Resumo de The Folly Of War In Euripides' "hecuba"

Euripides' play, Hecuba, written in 424 B.C.E, is as relevant today, as it was when it was first written. An indictment of war, the anguish and despair of the conquered and vanquished leap out from every page. The play speaks about the victims of war, which are many times women and tells of their unspeakable suffering.
Euripides was born into a wealthy Greek family. As a child, he was inducted into the cult of Apollo as a cup-bearer to the priestesses at the temple. At the same time, interestingly, he was also exposed to the major philosophers of the day including Anaxagoras. Anaxagoras was a member of the Ionian School of Philosophy; he encouraged scientific inquiry as a means of understanding the origins of the earth and universe. He believed that the sun was a deliquescent mass of metal instead of the blazing chariot which was driven across the sky by Apollo. These teachings greatly influenced Euripides; they helped him to develop his own personal philosophy of the love of truth and inspired him to later write his plays.
Euripides' plays challenged the state-sponsored religious and political system. They reflected strong characters, both men and women and exposed the folly of war. As Euripides' plays became increasingly popular, and controversial, he was persecuted by the State. some of his friends were even murdered.
At the beginning of the play, Hecuba, Queen of Troy, mother of Prince Hector of Troy and wife of King Priam, is mourning her great losses. Her son, Hector, has been brutally killed by the fierce Greek warrior Achilles. Her son, Polydorus has been treacherously murdered by his trusted guardian, Polymestor and she has just learned the fate of her two daughters; Polyxena is to be killed as a sacrifice on the tomb of Achilles and Cassandra, a virgin-priestess to Apollo, is destined to become a concubine and whore to Agamemnon. She also contemplates her own doomed fate; she is to become a slave to Odysseus, a man she hates.
After learning that her daughter, Polyxena, died courageously for the honor of Troy, she is not comforted but instead rages against the brutality of the Greeks. This queen is inconsolable; she eloquently and compellingly lists all of the injustices of war. She questions the benevolence of the gods, who have betrayed both her and Troy. Her pitiable lamentations for fallen Troy is enough to elicit empathy from even the most seasoned of readers. The women of Troy, who are also grieving for their own families and losses, are hard-pressed to see their queen in such a state.
Euripides' portrayal of Hecuba is compassionate, powerful and realistic; it is compassionate because of her position as fallen queen, powerful because of the great injustices of her loss and Troy's and realistic because of her desire and propensity for revenge. The play contains passages of great beauty of form; lines that are filled with great poignancy and vibrant imagery. Euripides manages to capture the essence of a grief-stricken people and the utter desolation of a great country through war.
As Hecuba and the women of Troy are led off into captivity, she speaks one last time: "Come, let us rush to the pyre, our greatest glory will be to perish in the flames in which our country perishes."

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