HECUBA: When suffering turns to aberrance…

Hecuba counted among the most passionate and insane heroines who play a
significant role in Tragedy. She is an unusual creature, forced to act in a place beyond
human limits1. Euripides, by using the war as cause, shows how the old queen faces
the absolute misery. Her story illustrates emphatically the changes of human fortune.
Hecuba has not lost only her home or her family: she was a queen. Now she is a slave,
poor, fully depended on other’s desires. Once she was healthy and prosperous, now is
exhausted. Mother of many children, she lost her sons during the war and she saw her
elderly husband and her daughters dying at Troy’s conquest. She also saw her
daughter Cassandra, the virgin chaplain of Apollo, becoming the concubine of her
enemies’ leader. She is also too old and physically weak 2. All these – within the
framework of stage action – are just the “prehistory” of the tragedy. Soon Hecuba will
lose the most precious thing of was left, her two last and youngest children, Polyxena
and Polydorus3, and we will learn this too early4.
From the beginning of the drama Polydorus’ Ghost foretells that his mother
will be in Thrace soon and will discover his body 5. At the same day his sister is
predetermined by fate to die, an unfair sacrifice which requires the spirit of dead
Achilles6. The sequence of deaths urges us to focus upon the elderly heroine and her
suffering. Specifically we are anxious to see how Hecuba is about to react to this pain.
But the addition of second death opens a new direction on plot, as the play turns from
a drama of misery to a drama of revenge. We are no longer on the path that leads
straight to justice: we are going to feel the profound burst of a human heart, we are
going also to feel the pain which joins another. The plot builds on this disastrous and
enormous wrath, that leads to murder and simultaneously to moral disintegration in
which a human being sink and disappears7. Before moving to this impressive but
degenerative change she will fight using peitho as weapon: Hecuba is urged to face
rhetoric agones in order to convince a neutral or enemy audience. This old woman
based primary on her obvious suffering due to her appalling situation, and secondarily
on her motivation to ensure sympathy and assistance. But her belief turns out to be
worthless and finally, when she will become totally desperate, Hecuba will adopt
different “techniques” of peithos, that will prove to be successful. But this progress
runs parallel to her steady demoralization8.
When she hears about the impending sacrifice of her daughter by the Greek
army, she could never be reconciled with it, on the contrary she is ready to do

1
See Burnett 1998, 157.
2
See Abrahamson 1952, 122.
3
But in Iliad Polydorus is the son of Priam and Laothoe, not Hecuba: For even now there be twain of
my sons, Lycaon and Polydorus, / that I cannot see amid the Trojans that I gathered into the city, / even
they that Laothoe bare me, a princess among women. (22.46-48) He is also killed by Achilles before
the conquest of Troy (20.407-418).
4
Euripides provides the audience well aware of the situation and warns us about the level of Hecuba’s
pain, even before she experienced. See also Vickers 1973, 81.
5
See Whitmore 1915, 89.
6
Hecuba is “crammed” into a brief double action plan: everything seems to be rapidly configured. See
Michelini 1987, 134.
7
Hecubas’ status as a pathetic woman will be challenged at first by her new role as a punisher, and
finally by the calamity of her victim, Polymestor, that somehow mirrored her own: like Hecuba, he is
weak, isolated, humiliated. Like Hecuba, he will lose at the same day two children. Perfect revenge
demands full reciprocity and the wounds are both incurable.
8
See Michelini 1987, 142.
everything to overthrow the unfair and cruel decision. But in this first attempt to
convince, she will test herself against the master of tricks, Odysseus, and she will fail.
Odysseus enters the scene brightly advising Hecuba not to resist and to recognize her
weakness. But Hecuba is not willing to give up: she seeks to persuade him to pity
Polyxena recalling the charis that he owns to her from past: the man who soon will
prove to be the most culpable for Polyxeni’ s death, is deeply indebted to Hecuba,
who once saved his life9. A disguise Odysseus, supposedly blind, was recognized by
Helen, but was rescued by the powerful queen10. Now fate is reversed, the powerful
Odysseus confronts the helpless old queen who begs for her innocent daughter
emphasizing her misery and her dependency on Polyxena as her last support:

she is my comfort in place of many a loss,

my city and my nurse, my staff and journey’ s guide11. (lines 280-281)

But Odysseus is not interested in proving himself fair and honest towards Hecuba
who, as a poor slave, is totally weak. Her words probably would affect or touch us,
the audience, but fail to bend the distrustful and sharp Odysseus who is seeking to
honor the dead Achilles disregarding cynically for the loss of an innocent human
life12.
A little later it s time for victory: Hecuba, after Polyxena’ s sacrifice, intends to
burry her daughter. She notices a slave carrying a lifeless body and she assumes that it
belongs to Polyxena (line 679), but as she bends and moves the cover, her
excruciating pain is reinforced by a new one, totally unexpected: in front of her eyes
Polydorus is lying dead, her youngest child13! How can we not get thrilled by this
double blow? It would easily lead anyone to madness or even suicide. Both
alternatives would be a convincing psychological way out, full of pity and horror. But
our heroine chooses to follow other path: she screams for justice and revenge,
probably just like us. She refuses to remain inactive, all that happened to her can not
be unpunished. She will organize and execute her devious and heinous plan, for she is
too strong to regret for her decisions14.
She will need Agamemnon’ s help15 to avenge Polymestor, the murder of
Polydorus. The great king is already “involved” in a way with Hecuba, because of his
love for Cassandra, so it is much easier to be persuaded rather than Odysseus. We
could assume that Odysseus’ cruelty is neutralized by Agamemnon’ s weakness, and
this fact serves Hecuba’ s purposes 16. Although he expresses his interest, Hecuba
initially avoids him and investigates silently her chances of success (line 736), but she
will finally decide to act:

…i must do and dare whether I win or lose. (line 751)

9
See Abrahamson 1952, 124-125, Burnnet 1998, 161.
10
Although in the Homeric statement neither Hecuba is present nor Odysseus pretends to be blind. See
Od. 4.242.
11
Despite Troy’ s desolation Polyxena is still remaining Hecuba’ s polis and her sacrifice will result in
the loss of mother’ s moral identity. See also Conacher 1961, 20-21.
12
See lines 304-316.
13
Behind the hideousness of this spectacle Hecuba can recognize the man who murdered her child and
as he knows him, she knows how to react too. See Burnnet 1998, 164.
14
See Pomeroy 1976, 109.
15
While Polymestor, an ex friend, becomes the worst enemy of Hecuba, at the same time Agamemnon,
this hated opponent of Trojans, becomes a temporary ally! I would say that Euripides emphasizes and
also teaches the variability of trust in times of crisis.
16
See Abrahamson 1952, 125.
She enumerates the various circumstances that have already made the crime more
hideous: Polymestor was a guest17, however he murdered the child in order to usurp
the gold of Priam after the fall of Troy. He also denied to burry him and he threw him
at sea. According to the established standards of right and wrong Polymestor’ s deed
was one of incurable evil and deserves punishment18. The reliance of law and morality
is followed by a stronger reliance of her calamity: unlike her previous prosperity, now
she is indeed “the most wretched woman living” (line 811), essentially becoming a
vivid example of injustice suffering. Suddenly Agamemnon is ready to abandon her
(line 812), her effort seems to fail and she has to blame for this “Persuasion, the only
real mistress of mankind” (line 816) that people can pay and learn19. But this can not
discourage her, she is willing to retry.
The second attempt of Hecuba demonstrates female cunning, but it also proves
her own demoralization: Agamemnon is not only the conqueror of Troy, but he is the
lover of Cassandra too: perhaps her sexual services could succeed something for the
daughter and hence for her mother too:

or what return shall my daughter or I her mother have

for the love she has lavished on her lord? (lines 829-830)

The statement must surely shock us, for Hecuba asks for this charis as a reward of
sexual pleasure20, but she has managed to reach her goal. Since her previous logical
arguments have failed, she dares to use techniques that reveal empathy, that might
“wound” the opponent and ultimately gain his consensus 21. Her desperate attempt to
thrill Agamemnon is almost completed: she will use verbal, almost comical,
excesses22:

………..Oh! Would I have a voice in arms,

in hands, in hair and feet, placed there
by the arts of Daedalus or some god,
that all together they might embrace your knees
with tears, bringing a thousand pleas to bear on you! (lines 836-840)

She finally tries to flatter him slavishly: she addresses to Agamemnon by naming him
as “the most glorious light of Hellas” (line 841). Her landing words seem to be like
her opening, with reminders of man’ s duty to punish evil-doers (lines 844-845), but
the morality of her pleas – and of her supplication in general – has already been
destroyed. However Hecuba still hopes that Agamemnon will finally fulfill her
persistent requests.
But the king seems to hesitate 23: he could justify Hecuba’ s situation, but he
can not ignore the Greek winners: the Thracian king is an ally, while the Trojan

17
See Vickers 1973, 281, Hall 1989, 109.
18
For more details about the responsibility and guilt of Plymestor see Burnnet 1998, 170-172.
19
Beyond the anachronism and the indirect criticism of Sophists Hecuba underlines her own lack of
convincing capacities. See also Michelini 1987, 150-151.
20
See also Adkins 1966, 201, Conacher 1967, 162, Burnnet 1998, 164.
21
This surprising “sexual Persuasion” is not something uncommon for the Athenian audience: many
attic vases underline this aspect of Persuasion by depicting the goddess Peitho among Aphrodite and
Eros. For more examples see also McClure 1999, 62-68.
22
See also Michelini 1987, 152-153.
23
See Foley 2001, 272.
Polydorus was an enemy (lines 858-859). The probable accusation of Greek comrades
stops Agamemnon’ s intention for real assistance. This does not disappoint Hecuba
who will move catalytically further: her cynical mention that no mortal is free and
everybody is in a way “enslaved” by external forces such as destiny, wealth, justice or
even the caprices of demos, ideologically contrasts with her daughter Polyxena, who
had been voluntarily sacrificed earlier, denying slavery24. Polyxena’ s reaction is
completely different from her mother’ s expectations: she effectively “replaces”
somehow the impending slaughter of a slave with a heroic deed that belongs to a free
woman. This invincible sense of liberty and aristocratic integrity allows Polyxena to
convert even a forced – because of dead Achilles’ will – death in a personal voluntary
desire25. But we could also assume that perhaps something else is hiding behind
Hecuba’ s antiheroic confession, according to tragic standards: when the elderly queen
rejects her own freedom for the sake of revenge, then we realize that such a woman
has the strongest motive to trap someone and finally destroy him 26. Hecuba fails to
earn Agamemnon’ s dynamic help, but at least she persuades him to tolerate her
forthcoming action. Misleadingly her plan seems to be Polymestor’ s murder, but soon
Hecuba will offer us something more cruel. Agamemnon, without cooperating
himself, essentially accepts what will follow, and this apparently is a victory of the old
Trojan woman.
Her triumph will be completed a little later; Polymestor appears down in his
knees, blind, having deprived his two children. He describes the details of his
calamities that underline the deceitfulness of Hecuba’ s trick; the empty promise of a
hidden treasure (lines 1146-1147) led him and his children to the tent of the prisoner
Trojan women causing blindness and death. The Thracian king’ s greed 27 “favors” in a
way Hecuba’ s attitude, who celebrates her heinous crime. Agamemnon will definitely
defend her (lines 1250-1251), although we were already too sure about that. A
humiliated and tortured woman, almost destroyed by her enemies and by ex friends,
finally acts similarly with all them28. If we are looking for a final lesson or conclusion,
that heroine showed us how much someone could damage another person, or probably
how someone risks losing – and finally loses – his humanism 29. This is the moral
tragedy of Hecuba which is reflected in her horrific transformation into bitch 30. But
even this curse, uttered by Polymestor’ s mouth and followed by negative prophesies
about Cassandra and Agamemnon, upsets and threatens us, not her. She only cares
about her successful revenge and enjoys the moment:

It is nothing to me, now that you have paid me the penalty. (line 1274)

These words clearly summarize the connection between pain and loss of human
consciousness. At the end of drama, this woman who has lost her family, her polis, her
freedom, her hopes, loses also her honor and – worst of all – her soul. But Euripides
just “allows” us to imagine all this, he better prefers to present Hecuba enjoying her
victory. In fact, who would ever care about future in the midst of celebrations?
24
By the gods, leave me free; / so slay me, that death may find me free; / for to be called a slave among
the dead fills my royal heart with shame. (lines 550-552)
25
See Harbsmeier 1968, 61 and Conacher 1967, 158-159.
26
See Michelini 1987, 154.
27
From the beginning of drama Polydorus Ghost mentioned that Polymestor killed him in order “to
keep the gold for himself in his house” (line 27).
28
See Abrahamson 1952, 128.
29
See Hall 2010, 257.
30
See Burnnet 1998, 173.
 Konstantinos Deligiorgis, University of Athens

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Burnett A.P. 1998, Revenge in Attic and Later Tragedy, California.

Conacher D.J. 1961, «Euripides’ Hecuba», AJPh 82, p. 1-26.

___________ 1967, Euripidean Drama. Myth, Theme and Structure, Toronto.

Foley H.P. 2001, Female Acts in Greek Tragedy, Princeton.

Hall E. 1989, Inventing the Barbarian, Oxford.

______2010, Greek Tragedy: Suffering under the Sun, Oxford.

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Vickers B. 1973, Towards Greek Tragedy, London.

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