'Women are deceptive and should not be trusted in the Odyssey.' How far do you agree?

Helen, the wife of Menelaus, is one of the most untrustworthy women in the Odyssey because she leaves her husband Menelaus for the Trojan prince Paris. Furthermore, having deserted her husband, she tries to get the Greeks in the Trojan horse (led by Odysseus) to reveal themselves by impersonating the voices of their wives. Another example of Helen's untrustworthiness is when she slips a drug into Menealus', Telemachus' and Peisistratus' drinks to stop them weeping. This is another display of her disloyalty and deception in general.

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Answered by Darius M. Classical Civilisation tutor

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