Sex & Violence: Eternal Companions

The Rape of Helen, by Tintoretto

 Yesterday I watched a show called In Search of the Real Helen of Troy, hosted by the British Historian Bettany Hughes. She traced the historicity of the Trojan War and investigated the myth of Helen (as the title suggests), delving into how high-status Mycenean women (such as Helen) would have looked and behaved, and explored the status of women in other societies in the Late Bronze Age such as the Hittites, where Queen Puduhepa was given some coverage. Women of this era were revealed to be more liberated than their Classical counterparts, which was probably an important allegory for the myths surrounding Helen.

Of course this wasn't the only thing that was covered. The archaeology of the civilizations, their sports, religious rituals, the trading center of Troy, the rituals surrounding hospitality (as seen in the Iliad and especially in the Odyssey) and their importance in international relations, and Bronze Age warfare and combat (complete with an appearance by Mike Loades, always a plus) were also given ample airtime. I'd recommend those that are interested in the Trojan War, Homer, and the myths to give it a go.

However there was one aspect of the program that was particularly intriguing, and that was that the treatment of sex and violence, which may seem diametrically opposed, was actually portrayed as two sides of the same coin. Both are base impulses leftover from our reptilian and mammalian brains in our evolutionary road to becoming human (Carl Sagan's Cosmos Episode 11: The Persistence of Memory covers this well). Both can subvert our 'higher,' human impulses such as logic and judgment and cause us to make poor decisions. In this way, our lust for flesh and our lust for blood are two manifestations of the same core, and Helen can be seen to personify both.

Helen's life is tied up in both sex and the violence that surrounds her sexuality. Her very conception was violent, as Zeus, in the form of a swan, raped her mother Leda. Then, while she was still a young girl, Helen herself was raped by the King of Athens, Theseus. Things didn't seem to be starting off well for this still young princess.

The show went into detail about the kinds of competitions that could be expected between suitors for Helen's hand (and as we've seen in the Odyssey, athletic competitions between suitors were not rare). Events included what could be termed Pankration- the Ancient Greek precursor to modern MMA. And although, as it was explained, the object of the competition was to get your opponent to submit (a not-so-subtle display of dominance akin to lions or rams fighting for a mate), this art was first and foremost something for the battlefield.

Throughout the Iliad, the contrast between beauty and battle is at times on display, mostly through the character of Paris. One of my old professors in college said, quite rightly, that "Paris isn't a pussy." And he isn't, but it is clearly shown that defending his country or even less nobly, prestige on the battlefield, is not where his top priorities lie. They are lying, quite literally, in Helen's bed. Hector reaps scorn on his brother more than once for his prioritizing. Paris can fight, but he's far from the best on the field. Nevertheless, it was Paris' womanizing ways which started the entire mess by giving a pretext for the Greek coalition to invade, but Helen is not absolved of responsibility either. It takes two to tango, almost literally. The show explains that while later storytellers popularized the tale that Helen was abducted, it really seems like she went willingly with Paris, an assertion that Homer would agree with. As we see especially in the Iliad but also in the Odyssey, Helen clearly regrets her actions and wants to go back to Menelaus. There would be no need for her to have such feelings if she did not go willingly. She would be absolved of responsibility.

Thus the violence of the war is not only tied to Paris' lusting, but to Helen's sexuality and desires as well. One could even argue that Helen is the ultimate fictional example of a cautionary tale surrounding female hypergamy, but that's a different (though related) topic.

After the show explains that situations reminiscent of Helen did in fact occur in history in the Late Bronze Age, it would again seem to add arrows to the quiver of sex and violence being linked. Few things are as emotional to the human consciousness as sex, and this can subvert our cerebral cortex and give root to the lower brain impulses: aggression and violence. At the same time that the contrast between beauty and battle are on display, they are linked too, as the elders of Troy, upon seeing Helen, can all agree that the extraordinary beauty of Helen is something that they shouldn't blame anyone for fighting over.

This is probably the reason why, no matter what culture or what age, sex and violence have been eternal companions. Sex and poor decision-making go hand in hand.

And what of Helen? Well, she does seem to live a peaceful life after the war in what few appearances she makes in the Odyssey, but Homer reminds his audience that she's still a dangerous charmer, as the show again explains. She slips drugs into the drinks of Telemachus and Menelaus to keep them up longer, so she can tell a story. While this instance is relatively benign, it leaves the reader in no doubt as to what she is still capable of, and is a not-so-subtle warning that she must be guarded closely.