The Trojan Women (,
Troiades), also known as
Troades, is a
tragedy by the
Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC during the
Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the
Aegean island of
Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the
Athenians earlier that year
(see History of Milos). 415 BC was also the year of the scandalous desecration of the
hermai and the Athenians' second expedition to
Sicily, events which may also have influenced the author.