Ransacking Troy

by Erin Shields

After nearly a decade of the Trojan War, the women of Greece are growing restless. Led by the indomitable Penelope and the fierce Clytemnestra, a band of Grecian women defy the odds and bravely set sail for the shores of Troy, determined to end the conflict themselves. The journey is fraught with danger—bloodthirsty warriors, mythical beasts, and the capricious will of the gods. But these women are no mere bystanders in the tales of men. Get ready to embark on the greatest adventure that Homer and Virgil never told.

A radical retelling of the ancient Greco-Roman epics, Ransacking Troy is a bold and brilliant reimagining of the most famous war story of all time, where women take centre stage as the rightful heroes. In her signature revisionist style, award-winning playwright Erin Shields brings a refreshing feminist twist to this thrilling odyssey, confronting the habitual violence and disregard for women's lives that persist during times of war. A mythical tale for modern times, Ransacking Troy envisions what happens when women band together to build a better world.

Genres: Plays

152 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 5, 2025

Reviews

[Eli d. · Rating 3 out of 5]

EDIT: after reading this I saw it live, and I must say my gripes with the text are much more manageable when it is in production; dare I say my issues aren’t issues with the live performance?

Here is my issue with this: Erin Shields had every opportunity to make the women more strong-willed than they are. This could have been SO good, and yet it fell so flat because she couldn’t escape from white liberal feminism. Come ONNNN. I know this is a commissioned production, but the futility of it is so upsetting. When will we get a good feminist retelling of Homer’s epics? The first 100 pages had me hooked; I wish it hadn’t undermined itself in the end.

I realllllly disliked the assertion that violence is never the answer. It shouldn’t be, but it often is, especially when it comes to political change. I also disliked the fact that the when the women realized change won’t happen overnight, they sort of gave up; if you really care about something, you will fight tooth and nail for it, no matter how long it takes. Since so many of these women are well off, they don’t continue to fight for it because it doesn’t take enough of a toll on them to care about it that much. I hate that. If you’re going to write a “feminist” retelling of the Iliad now, you should write it with current feminist ideology, and you should include all women, not just the rich ones.

[Hazel Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the play at Stratford festival first and instantly loved it! I got the book to read and this adds so much more dimension to the play with the careful thought and attention to detail that goes into creating a beautiful piece of art like this.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely.

[Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times hilarious, at others, harrowing. This play would be great to see live.