VCE Essay prompts: The Women of Troy, Euripides

Looking for practice essay prompts for The Women of Troy by Euripides? Here are some practice prompts to help you prepare for the text response essay!

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Cost of war

• The Women of Troy demonstrates that no one wins in war. Discuss 
• The actions of The Women of Troy is driven by the desire for revenge. Discuss.
• Through Cassandra, Euripides suggests that vengeance is to be preferred to submission. Discuss. 
• Euripides’ play The Women of Troy mainly focuses on the true cost of wars.  Do you agree?
• In the Trojan wars, the Trojans suffered great losses while the Greeks did not suffer. Do you agree?
• “Your suffering is like mine. Your anguished words give voice to my deepest agonies and fears.” In what ways does Euripides’ The Women of Troy give voice to those who have suffered as a result of conflict?
• Does The Women of Troy suggest that violence breeds violence? 
• The Women of Troy is a tragedy, rather than a war-play. Do you agree?
• There is no villain in The Women of Troy because everyone in the play suffers. Do you agree?
• ‘There is no agony we don’t already feel, no abyss of pain to discover.’ ‘Hecuba’s suffering is central to the play’s anti-war message.’ Discuss. 

Women/Men

• ‘We are loot, my son and I, soldiers’ plunder.’ Euripides highlights the plight of women taken as slaves in war. Discuss. 
• Women are expected ‘to be chaste and moral in their behaviour’, but these qualities provide no safeguard. Discuss. 
• The Women of Troy are victims of an unjust world. Discuss. 
• The Women of Troy are not merely victims, they are also heroes. Discuss. 
• The Women of Troy condemns the actions of men. Do you agree?
• The nobility of the slave women in The Women of Troy stands in contrast to the inhumanity of the victorious Greek warriors. Discuss. 
• How does Euripides use language to portray the loss and suffering of Hellenic women in The Women of Troy?
• The Women of Troy demonstrates that love is a dangerous passion that can lead to tragic consequences. Do you agree?

Character 

• While Helen’ selfishness should be condemned, the audience can still condone her actions due to the circumstances she is in. Do you agree?
• Hecuba’s greatest pain stems from the deaths of her children. Discuss.
• ‘Officers of your kind / Are always hated by everyone.’ What view does Euripides encourage us to take of Talthybius? 
• Is Hecuba the ‘unluckiest / of the lot’? 
• It is impossible to sympathise with Helen because she is the most mischievous character of the play. Do you agree?
• Hecuba is the victim of fate. Discuss.
• It is possible for the audience to sympathise with Helen because of her love for Paris. Do you agree?
• Hecuba is a tragic hero. Discuss
• Hecuba has suffered ‘more than enough to make anyone fall / And never get up again’. What enables her to go on? 
• ‘Dear gods, what a terrible retribution, all that has happened to me, and will happen, because of that one woman and her love affair!’ Helen is to blame for the tragedies that befall Troy. Do you agree?

Duty/Obligation

• Characters in The Women of Troy are all driven and motivated by their sense of duty and obligation. Do you agree?

Gods/faith/fortune

• ‘All our sacrifices, all our offerings have been quite worthless, a waste of time.’ To what extent are the gods responsible for human suffering in The Women of Troy?
• Euripides argues that fate and fortunes are not preordained, and tragedies do not incriminate. Do you agree?
• In the end, the Gods are not responsible for the tragedies caused by the Trojan war as it happened as a result of poor choices. Do you agree?

Narrative Structure

• In The Women of Troy, The Chorus’ only role is to act as the representative of Hellenic women. Do you agree?
• How is the structure of The Women of Troy used to convey its meaning?

Other 

• Discuss the role of dishonesty in Euripides’ The Women of Troy.
• The Women of Troy explores the ways in which a character’s true self might emerge in time of tragedy. Discuss.
• The action of The Women of Troy is driven by the desire for revenge. Discuss. 
• Discuss how Euripides uses dramatic irony in The Women of Troy.
• The Women of Troy suggest that only those who adapt can survive. Discuss.