Cassandra offers a revisionist interpretation of victory, condemning the Greek army's folly in waging war on the Trojans, while presenting the Trojans' deaths as glorious acts of heroism. In a display of sophistic logic, Cassandra suggests that it is better to have "died fighting for [the] fatherland" than to "lie forgotten in a foreign country." This assertion would have been confronting for the Athenian audience, many of whom have fought, or would soon fight, in the Peloponnesian War.
Euripides is clearly aiming to undermine the myth of the glory of war, emphasising the sacrifices required of an Athenian soldier, who risked ignoble death and the lack of a proper burial, an important aspect of ancient Greek culture. Yet Euripides is careful not to alienate his audience: although Cassandra asserts that "any sensible man must hate war," she concedes that "it is a crown of honour" to die in defence of one's city. Cassandra praises Hector as "the greatest of men," since his "glory" was revealed through the Greek attack on Troy.