Tragedy, Suffering, and Pain
This Greek drama veers from the course established by Aristotle concerning the goal of tragedy. A play filled with the kind of depictions of tragic suffering such as The Trojan Women is usually directed toward a cathartic climax in which the extreme emotional pain is mitigated by the intrusion of the gods or fate. The suffering of Hecuba is never mitigated and, in fact, it is suggested that it will persist for as long as she lives. This view that suffering is endless was revolutionary in Greek drama. It is also a comment on the indifference of the gods as well as the particular sorrows associated with war—a time that is an irruption, a displacement, and an effacement.
The Irrationality and Absurdity of War
The Trojan Women remains one of the most powerful pieces of anti-war propaganda in the history of drama. Nothing that is presented on stage suggests that the Trojan War resulted in any positive outcome; even the fact that Troy will live on in stories is tempered by the immense suffering of the Trojans. Furthermore, even though the Greeks win, their victory is hollow because they will be eradicated almost to a man on their way home. Those who do make it home will see that the ten years they spent away resulted in chaos and loss. And Helen, for whom this war was ostensibly fought, will not even be put to death but will instead live out her days. Overall, the reasons for war are irrational, the amount of suffering is unreal and incapable of providing any lessons, and the aftermath is anticlimactic and hollow.
Dignity in Defeat
Hecuba openly gives vent to her sorrow, but she does not totally bow under defeat. She is able to comfort Andromache, stand up to Talthybios, movingly bury her grandson, and sharply and eloquently rebuke Helen and her facile defense. She remains a source of comfort to the chorus of Trojan women as well, revealing herself as a leader even when stripped of a title. She, as Raymond Anselment notes, "achieves a self-definition and wisdom well within the rhythm of Greek tragedy" and "manifests a personal, quite unpretentious yet nevertheless moving heroism." Euripides suggests that dignity may be retained in defeat, but he doesn't overemphasize this or provide false hope; Hecuba still has a terrible fate ahead of her, and everything she loved is still lost. Trojan Women is thus notable for its ambiguity and complexity.
Effects of War on Women and Children
The Trojan men in this play exist only in the women's memories; they are no longer there to face the fate of the losers in the war. War disproportionately affects women and children, Euripides reveals: women are parceled off as concubines and slaves; children are, at best, separated from their parents, or, at worst, outright killed because they represent a future generation whom the victor does not want to grow up. Invocations of glory, warriors, revenge, and heroism fall flat in the face of what the most vulnerable citizens must endure, thus emphasizing the absurdity and cruelty of war.
The Need for Information
There are few ways in which one can cope with trauma of the degree to which the Trojan women experience it. One of these is to procure information: to know what is in store for them so they can prepare for it mentally as best they can. The chorus of women plies Hecuba with questions, anxious to know their fates. Unfortunately for Hecuba, her status has changed. Though she was once the queen, she is simply an old woman now, also waiting to be parcelled out to a Greek commander. Euripides has this need for information, which critic J.J. Sullivan sees as one of the most important of the play, function as a reminder of the total loss of order, control, and stability in the aftermath of war. Nothing is known, nothing makes sense, and nothing is guaranteed. The need for information is one of many needs that will only be fitfully met, if at all.
Indifference of the Gods
This is a very bleak play, and one of the main reasons for that is the seeming indifference, or even absence, of the gods. To the sufferers of the Trojan War, it seems as if the gods either hate them or have abandoned them. Andromache wonders if the sacrifices made were for nothing, while Hecuba questions the reality and potency of the gods. Poseidon and Athena also give two interesting perspectives on this question: Poseidon limply gives up on Troy while Athena exhibits vengefulness in her desire to thwart the victorious Greeks. There seems to be no larger cosmic pattern to the suffering involved, which forces the audience to consider how humans treat other humans.
The Problem with Hope
One of the ways the Trojan women try to cope with what they've experienced is by retaining hope for the future: hope that they will go to a good master, hope that they will go to a good land, hope that members of the family remain living, hope that the right people will be punished, and hope that Astyanax will grow to manhood and return Troy to splendor. Sadly, none of these hopes comes to fruition, thus revealing that hope can be a pernicious thing. Critic Adrian Poole says bluntly, "'Hope' in this play becomes a terrifying, indeed a lethal commodity. Desire one last thing, or worse, voice this desire, and that one last will be smashed."
