Helena

by Euripides

"Helena" by Euripides is a tragedy performed around 412 BCE. In this radical retelling of the Trojan War, Helen never went to Troy but spent the war years in Egypt while a phantom took her place. Now she awaits rescue from her husband Menelaus, who believes she perished at sea, while fending off an Egyptian king's marriage demands. This unconventional drama questions the absurdity of war fought over an illusion.