Helen of Troy is a figure of the Second Circle of the infernal, condemned for lust and described as “the most beautiful woman in history”.
Description
The plate shows her seated in a chamber with purple-stained walls: long dark hair, a classical Greek tunic in muted violet, a purple chalice in her right hand (the “cup of love”), and violet chains on her ankles. Her face neither smiles nor weeps. Through the window is a mountain landscape at dawn; at her feet hangs a cloth embroidered with the Trojan horse.
Role
She appears in the purple tower as part of the trial of Helter. She speaks of the fall of Troy: it was defended by Gorgias, but she considers herself a “lady of sorrow”. She holds a purple grail, the cup of love, and has chains of her own.
After the towers she argues with the group over the fate of the castle, and is in tension with Cleopatra over its ownership. She is not the same figure as Cleopatra or Semiramis, who are mentioned separately.