Open Lecture: The Feminine Gaze in War: Helen on the walls and Antigone on the roof

Location: Ithacan Philanthropic Society, 2nd Level 329 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne 
Date: FRIDAY 15/9/2017 @ 7:00pm 
Presenter: Elizabeth Stockdale
Entry: FREE

Synopsis

The scene depicting Helen on the walls of Troy from Iliad III.139-258 has been appropriated in modern art by de Morgan, Moreau, Sandys, and Leighton.
The image of Helen on the walls is what is captured from the Greek epic. However, Greek people in antiquity learnt their Homer by heart; the ‘Troy stories’ originally were oral, and ancient Greek culture was one of words, of listening and remembering.

As a result, ancient Greek literature often has ‘Homeric borrowings’ as Homer was, and is, so entrenched in the Greek psyche. Greek drama has Homeric allusions including glimpses of references to Helen, including one whole play Helen by Euripides. This paper examines Euripides’ Phoenissae lines 88-201.This scene is special because it includes not only Homeric allusions, but a complete lifting of the scene of Helen on the walls with Priam from book III of the Iliad. It reverses the questioning and response dialogue in Homer as well as the metre. Where Helen responds, Antigone questions.

Both scenes demonstrate what women say about men at war. While in the Iliad Helen remains emotionally detached, in Euripides’ play Antigone shows her rising fear. Euripides’ adaption of this whole Homeric scene is important because it demonstrates that in fifth century drama not only the importance of Homer, but also that of a woman’s gaze and voice in war

Bio

Elizabeth Stockdale is a PhD candidate in the Department of Ancient History, Macquarie University. She currently lectures in Latin language and tutors in Greek literature. Elizabeth also teaches Greek and Latin in the Macquarie Ancient Languages School. Her research is focussed on Helen and the morality of men and women in Homeric epic. She is under the supervision of Dr. Ian Plant and Associate Professor Paul McKechnie. Her M.A. examined women and religion in Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. As an undergraduate she studied Classics under Professor Godfrey Tanner at the University of Newcastle. Her Honours thesis examined the nature of δίκη in Sophocles’ Antigone.

Elizabeth was a teacher for many years predominantly in Sydney schools where she taught Latin, Greek and History. Last year Elizabeth presented a paper at the Feminism and Classics VII conference at the University of Washington. In December she presented a paper at the Excellence Cluster Topoi at Humboldt University, Berlin. In February this year, Elizabeth was a member of a special Homer panel at the ASCS conference held in Wellington. She co-presented with Fiona Sweet-Formiatti (ANU) and Dr. James O’Maley (Melb.) with Prof. Elizabeth Minchin (ANU) as chair. Elizabeth was the AWAWS Research Grant Recipient for 2016. She is very supportive and encouraging of women and gender equity in Ancient World Studies.

Donor

We thank the following donor: The Ithacan Philanthropic Society.