Genre
Historical fiction
Setting and Context
Much of A Thousand Ships takes place in Troy directly after the Trojan war.
Narrator and Point of View
The primary narrator of A Thousand Ships is the goddess Calliope.
Tone and Mood
Haynes' novel is clinical, violent, judgemental, negative, triumphant, and energetic.
Protagonist and Antagonist
The women featured in A Thousand Ships are the protagonist and the Greek are the antagonists of the novel.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel revolves around the women from Troy who are trying to survive the violence and oppression from the Greeks and their army.
Climax
In each story that Haynes tells in A Thousand Ships, the climax typically occurs when a woman triumphs over other forces.
Foreshadowing
The fall of Troy is foreshadowed quite early on in the book.
Understatement
The primary purpose of A Thousand Ships is to put focus on women whose contributions throughout history were understated consistently throughout history.
Allusions
There are numerous allusions to Greek and Roman mythology (the framing device of the novel involves a mythological goddess), the history and culture, and geography of Greece and the city of Troy, to war tactics and strategy, and to traditional Greek religions (and polytheism).
Imagery
As the Trojan war intensifies and then comes to a close, violent imagery becomes more common.
Paradox
N/A.
Parallelism
N/A.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Troy is used to refer to the seat of government of the Trojans and a powerful city which resisted the Greek's advances for many years.
Personification
The Trojan horses that the Greeks used are understated throughout the novel.
