In the Iliad, the story ends with the women of Troy crying out, grief-stricken as they cast their eyes upon Hector’s lifeless body. The author chooses not to end the tale with dramatic action, but instead with the external exploration of human emotion. Though the Iliad is filled with scenes depicting the brutality of war-related violence, it also contains scenes of humanity, such as Hector’s touching reunion with his wife and young child. Similarly, The Trojan Women immediately continues the Iliad’s closing theme of grief, but now their despair is for their own fate. And like the Iliad, The Trojan Women does have moments of brutality; Andromache’s young child is killed by order of their captors. The brutality of war, as well as the sorrowful
