Discussion Topic

Helen and Paris's Relationship in Literature

Summary:

Helen and Paris's relationship in The Iliad is marked by emotional distance and alienation, reflecting a lack of genuine connection despite Helen's famed beauty. Helen regrets her decision to be with Paris, feeling homesick and disillusioned by his cowardice. Their relationship parallels that of Daisy and Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, where external allure fails to sustain true emotional bonds. Helen's involvement with Paris began when Aphrodite promised her to Paris as a reward, despite her being married, sparking the Trojan War.

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Which relationship from a non-mythological novel mirrors Paris and Helen's relationship in book three of The Iliad?

The relationship that Helen and Paris share in the third book reflects a condition of alienation.  While conventional wisdom would suggest that Helen would be zealous in support of Paris who is out to defend her from Menelaos, Homer's genius is to show the hollowness within the supposed archetype of beauty.  The face that would "launch a thousand ships" turns out to be quite empty in terms of loyalty.  The sense of honor that might be easily associated with it is absent.  As a result, Homer depicts a relationship that is far from secure and solid in its foundation. It is in stark contrast to the relationship shared by Hector and Andromache, where emotional commitment is evident even in the face of painful and agonizing duty.  The relationship that Paris and Helen share is one filled with alienation and emotional distance.

Hector constructs the cowardice of Paris matched by the...

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emotional flightiness of Helen.  Helen's lack of emotional connection can be seen in the moment when Paris is off to confront Menelaos:

Thus spoke the goddess, and Helen's heart yearned after her former husband, her city, and her parents. She threw a white mantle over her head, and hurried from her room, weeping as she went, not alone, but attended by two of her handmaids, Aethrae, daughter of Pittheus, and Clymene. And straightway they were at the Scean Gates.

Helen is shown to be as elusive as beauty itself.  It cannot be possessed, but merely appreciated from a distance.  The fact that Helen's heart is not emotionally connected to Paris is evident in Book III.  It is not surprising that Helen is seen as one who brings destruction and suffering with her, reflective of a relationship that is empty, at best:  “Small wonder that Trojans and Achaeans should endure so much and so long, for the sake of a woman so marvellously and divinely lovely. Still, fair though she be, let them take her and go, or she will breed sorrow for us and for our children after us.”  The ending to the book in which Helen challenges the masculinity of Paris only to lie down next to him is one where there is not emotional connection.  Rather, it is one of private alienation, a setting where true emotional connection is not evident.

This same archetype of external beauty not reflective of emotional connection is seen in the relationship that Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan share in The Great Gatsby.  While the setting of both vastly differs, the same lack of emotional connection is seen.  Daisy cannot bring herself to stand by and stand up for Gatsby.  Her "careless" nature is shown in how she cannot pledge her loyalty to Gatsby when she is forced to make a decision between he and Tom. Like Helen, Daisy brings suffering with her.  This is seen in how she lets Gatsby accept blame for her mistake in driving the car that killed Myrtle, something for which he must pay the ultimate price.  Daisy's forlorn emotional state is evident in how she sits across from Tom, "with a plate of cold fried chicken between them, and two bottles of ale."  There is no happiness evident.  Rather, there is an impression of how both are "conspiring together."  It is here in which one sees the same level of emotional distance between two people supposedly in love.  Daisy's lack of emotional connection to Gatsby is similar to how Helen lacks an emotional bond to Paris.  In both settings, external beauty is not enough to sustain profound sentiment for people supposedly in love.

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What are Helen's feelings towards Paris in the Iliad?

Although she has a small role in Homer's epic poem The Iliad, Helen has a profound impact on the action of the plot. She is, after all, the primary cause of the Trojan War, during which the poem is set.

Prior to the events of the poem, Paris is tasked by Zeus to determine which goddess is the most beautiful: Hera, Aphrodite, or Athena. Each goddess offers Paris a reward in an attempt to earn his favor and win the contest. Aphrodite ultimately wins Paris's vote with a promise to make the most beautiful woman in the world his wife. However, Aphrodite neglects to mention that Helen, the most beautiful woman in the world, is already married to King Menelaus of Sparta. This obstacle does not stop Paris from perusing Helen.

There is debate as to whether Paris kidnapped and raped Helen or she fell in love with him and willingly left Menelaus. Either way, Helen leaves Sparta for Troy and sparks the Trojan War, becoming "the face that launched a thousand ships."

It is not long before Helen's love for Paris fades. She feels guilty for the many lives lost on her account and she is homesick. Most of the people of Troy resent her for causing the Trojan War. She misses her home, family, and friends. She deeply regrets her decision to be with Paris. In book 3, she speaks with her father-in-law, King Priam of Troy, about her discontentment:

I respect and reverence you, dear father-in-law, I wish I had chosen death rather than following your son, leaving behind my bridal chamber, my beloved daughter, my dear childhood friends and my kin. But I did not, and I pine away in sorrow.

Helen misses her daughter, Hermione, and the life she had before running off with Paris.

Helen regrets her decision to be with Paris, and her resentment of him intensifies as the war progresses. She is disgusted by Paris's cowardly behavior when he fights Menelaus. Paris initially retreats out of fear when he is challenged by Menelaus. After he is scolded by Hector for his cowardice, Paris agrees to fight the Spartan king. During their battle, Menelaus drags Paris by the strap of his helmet. Aphrodite interferes. She breaks the helmet strap and takes Paris off the battlefield to his room in the palace. There, he is scolded by Helen:

So you have left the field: I wish you had died there, at the hands of that great soldier who was once my husband. You used to boast you were a better man than Menelaus, beloved of Ares, a finer spearman, and with a stronger arm. Go back, then, and challenge him, man to man. But my advice would be to stay here, not fight hand to hand with red-haired Menelaus, nor taunt him rashly, lest his spear conquers you.

Helen emasculates and chastises Paris and thinks he is a lesser man and warrior than her former husband, Menelaus.

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How did Paris meet Helen in Homer's Iliad?

This is a great question. One of the most interesting points about Homer's Iliad is how infrequent Helen is mentioned. In fact, Helen appears only six times in the epic, and four of these times are in the third book. The other two appearances are in book 6 and 24.

As the Iliad starts in the ninth year of the Trojan war, it really does not show how Paris met Helen. The abduction of Helen is intimated. The best that we can say is that Paris "won" Helen, who was considered the most beautiful woman in the world as a reward for settling a contest among three goddesses. The dispute was who was the more beautiful among Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite.

Each goddess promises something different. Hera promised rule of Asia. Athena promised prowess and success in battle, and Aphrodite promised the fairest woman in the world. She left out the detail that she was married. So, Paris goes to visit Menelaus and abducts Helen. All of this is intimated in book 24.

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How did Helen fall in love with Paris in Homer's Iliad?

This is a very good question and you would think that the Iliad would address this question at greater length, being that this was the causus belli of the Trojan and Greek conflict. However, if you look at the Iliad, it starts in res media, that is, in the middle of the conflict. To be more precise, we are in the tenth year. In light of this, the story just assumes knowledge of prior events.

The back story is that the gods fated Helen to fall in love with Paris. This point is alluded to the book 24.24-30 in Homer's Iliad. Here is the story. According to mythology, there was a wedding between Thetis and Peleus. However, the goddess Eris was not invited. She was so incensed at this fact that she caused there to be strife among three goddesses. She brought a golden apple, which three goddess claimed - Athena, Hera and Aphrodite. To decide the matter of who would get the apple, they decided to go to Paris, a mortal, to decide a contest, since he was known for fairness.

Paris was to decided who was the most beautiful. The goddesses promised certain things to gain the upper-hand. Hera promised rule over Asia and Europe, Athena promised victory in battle and wisdom, and Aphrodite promised the most beautiful woman in the world. Of course, she failed to mention that this woman was married! Paris picked Aphrodite. From this perspective, Helen fell in love with Paris, because the gods made it so.

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