Menelaus
Menelaus was the king of Sparta and the brother of Agamemnon. He and Agamemnon started the Trojan War when Menelaus' wife Helen ran off with Paris.
When Menelaus refused to challenge Paris to a duel, Agamemnon called him a "coward". Agamemnon then suggested Menelaus challenge Paris' brother Hector in battle but Menelaus claimed it would be suicide and was relieved when Achilles arrived with news that he had slain Hector himself. Menelaus was sceptical of the First Doctor's suggestion of using a large wooden horse to attack Troy. (TV: The Myth Makers [+]Loading...["The Myth Makers (TV story)"])
According to Vicki, Menelaus was glad to get Helen back after the sack of Troy. (PROSE: Apocrypha Bipedium [+]Loading...["Apocrypha Bipedium (short story)"]) Though he had sworn to kill Helen for having incited the decade-long war, Menelaus found himself unwilling to destroy such beauty. He forgave her. (PROSE: The Squire's Crystal [+]Loading...["The Squire's Crystal (novel)"])
Menelaus was featured in the play Troilus and Cressida by William Shakespeare, which was set during the Trojan War. At its start, the Prologue explained that sixty-nine rulers were on their way "to ransack Troy, within whose strong immures the ravish'd Helen, Menelaus' queen, with wanton Paris sleeps". (PROSE: Troilus and Cressida [+]Loading...["Troilus and Cressida (short story)"])
