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Hellenic Studies Folio #2 from the Center for Hellenic Studies

October 22, 2020
Painting showing Penelope weaving surrounded by suitors who force her to marry one of them.
Painting showing Penelope weaving surrounded by suitors who force her to marry one of them. Penelope aiming to avoid re-marriage, since her husband, Odysseus, had failed to return at the end of the Trojan war, conceived the idea of postponing her decision until she had completed weaving a piece of tapestry unravelling every night the work she had done during the day.
"Penelope and the Suitors" (1624), by John William Waterhouse (British-Italian, 1849–1917); oil on canvas, 131x191 cm; Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Men's and women's experiences in ancient Greece

  • How do works of ancient Greek verbal art depict men and women?
  • In the Hippolytus of Euripides, the wandering mind of Phaedra wanders into forbidden places, but should these places really be forbidden for the young queen?
  • How do Helen and Odysseus measure up against each other in contexts of ambush and spying?

Fragment of conversation about the experiences of Phaedra in the Hippolytus of Euripides

Watch the first 18 minutes.

Conversation about men's and women's roles in ancient Greece, with reference to Penelope in particular

Video of 19 minutes.

Comparison of episodes from the Odyssey involving Helen and Odysseus

Essay of approximately 2,800 words.

Painting depicting the time after the Trojan War when Helen and Menelaus had returned to Sparta, but Odysseus had not yet returned to Ithaca. To learn news of his father, Telemachus leaves his mother, Penelope and sets out to seek news from his father's comrades. Helen and Menelaus recognize Telemachus but can provide little information.
"Helen Recognising Telemachus, Son of Odysseus" (1795), by Jean-Jacques Lagrenée (French, 1739–1821); oil on panel, 48×64 cm; Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Helen, Counter-Ambush Expert

"Extra credit" video viewing:

Live reading of selections from the Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides, with commentary; video of about 90 minutes.