menelaiad

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u ever have a flu so bad that when you have a brief moment of lucidity you realise 6 days have passed

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my friends and i are doing another 'anonymous book swap' this weekend.

rather proud of mine....

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menelaus and helen // rupert brooke

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what if. i wrote a fic about menelaus and agamemnon's unhealthy co-dependence. and how it escalates and grows more toxic as they get older and ultimately menelaus doesnt know what to DO without aga.

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this .... this is how menelaus and agamemnon look ... in my head ....

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DRESS TO IMPRESS IS A FUCKING ALLEGORY FOR THE TROJAN WAR/AGAMEMNON'S STORY.

what a time to be alive.

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just now found the paradise that is your blog and wanted to ask DO YOU HAVE A GOOGLE DRIVE THAT HOLDS YOUR STUDY RESOURCES

[kneels] i beg of you [kneels] please [kneels] i BEG please

i will share all the google drives i have? i don't have a coherent one with EVERYTHING on. cause i'm not that organised

homeric google drive. tantalus google drive. recent thesis google drive.

hope this helps <3

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go for it!

........... ah.

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hello here to push my patroclus/menelaus agenda.

they are so similar. in both. character, story (to an extent) and how the bard/author of the iliad treats them.

they are literally both deemed as 'kindly' - the only two.

if y'all make me talk about the defence of patroclus again i'll riot (mother cow. slain for my honour. the DEFENDER not the attacker)

they exist in the shadows of greater heroes (despite being pretty awesome themselves) patroclus in achilles' and menelaus in agamemnon's and yet they don't begrudge that. they're fine... happy with the spotlight being on these other figures because they love them and care for them.

they are catalysts to a greater story. aRUGABLY achilles wouldn't have rejoined the war without patroclus' death and the trojan war would not have started had menelaus not sought help from his brother/partially initiated it himself.

they both have weight on their backs. patroclus is a murderer and an exile. menelaus is cursed and an exile.

they were both suitors to helen. they have met before.

in the agamemnon/achilles fight ... bro. they both can see both sides. they can see achilles' slighted honour and agamemnon's fragile mental state but they can also see achilles' stubborness and agamemnon's willingness to try. they both can't wholeheartedly take a side.

they would have spoke after so much time at troy. they would have got on so well.

there's a line in the paris musical where patroclus sings 'menelaus i indulge your grief, your dignity and your pain' and for a campy insane iconic musical??? it made some points. its got hanDS.

incredible lads.

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what y'all know about sexy goth anime virgil?

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the iliad (book 1 - 19) summarised:

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A HAUNTING IN VENICE (2023), dir. Kenneth Branagh

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Do you know why people draw Helen, Penelope, and clym with suns painted on their cheeks?

hello!

i can't speak for individual artists ofc, but my best guess would be that it is inspired by the minoan makeup/fashion that was around and that also heavily influenced the mycenaean culture! i believe it's called the 'sun blush'?? or something like that. and ofc with mycenae being the powerhouse it was at that time, a lot of women may have adopted their style! cause obviously penelope, clytemnestra and helen were spartan! tbh it may have just been a bronze age thing in general? and not linked specifically to mycenae.

but there's some stuff to look at regarding this style.

this lady from a minoan fresco on thera

and i believe the most famous example is this lady! a plaster cast that was discovered in a mycenaean citadel.

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i see where people are coming from with 'menelaus and helen are soulmates. preordained to be together' because it fits with the whole fall of troy. gods getting what they want narrative that stems from their marriage and, ultimately, their separation.

but when i read texts like the odyssey and helen by euripides and what they go through and the effort they put in to rebuilding themselves as individuals and as a couple even though troy is gone. i feel they have more fuck soulmates. i love you on purpose. energy

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extremely menelaus-coded meme tweet just dropped:

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Hi! I know you read the Murder at Mykenai by Catherine Mayo, and I have just read it, so I would like to ask you, what is your opinion about the book? And about Menelaus’ and Agamemnon’s relationship?

Thank you for your answer in advance! :)

hello!

i loved it! i'm not such a hater that, like, any greek myth historical fiction instantly makes me rabid - it's more how the authors market them and the claims they make about their work that makes me .... not happy or keen to read them.

BUT catherine mayo never claimed to be reinventing the wheel. she was just like 'here are some dudes from greek myth and i'm gonna send them on silly little adventures' and that's exactly what she did and i loved it. it's one of those historical fictions that you can just ... enjoy. as a menelaus fan, i'm gonna do my best to read/ingest everything he's in and then form my opinions of it. and with this? i loved it! it was such a fun, easy, no stakes and no drama read. yes ofc there's a plot that has like stakes and drama but like FOR ME? i could just ... read it. and enjoy it for what it was. some famous greek heroes going on shenanigans. from an ACADEMIC perspective there's so much more i could say ... but from a human being who just loves these characters/figures? i loved it. i really enjoyed it.

i enjoyed her portrayals of aga, ody and menelaus as well! menelaus is kinda fumbly, lil awkward but tries his best to be confident and cool and suave ... but he's not whimpering and and weak and overtly pathetic for comedic effect. and i liked the ... kinda strong, serious, gruff aga ... that was revealed to have a heart of gold and such a caring nature through subtle little actions he did and scenes he was in.

it's not a groundbreaking work by any means! it's not gonna change the world and make everyone rethink menelaus and agamemnon and rocket them to the level of adoration that recent fictions have done for the likes of odysseus, say. but it's a good, fun book. and i can see myself rereading it a fair bit to just have fun!

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So I had a very funny idea after finding out that the Atreides from Dune are supposed to be descendants of Menelaus and Agamemnon. What if Menelaus went to an Oracle and is legit handed a copy of Dune?

bold of you to think menelaus can read.