Whether you know her as Helen of Troy or Helen of Sparta, it can be mutually agreed that this fictional woman has had a huge impact in history and pop culture. In Homer 's Iliad, Helen 's departure from her husband, home and country is but one catalyst in the epic war that follows her. She is viewed as selfish, vain and not in control of her destiny; she is more of an object to be sought after and fought over. In contrast, the Helen character from the Xena: Warrior Princess Television show is a woman who choose her own destiny; she sees the consequences of her actions and seeks outside help in order to fix what is wrong. However whereas Homer 's Helen illustrates the destructive ways women impact a society from a male 's perspective, Xena
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Originally married to King Menelaus, she was known for her beauty and when she left his side a great conflict followed her back to the shores of Paris’ home: Troy. As a female character, Helen is coded as a certain stereotype of women by Homer. She is the vile woman who uses her beauty and her body to influence men to wrong doings. This narrative is served well because it is perceived because of her actions the epic war began. “Helen of Troy has been established as a primal whore, in a long line of sexually powerful women whose purpose is to bring down men, perpetuating the ancient notion that female lust pollutes male intellect” ( Hughes). So the original Helen is not only a scapegoat but within this mindset she is stuck within the frame work of the male gaze and it is self-serving to male choice and justification of those choices. It’s important to note that women lacked agency in these times (of ancient antiquity), much less than they do now. Women were great contributors to society but were given very limited rights and even less representation. Whether you pity her or scorn her for her passage into Troy, one can see how limited Helen’s options were. The Helen of the “Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts” episode of Xena: The Warrior Princess is yet another beautiful woman caught up in a land at war yet this Helen is a brunette in contrast to all the many blonde haired …show more content…
In comparison, the Homeric Helen seems to lack the common sense or ability to think beyond herself. “Her expression of sorrow can be regarded as sincere. Certainly Priam thinks she is sincere, but we must consider that in this situation, that is, at the site of a beautiful woman who tearfully acknowledges her past errors, no man can remain angry and dismiss her” (Tsakitopoulou-Summers). Again we are treated to this familiar femme fatale archetype who uses her beauty to gain sympathy from others to gain favor and just may be insincere working it all to her advantage. Whereas in contrast, this other Helen is set on making a difference even at the cost of her livelihood and she knows, perhaps even her life by returning to her previous husband.
Along with agency of her own, the two Helens differ on identity. The Helen of The Iliad will forever be defined again and again as belong to someone, a man. First she is wife of Menelaus. Then Paris. Never belonging to herself. Even first belonging to Sparta and then Troy, even countries and locations have claim to her before she does! The Helen of Xena’s time tells Paris in a scene towards the end of the episode that if they survived the siege of the Greeks (as they entered the city through the infamous Trojan Horse) that she would leave
Originally married to King Menelaus, she was known for her beauty and when she left his side a great conflict followed her back to the shores of Paris’ home: Troy. As a female character, Helen is coded as a certain stereotype of women by Homer. She is the vile woman who uses her beauty and her body to influence men to wrong doings. This narrative is served well because it is perceived because of her actions the epic war began. “Helen of Troy has been established as a primal whore, in a long line of sexually powerful women whose purpose is to bring down men, perpetuating the ancient notion that female lust pollutes male intellect” ( Hughes). So the original Helen is not only a scapegoat but within this mindset she is stuck within the frame work of the male gaze and it is self-serving to male choice and justification of those choices. It’s important to note that women lacked agency in these times (of ancient antiquity), much less than they do now. Women were great contributors to society but were given very limited rights and even less representation. Whether you pity her or scorn her for her passage into Troy, one can see how limited Helen’s options were. The Helen of the “Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts” episode of Xena: The Warrior Princess is yet another beautiful woman caught up in a land at war yet this Helen is a brunette in contrast to all the many blonde haired …show more content…
In comparison, the Homeric Helen seems to lack the common sense or ability to think beyond herself. “Her expression of sorrow can be regarded as sincere. Certainly Priam thinks she is sincere, but we must consider that in this situation, that is, at the site of a beautiful woman who tearfully acknowledges her past errors, no man can remain angry and dismiss her” (Tsakitopoulou-Summers). Again we are treated to this familiar femme fatale archetype who uses her beauty to gain sympathy from others to gain favor and just may be insincere working it all to her advantage. Whereas in contrast, this other Helen is set on making a difference even at the cost of her livelihood and she knows, perhaps even her life by returning to her previous husband.
Along with agency of her own, the two Helens differ on identity. The Helen of The Iliad will forever be defined again and again as belong to someone, a man. First she is wife of Menelaus. Then Paris. Never belonging to herself. Even first belonging to Sparta and then Troy, even countries and locations have claim to her before she does! The Helen of Xena’s time tells Paris in a scene towards the end of the episode that if they survived the siege of the Greeks (as they entered the city through the infamous Trojan Horse) that she would leave