Suggestions and Themes in Thetis’ rhesis in Euripides’ Andromache
Abstract
The figure of Thetis makes a marked appearance in Euripides’ Andromache from the play’s very beginning, with the localization of the action in Phthia and the mention of the goddess, who has a shrine there. In Ringkomposition, Thetis appears ex machina and turns to Peleus to sanction the conclusion of the story from the perspective of reconciliation. The final rhesis strengthens Thetis’ conciliatory function and is pictured as a consolatory monologue, in which the speaking character is the mythical specimen/exemplum. The features of this rhesis are examined through a thematic, stylistic and rhetorical investigation. Furthermore, Euripides’ references to the marriage of Peleus and Thetis erase the negative background of the myth to make the play end with a theme of familial unity. The rhesis shows a convergence in the poetry of Euripides of themes descending from the ancient epic and lyric tradition: the analysis of these motifs also illuminates the deity’s role and function within Euripidean theatre.
Abstract
The figure of Thetis makes a marked appearance in Euripides’ Andromache from the play’s very beginning, with the localization of the action in Phthia and the mention of the goddess, who has a shrine there. In Ringkomposition, Thetis appears ex machina and turns to Peleus to sanction the conclusion of the story from the perspective of reconciliation. The final rhesis strengthens Thetis’ conciliatory function and is pictured as a consolatory monologue, in which the speaking character is the mythical specimen/exemplum. The features of this rhesis are examined through a thematic, stylistic and rhetorical investigation. Furthermore, Euripides’ references to the marriage of Peleus and Thetis erase the negative background of the myth to make the play end with a theme of familial unity. The rhesis shows a convergence in the poetry of Euripides of themes descending from the ancient epic and lyric tradition: the analysis of these motifs also illuminates the deity’s role and function within Euripidean theatre.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- List of Tables and Figures XI
- Introduction: The Power of Thetis, 30 Years On 1
-
Part I: The Powers of Thetis - Strife, Succession, and Cosmic Balance
- The Power and Failures of Thetis in Early Poetic Traditions and Beyond 19
- The Rape and Binding of Thetis in Its Mythological Context 43
- Divine Even If Not Olympian: The Mobility of Thetis in the Iliad 75
- Suggestions and Themes in Thetis’ rhesis in Euripides’ Andromache 87
- Thetis in Callimachus’ Hymn to Apollo: Dynasty and Succession 107
- Secrets and Lies: The Power of Thetis in Roman Culture 147
- Neque ... sine numine uincis: Thetis, Medusa and (Literary) Creation in Ovid’s Metamorphoses 181
-
Part II: Thetis’ Family Matters
- In the Bosom of the Goddess: Thetis and Dionysus in Il. 6.130–140 207
- Motherhood and Shapeshifting in Depictions of Thetis 225
- Forging Families with Thetis: “Tentacular Thinking” and Queer Kinship in Homer’s Iliad 257
- Mourning Mothers and Premature Deaths: Thetis’ Example in Greek Funerary Epigrams 277
-
Part III: Material Culture
- ‘A Dread and Revered Goddess’: Thetis and Other Gods in Attic Vases 299
- Saviour Mermaids of the Ancient Mediterranean: Thetis and the Nereids as Patrons of Ancient Greek Mariners 315
-
Part IV: Reception – Thetis’ Aftermaths
- The Wicked Witch of the West? Thetis’ Controversial Transformations in 14th- Century Middle English Vernacular Poetry 341
- Reading Thetis in Tirso de Molina’s El Aquiles 369
- Thetis and the Shield of Achilles — Reading the Iliad with Auden 395
- Thetis of the Silver Screen: The Vengeful and Cosmic Goddess in Clash of the Titans 411
- Sea Witches in Exile: Thetidean Figures in Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989/2008) and Pirates of the Caribbean (2006/2007) 429
- Reception in Performance: Interview and Poetry 471
- Afterword to the Staying Power of Thetis 485
- List of Contributors 495
- Index Locorum 501
- Subject Index 519
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Contents VII
- List of Tables and Figures XI
- Introduction: The Power of Thetis, 30 Years On 1
-
Part I: The Powers of Thetis - Strife, Succession, and Cosmic Balance
- The Power and Failures of Thetis in Early Poetic Traditions and Beyond 19
- The Rape and Binding of Thetis in Its Mythological Context 43
- Divine Even If Not Olympian: The Mobility of Thetis in the Iliad 75
- Suggestions and Themes in Thetis’ rhesis in Euripides’ Andromache 87
- Thetis in Callimachus’ Hymn to Apollo: Dynasty and Succession 107
- Secrets and Lies: The Power of Thetis in Roman Culture 147
- Neque ... sine numine uincis: Thetis, Medusa and (Literary) Creation in Ovid’s Metamorphoses 181
-
Part II: Thetis’ Family Matters
- In the Bosom of the Goddess: Thetis and Dionysus in Il. 6.130–140 207
- Motherhood and Shapeshifting in Depictions of Thetis 225
- Forging Families with Thetis: “Tentacular Thinking” and Queer Kinship in Homer’s Iliad 257
- Mourning Mothers and Premature Deaths: Thetis’ Example in Greek Funerary Epigrams 277
-
Part III: Material Culture
- ‘A Dread and Revered Goddess’: Thetis and Other Gods in Attic Vases 299
- Saviour Mermaids of the Ancient Mediterranean: Thetis and the Nereids as Patrons of Ancient Greek Mariners 315
-
Part IV: Reception – Thetis’ Aftermaths
- The Wicked Witch of the West? Thetis’ Controversial Transformations in 14th- Century Middle English Vernacular Poetry 341
- Reading Thetis in Tirso de Molina’s El Aquiles 369
- Thetis and the Shield of Achilles — Reading the Iliad with Auden 395
- Thetis of the Silver Screen: The Vengeful and Cosmic Goddess in Clash of the Titans 411
- Sea Witches in Exile: Thetidean Figures in Disney’s The Little Mermaid (1989/2008) and Pirates of the Caribbean (2006/2007) 429
- Reception in Performance: Interview and Poetry 471
- Afterword to the Staying Power of Thetis 485
- List of Contributors 495
- Index Locorum 501
- Subject Index 519
