Andromache The Concubine's Trial

A bitter, multi-layered tragedy exploring the aftermath of war, the jealousy of a childless wife, and the treachery of Spartan politics. A play that pits the noble 'barbarian' against the corrupt 'civilized' Greek.

📈 Survival vs. Status

Comparing Andromache's struggle to protect her child against Hermione's vengeful jealousy.

Andromache's Path: Starts in sanctuary, facing certain death, and is saved by the ghosts of the past and the intervention of the old.
Hermione's Path: Starts in a position of absolute power and cruelty, but ends in terror, flight, and moral bankruptcy.

🎭 Character Alignments & Roles

Filter the cast to explore the motivations of those driving the tragedy.

🤱

Andromache

The Slave-Mother

The former princess of Troy, now a slave, whose nobility shines through her suffering.

"O Sparta, most hated of cities to all mankind!"
👸

Hermone

The Jealous Wife

The daughter of Helen, whose childlessness fuels her murderous rage against her rival.

"A slave\'s bed shall not steal my husband\'s heart."
👴

Peleus

The Aged Hero

The grandfather of Achilles, who still possesses the fire to defy a Spartan king.

"While I have breath, no child of Achilles shall be slain."
🐍

Menelaus

The Spartan King

Depicted as a cowardly, treacherous bully who wars against women and children.

"Might makes right, even in another man\'s house."
🗡️

Orestes

The Conspirator

A man driven by blood-guilt who uses the chaos to seize Hermione and kill Neoptolemus.

"I have woven a net that none shall escape."

🔍 Deep-Dive: The Spartan Critique

Euripides uses the play as a platform for a scathing political attack on Athens' wartime rival, Sparta.

Spartan Treachery

Menelaus' behavior is the personification of the Athenian view of Sparta: dishonest, cruel, and obsessed with status.

The Politics

The play was likely produced during the height of the Peloponnesian War.

🚩

Thetis' Altar

The altar of a sea-goddess serves as the only place where a 'barbarian' slave is more powerful than a Greek queen.

The Sacred

Sacred space vs. Secular power.

🏛️

The Final Resolution

The old age of Peleus is comforted by a goddess.

Andromache's Future

  • ✔ Her son is saved and will be a king
  • ✔ She finds a new home in the north
  • ✔ Her nobility is recognized by the gods

The Ruin of the House

  • ✖ Neoptolemus is murdered at Delphi
  • ✖ Hermione flees in shame
  • ✖ Menelaus returns to Sparta in disgrace