Source edition
Euripides. Euripidis Fabulae, Vol. III. Murray, Gilbert, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913. (Reprinted 1920-1978)
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This Greek tragedy is set on the premise that the beautiful Helen, who was blamed for causing the Trojan War, was actually kept in Egypt while only her phantom went to Troy. The drama takes place in front of the Egyptian royal palace, where Helen, striving to remain faithful, is unexpectedly reunited with her shipwrecked husband, Menelaus. Initially, Menelaus is bewildered and refuses to believe she is his real wife, but once he learns of the phantom's disappearance, the couple shares a joyous reconciliation. To escape the Egyptian king Theoclymenus, who wishes to marry Helen, they devise a daring escape plan centered around a mock funeral at sea for the supposedly deceased Menelaus. Their clever plot succeeds, and although the king is initially enraged, the appearance of the divine twins, the Dioscuri, pacifies his anger and ensures the couple's safe return home under divine providence.