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Laertes
Helenus is a famous Trojan prophet and the son of Priam, the king of Troy. Helenus is captured by the Greeks during the Trojan War, and he tells them that the war cannot be won without both Neoptolemus and Philoctetes, along with Philoctetes’s unerring bow and arrows. According to Helenus, Neoptolemus and Philoctetes will be hailed as heroes after sacking the city of Troy and bringing the war to an end.
Helenus Quotes in Philoctetes
The Philoctetes quotes below are all either spoken by Helenus or refer to Helenus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Scene 3 (Lines 730 – 1080)
Quotes
So why are you taking me now and carting me off?
What for? I’m nothing to you. I’ve long been dead.
How, you bane of the gods, am I no longer
A stinking cripple? How, if I come on board,
Will you burn your victims or go on pouring libations?
That was your specious pretext for throwing me out.
Perish the lot of you! Perish you surely will
For the injuries done to me, if the gods have any
Concern for justice. I know they have. You’d never
Have crossed the sea in quest of a mouldering wretch,
Unless some spur from heaven were goading you on.
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Scene 4 (Lines 1219 – 1407)
Quotes
Now that you know this, surely you must agree,
And gladly. You have so much to gain. First,
To come into healing hands, and then to be judged
The foremost hero of Greece, by taking Troy,
The city of sorrows, and winning the highest glory.
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Helenus Quotes in Philoctetes
The Philoctetes quotes below are all either spoken by Helenus or refer to Helenus. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Scene 3 (Lines 730 – 1080)
Quotes
So why are you taking me now and carting me off?
What for? I’m nothing to you. I’ve long been dead.
How, you bane of the gods, am I no longer
A stinking cripple? How, if I come on board,
Will you burn your victims or go on pouring libations?
That was your specious pretext for throwing me out.
Perish the lot of you! Perish you surely will
For the injuries done to me, if the gods have any
Concern for justice. I know they have. You’d never
Have crossed the sea in quest of a mouldering wretch,
Unless some spur from heaven were goading you on.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Scene 4 (Lines 1219 – 1407)
Quotes
Now that you know this, surely you must agree,
And gladly. You have so much to gain. First,
To come into healing hands, and then to be judged
The foremost hero of Greece, by taking Troy,
The city of sorrows, and winning the highest glory.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
