The paths of Honor and Love: O Corpo de Helena (Helen's
Body)
A sinopsis
With O Corpo de Helena, Paulo José Miranda returns, in his
first published play, to the myth of the Atridas. By recuperating the famous
theme of the
Micenas legend, the Portuguese playwright uses both formal and thematic
freedom, while still emphasizing vital concepts from the Greek tragedy:
the conflict
between physis and nomos – nature and social convention –,
the purposelessness of war and time as the main cause for the transience
of human life. The fundamental
innovation is surely the character of Menelaos who now becomes the true
protagonist, enveloped in the heroism that derives from the doubt and acceptance
of his
own frailty: “Menelaos, the one who didn’t go to war and, overthrown
in home and thoughts, has challenged the gods.”
Text by Maria de Fátima Sousa e Silva in «Ágora: Estudos Clássicos em Debate 1», 1999 (pages 57-74)