Simile: Lament
Hecuba says that she is as "sorrowful as the lament of a feathered bird" (42). This is a beautiful and piercing simile because it reveals the extent of her sorrow. Her lament is unearthly and stirring. It is guttural and unrestrained, just like a bird that sings its song without care for who or what is listening.
Metaphor: Troy's end
The bitter rivalry between the Trojans and their Greek nemesis has been the guiding political force of both civilizations, but with the fall of Troy and the subsequent massacre of it men, Hecuba realizes that the story of its glory is now at an end. The events of the narrative represent not just the loss of a battle or even a war, but rather the end of an entire civilization. She mourns, “Woe to thee, ill-fated Troy, thy sun is set.” This effectively shows that Troy is done: just like a sun that rises to its zenith but must inevitably sink into darkness, Troy has fallen.
Metaphor: Andromache
The fall of Troy and the massacre of its men have left its women as little more than spoils of war. One by one, the women are being plucked by the Greek warriors to become their slaves. Hecuba is informed in metaphorical terms that Andromache, as her daughter-in-law, was set aside to be the pick of the son of the Greek’s greatest hero. Talthybios says, “She too was a chosen prize; Achilles’ son did take her" (a different translation, but pg. 49). Calling a woman a "prize" indicates how little women's humanity, or the humanity of the defeated, was considered.
Simile: Fools and Madmen
Near the end of the play, after unsuccessfully pleading for Helen’s execution, Hecuba ends a long soliloquy by musing over the foolishness of those who allow themselves for even a moment to remain secure in the belief that luck will always be on their side. She issues a simile comparing such belief to putting one’s trust in the predictability of a crazy person. As she prepares Astyanax for burial, she laments, "Foolish mortal he who thinks his luck secure and so rejoices; for fortune, like a madman in her moods, springs towards this man, then towards that; and none ever experiences the same unchanging luck" (different translation, but pg. 91).
Metaphor: The Death of Hope; the Hope of Death
Reflecting back upon the idea of life and death being the difference between hope and hopelessness, Hecuba engages an extended sailing metaphor as contemplation of giving in to hopelessness and choosing death over life. She says, “I have never set foot on a ship, but I know ships: / I have seen paintings of them and I have heard about them. / If sailors enjoy moderate weather / they are confident that they will escape difficulties. / One is stationed at the rudder; another at the mast; / and another mans the bilge pump. But if a heavy sea / should rage and break over the ship, the crew / surrenders itself to Fortune and commits itself to the running of the / waves. / Such a sailor am I. Many are my troubles. / I cannot utter a word. I surrender my power of speech. / The disastrous surge of a god-sent storm overwhelms me" (68-69). It is an effective way to convey Hecuba's sentiments.
