<P> Her beauty inspired artists of all time to represent her , frequently as the personification of ideal beauty . Christopher Marlowe 's lines from his tragedy Doctor Faustus ( 1604 ) are frequently cited : `` Was this the face that launch 'd a thousand ships / And burnt the topless towers of Ilium ? '' However , in the play this meeting and the ensuing temptation are not unambiguously positive , closely preceding death and descent to Hell . Images of her start appearing in the 7th century BC . In classical Greece , her abduction by Paris -- or elopement with him -- was a popular motif . In medieval illustrations , this event was frequently portrayed as a seduction , whereas in Renaissance painting it is usually depicted as a rape by Paris . Interchangeable usage of the terms rape and elopement often lends ambiguity to the legend . </P>
<P> Her beauty inspired artists of all time to represent her , frequently as the personification of ideal beauty . Christopher Marlowe 's lines from his tragedy Doctor Faustus ( 1604 ) are frequently cited : `` Was this the face that launch 'd a thousand ships / And burnt the topless towers of Ilium ? '' However , in the play this meeting and the ensuing temptation are not unambiguously positive , closely preceding death and descent to Hell . Images of her start appearing in the 7th century BC . In classical Greece , her abduction by Paris -- or elopement with him -- was a popular motif . In medieval illustrations , this event was frequently portrayed as a seduction , whereas in Renaissance painting it is usually depicted as a rape by Paris . Interchangeable usage of the terms rape and elopement often lends ambiguity to the legend . </P>
who wrote the face that launched a thousand ships
who wrote the face that launched a thousand ships
Christopher Marlowe 's
Christopher Marlowe 's