For those wishing to immerse themselves in the classical, or historical world, doing some further/ extra reading really can work wonders. Popular fiction can be invaluable for helping students get a ‘feel for the times’. For both Classics and Ancient History A Level students, a great place to start is with The Silence of the Girls, by Pat Barker. First published by Penguin in May 2019 the book went on to become a bestseller.
The novel is a retelling of Homer’s epic poem The Iliad, which essentially tells the tale of what happens when men vie for power and status through the control and physical possession of women and their bodies (Helen and Briseis). Bulding upon earlier oral traditions, The Iliad was first written down circa the 8th century BC and consequently is considered one of the oldest works in Western Literature. The Iliad is set in the final few weeks of the Trojan War, the ten year battle and siege of Troy (Illium). Told from the Greek perspective, the poem covers or references earlier events and the main cause of the war; the abduction (or elopement) of the Spartan Queen Helen, by the Prince of Troy Paris, aka Alexander. It details on-going concerns such as the relationships between the Greek heros and the politics of the uneasy coaltion of Mycenaean Greek States sent to retrieve Helen. It reccounts the death of the legendary great hero Achilles and prophesises the fall of Troy.
Barker’s novel tells much of the same story, but comes from a different location and perspective, centring her work around the experience of the women in the Greek camp. For a story about war the focus is never what happens on the battlefield, or glorious heroics, but on the effects of war. At the heart of her story is the cost that women paid. Her retelling of the story shines a light on the women who survived in slavery when their lives, families, and cities had been destroyed by men. Barker does this by making Briseis, a Princess/ Queen from one of Troy’s neighbouring cities (Lyrnessus) the main character. When Achilles led the raid on Lyrnessus he killed her parents, husband and brothers. She was then awarded to Achilles as a spoil of war to become his concubine. In book I of The Iliad Briseis, and the possession and status of Briseis, is the catalyst for the split between Agamemnon and Achilles. When the god Apollo compels Agamemnon to give up his own slave and concubine he demands Briseis as compensation, causing a quarrel between the two men. The consequences of which are disasterous and felt by the Greeks for the rest of the poem.
For much of the book, The Silence of the Women, follows the story of the Trojan War as told by Homer. However, the last section of the book replaces the story of The Iliad by interweaving narratives from Euripides’ play The Trojan Women into it. Like Barker, Euripides also focused his play on the perspective of women. Women, who like Briseis were widowed and enslaved, who saw the destruction of their homes and cities, and who were forced to watch while their elderly male relatives and children were killed in front of them. Whilst violence, brutality and rape is common in Barker’s narrative (as it is also is in Homer’s tale) by far the most harrowing section of her story is taken from Euripides. This is the fate of Hecuba the aging Queen of Troy, Polyxena her youngest daughter and her unnamed grandson.
Whilst the vast majority of the book is written from the first person perspective of Briseis in the final section of the book some third person chapters are told from Achilles’ point of view. Barker does a good job of conveying the complex personality of Achilles. On the one hand he is a miltary tactician; brutal; cold; a rapist; and a killer. On the other he is a poet; a musician; a son and father; loyal; honourable and loving. This dichotomy is shown when the Trojan King Priam makes his way alone into the Greek camp to ask Achilles to return the mutilated body of his oldest son, Hector. Achilles obides by the rules of Xenia (hospitality) and is affronted at the suggestion that he might do otherwise. He is also one of only two male characters who realises how futile the war is. (The other being Priam.)
The final part of the book introduces Achilles’ son, Pyrrhus (Neoptolemus). It is made clear that he is a cruder version of his father. Pyrrhus lacks Achilles’ insight and the civilised element to his nature, that balances out Achilles’ personality. This is done through contrasting the meeting between Priam and Achilles and Priam’s death at the hands of Pyrrhus and Pyrrhus’s subsequent behaviour. Whilst the book does not go into explicit detail about the death of Priam, or what happens at the seige of Troy, this modern representation of Pyrrhus can be seen as an interesting counterpoint to the Roman version of Pyrrhus depicted in Virgil’s The Aeneid.
So why should students read it?
The Silence of the Girls is readily avaliable from high street book stores and online retailers, so being able to get hold of copy shouldn’t be a problem. It is also extremely accessible and easy to read: for example, I read the entire book in two days. The Silence of the Girls definitely helps to bring the story of The Iliad, (one the selected core texts for OCR’s A Level in Classical Civilisations) to life in an enjoyable and modern way. Even for students who are studying The Odyssey instead; it provides a perfect introduction to the background and context of the story. From questioning the appropriateness of Greek epithets; to its exploration of key concepts such as: timē (honour); kleos (reputation); nostos (homecoming); xenia (hospitality and guest friendship) and its illuminaton of the role women and slaves from a modern feminist persepective there is plenty to discuss. For those wishing to know the world of the Greek hero better this is an exciting and fantastic way to start.
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