Boris Nikolsky

The article offers an analysis of the central motif in Euripides’ tragedy Helen – the motif of deception and illusion (ἀπάτη). In the course of the play, the meaning of this motif changes from negative to positive: in its first half, deception is the cause of grief and sorrow, whereas in its second half it brings happiness and turns out to be morally good. On the one hand, this structure is close to sophistical argumentation for and against known as “Double Talk”. At the same time, the motif of deception may be related to the historical context of the play. The ruinous deception in the first half of Helen could refer to the audience’s idea of the Sicilian expedition and the causes of its defeat, and the redemptive deception in the second part of the play to the theatrical delusion relieving the audience of the pain of a heavy defeat and loss of the near and dear.