Helen of Troy 1

Helen of Troy
Tyler Palmer

School of Arts and Sciences, Howard University

English 014-18 Humanities I

Dr. Segun Ige

September 2, 2022
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Viewing the story of the Trojan War through a lens which portrays the love that both

Paris and Troy shared seemed most enticing due to the time period in which they lived. Usually

when students hear this time period, the first thought is simpler living and war. Students have

been programmed to think of facts, cause and effect, and who won. We look past the fact that

people had lives with real feelings during these historical events. We forget that lives were

destroyed, and the history we read/watch isn't fiction in a story made by someone, but people's

actual lives who experience these harrowing events. We forget that some people do not just do

things without a motive, there’s always an underlying reason behind their actions. Helen of Troy

highlights the perspective that there is more to war than a fight; there is love. Whereas in Troy,

the producer only focuses on the Trojan War and its causes and effects. In the twelfth century,

this story was the most dramatic story anyone could ever witness or read about. It’s essentially a

story that several other stories are based off of or represent and deliver a similar concept.

Offered to him through a golden apple from Aphrodite, Paris could not resist accepting

the most beautiful woman on earth to become his bride. Compared to love stories now, earlier

stories held more weight. They teach us life lessons that we can apply to our own whether it be

positive or negative. I believe true love was valued and held at a higher pedestal than it is today.

In current times, some people have lost sight of the bigger picture. There is more to love than

material goods and physical attraction. Not to mention the social media that also puts a restraint

on love. People see other relationships and hold their own at greater standards when in reality

that isn’t what love is about. In Helen of Troy, Paris risked his family's empire for Helen because

he believed she needed to escape the trauma that her family had put her through. In Troy or

Illiad, Helens story is not told in full detail, it only refers to the battle and the men’s conflicting
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issues from either side. Although Helen was not the real reason for the war, but rather a judgment

of Paris, it nevertheless caused the two empires to fight for years. The war resulted in a large

number of casualties and an everlasting impact on those empires and empires to follow.

From Helen of Troy perspective, Helen changed the image of what women were supposed

to represent during the twelfth century. She stood up for herself and her beliefs. It leads me to

believe that she was more than someone who most believed caused the war, but a woman who

fought for herself. I believe anyone who only reads Iliad and not have seen this movie, wouldn’t

really sympathize with society. The different personalities that the audience is able to witness

allows us to stand in their shoes and feel what the characters felt.