Revenge: Hecuba’s Justice

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“No words for this, no name, it more than stuns, not godly, not bearable–where are friendship’s laws? Damn you! Oh how you hacked my son’s flesh…showed him not pity” (pg. 53, 753-757.) Polymestor has violated a law of friendship by murdering Polydorus. This injustice seems to be the last straw for Hecuba and the rage finally takes over. She’s lost her husband, her sons, her city, her daughter, and now she’s lost the last of her sons. Polydorus was the last hope for the restoration of Troy, and Hecuba wants to bring Polymestor to justice for taking that away. Hecuba does justice for Polydorus by murdering Polymestor’s sons and blinding him. Whether that punishment was an act of justice or revenge comes into question when Hecuba continues to switch between calling her actions justice and revenge. Hecuba says “Justice is mine”(pg. 67, 1108-1109) but later on she claims “Why not be pleased? I have my revenge”(pg. 75, 1354) then goes back to say “Justice is mine”(pg. 76, 1370.) Although Hecuba thinks her actions were just, it is clear that she is unsure whether that is true. However, Hecuba couldn’t have possibly carried out justice because rage influences vengeance. Right before Hecuba begins to carry out her plan she says, “Forcing me to leave my father’s earth, they gave me death and I am cast out from my home by marriage not marriage but some vengeful dirge… May the salt sea never grant her passage”(pg. 62-63, 1000-1005.) Hecuba blames Paris and Helen, mostly Helen, for the misfortunes she has suffered. Helen and Paris’ affair caused the Trojan War which led to the fall of Troy and the destruction of all that Hecuba loved. Hecuba is enraged thinking about it and she hopes for Helen suffer. Since Hecuba can’t personally punish Helen she resorts to take it out on Polymestor. The fact that she’s punishing Polymestor for other things which he had nothing to do with is proof enough Hecuba was being unjust. If Hecuba actually wanted justice, then she would’ve murdered one of Polymestor’s sons and called it even; an eye for an eye. She could have also just blinded Polymestor for he was the one who wronged her. Instead, Hecuba crossed the fine line between justice and revenge, but the rage prevented her from realizing she was performing an act of vengeance. An act of vengeance in which she finally let lose all the rage she had held within from all the misfortune she had long endured.

The rage that consumed Hecuba caused a thwarted view of justice that without a higher authority she couldn’t possibly figure out. Hecuba’s situation emphasizes the importance of having a community in order to obtain justice. If Hecuba would have had a community to aid her then she wouldn’t have taken revenge on Polymestor but rather let the law decide a just punishment. Since there was no community, Hecuba took upon a task that she had no knowledge of. Without knowledge and enraged, she ended up carrying out an act of vengeance rather than the justice she originally sought for.