1> In the play *Women of Troy*, Euripides illustrates the horrendous effect on the human spirit of extreme loss and grief. Discuss. 2 3### Topic sentences 4 5- The sadness and exhaustion of Hecuba represents how one's persistence and hope may be enforced by these experiences, acting as a personification of the city of Troy. 6 7- Astyanax, acting as a symbol for innocence and peace, represents the deep hole that is left when these characteristics are absent from society, expressed by Hector and Andromache's responses. 8 9- Euripides explores how Hecuba deals with grief and loss through the prospect of hope 10 11- Modelled by the character of Cassandra, Euripides explores how an extreme level of loss and grief can strengthen the human spirit. 12 13- Euripides explores the grief and effect on the human spirit through the contrasting emotions of Hecuba and Cassandra, highlighting the opposing reactions of hope and revenge. 14 15- Euripides demonstrates extreme grief and loss in the human spirit through Andromache’s hopelessness. 16 17- The effect of human spirit explored by Euripides during a time of loss and grief is displayed through the character Hecuba, showing that responding with hope and an optimistic attitude can support others who are also suffering 18 19- Loss and grief can be so damaging that it can render people utterly hopeless. 20 21- Despite the extreme dereustation, Hecuba is still able to muster hope. 22 23### Essay plan 24 25- The sadness and exhaustion of Hecuba represents how one's persistence and hope may be enforced by these experiences, acting as a personification of the city of Troy. 26 27- - _“The lucky ones are dead”_ 28- - _“I won’t sleep on a royal mattress anymore”_ 29- - _"an old woman fallen flat on her face"_ 30 31- Astyanax, acting as a symbol for innocence and peace, represents the deep hole that is left when these characteristics are absent from society, expressed by Hector and Andromache's responses. 32 33- - 34 35- The character of Cassandra shows how grief may actually strengthen the human spirit, a great contrast to other characters. 36 37- - _"She’s happier dead than I am living"_ 38 39### Essay 40 41The play _Women of Troy_ presents many characters who suffer from grief and loss - most significantly, Hecuba, Andromache, and Cassandra. These characters highlight great contrasts in the way that individuals may respond to emotional hardship. This allows Euripides to show that personal losses are undeniably horrible events, but it is the individual's response to it that determines the outcome. 42 43The sadness and exhaustion of Hecuba represents how one's courage and hope may be enforced by these experiences. Hecuba is the only character in the play who is constantly persistent and hopeful. Even in the worst of times, as the women are "butchered like an animal" by the Greeks, she is able to "lift up [her] head from the dust", pained but accepting that she must push on for herself and for those around her. This spirit is persistent through the play - Hecuba is seemingly the most tired and depressed of the group, but she still manages to fight through the hardships. Her hope seems to dwindle in the final scene of the play, after witnessing the young, innocent body of Astyanax. She is near hopelessness and laments that "she has taken your life, and utterly destroyed your family". However, she is still able to unite the women of Troy and uses her community as an positive outlet for her grief. Thus, the character of Hecuba is an example of how grief and loss causes one to become withered and exhausted, whilst also motivating persistence and courage. 44 45Andromache has a similar reaction to the grief she experiences, but also longs for comfort and protection from others around her. She echoes much of the grieving heard from Hecuba, as the pair takes turns: "What grieving is like mine?" "My suffering". However, Andromache poses an additional element to this expression. Since she is younger, she has not had the "howl of agony" instilled in her so deeply, relying more on the validation and comfort from her family. Andromache desperately calls for late Hector to "protect me now, as you've always done", and almost gives up when she says "No, no more... I can't bear it". She then relies on the validation and affirmation of Hecuba, saying "Dear Mother, listen". In this example, it is clear that Andromache deals with her sorrow by commiserating with those around her, but ultimately this strengthens her in the same way as Hecuba. 46 47Cassandra responds to grief in an unusual way: more passively than Hecuba, but with revenge and whole-hearted irrationality. After she is raped by Ajax, her father Priam murdered, and her hometown of Troy invaded, readers expect her to be mournful, but her "half-crazed state" causes quite the opposite. Cassandra simply wants revenge, as she states that Odysseus will "be shipwrecked more than once" and that Agamemnon "will find [her] more destructive as a wife than ever Helen was!". This shows how Cassandra, regardless of her inherent irrationality, responds to these events with further rash and violent decisions. One factor which may contribute to Cassandra's response is her ability to prophesy - she knows that her enslavement is inevitable, so she accepts it instead of preventing it, and plans subsequent revenge on Agamemnon and Odysseus. This is a great contrast to the reflective state that Hecuba and others adopt, but Euripides presents it as another impact of grief. 48 49_Women of Troy_ shows three distinct impacts of grief: increased persistence, reliance on others, and revenge. Euripides contrasts how these are displayed by different characters, and the prior personality traits that contribute to one's response to trauma. However, it is clear that trauma may be horrendous and perpetual regardless of the situation, and the benefits are never worth the pain. 50 51- Cassandra's revengeful spirit is shown when she commits to be "more destructive a wife than ever Helen was", referring to her desire to get revenge on Agamemnon. 52