Muse Refuses the Poet

Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, is summoned by a poet to sing of war and heroes. But she resists, weary of the endless male-centric tales and the demand for her inspiration. Instead, she insists that the true story of the Trojan War is not that of the men, but of the women—those who suffered, survived, and endured. This sets the tone for a retelling that centers the overlooked voices, challenging the traditional epic's focus and promising a narrative that will finally give the women their due.

Troy's Final Night

As Troy burns, Creusa, wife of Aeneas, awakens to chaos. The city, thought victorious after the Greeks' apparent departure, is betrayed by the infamous wooden horse. Creusa's desperate search for her family and escape through smoke-filled streets is interwoven with memories of hope and the city's pride. The fall is not just a military defeat but a personal unraveling—her home, her identity, and her future are consumed by fire. The gods, once invoked for protection, are now silent, and Creusa's fate is sealed in the darkness before dawn.

Women Amidst Ruins

On the shore, the Trojan women—Hecabe, Andromache, Polyxena, Cassandra, and others—await their fate as spoils of war. Their queen, Hecabe, mourns her slain husband and sons, clinging to the hope that one child, Polydorus, survives in hiding. The women's grief is raw, but their suffering is compounded by the knowledge that, for them, the end of war means not death but the loss of everything else: freedom, family, and dignity. Their conversations reveal the futility of blame and the universality of their pain.

Warnings Unheeded

Theano, a priestess, and others recall how warnings to return Helen and avoid war were dismissed by prideful men. The gods' messages, delivered through dreams and omens, are ignored or misinterpreted. The wooden horse, a clear danger to some, is welcomed by others, manipulated by Greek trickery and divine interference. The women's wisdom and foresight are powerless against the momentum of male ambition and hubris, sealing Troy's doom.

The Wooden Horse Deception

Sinon, a Greek left behind, spins a tale of sacrifice and betrayal, convincing the Trojans to bring the horse inside their walls. Laocoon's warning is silenced by the death of his sons, interpreted as a sign from the gods. The horse, filled with Greek warriors, is the instrument of Troy's destruction. The city's trust, manipulated by both men and gods, leads to its annihilation. The women, powerless to intervene, witness the consequences of decisions made without them.

The Amazon's Last Stand

Penthesilea, the Amazon queen, arrives to aid Troy, seeking death in battle to atone for accidentally killing her sister. Her prowess is unmatched, but she is slain by Achilles, who is momentarily shamed by the realization that he has killed a woman as valiant as any man. Her death marks the end of hope for Troy and underscores the tragedy of women's heroism erased by war.

The Cost of Victory

The Greek victors divide the surviving women and treasures. Briseis and Chryseis, once princesses, become prizes for Achilles and Agamemnon, their agency stripped away. The plague sent by Apollo, in response to Agamemnon's refusal to return Chryseis, devastates the Greek camp, showing that even victors are not immune to suffering. The women's fates are determined by the whims of men and gods, their grief and resilience largely unseen.

Penelope's Waiting Game

Penelope, wife of Odysseus, writes letters to her absent husband, chronicling her years of waiting, the pressure from suitors, and her strategies to delay remarriage. Her intelligence and emotional complexity are revealed as she navigates loneliness, hope, and the demands of Ithaca's men. Her story, often overshadowed by Odysseus's adventures, becomes a testament to the quiet heroism of those left behind.

The Plague and the Prize

The plague in the Greek camp forces Agamemnon to return Chryseis, but he claims Briseis from Achilles, sparking a rift that nearly destroys the Greek cause. The women's bodies are currency in the politics of war, their suffering a backdrop to male pride and conflict. The gods' interventions, often petty and self-serving, further complicate mortal lives, blurring the lines between justice and vengeance.

Sacrifice at Aulis

Before the war, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia to appease Artemis and secure passage to Troy. The girl's innocence and the deception of her mother, Clytemnestra, highlight the brutality of patriarchal power. Iphigenia's death haunts her mother, sowing the seeds of future vengeance and underscoring the expendability of women in the machinery of war.

The Goddesses' Contest

At the wedding of Thetis and Peleus, Eris, goddess of strife, throws a golden apple inscribed "for the fairest." Hera, Athene, and Aphrodite vie for the prize, and Paris of Troy is chosen to judge. Each goddess offers him a bribe, but he chooses Aphrodite, who promises him Helen. This divine contest, rooted in vanity and spite, sets in motion the events that lead to the Trojan War, showing how women's fates are shaped by the caprices of gods.

The Fall of Kings

With Troy fallen, the narrative follows the fates of the royal women. Hecabe, enslaved, exacts revenge on Polymestor for murdering her son Polydorus. Andromache, Hector's widow, is taken by Neoptolemus, her son Astyanax killed to prevent future vengeance. Cassandra, cursed to prophesy but never be believed, is claimed by Agamemnon and murdered alongside him by Clytemnestra. The cycle of violence and retribution continues, with women both victims and agents of fate.

The Price of Betrayal

The betrayal of Troy by allies and the Greeks' own betrayals among themselves highlight the precariousness of trust and the high cost of survival. Hecabe's revenge on Polymestor is both justice and a perpetuation of violence. The women's actions, often born of desperation, challenge the notion of passive victimhood and reveal the complexity of agency under oppression.

The Fate of the Innocent

The Greeks, fearing future retribution, kill Hector's son Astyanax by throwing him from the city walls. Andromache's grief is immeasurable, and the act underscores the relentless logic of war: to secure victory, even the innocent must die. The women's mourning is both personal and collective, a lament for lost children, lost futures, and the impossibility of true peace.

Vengeance and Aftermath

Agamemnon's return to Mycenae is met not with celebration but with murder. Clytemnestra, driven by the sacrifice of Iphigenia and her husband's arrogance, kills him and Cassandra. The Furies, embodiments of vengeance, are invoked, and the cycle of bloodshed continues. The aftermath of war is not healing but further unraveling, as old wounds breed new ones.

The Weaving of Stories

Calliope, the muse, reflects on the stories told and untold. She insists that the epic is not just the tale of men's glory but of women's endurance, suffering, and strength. The narrative closes with a call to remember and honor the women whose lives and losses are woven into the fabric of history, challenging the silence that has long obscured them.

Characters

Calliope

Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, frames the entire narrative, refusing to be a passive source of inspiration for yet another male-centered epic. She is witty, sharp, and self-aware, determined to shift the focus to the women whose stories have been neglected. Her meta-commentary challenges both the poet and the reader to reconsider whose voices are heard and whose suffering is remembered. She is the embodiment of the book's central thesis: that the epic belongs to all, not just the victors or the men.

Hecabe (Hecuba)

Hecabe, once queen of Troy, is the emotional core of the Trojan women's experience. She endures the loss of her husband, sons, and city, and faces enslavement with a mixture of dignity, rage, and despair. Her relationships with her daughters, daughters-in-law, and fellow captives are marked by both tenderness and bitterness. Hecabe's arc—from queen to slave to avenger—reveals the psychological toll of war and the resilience required to survive its aftermath.

Andromache

Andromache, wife of Hector, is defined by her love for her family and her suffering. The murder of her son Astyanax and her enslavement by Neoptolemus strip her of everything, yet she endures. Her psychological journey is one of profound grief, guilt, and adaptation. She is both a victim and, in her later life, a builder of new communities, showing the possibility of life after devastation, though always shadowed by loss.

Penelope

Penelope's story is told through letters to Odysseus, revealing her wit, intelligence, and emotional complexity. She navigates the pressures of suitors, the uncertainty of her husband's fate, and the demands of motherhood with resourcefulness and grace. Her psychological depth challenges the stereotype of the passive, faithful wife, showing instead a woman who actively shapes her own destiny within the constraints imposed upon her.

Cassandra

Cassandra, daughter of Priam, is gifted with prophecy but cursed never to be believed. Her visions of doom and her inability to alter fate make her a tragic figure, isolated even among her own people. Her psychological torment is acute—she sees the future's horrors but is powerless to prevent them. Her eventual murder by Clytemnestra, after being taken as Agamemnon's prize, is the culmination of her lifelong suffering and the ultimate silencing of her voice.

Clytemnestra

Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon, is driven by the murder of her daughter Iphigenia. Her psychological landscape is one of simmering rage, calculation, and a relentless pursuit of justice as she sees it. Her relationship with Aegisthus and her children is fraught, and her eventual murder of Agamemnon and Cassandra is both personal vengeance and a challenge to patriarchal power. She is both monstrous and sympathetic, a product of her traumas.

Briseis

Briseis, taken by Achilles after her city falls, is a study in survival and suppressed grief. Her beauty makes her a prize, but her inner life is marked by loss and adaptation. Her relationships with other captive women, especially Chryseis, reveal solidarity and the small acts of resistance possible within captivity. Her story exposes the commodification of women in war and the psychological cost of being reduced to property.

Polyxena

Polyxena, youngest daughter of Hecabe, is chosen as a sacrifice to appease the ghost of Achilles. Her acceptance of death over enslavement is both an act of agency and a testament to the limited choices available to women. Her fate is a microcosm of the war's destruction of innocence and the impossibility of escape from cycles of violence.

Theano

Theano, priestess and wife of Antenor, represents the wisdom and warnings of women that go unheeded. Her attempts to avert disaster by urging the return of Helen are dismissed, and her family's survival is secured only through betrayal. She embodies the frustration and impotence of those who see disaster coming but lack the power to prevent it.

Eris

Eris, the goddess who sets the Trojan War in motion by introducing the golden apple, is a symbol of the unpredictable and often petty forces that shape human destiny. Her actions, though divine, have mortal consequences, and her presence in the narrative underscores the theme that women—goddesses and mortals alike—are both agents and victims in the stories men tell.

Plot Devices

Polyphonic Narrative Structure

The novel employs a polyphonic structure, shifting between the perspectives of various women—Trojan, Greek, mortal, and divine. This device decentralizes the traditional epic hero and instead creates a tapestry of experiences, emotions, and responses to war. The narrative is non-linear, moving back and forth in time, and often revisiting the same events from different viewpoints, deepening the reader's understanding of trauma and resilience.

Meta-Narrative and the Muse

Calliope's direct address to the poet and the reader serves as a meta-narrative device, questioning the very nature of epic storytelling. By foregrounding the act of narration and the choices of what stories are told, the novel invites readers to reflect on whose voices are privileged and why. This device also allows for commentary on the limitations and responsibilities of storytelling itself.

Foreshadowing and Prophecy

Prophecy, especially through Cassandra, is a recurring device that creates dramatic irony and a sense of inevitability. The repeated failure of men to heed women's warnings is both a plot engine and a thematic statement about the marginalization of female wisdom. The use of foreshadowing heightens the tension and underscores the tragic outcomes.

Reinterpretation of Myth

The novel reimagines well-known myths from the women's perspectives, often subverting or complicating the traditional narratives. By filling in gaps, inventing inner lives, and connecting disparate stories, the book creates a cohesive and emotionally resonant alternative epic. This device also allows for commentary on the process of myth-making and the erasure of women's experiences.

Epistolary Elements

Penelope's chapters are structured as letters to Odysseus, providing a direct, personal window into her thoughts and feelings. This device contrasts with the more public, collective voices of the other women and highlights the private costs of public events.

Analysis

is a radical reimagining of the Trojan War, shifting the focus from the celebrated deeds of men to the overlooked suffering, endurance, and agency of women. By giving voice to queens, slaves, goddesses, and ordinary women, Natalie Haynes exposes the epic's blind spots and challenges the reader to reconsider the meaning of heroism, victory, and loss. The novel interrogates the structures—mythic, social, and narrative—that have silenced women, and insists on the necessity of telling their stories. It explores the psychological aftermath of war, the cycles of violence and vengeance, and the ways in which women resist, adapt, and survive. The lessons are clear: history is incomplete without the voices of those in the shadows, and true epic is found not just in the clash of swords but in the weaving of stories, the endurance of grief, and the quiet acts of courage that persist long after the battles are over.

Last updated: April 29, 2025