Grief
The Trojan women bear the consequences of the war as they witness the deaths of their loved ones. In the story, Briseis describes how Troy's women lose their human status after King Priam's death. Soldiers get enslaved women as prizes, and their only purpose is to impregnate them. Even though Briseis stops grieving for her family, she knows it will take forever to heal from this trauma. Briseis often questions her feelings for Achilles and feels guilty about carrying her enemy's child. Amina, a teenage slave girl, sees Priam's decomposed body and tries to bury him as a gesture of honor, but Pyrrhus kills her. Amina's death makes Briseis even more miserable.
War
In this story, war is the central theme. After slaughtering Trojan men, including newborns, Greek soldiers capture Briseis and other Trojan women after the war and enslave them. Achilles, who killed Brisies' father and brother, makes her a slave to serve him. The harrowing situation affects her mental health, but she regains her will to live and enjoys her new life. However, the dispute between Achilles and Agamemnon over Briseis ruins her last hope of freedom.
Gender stereotypes
Women's role in a patriarchal society has always been secondary. There are stereotypes like women can't protect themselves that women also believe in. When Greek soldiers break into the fort, Briseis thinks she could defend it if she only knew how to fight. Women are supposed to bear children and care for household tasks, while men are supposed to protect them.
After realizing the danger to his life, Achilles orders his friend Alcimus to marry Briseis, so she and her child can be safe without him. Though Briseis hates the Greeks, she sympathizes with Pyrrhus, who strives to prove his worth and still gets compared to his father.
