She’s the most scapegoated heroine in Greek mythology, but there’s never just one side to any story. This new framing uncovers the complexities of Helen of Troy — a woman tormented by the blame placed on her by others, and tortured by her own guilt. “We all blamed Helen.” Facing hostility from all sides, Helen […]
Shame and the Ancient Greek hero
Sulky, brutal Achilles; vain, passive Helen. Have we misjudged these characters from the stories of the Trojan War? Susan C Wilson, author of Helen’s Judgement, argues that we need to go back to the Iliad to understand them, and appreciate the importance of the concept of shame, which drove the Ancient Greek heroes and heroines. […]
Clytemnestra’s Bind by Susan C Wilson
The House of Atreus is spiralling into self-destruction — a woman must find a way to break the family curse. Queen Clytemnestra’s world shatters when Agamemnon, a rival to the throne of Mycenae, storms her palace, destroys her family and claims not only the throne but Clytemnestra herself. Tormented by her loss, she vows to […]
Motives of a Bronze Age murderess
What drove Queen Clytemnestra to murder her husband, Agamemnon? As Susan C Wilson writes, she had enough of a motive given the savage history of his family and his treatment of her children; enough to demand vengeance in Bronze Age society. What springs to mind when we consider Clytemnestra from Greek mythology? Adulterous wife of […]