Helen of Sparta (play) carries her off to Troy for a casual affair, only to discover that she is an extremely fastidious and demanding captive. At the same time, Helen’s husband, King Menelaus, finds his efforts to rescue his wife impeded when he is placed on the Pan-Hellenic “Do Not Sail” list. T. Smith in the "Baltimore Sun" described the play as "original but problematic." The play was shortlisted for the "Best American Plays 2010". It was named one of the ten best regional plays of 2009 by the American Theatre Association. Helen of Sparta (play) Helen of Sparta is a tragicomic play by
History of Sparta Peace of Callias. Again the Thebans refused to renounce their Boeotian hegemony, and the Spartan's sent a force under King Cleombrotus in an attempt to enforce Theban acceptance. When the Thebans gave battle at Leuctra, it was more out of brave despair than hope. However, it was Sparta that was defeated and this, along with the death of King Cleombrotus dealt a crushing blow to Spartan military prestige. The result of the battle was to transfer supremacy from Sparta to Thebes. As Spartan citizenship was inherited by blood, Sparta now increasingly faced a helot population that vastly outnumbered its citizens.