Good grief! There *is* a joke in “The Trojan Women.” Who knew?

“Mr. Derbyshire—You accidentally pushed my hot button. So far as I know,

I am the only classicist (Ph.D. Indiana U. 1974) who has discovered humor in

Euripides’ ‘Trojan Women.’ I can’t cite the line, but at one point

Andromache is expostulating with Menelaus, trying to convince him not to

allow Helen to ride back to Sparta in his boat (she apparently believes that

Helen will bewitch him into doing something foolish). From memory, here is

the bit of dialogue that left me gasping for air: A–Let her not be put in

the same ship with you. M–What do you mean? Is she heavier than she was?

“No commentator that I know of found this worthy of remark. Solemnity

rules, apparently.”

Can this be true? Yep, found it. It’s actually Hecuba,

not Andromache.

. . . .

HELEN
Oh, by thy knees, I implore thee, impute not that heaven-sent affliction to
me, nor slay me; pardon, I entreat!
HECUBA
Be not false to thy allies, whose death this woman caused; on their behalf,
and for my children’s sake, I sue to thee.
MENELAUS
Peace, reverend dame; to her I pay no heed. Lo! I bid my servants take her
hence, aboard the ship, wherein she is to sail.
HECUBA
Oh never let her set foot within the same ship as thee.
MENELAUS
How now? is she heavier than of yore?
. . . .
I can’t resist adding my Greek tailor joke.
Man walks into Greek tailoring shop, puts a pair of pants on the counter.
Examining them, the tailor finds a big tear in the fabric.
Tailor: “Euripides?”
Customer: “Yes. Eumenides?”