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The Odyssey Book 4 Helen Analysis

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The Odyssey Book 4 Helen Analysis
In Homer’s The Odyssey book 4, Helen reveals to Telemachus that she was not always fully on the side of king Menelaus and the Achaeans. During the feast in Menelaus’ halls, Helen shares a story about Odysseus’ infiltration of Troy “he slip[s] into the enemy’s city, roam[s] its streets… But when I bathed him, rubbed him down with oil… he reveal[s] to me”(132). This quote sheds light to the fact the Helen had enough freedom to walk around the city, bathe random strangers, and give out clothes all while under her so-called captivity; truly, these actions do not seem like the ones of a person held against her will. Next, after Helen witnessed Odysseus kill a group of Trojan soldiers, she says “my heart had changed by now” (132). This means that

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