Helen of Troy: Marriage and adultery according to Hollywood

Abstract

The most beautiful among mortal women in ancient myth is Helen of Troy (originally, of Sparta). Famous in Western culture long before Eve, whose story depended for its familiarity on the spread of Christianity, Helen is the West's original femme fatale . The most fascinating aspect of her story is her illicit love for Paris, the handsome son of King Priam of Troy. Aphrodite, the goddess of love, had promised Paris the most beautiful mortal woman in return for awarding Aphrodite the prize of supreme divine beauty. Unable to resist such a tempting bribe, Paris made his fateful judgment. He then traveled from Troy to Greece for his reward. Helen was the wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, and mother of Hermione. But she fell victim to the passion instilled in her by Aphrodite. As Virgil famously put it, if in a different context: “Love conquers all.” Helen, “crazed by the Trojan man,” followed Paris to Troy. Hence the Trojan War and the fall of Troy, antiquity's biggest myth. Dangerous beauties for whose sake men rush to ruin themselves and others are naturals for popular storytelling in word and image. Especially gripping in tales of two lovers' irresistible passion for each other is the added complication of adultery, which makes one or both of them leave behind all sense of morality, shame, and responsible behavior.