A Thousand Ships

Watching the blind poet weep, Calliope notes that he must learn that war leaves no victors since the winners “only rarely survive the peace” (267).

When she was young, Cassandra had wanted the gift of prophecy. Sometimes she slept in Apollo’s temple overnight with her twin brother, Helenus. Appearing one night, Apollo wanted to have sex with her. She refused unless he gifted her prophetic ability, but when he did, she refused to have sex with him. In retribution, he cursed her prophecies never to be believed, which effectively “cursed her to a lifetime of solitude” since no one would ever believe her visions (270).

Claimed by Agamemnon, Cassandra is the last Trojan woman to leave Troy. She knows that she will die upon returning to Mycenae with him.

Gaia laments that “greedy” men are such a burden that a large war is needed to diminish the population and asks forgiveness but says, “I cannot hold you any longer” (278).