Professor Edith Hall

You want to say, why didn't you have that conversation 24 books ago?

You want to say, why didn't you have that conversation 24 books ago?

Yeah, of the actually ordinary human who has sacrificed everything to try and save the people we've come to be very fond of in the course of the poem.

Yeah, of the actually ordinary human who has sacrificed everything to try and save the people we've come to be very fond of in the course of the poem.

Yeah, of the actually ordinary human who has sacrificed everything to try and save the people we've come to be very fond of in the course of the poem.

And his wife, and Hecuba.

And his wife, and Hecuba.

And his wife, and Hecuba.

Well, we've got goddesses a lot. Thetis is Achilles' mother who will do anything for him and is a very emotionally sophisticated figure who intervenes with Zeus for him, intervenes with Hephaestus. We've got Hera and Athena and Artemis. We have the goddesses. But the gods are really amoral and childish compared with the humans. That's both men and women. But the women are fascinating.

Well, we've got goddesses a lot. Thetis is Achilles' mother who will do anything for him and is a very emotionally sophisticated figure who intervenes with Zeus for him, intervenes with Hephaestus. We've got Hera and Athena and Artemis. We have the goddesses. But the gods are really amoral and childish compared with the humans. That's both men and women. But the women are fascinating.

Well, we've got goddesses a lot. Thetis is Achilles' mother who will do anything for him and is a very emotionally sophisticated figure who intervenes with Zeus for him, intervenes with Hephaestus. We've got Hera and Athena and Artemis. We have the goddesses. But the gods are really amoral and childish compared with the humans. That's both men and women. But the women are fascinating.

So the big women are Chryseis and Briseis. But they don't get very much to say. Briseis has this one wonderful speech, lament for Patroclus when she says how not kind he was to her. We have Andromache, who is very proud and very tender, an admirable wife and mother, exactly the sort of person whose civilization shouldn't be destroyed. We have Hecuba, equally madly loves Hector, Zaha's son.

So the big women are Chryseis and Briseis. But they don't get very much to say. Briseis has this one wonderful speech, lament for Patroclus when she says how not kind he was to her. We have Andromache, who is very proud and very tender, an admirable wife and mother, exactly the sort of person whose civilization shouldn't be destroyed. We have Hecuba, equally madly loves Hector, Zaha's son.

So the big women are Chryseis and Briseis. But they don't get very much to say. Briseis has this one wonderful speech, lament for Patroclus when she says how not kind he was to her. We have Andromache, who is very proud and very tender, an admirable wife and mother, exactly the sort of person whose civilization shouldn't be destroyed. We have Hecuba, equally madly loves Hector, Zaha's son.

And of course, we have Helen. Helen appears in book three and regrets bitterly. She tells us how much she regrets what she's done. She, I think, fancies Hector rather than Paris. She has a bit of a flirt with Hector in book six, and he doesn't blame her. He's kind even to Helen. He sees this is a man's game and that she's just a pawn in man's game. She also sings a lament for Hector.

And of course, we have Helen. Helen appears in book three and regrets bitterly. She tells us how much she regrets what she's done. She, I think, fancies Hector rather than Paris. She has a bit of a flirt with Hector in book six, and he doesn't blame her. He's kind even to Helen. He sees this is a man's game and that she's just a pawn in man's game. She also sings a lament for Hector.

And of course, we have Helen. Helen appears in book three and regrets bitterly. She tells us how much she regrets what she's done. She, I think, fancies Hector rather than Paris. She has a bit of a flirt with Hector in book six, and he doesn't blame her. He's kind even to Helen. He sees this is a man's game and that she's just a pawn in man's game. She also sings a lament for Hector.

There's four women who sing laments in Book 24, and that is Andromache, Hecuba, Helen, and Cassandra. We meet Cassandra in Book 24. Of course, by having Cassandra in, we know that somebody there knows everything that's going to happen. It's very clever. But I mean, so we've got in the final book, we have Hector's mother, wife, sister and sister-in-law, right?

There's four women who sing laments in Book 24, and that is Andromache, Hecuba, Helen, and Cassandra. We meet Cassandra in Book 24. Of course, by having Cassandra in, we know that somebody there knows everything that's going to happen. It's very clever. But I mean, so we've got in the final book, we have Hector's mother, wife, sister and sister-in-law, right?

There's four women who sing laments in Book 24, and that is Andromache, Hecuba, Helen, and Cassandra. We meet Cassandra in Book 24. Of course, by having Cassandra in, we know that somebody there knows everything that's going to happen. It's very clever. But I mean, so we've got in the final book, we have Hector's mother, wife, sister and sister-in-law, right?