| Helen of Troy
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| Character Information
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Helen of Troy was the Queen of Sparta, and was renowned for her beauty. She was even more famous for her abduction by Paris, Prince of Troy, which led to her being known as "Helen of Troy". She stayed with Penelope in Ithaca following her return from Troy. She appeared in a story from the book Classics for Children.
History
While Odysseus was gone at the Trojan War and then struggling to return (for twenty years in all), Penelope was besieged by suitors seeking her hand in marriage, since Odysseus was presumed to be dead. At one point, she gathered all the suitors together to speak to them and was apparently about to choose one of them, as she began by saying, "Okay, it has been twenty years, and you suitors have been very patient." Sideshow Mel interrupted Penelope, saying "We've been beyond patient!" Krusty chimed in, "When we came here Helen of Troy was hot! Now look at her!"
Krusty gestured at Helen of Troy, who was sitting in the back of the room. Helen, gray-haired and wrinkled, pointed at herself and said, "This is the face that launched a thousand ships — the other way!" She then laughed loudly.
Right after that, Odysseus came home and killed all of the suitors.
Behind the Laughter
- Helen of Troy was portrayed by Agnes Skinner.
- In Greek mythology, Helen of Troy was famous for her beauty, which led to her being abducted as a youth by young Greek men seeking her hand in marriage, and as an adult (after she married King Menelaus of Sparta) by Paris, Prince of Troy. Menelaus and Helen's former suitors gathered ships into a massive fleet and sailed for Troy to get her back, spawning the Trojan War and leading to the expression "the face that launched a thousand ships" to refer to Helen.
Appearances
External links
Template:Tales from the Public Domain
Episode – "Tales from the Public Domain" (D'oh, Brother Where Art Thou?)
