Maureen McGrath

Wolf, Cassandra 1-82

 

The story of the Trojan War and its heroic figures, (Achilles, Odysseus, Hector, etc) have been famously chronicled by accounts like the Iliad and the Odyssey (and, of course, the 2004 blockbuster Troy), making the legend of the destruction of Troy one of the most widely recognized events in Greek mythology. In her novel, Cassandra, Christa Wolf skillfully retells the famous story of the fall of Troy, but through the unconventional point of view of Cassandra, the daughter of Priam, the ruler of Troy. 

 

In the first 82 pages of the novel we learn that Troy has fallen and Cassandra is being taken to Greece as a captive.  Realizing that she will soon be killed, she reflects back on the war and the events leading up to it.  Through her reflections, we discover her role as a prophetess and her relationship with Apollo.  As a young woman, Cassandra was granted the gift of prophecy by Apollo, however, because she rejected him, her prophecies were doomed to never be believed.  Therefore, when she foresees the destruction of Troy and tries to warn her family, her prediction is dismissed as senseless and she is perceived as mad.  Apollo’s twisted gift of prophecy condemns Cassandra to be constantly misunderstood and reputed insane by everyone, including her own family.  She is not widely considered a heroic character in Greek mythology, making Wolf’s novel, in which Cassandra is the protagonist, distinct from previous literatures on the Trojan War.

 

I found the most striking feature of Cassandra to be that, although the novel chronicles war, which is a mostly male-dominated affair, it is narrated by a woman.  Cassandra’s portrayal of the fall of Troy does not glorify or romanticize war; rather it reveals the mindless cruelty and carnage, which other texts tend to overlook.  Her vivid account of the malicious and ruthless murder of her brother Troilus by “Achilles the brute,” exposes the “naked hideous male gratification,” which war yields (74).  Through Cassandra’s story, Wolf exposes the horror of war and brutality of man, as perceived by a woman. 

 

Another remarkable aspect of Cassandra, is its acknowledgement of the role of the servant class in Trojan society.  Marpessa, Cassandra’s servant, introduces Cassandra to an alternative, less constricting world when she leads her to Mount Ida.  Cassandra’s modesty is offended when she witnesses the slave women’s rhythmic dance and “howling contortions,” but still recognizes an element of freedom and insight as the women “[sink] into an ecstasy in which they [see] things invisible to the rest of us” (20).  Marpessa and the other slave women are part of what, in other texts, is often an invisible and insignificant part of society, the lower class.  However, after she sees the euphoria of the women at Mount Ida and notices Marpessa’s wisdom and confidence, Cassandra realizes that this “lower class” is actually worthy of envy and asks herself, “Can the king’s daughter envy a slave girl?”(46). Wolf portrays the slave women’s unconventional and enlightened way of life as superior to Cassandra’s patriarchal and militaristic world.

Because her prophecies are doomed to never be believed, Cassandra acquires a reputation of madness and foolishness.  She becomes somewhat of a misfit in Troy, and could be considered the exact opposite of the heroic, admired men of previous Greek literature.  Her unconventional point of view allows Wolf to craft a novel which explores unfamiliar facets of the Trojan War, as well as comment on the shortcomings of patriarchy and war.

 

QUESTIONS

*  Why do you think Wolf chose Cassandra as her narrator as opposed to a woman with more influence, like Hecuba or Helen?

*  Can Cassandra be classified as feminist literature?

*  Can you draw parallels between the war portrayed in Cassandra and the Cold war, which was taking place while Wolf wrote the novel?