The Face That Launched a Thousand Ships

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Related Terms • Helen of Troy • Achilles • Aegisthus • Aerope • Agamemnon • Andromache • Aulis • Briseis • Calchas • Cassandra • Clytemnestra • Diomedes • Hecuba • Iphigenia • Odysseus • Orestes • Paris • Polyxena • Telephus

Definition: The face that launched a thousand ships is a figure of speech that stands for Helen of Troy.

According to Phrase Finder*, the source of the phrase "the face that launched a thousand ships" is Christopher Marlowe, in Doctor Faustus.

* http://phrases.shu.ac.uk/meanings/359800.html (Accessed 06/06/2003)

Related Resources:

More on the Face That Launched a Thousand Ships

Trojan War Women

Who Really Launched a Thousand Ships?

A Tale of Troy

Events in the Trojan War

Who's Who In Greek Legend

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