The composition of the obverse panel of the sixth century BCE Exekias amphora depicts Menelaus and Ajax as they both stride away from the fallen body of Achilles. Given the limited perspective afforded by the genre of vase painting, it appears as though Ajax, standing in the foreground with his right foot set before Achilles' slain body, is entwined at his feet with Menelaus, who, in the background, is stretching outwards to strike down Amasos. The near mirror image of the two not only creates a dynamic balance in the panel, but also stresses the contract in the actions of the two heroes; while Ajax rescues the body of Achilles who had fallen in battle to ensure that he the hero receives a proper burial, Menelaus kills not a worthy Trojan hero, but naked African youth pathetically armed with only a club and a wicker shield.
Exekias' Menelaus is thus more Sophoclean, rather than Homeric. That is, he is cruel, merciless, and haughty. This, at least from the school of arm chair psychoanalysis, is way more fitting. It's a shame that no one has fully exploited the tragedy which Menelaus is so capable. I mean, inevitable inferiority complex from superior brother, masculinity complex from having lost his wife to a pansy, and a ginger complex to boot?
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