a victim. Helen also regrets for her deed "...if only death had pleased me then, grim death, the day I followed your son to Troy, forsaking my marriage bed, my kinsmen, and my child" (Homer). Thus, the question whether Helen was the reason of the war is left unanswered.