Trojan Women

The Trojan Women is Euripides' tragedy set after the Greek capture of Troy, as the surviving women await assignment to their captors. Hecuba's grief gives continuity to encounters with Cassandra, Andromache and Helen. The fate of Andromache's child intensifies the play's exposure of violence justified by military calculation. Rather than following a new campaign or a successful escape, the action dwells on the consequences already imposed upon defeated families. Choral lament preserves memories of the lost city, making language and mourning the means by which its destruction remains visible.