Helen Literary Elements

Likely H.D., but technically unknown.

No discernible meter. Sporadic end rhymes. 3 stanzas: one quintet, one sestet, and one septet

Simile:

"lustre as of olives": a phrase used to describe the matte sheen of Helen, likely a statue in the first part of the poem, before becoming more of a concept. Because the sheen of olives and stone are not very comparable, the simile suggests more of a general Greek essence than an actual aesthetic. Alternatively, the simile could indicate that Helen has a sheen like the oil from olives.

Metaphor:

Helen of Greek mythology, and Greece's reaction to Helen in this particular poem, function as one extended metaphor about the way culture, history, and myth have treated, and continue to treat, women. The use of ancient mythology to illuminate this argument strategically reminds the reader how far back such treatment goes, and therefore how deeply our conflicted and harmful relationship to women is ingrained in culture and society.

"could love indeed the maid, / only if she were laid,"

This phrase is ironic because the implication is that women, symbolized by Helen, are so hated by society in life, that they only experience peace in death.

Imagist

Ancient Greece/modern society

Calm but biting

Greece is the antagonist, as a symbol of misogynistic culture. Helen is the protagonist, as a symbol of all women.

The major conflict is all the conflicted feelings Greece has toward Helen, symbolic of the patriarchy's treatment of women.

The final three lines, in which it becomes clear that Greece can only love Helen if she is dead or disintegrated. The lines are haunting and sinister because they allude to many acts of violence and the denigration of women at the hands of our patriarchal society, and suggest that women are only free of such hate once they are dead; in other words, never.

"could love indeed the maid, / only if she were laid, / white ash amid funereal cypresses."

"God's daughter, born of love,"

This line alludes to Helen's familial ties in Greek mythology; she is the daughter of Zeus (king of the gods) and Leda.

Although this poem may seem full of metonymy and synecdoche, the body parts referenced are not directly referencing the greater whole, but are really moments of focus on those parts, to demonstrate the dehumanizing scrutiny women face. This distinction is important, because the zoomed in references to her body indicate that the hate is both violating and personal, and undiscriminating like culture's widespread hatred of women.

"All Greece hates"

This statement of hyperbole serves to show how deep and incessant misogyny is. Misogyny is present in almost everyone, even in the unconscious of those who love women, due to its internalization from language, art, law, and other cultural expressions.