Instant Classics Villain, Victim... Double Agent? The Many Lives of Helen of Troy pt 4
Feb 12, 2026
A lively tour of Helen’s afterlives across art, literature and film. They track the origin of “the face that launched a thousand ships” and how writers one-up each other. Victorian painters’ creative solutions to depicting impossible beauty get playful scrutiny. Modern casting dilemmas and fresh retellings by contemporary novelists round out a portrait of a perpetually reinvented, unresolved figure.
55:51
Helen As Image, Not Person
- Marlowe's phrase 'the face that launched a thousand ships' frames Helen as an image, not a person.
- This raises the perennial question: can we ever see the "real" Helen behind images and myths.
Amalgamating Beauty In Art
- Ancient painters solved Helen's visual impossibility by combining features from many models.
- This shows a long-standing cultural sense that Helen exceeds any single human face.
Three 19th-Century Helens
- Mary Beard contrasts three late-19th-century Helens: demure, sulky, and inscrutable.
- She favours Moreau's mysterious approach as the cleverest solution to Helen's depiction problem.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Helen's Enduring Cultural Presence
02:04 • 35sec
Ad break
02:39 • 15sec
The 'Face That Launched a Thousand Ships' Origin
02:54 • 3min
Marlowe's Image Versus the Real Helen
05:50 • 4min
Marlowe, Shakespeare and Helen's Reputation
09:50 • 5min
The Painter's Problem: How to Depict Helen
15:06 • 3min
Three Victorian Helens in Painting
18:27 • 6min
Casting Helen for Film and TV
24:26 • 5min
Troy (2004) Premiere Anecdote and Reception
29:26 • 3min
Favourite Screen Helen: Troy: Fall of a City
32:01 • 3min
Modern Novels Rewriting Helen
35:30 • 2min
Atwood's Penelopiad on Helen and Penelope
37:14 • 4min
Pat Barker's The Silence of the Girls
41:15 • 2min
Natalie Haynes' A Thousand Ships
43:39 • 5min
Carol Ann Duffy's 'Beautiful' Poem
48:27 • 5min
Helen as Unfinished Business
52:59 • 58sec
Outro
53:57 • 54sec
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The silence of the girls
Pat Barker
The Silence of the Girls is a novel by Pat Barker that retells the story of the Iliad from the perspective of Briseis, a Trojan queen who becomes Achilles's captive and concubine.
Through Briseis's eyes, Barker explores the brutal realities of war and the experiences of women in ancient Greece.
The novel sheds light on the silenced voices of women in Homer's epic, examining themes of power, trauma, and the complexities of human relationships in a time of conflict.
#71632
Troilus and Crusader
Geoffrey Chaucer
#1151
• Mentioned in 34 episodes
Aeneid
Virgil
James Howard Mantinband
#24473
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Helen
Euripides
Euripides' "Helen" is a Greek tragedy that offers a unique retelling of the Trojan War myth.
In this version, Helen never actually went to Troy; a phantom was sent in her place.
The real Helen was stranded in Egypt, where she encounters Menelaus after the war.
The play explores themes of deception, identity, and the nature of reality.
"Helen" is known for its clever plot twists and its subversion of traditional expectations.
The play's exploration of identity and the power of illusion remains relevant today.
Its enduring appeal lies in its clever plot and its exploration of the human condition.
#27856
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Troilus and Cressida
William Shakespeare
The play revolves around the doomed love affair between Troilus, a Trojan prince, and Cressida, a Trojan woman whose father has defected to the Greeks.
Despite their vows of fidelity, Cressida is traded to the Greek camp and eventually betrays Troilus by accepting the attentions of Diomedes.
The play also delves into the broader context of the Trojan War, highlighting the cynicism, lack of heroism, and moral disintegration on both sides.
It is known for its dark and often cynical exploration of human nature and the consequences of war.
#33017
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Trojan women
Euripides
Euripides' "The Trojan Women" is a powerful Greek tragedy depicting the suffering of Trojan women after the fall of Troy.
The play portrays the brutal realities of war and its devastating impact on women and families.
It explores themes of loss, grief, and the violation of human dignity.
The play's vivid portrayal of the women's suffering and their resilience in the face of unimaginable hardship has made it a timeless classic.
It remains a poignant reminder of the human cost of war and the importance of compassion and empathy.
#3136
• Mentioned in 15 episodes
Circe
Madeline Miller
In this novel, Madeline Miller reimagines the life of Circe, the daughter of the Titan sun god Helios and the nymph Perse.
Circe, who is neither as powerful as her father nor as alluring as her mother, finds her own path through the discovery of witchcraft.
After being banished to the island of Aiaia by Zeus, Circe hones her magical abilities and encounters various figures from Greek mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus, Icarus, Medea, and Odysseus.
The story explores themes of identity, love, loss, and female strength in a patriarchal world.
Circe's journey is marked by her transformation from an outcast to a powerful goddess who must choose between her divine heritage and her love for mortals.
#
the Penelopead
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood's 'The Penelopiad' reimagines Homer's 'Odyssey' from the perspective of Penelope, Odysseus's wife, and her twelve maids who were hanged upon his return.
Through Penelope's narration from the afterlife, Atwood challenges traditional interpretations of the epic, offering a feminist critique of patriarchal power dynamics.
The novel delves into Penelope's cunning strategies for survival, her complex relationship with Odysseus, and the silenced voices of the maids.
By giving voice to these marginalized characters, Atwood explores themes of betrayal, loyalty, and the manipulation of history.
'The Penelopiad' is a thought-provoking retelling that questions the heroic narratives of ancient literature.
#
A Thousand Ships
Natalie Haynes
In 'A Thousand Ships', Natalie Haynes retells the epic story of the Trojan War from the perspectives of the women involved.
The novel begins with the fall of Troy and delves into the stories of the Trojan women, the Amazon princess who fought Achilles, Penelope awaiting Odysseus's return, and the three goddesses whose feud initiated the war.
Haynes gives voice to these female characters, often victims of the war, and highlights how history is written by the victors.
#1064
• Mentioned in 35 episodes
Odyssey
Homer
#3651
• Mentioned in 13 episodes
Dr. Faustus
Christopher Marlowe
The play follows Doctor Faustus, a German scholar who, dissatisfied with traditional forms of knowledge, turns to magic and makes a pact with the devil Mephastophilis.
In exchange for his soul, Faustus gains 24 years of unlimited power and knowledge.
The play explores themes of knowledge, power, and sacrifice, serving as a cautionary tale about the perilous nature of unchecked ambition and the pursuit of forbidden knowledge.
Set in various European locations, it reflects the Renaissance spirit and the intellectual climate of Elizabethan England.
Greece gave way to Rome and the Roman Empire too declined, but Helen of Troy survived. Forever young and relevant, she has been reimagined by generation after generation. In the last episode of this mini-series, Mary and Charlotte look at Helen’s enduring appeal in the modern age.
They show how she appeared in the poetry of medieval bards, inspired playwright Christopher Marlowe to create one of the most famous lines in English literature (the face that launched a thousand ships) - and how Shakespeare, not wanting to be outdone by Marlowe, said her face launched ‘over’ a thousand ships.
Mary describes some of her favourite 19th century paintings of Helen - and discusses the problem of how you paint a face that, by definition, is more beautiful than the face of any artist model. Charlotte talks about how that problem continues in cinema (with a side anecdote about asking Brad Pitt the wrong question at the launch of the film Troy).
Finally, Charlotte and Mary compare some of their favourite Helens in modern literature, including Margaret Atwood’s Penelopiad (2005), Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls (2018) and Natalia Haynes’ A Thousand Ships (2019)
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Paintings referred to:
G Moreau, Helen at the Scaean Gates
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Helene_a_la_porte_scee_-_gustave_moreau_-_2.jpg
F. A Sandys, Helen of Troy
https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/artifact/helen-of-troy
(The original magazine illustration from which the painting is excerpted:
E de Morgan, Helen of Troy:
https://www.demorgan.org.uk/collection/helen-of-troy/
Instant Classics handmade by Vespucci
Producer: Jonty Claypole
Video Editor: Jak Ford
Theme music: Casey Gibson
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