The Women of Troy is a play constructed by Euripides that primarily focuses on the loss and pain of the Trojan civilians that survived the war, who are sieged in the city after the war and are eventually either killed or enslaved after the fall of Troy. Euripides is constantly unforgiving in his portrayal of the victims suffering in the midst of male warfare, except for the women. Euripides is continually reminding of the fact that the women are now left in this dark and hopeless world. He also utilizes the victim’s new grief and trauma they face to add to the cruel representation of their suffering. However, Euripides also displays the strength and resilience of the women who don’t always see themselves as victims.
Throughout the play,
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An example of this is Andromache, who was initially portrayed as being a strong and resilient woman, with a desire to survive in her newfound and overwhelming adversity. However, as the play progressed, her trauma and grief slowing became apparent. Her grief is mainly based on the loss of her husband, who she deeply loved. Andromache’s grief was then topped off when she was forced to farewell her young son before he is thrown from the walls of Troy by the Greeks. “Tears blinded her… a ruin,” further reinforces that Euripides is relentlessly ruthless when it comes to conveying the victims' suffering during the warfare. Another example of the harshness of the victim's suffering is the former Queen of Troy Hecuba. She was originally a loving wife and mother, but after Troy’s defeat was reduced to becoming a slave, with “Troy becoming the mother of them all”. As Hecuba was previously living a somewhat ‘normal’ life until the war occurred, this helps to support the fact that Euripides is cruel when it’s comes to detailing her newfound trauma as a slave, as she is still coming to terms with her new life. Throughout the play, Euripides relentlessly reminds the audience of the newfound victim’s grief and trauma they now face, which ultimately adds to their