Encomium of Helen - isocrates
Isocrates’s Encomium of Helen’s is a praise of the mythical beauty, Helen of Troy to alleviate her guilt in starting the Trojan War. However, he uses an abbreviated version of the story of Theseus, highlighting primarily his good deeds and omitting his abandonment of Ariadne and mistreatment of other women, in order to make Theseus and, consequently, Helen appear better. Isocrates begins the encomium with “the strongest basis for argument will be if we can demonstrate that those who loved and admired her were themselves more admirable than the rest”[1]. Instead of beginning with the heroes of the Trojan War, the men who were closest with Helen and spent the most time with her, or Heracles, whom Isocrates also uses in comparison, he chooses to start with Theseus.
That being said, it is important to note that Isocrates also beings Theseus’s portion of the text with what is considered to be his least heroic deed. Theseus was persuaded to accompany Pirithous to the underworld, seized by Hades in the underworld and eventually required Heracles to save him. Isocrates goes on to then compare Theseus and Heracles in more depth. “Not only did they equip themselves with similar weapons, they adopted the same habits by performing actions that suited their birth…Among past generations they alone made themselves champions for human life”[2]. Heracles is one of the most well-known mythical figures, so it is a great honor for Theseus to be compared to him and, according to Isocrates, Theseus even surpasses Heracles in some aspects. “Heracles undertook dangers that were more renowned and greater, but those of Theseus were more useful”[3]. Similar to Helen, Theseus’s worth is explained by his comparisons to awe-inspiring characters. Theseus undertakes tasks of his own free will in order to better the citizens of Athens, not because he is looking for glory.
Further in the text, Isocrates explains Theseus’ accomplishments in great detail, glorifying him in order to make Helen look innocent and flawless. Heavily emphasizing Theseus’ heroism in freeing the people of his city from the Minotaur and from the centaurs that kept the city in a constant state of fear, Isocrates ignores the women in Theseus’ life that came after Helen[4]. By doing so he unfairly presents Theseus as a hero especially when relating him to women. Building Theseus up as a hero using his courageous deeds and not mentioning the help he received or the women he abandoned, Isocrates is suggesting that Theseus is worth more than he is. Ariadne, Phaedra, and Antiope are all women that Theseus left behind after his kidnapping of Helen. In order to reduce the stigma of abandonment, Isocrates uses Theseus’ other deeds so that he appears better than he is in order to idolize Helen.
Writing at the same time as Gorgias, a fellow Greek orator, Isocrates’ epideictic writings were used primarily for persuasive arguments. Unlike Gorgias, Isocrates wrote his Encomium of Helen as a piece primarily focused on the content and not on the style or presentation of his argument. Gorgias’s emphasis on presentation means that he does not use any characters for comparison, and focuses solely on Helen[5]. As a supporter for the unification of Greece, Isocrates could have chosen Theseus as a character for comparison to Helen because of his role in the unification of Athens[6]. His commentary on the organization of Athens under Theseus appears to be more of a political commentary than an encomium of either Helen or Theseus.
In the Encomium of Helen, Isocrates uses Theseus as a comparison to the mythical beauty, Helen of Troy, in order to remove the guilt from her for sparking the beginning of the Trojan War. Isocrates uses Theseus’s bravest and most selfless deeds in order to make him appear better. If Theseus is a better and more valiant hero than Heracles, a woman of his affections must also be worthy of his superior heroism.
[1] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 22
[2] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 23
[3] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 24
[4] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 26-32
[5] Gorgias, Encomium of Helen
[6] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 35
That being said, it is important to note that Isocrates also beings Theseus’s portion of the text with what is considered to be his least heroic deed. Theseus was persuaded to accompany Pirithous to the underworld, seized by Hades in the underworld and eventually required Heracles to save him. Isocrates goes on to then compare Theseus and Heracles in more depth. “Not only did they equip themselves with similar weapons, they adopted the same habits by performing actions that suited their birth…Among past generations they alone made themselves champions for human life”[2]. Heracles is one of the most well-known mythical figures, so it is a great honor for Theseus to be compared to him and, according to Isocrates, Theseus even surpasses Heracles in some aspects. “Heracles undertook dangers that were more renowned and greater, but those of Theseus were more useful”[3]. Similar to Helen, Theseus’s worth is explained by his comparisons to awe-inspiring characters. Theseus undertakes tasks of his own free will in order to better the citizens of Athens, not because he is looking for glory.
Further in the text, Isocrates explains Theseus’ accomplishments in great detail, glorifying him in order to make Helen look innocent and flawless. Heavily emphasizing Theseus’ heroism in freeing the people of his city from the Minotaur and from the centaurs that kept the city in a constant state of fear, Isocrates ignores the women in Theseus’ life that came after Helen[4]. By doing so he unfairly presents Theseus as a hero especially when relating him to women. Building Theseus up as a hero using his courageous deeds and not mentioning the help he received or the women he abandoned, Isocrates is suggesting that Theseus is worth more than he is. Ariadne, Phaedra, and Antiope are all women that Theseus left behind after his kidnapping of Helen. In order to reduce the stigma of abandonment, Isocrates uses Theseus’ other deeds so that he appears better than he is in order to idolize Helen.
Writing at the same time as Gorgias, a fellow Greek orator, Isocrates’ epideictic writings were used primarily for persuasive arguments. Unlike Gorgias, Isocrates wrote his Encomium of Helen as a piece primarily focused on the content and not on the style or presentation of his argument. Gorgias’s emphasis on presentation means that he does not use any characters for comparison, and focuses solely on Helen[5]. As a supporter for the unification of Greece, Isocrates could have chosen Theseus as a character for comparison to Helen because of his role in the unification of Athens[6]. His commentary on the organization of Athens under Theseus appears to be more of a political commentary than an encomium of either Helen or Theseus.
In the Encomium of Helen, Isocrates uses Theseus as a comparison to the mythical beauty, Helen of Troy, in order to remove the guilt from her for sparking the beginning of the Trojan War. Isocrates uses Theseus’s bravest and most selfless deeds in order to make him appear better. If Theseus is a better and more valiant hero than Heracles, a woman of his affections must also be worthy of his superior heroism.
[1] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 22
[2] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 23
[3] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 24
[4] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 26-32
[5] Gorgias, Encomium of Helen
[6] Isocrates, Encomium of Helen, 35