W. S. Barrett
M. L. West (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199203574
- eISBN:
- 9780191708183
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203574.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
W. S. Barrett (1914-2001) was one of the finest Hellenists of the second half of the 20th century, known above all for his celebrated edition of Euripides' Hippolytus. This volume of his collected ...
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W. S. Barrett (1914-2001) was one of the finest Hellenists of the second half of the 20th century, known above all for his celebrated edition of Euripides' Hippolytus. This volume of his collected scholarly papers includes five articles published between 1954 and 1978, together with a much larger number of others that remained unpublished in his lifetime and are presented here for the first time. They deal mainly with Greek lyric poetry (Stesichoros, Pindar, Bacchylides) and Tragedy.Less
W. S. Barrett (1914-2001) was one of the finest Hellenists of the second half of the 20th century, known above all for his celebrated edition of Euripides' Hippolytus. This volume of his collected scholarly papers includes five articles published between 1954 and 1978, together with a much larger number of others that remained unpublished in his lifetime and are presented here for the first time. They deal mainly with Greek lyric poetry (Stesichoros, Pindar, Bacchylides) and Tragedy.
W. S. Barrett
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199203574
- eISBN:
- 9780191708183
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203574.003.0020
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter confronts the question of the original order of the plays contained in the Jerusalem palimpsest. This is perhaps a trivial question, but it is one which admits of a quite certain answer.
This chapter confronts the question of the original order of the plays contained in the Jerusalem palimpsest. This is perhaps a trivial question, but it is one which admits of a quite certain answer.
Victoria Wohl
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691166506
- eISBN:
- 9781400866403
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691166506.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
How can we make sense of the innovative structure of Euripidean drama? And what political role did tragedy play in the democracy of classical Athens? These questions are usually considered to be ...
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How can we make sense of the innovative structure of Euripidean drama? And what political role did tragedy play in the democracy of classical Athens? These questions are usually considered to be mutually exclusive, but this book shows that they can only be properly answered together. Providing a new approach to the aesthetics and politics of Greek tragedy, this book argues that the poetic form of Euripides' drama constitutes a mode of political thought. Through readings of select plays, the book explores the politics of Euripides' radical aesthetics, showing how formal innovation generates political passions with real-world consequences. Euripides' plays have long perplexed readers. With their disjointed plots, comic touches, and frequent happy endings, they seem to stretch the boundaries of tragedy. But the plays' formal traits—from their exorbitantly beautiful lyrics to their arousal and resolution of suspense—shape the audience's political sensibilities and ideological attachments. Engendering civic passions, the plays enact as well as express political ideas. The book draws out the political implications of Euripidean aesthetics by exploring such topics as narrative and ideological desire, the politics of pathos, realism and its utopian possibilities, the logic of political allegory, and tragedy's relation to its historical moment. Breaking through the impasse between formalist and historicist interpretations of Greek tragedy, the book demonstrates that aesthetic structure and political meaning are mutually implicated—and that to read the plays poetically is necessarily to read them politically.Less
How can we make sense of the innovative structure of Euripidean drama? And what political role did tragedy play in the democracy of classical Athens? These questions are usually considered to be mutually exclusive, but this book shows that they can only be properly answered together. Providing a new approach to the aesthetics and politics of Greek tragedy, this book argues that the poetic form of Euripides' drama constitutes a mode of political thought. Through readings of select plays, the book explores the politics of Euripides' radical aesthetics, showing how formal innovation generates political passions with real-world consequences. Euripides' plays have long perplexed readers. With their disjointed plots, comic touches, and frequent happy endings, they seem to stretch the boundaries of tragedy. But the plays' formal traits—from their exorbitantly beautiful lyrics to their arousal and resolution of suspense—shape the audience's political sensibilities and ideological attachments. Engendering civic passions, the plays enact as well as express political ideas. The book draws out the political implications of Euripidean aesthetics by exploring such topics as narrative and ideological desire, the politics of pathos, realism and its utopian possibilities, the logic of political allegory, and tragedy's relation to its historical moment. Breaking through the impasse between formalist and historicist interpretations of Greek tragedy, the book demonstrates that aesthetic structure and political meaning are mutually implicated—and that to read the plays poetically is necessarily to read them politically.
L. A. Swift
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577842
- eISBN:
- 9780191722622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577842.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes the paean. The chapter begins with an investigation of the paean, a religious song associated with Apollo, establishing its function in society and ...
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This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes the paean. The chapter begins with an investigation of the paean, a religious song associated with Apollo, establishing its function in society and common features. The chapter gives an overview of how the paean is deployed in Greek tragedy, before going on to examine two case‐studies in detail: Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus and Euripides' Ion. Both these plays evoke the paean regularly, and do so to enhance some of their central themes. In particular, both plays use paeanic imagery to highlight questions they raise about the role that the gods play in mortal affairs.Less
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes the paean. The chapter begins with an investigation of the paean, a religious song associated with Apollo, establishing its function in society and common features. The chapter gives an overview of how the paean is deployed in Greek tragedy, before going on to examine two case‐studies in detail: Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus and Euripides' Ion. Both these plays evoke the paean regularly, and do so to enhance some of their central themes. In particular, both plays use paeanic imagery to highlight questions they raise about the role that the gods play in mortal affairs.
L. A. Swift
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577842
- eISBN:
- 9780191722622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577842.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes epinician poetry. The chapter begins with a discussion of epinician as a genre, drawing on both Pindar and Bacchylides. In particular, it explores how ...
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This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes epinician poetry. The chapter begins with a discussion of epinician as a genre, drawing on both Pindar and Bacchylides. In particular, it explores how epinician was regarded in fifth‐century Athens: a society whose democratic values are frequently believed to be at odds with the aristocratic and individualistic values of epinician. The second part of the chapter explores how tragedy makes use of epinician motifs, using two case‐studies: Euripides' Heracles, and Electra. It is argued that in both these plays the clustering of epinician language is used to explore problematic values associated with epinician poetry: in particular, questions about what constitutes aretē (excellence), and the relationship between individual and community.Less
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes epinician poetry. The chapter begins with a discussion of epinician as a genre, drawing on both Pindar and Bacchylides. In particular, it explores how epinician was regarded in fifth‐century Athens: a society whose democratic values are frequently believed to be at odds with the aristocratic and individualistic values of epinician. The second part of the chapter explores how tragedy makes use of epinician motifs, using two case‐studies: Euripides' Heracles, and Electra. It is argued that in both these plays the clustering of epinician language is used to explore problematic values associated with epinician poetry: in particular, questions about what constitutes aretē (excellence), and the relationship between individual and community.
L. A. Swift
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577842
- eISBN:
- 9780191722622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577842.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes parthenaic song. The chapter begins with an extensive discussion of partheneia with close readings of Alcman and Pindar's partheneia; it argues for a ...
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This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes parthenaic song. The chapter begins with an extensive discussion of partheneia with close readings of Alcman and Pindar's partheneia; it argues for a definition of the poetry as connected with the identity of the performers, and focuses on themes of female sexuality, display, and transition. The chapter also discusses Athenian knowledge of partheneia, since there is little evidence for an Athenian tradition of female choral performance. The second part of the chapter explores how partheneia is evoked in tragedy, with a particular emphasis on Euripides' Iphigeneia among the Taurians and Helen. It argues that both these plays contain heroines with a real‐life role in parthenaic cult, and that these cultic references tie in with the plays' presentation of the issues surrounding female transition.Less
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes parthenaic song. The chapter begins with an extensive discussion of partheneia with close readings of Alcman and Pindar's partheneia; it argues for a definition of the poetry as connected with the identity of the performers, and focuses on themes of female sexuality, display, and transition. The chapter also discusses Athenian knowledge of partheneia, since there is little evidence for an Athenian tradition of female choral performance. The second part of the chapter explores how partheneia is evoked in tragedy, with a particular emphasis on Euripides' Iphigeneia among the Taurians and Helen. It argues that both these plays contain heroines with a real‐life role in parthenaic cult, and that these cultic references tie in with the plays' presentation of the issues surrounding female transition.
L. A. Swift
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577842
- eISBN:
- 9780191722622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577842.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes hymenaios. The chapter begins with a discussion of the role that choral song played in the Greek wedding, and a discussion of Sappho's hymenaioi and ...
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This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes hymenaios. The chapter begins with a discussion of the role that choral song played in the Greek wedding, and a discussion of Sappho's hymenaioi and poetry by other authors which imitated hymenaeal forms. The second part of the chapter looks at how tragedy makes use of hymenaios, including the so‐called ‘marriage‐to‐death’ motif, whereby a young girl's death is described as a form of marriage. The chapter also investigates mixed‐sex choral performance as a hymenaeal trope, and examines two plays (Euripides' Hippolytus and Aeschylus' Suppliant Women) where mixed‐sex choruses are used to highlight themes of marriage and of dysfunctional sexuality.Less
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes hymenaios. The chapter begins with a discussion of the role that choral song played in the Greek wedding, and a discussion of Sappho's hymenaioi and poetry by other authors which imitated hymenaeal forms. The second part of the chapter looks at how tragedy makes use of hymenaios, including the so‐called ‘marriage‐to‐death’ motif, whereby a young girl's death is described as a form of marriage. The chapter also investigates mixed‐sex choral performance as a hymenaeal trope, and examines two plays (Euripides' Hippolytus and Aeschylus' Suppliant Women) where mixed‐sex choruses are used to highlight themes of marriage and of dysfunctional sexuality.
L. A. Swift
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577842
- eISBN:
- 9780191722622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577842.003.0008
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Poetry and Poets: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes Thrēnos and other forms of ritual funerary song. The chapter begins with a discussion of the Greek ritual lament, and seeks continuities between the ...
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This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes Thrēnos and other forms of ritual funerary song. The chapter begins with a discussion of the Greek ritual lament, and seeks continuities between the various forms such as women's lament, Thrēnos, funerary epigram. It also discusses the role that funerary legislation played in changing the nature of funeral song, and the effect that this would have had on a fifth‐century audience's understanding of ritual lament. The chapter discusses three plays which place particular emphasis on the conventions of lament: Aeschylus' Persians, Sophocles' Electra, and Euripides' Alcestis. Each of these plays uses lament to represent ethical ideas to do with moderation and social convention, highlighting the politicized role that lamentation had accrued by this period.Less
This chapter explores how Greek tragedy evokes Thrēnos and other forms of ritual funerary song. The chapter begins with a discussion of the Greek ritual lament, and seeks continuities between the various forms such as women's lament, Thrēnos, funerary epigram. It also discusses the role that funerary legislation played in changing the nature of funeral song, and the effect that this would have had on a fifth‐century audience's understanding of ritual lament. The chapter discusses three plays which place particular emphasis on the conventions of lament: Aeschylus' Persians, Sophocles' Electra, and Euripides' Alcestis. Each of these plays uses lament to represent ethical ideas to do with moderation and social convention, highlighting the politicized role that lamentation had accrued by this period.
N. J. Sewell‐Rutter
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199227334
- eISBN:
- 9780191711152
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199227334.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter considers some manifestations of inherited guilt, curses, and Erinyes in Sophocles, paying particular attention to his three Theban plays and his one Pelopid play, the Electra. Sophocles ...
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This chapter considers some manifestations of inherited guilt, curses, and Erinyes in Sophocles, paying particular attention to his three Theban plays and his one Pelopid play, the Electra. Sophocles is treated separately because he is a special case in the relevant respects. Aeschylus and Euripides, for all their differences, seem in interesting ways to stand rather closer to one another than either does to Sophocles. It is argued that Sophocles does not share the Aeschylean preoccupation with doubly motivated action and its bearing on mortal decisions. At the same time, he is no less concerned than his two counterparts with familial dysfunction and with supernatural causation. It is simply that his concern with these concepts is handled differentlyLess
This chapter considers some manifestations of inherited guilt, curses, and Erinyes in Sophocles, paying particular attention to his three Theban plays and his one Pelopid play, the Electra. Sophocles is treated separately because he is a special case in the relevant respects. Aeschylus and Euripides, for all their differences, seem in interesting ways to stand rather closer to one another than either does to Sophocles. It is argued that Sophocles does not share the Aeschylean preoccupation with doubly motivated action and its bearing on mortal decisions. At the same time, he is no less concerned than his two counterparts with familial dysfunction and with supernatural causation. It is simply that his concern with these concepts is handled differently
Kathleen Riley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534487
- eISBN:
- 9780191715945
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534487.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This book is the first to examine the reception and performance history of Euripides' Herakles from the fifth century BC to AD 2006. Its primary interest lies in changing ideas of Heraklean madness, ...
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This book is the first to examine the reception and performance history of Euripides' Herakles from the fifth century BC to AD 2006. Its primary interest lies in changing ideas of Heraklean madness, of its causes, its consequences, and its therapy. Writers subsequent to Euripides have tried to ‘reason’ or make sense of the madness, often in accordance with contemporary thinking on mental illness. Diagnoses of Herakles' condition have included melancholy, epilepsy, hysteria, manic depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and have been informed by a range of theories from humoral pathology to psychoanalysis and beyond. The study's concurrent focus is how these attempts to reason the madness have, in the process, necessarily entailed redefining Herakles' heroism. The book also demonstrates that, in spite, of its relatively infrequent staging, the Herakles has always surfaced in historically charged circumstance – Nero's Rome, Shakespeare's England, Freud's Vienna, Cold-War and post-9/11 America – and has had an undeniable impact on the history of ideas. As an analysis of heroism in crisis, a tragedy about the greatest of heroes facing an abyss of despair but ultimately finding redemption through human love and friendship, the play resonates powerfully with individuals and communities at historical and ethical crossroads.Less
This book is the first to examine the reception and performance history of Euripides' Herakles from the fifth century BC to AD 2006. Its primary interest lies in changing ideas of Heraklean madness, of its causes, its consequences, and its therapy. Writers subsequent to Euripides have tried to ‘reason’ or make sense of the madness, often in accordance with contemporary thinking on mental illness. Diagnoses of Herakles' condition have included melancholy, epilepsy, hysteria, manic depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, and have been informed by a range of theories from humoral pathology to psychoanalysis and beyond. The study's concurrent focus is how these attempts to reason the madness have, in the process, necessarily entailed redefining Herakles' heroism. The book also demonstrates that, in spite, of its relatively infrequent staging, the Herakles has always surfaced in historically charged circumstance – Nero's Rome, Shakespeare's England, Freud's Vienna, Cold-War and post-9/11 America – and has had an undeniable impact on the history of ideas. As an analysis of heroism in crisis, a tragedy about the greatest of heroes facing an abyss of despair but ultimately finding redemption through human love and friendship, the play resonates powerfully with individuals and communities at historical and ethical crossroads.
Kathleen Riley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534487
- eISBN:
- 9780191715945
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534487.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The Introduction begins with an acknowledgement of the play's relative obscurity and disturbing subject matter, and then offers an explanation for its perceived ‘untouchability’. The book's two main ...
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The Introduction begins with an acknowledgement of the play's relative obscurity and disturbing subject matter, and then offers an explanation for its perceived ‘untouchability’. The book's two main lines of enquiry are set out: first, how writers subsequent to Euripides have tried to ‘reason’ or make sense of Herakles' madness, and, secondly, how these attempts have necessarily entailed redefining Herakles' heroism. Each of the major receptions is then summarized in relation to these focal investigative points. The Introduction also considers the book's place within classical reception studies and relates the present study to current reception theory and methodology.Less
The Introduction begins with an acknowledgement of the play's relative obscurity and disturbing subject matter, and then offers an explanation for its perceived ‘untouchability’. The book's two main lines of enquiry are set out: first, how writers subsequent to Euripides have tried to ‘reason’ or make sense of Herakles' madness, and, secondly, how these attempts have necessarily entailed redefining Herakles' heroism. Each of the major receptions is then summarized in relation to these focal investigative points. The Introduction also considers the book's place within classical reception studies and relates the present study to current reception theory and methodology.
Kathleen Riley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534487
- eISBN:
- 9780191715945
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534487.003.0002
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines Euripides' own radical treatment of the Herakles mainomenos myth, namely his externalization of the madness and humanization of the hero. The structural fission, unparalleled ...
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This chapter examines Euripides' own radical treatment of the Herakles mainomenos myth, namely his externalization of the madness and humanization of the hero. The structural fission, unparalleled central epiphany, and highly unusual characterization of Herakles and Lyssa establish psychological and ethical discontinuity between Herakles sane and Herakles insane. Against divine unreason, the rehabilitated Herakles emerges as a mature and humanistic hero whose salvation is achieved through human philia (love, friendship) and his own progressive spiritual resolve. The chapter concludes with a brief survey of antiquity's alternate traditions of the myth prior to Seneca.Less
This chapter examines Euripides' own radical treatment of the Herakles mainomenos myth, namely his externalization of the madness and humanization of the hero. The structural fission, unparalleled central epiphany, and highly unusual characterization of Herakles and Lyssa establish psychological and ethical discontinuity between Herakles sane and Herakles insane. Against divine unreason, the rehabilitated Herakles emerges as a mature and humanistic hero whose salvation is achieved through human philia (love, friendship) and his own progressive spiritual resolve. The chapter concludes with a brief survey of antiquity's alternate traditions of the myth prior to Seneca.
Kathleen Riley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534487
- eISBN:
- 9780191715945
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534487.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter is essentially a survey of Euripidean reception in Germany and Britain between 1800 and 1880, and an examination of the prevailing damnatio of Euripides. The survey is intended to record ...
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This chapter is essentially a survey of Euripidean reception in Germany and Britain between 1800 and 1880, and an examination of the prevailing damnatio of Euripides. The survey is intended to record the principal studies made of the tragedian during this period and to illustrate the views expressed by his chief detractors and disciples, and, thereby, to serve as a prelude to Robert Browning's radical defence of Euripides, which is discussed in Chapter 6. Among the views examined are those of A. W. Schlegel, Matthew Arnold, Nietzsche, Wilamowitz, J. P. Mahaffy, and Oscar Wilde.Less
This chapter is essentially a survey of Euripidean reception in Germany and Britain between 1800 and 1880, and an examination of the prevailing damnatio of Euripides. The survey is intended to record the principal studies made of the tragedian during this period and to illustrate the views expressed by his chief detractors and disciples, and, thereby, to serve as a prelude to Robert Browning's radical defence of Euripides, which is discussed in Chapter 6. Among the views examined are those of A. W. Schlegel, Matthew Arnold, Nietzsche, Wilamowitz, J. P. Mahaffy, and Oscar Wilde.
Kathleen Riley
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534487
- eISBN:
- 9780191715945
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534487.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter looks in detail at Robert Browning's poem Aristophanes' Apology (1875) and his transcription, within this, of Euripides' Herakles. Browning applies himself at length to the whole issue ...
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This chapter looks in detail at Robert Browning's poem Aristophanes' Apology (1875) and his transcription, within this, of Euripides' Herakles. Browning applies himself at length to the whole issue of Euripidean reception, both ancient and modern, and, as the coup de grâce in his defence of the playwright, he translates Herakles faithfully and in full. The play is deemed by Browning ‘the consummate Tragedy’ and ‘the perfect piece’ by which to ‘test true godship’. The chapter considers Browning's version of Herakles in relation to his very different translations of Alkestis and Agamemnon, and in terms of the Victorian translation debate.Less
This chapter looks in detail at Robert Browning's poem Aristophanes' Apology (1875) and his transcription, within this, of Euripides' Herakles. Browning applies himself at length to the whole issue of Euripidean reception, both ancient and modern, and, as the coup de grâce in his defence of the playwright, he translates Herakles faithfully and in full. The play is deemed by Browning ‘the consummate Tragedy’ and ‘the perfect piece’ by which to ‘test true godship’. The chapter considers Browning's version of Herakles in relation to his very different translations of Alkestis and Agamemnon, and in terms of the Victorian translation debate.
S. C. Humphreys
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199269235
- eISBN:
- 9780191710094
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199269235.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Ancient Religions
This chapter traces the construction in the 6th-5th centuries BCE of the opposition between rationality and irrationality, associated with the development of prose as a medium for the rational logos, ...
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This chapter traces the construction in the 6th-5th centuries BCE of the opposition between rationality and irrationality, associated with the development of prose as a medium for the rational logos, which generated changes in conceptions of poetry and of religion. The chapter stresses that the emergence of polemical rationalism did not eliminate religious thought (let alone poetry) from the mainstream of Greek culture. Rather, it produced tendencies to rationalize cult in the public sphere through the introduction of deified personifications such as Peace or Concord, and in unofficial circles by the systematization of astrology and the interpretation of omens. It also stimulated more abstract, ‘philosophical’ conceptions of the divine, and an interest in the psychology of ‘possession’ (love, poetic inspiration, madness, drunkenness). Euripides is valued as a religious thinker, and Lycurgus as a reformer of Athenian ritual.Less
This chapter traces the construction in the 6th-5th centuries BCE of the opposition between rationality and irrationality, associated with the development of prose as a medium for the rational logos, which generated changes in conceptions of poetry and of religion. The chapter stresses that the emergence of polemical rationalism did not eliminate religious thought (let alone poetry) from the mainstream of Greek culture. Rather, it produced tendencies to rationalize cult in the public sphere through the introduction of deified personifications such as Peace or Concord, and in unofficial circles by the systematization of astrology and the interpretation of omens. It also stimulated more abstract, ‘philosophical’ conceptions of the divine, and an interest in the psychology of ‘possession’ (love, poetic inspiration, madness, drunkenness). Euripides is valued as a religious thinker, and Lycurgus as a reformer of Athenian ritual.
Daniel Mendelsohn
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199249565
- eISBN:
- 9780191719356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199249565.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter analyses Euripides' play, Suppliant Women. Suppliant Women is an Eleusinian play; and at Eleusis, as in the play, the feminine is omnipresent. Euripides' drama recapitulates the ...
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This chapter analyses Euripides' play, Suppliant Women. Suppliant Women is an Eleusinian play; and at Eleusis, as in the play, the feminine is omnipresent. Euripides' drama recapitulates the experience of all mortal women. Like the myth, which is most fully and famously transmitted through the ‘Homeric’ hymn to Demeter, this play presents young women and old; women who are fertile as well as those past childbearing; girls who, through their fathers' trickery, are given away in marriage; brides who go down to Hades to meet their husbands; and grieving mothers who leave their proper places in helpless search of their lost children.Less
This chapter analyses Euripides' play, Suppliant Women. Suppliant Women is an Eleusinian play; and at Eleusis, as in the play, the feminine is omnipresent. Euripides' drama recapitulates the experience of all mortal women. Like the myth, which is most fully and famously transmitted through the ‘Homeric’ hymn to Demeter, this play presents young women and old; women who are fertile as well as those past childbearing; girls who, through their fathers' trickery, are given away in marriage; brides who go down to Hades to meet their husbands; and grieving mothers who leave their proper places in helpless search of their lost children.
Helma Dik
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279296
- eISBN:
- 9780191706905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279296.003.0003
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter surveys word order in clauses, with a focus on tragic dialogue. In what is essentially a random sample for the purposes of word order and pragmatics, the large majority of cases ...
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This chapter surveys word order in clauses, with a focus on tragic dialogue. In what is essentially a random sample for the purposes of word order and pragmatics, the large majority of cases discussed appears to conform well to an account assuming that pragmatically marked constituents precede the verb. It is shown that the structure of the clauses studied in these samples show important similarities with Greek prose, and strengthens the presumption that knowledge of the rules of Greek word order in prose should not be discarded when reading tragic dialogue.Less
This chapter surveys word order in clauses, with a focus on tragic dialogue. In what is essentially a random sample for the purposes of word order and pragmatics, the large majority of cases discussed appears to conform well to an account assuming that pragmatically marked constituents precede the verb. It is shown that the structure of the clauses studied in these samples show important similarities with Greek prose, and strengthens the presumption that knowledge of the rules of Greek word order in prose should not be discarded when reading tragic dialogue.
Helma Dik
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279296
- eISBN:
- 9780191706905
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279296.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter argues that in both Sophocles and Euripides, questions show a distribution of pragmatically marked information over the clause that is compatible with a Topic-Focus-verb pattern. The ...
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This chapter argues that in both Sophocles and Euripides, questions show a distribution of pragmatically marked information over the clause that is compatible with a Topic-Focus-verb pattern. The majority of questions do not feature a Topic constituent, and the sole Focus constituent is the question word. Questions being interpreted as containing multiple Focus constituents are discussed. Most of these questions are in fact a character's emotional reaction to the situation they are confronted with, which sets them apart from the questions. The traditional problem of the postponed interrogative is also discussed.Less
This chapter argues that in both Sophocles and Euripides, questions show a distribution of pragmatically marked information over the clause that is compatible with a Topic-Focus-verb pattern. The majority of questions do not feature a Topic constituent, and the sole Focus constituent is the question word. Questions being interpreted as containing multiple Focus constituents are discussed. Most of these questions are in fact a character's emotional reaction to the situation they are confronted with, which sets them apart from the questions. The traditional problem of the postponed interrogative is also discussed.
Isobel Hurst
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199283514
- eISBN:
- 9780191712715
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283514.003.0006
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter examines the use of Greek heroines such as Medea, Antigone, and Alcestis, and historical figures like Xantippe and Aspasia, to explore feminist issues in the work of George Eliot, Eliza ...
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This chapter examines the use of Greek heroines such as Medea, Antigone, and Alcestis, and historical figures like Xantippe and Aspasia, to explore feminist issues in the work of George Eliot, Eliza Lynn Linton, Augusta Webster, and Amy Levy. In translations, dramatic monologues and novels, ancient heroines could speak eloquently of the wrongs of women in a way which resonated with Victorian readers. Characters from the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides, especially Medea, the vengeful victim whose motivation for killing her rival and her own children could be cast in terms of a rebellion against patriarchal society, and Alcestis, the wife who gives up her life for an ungrateful husband, allowed these writers to explore women's anger and violence in a safely distanced context.Less
This chapter examines the use of Greek heroines such as Medea, Antigone, and Alcestis, and historical figures like Xantippe and Aspasia, to explore feminist issues in the work of George Eliot, Eliza Lynn Linton, Augusta Webster, and Amy Levy. In translations, dramatic monologues and novels, ancient heroines could speak eloquently of the wrongs of women in a way which resonated with Victorian readers. Characters from the tragedies of Sophocles and Euripides, especially Medea, the vengeful victim whose motivation for killing her rival and her own children could be cast in terms of a rebellion against patriarchal society, and Alcestis, the wife who gives up her life for an ungrateful husband, allowed these writers to explore women's anger and violence in a safely distanced context.
W. S. Barrett
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199203574
- eISBN:
- 9780191708183
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199203574.003.0019
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter presents a review of The Byzantine Manuscript Tradition of the Tragedies of Euripides by Alexander Turyn. Turyn has provided an immensely valuable repository of fact: we have now for the ...
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This chapter presents a review of The Byzantine Manuscript Tradition of the Tragedies of Euripides by Alexander Turyn. Turyn has provided an immensely valuable repository of fact: we have now for the first time a catalogue of every surviving manuscript of Euripides, described with commendable accuracy, and with enough readings cited to give us at least an indication of its character. However, his views on the relationship of the manuscripts are often not merely wrong but perversely wrong: they are inquinated by a desire to find simplicity in a tradition that is at all stages tangled and confused, to explain in terms of a tidy Lachmannian stemma facts which cry aloud that they are due to contamination.Less
This chapter presents a review of The Byzantine Manuscript Tradition of the Tragedies of Euripides by Alexander Turyn. Turyn has provided an immensely valuable repository of fact: we have now for the first time a catalogue of every surviving manuscript of Euripides, described with commendable accuracy, and with enough readings cited to give us at least an indication of its character. However, his views on the relationship of the manuscripts are often not merely wrong but perversely wrong: they are inquinated by a desire to find simplicity in a tradition that is at all stages tangled and confused, to explain in terms of a tidy Lachmannian stemma facts which cry aloud that they are due to contamination.
