The Women Of Trakhis Summary

Many people may agree that the relationship between Herakles and Deianeira would not be considered true love but I disagree on that term. In The Women of Trakhis, Sophocles uses many forms to depict the connection of love between Herakles and Deianeira. Their relationship might not be of normal standards in our society but that does not eliminate their love for one another in this context. Excluding Iole, Herakles and Deianeira have a strong bond which they made off of their history together. At the beginning of the play, Deianeira expresses how she met Herakles. She described herself as being miserable before meeting Herakles. “Marriage terrifies me”, she states as she reminisced on the past of when Achelous desperately kept asking her father her

As the play continues, Sophocles continues to demonstrate more ways that they show their love as a couple. Many of these examples primarily show Deianeira being the one to verbally express her love but if allowed you can see the devotion Herakles has for Deianeira in his actions. As a husband, he is always by her side in times of need. Deianeira too notices his devotion to her and his country. Overall she is not an unhappy wife. She loves her family and she loves Herakles; that is why she thought by giving him the potion she would be able to fix their current problem and bring him back and the love they initially had. Sophocles uses this play to emphasize the fact that Herakles is a common guy of those centuries. Men of those ages were instinctively egoistic, prideful, and lavished in their power of using women and other people as well but in the end loyalty to your family comes before everything. Bringing Iole into the picture was wrong and inexcusable but can we really say that wasn’t a norm in most families of Sophocles’ plays. Mostly all men had concubines but not many times would they put them above their wives and