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/9780199227334.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Plays and Playwrights: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This chapter investigates the highly charged and emotive utterance that is the tragic curse, and considers its status as a causal factor in those plays in which it is important. It starts by ...
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This chapter investigates the highly charged and emotive utterance that is the tragic curse, and considers its status as a causal factor in those plays in which it is important. It starts by distinguishing the concept of a curse from that of inherited guilt. It then identifies the essence of the tragic curse by means of a thought-experiment involving the substitution of defixiones (the so-called ‘curse-tablets’ or ‘binding spells’) in some tragic passages where in fact we find curses. It argues that the consideration of tragic curses raises a crucial issue concerning the hierarchy of interpretative priorities that we bring to our engagement with these texts. The investigation of curses thus strikes at the heart of the interpretation of tragedy.Less
This chapter investigates the highly charged and emotive utterance that is the tragic curse, and considers its status as a causal factor in those plays in which it is important. It starts by distinguishing the concept of a curse from that of inherited guilt. It then identifies the essence of the tragic curse by means of a thought-experiment involving the substitution of defixiones (the so-called ‘curse-tablets’ or ‘binding spells’) in some tragic passages where in fact we find curses. It argues that the consideration of tragic curses raises a crucial issue concerning the hierarchy of interpretative priorities that we bring to our engagement with these texts. The investigation of curses thus strikes at the heart of the interpretation of tragedy.
Miranda Aldhouse-Green
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300124422
- eISBN:
- 9780300165883
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300124422.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
This chapter explains that many of the Classical writers who mention Druids are silent on the matter of Druidesses, although persistent references to Gallic female priests are contained within the ...
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This chapter explains that many of the Classical writers who mention Druids are silent on the matter of Druidesses, although persistent references to Gallic female priests are contained within the texts. The exclusivity of female involvement with the cult of Demeter is explicable in terms of the fertility connection, but in ancient Greek society, women also played central roles in other aspects of cult and religious festivals. The Larzac plaque refers specifically to defixiones, curses for which there is abundant archaeological evidence in Roman Gaul and Britain, and which were traditionally written on lead sheets, presumably by professional clergy. The multiple gender systems present in the shamanistic traditions of many native North American peoples enable an understanding of the important role that can be played by perceptions of fluid and several genders in symbolic traditions wherein biological sex was and is frequently overridden by social structures.Less
This chapter explains that many of the Classical writers who mention Druids are silent on the matter of Druidesses, although persistent references to Gallic female priests are contained within the texts. The exclusivity of female involvement with the cult of Demeter is explicable in terms of the fertility connection, but in ancient Greek society, women also played central roles in other aspects of cult and religious festivals. The Larzac plaque refers specifically to defixiones, curses for which there is abundant archaeological evidence in Roman Gaul and Britain, and which were traditionally written on lead sheets, presumably by professional clergy. The multiple gender systems present in the shamanistic traditions of many native North American peoples enable an understanding of the important role that can be played by perceptions of fluid and several genders in symbolic traditions wherein biological sex was and is frequently overridden by social structures.
