The Phrygian Slave in Euripides’ Orestes
Abstract
A scene in Euripides’ Orestes (408 BCE), although often misinterpreted by modern critics. has direct relevance to the topic of this seminar: “Ancient Greek Literature and the Foreign.” The scene, in which a Phrygian eunuch slave describes what he supposes to have been the murder of Helen, illustrates how Athenian writers had a nuanced understanding of foreignness. Yes, they regarded foreigners as others, and called attention to their strange costumes and manners. But they also could portray them as fellow humans who shared with themselves many of the same reactions to deception, violence, and most particularly, death. When the occasion demanded, ancient Greek orators would emphasize differences between Greeks and foreign enemies. But at the same time other Greek thinkers were emphasizing the unity of humankind. Homer and the tragedians portray many of their foreign characters, who-for better or for worse-are thinking and acting as a Greek might have done in similar circumstances. That is the ultimate message of the scene in the Orestes where Euripides lets his audience see the actions of Orestes and Pylades through the eyes of a Phrygian slave.
Abstract
A scene in Euripides’ Orestes (408 BCE), although often misinterpreted by modern critics. has direct relevance to the topic of this seminar: “Ancient Greek Literature and the Foreign.” The scene, in which a Phrygian eunuch slave describes what he supposes to have been the murder of Helen, illustrates how Athenian writers had a nuanced understanding of foreignness. Yes, they regarded foreigners as others, and called attention to their strange costumes and manners. But they also could portray them as fellow humans who shared with themselves many of the same reactions to deception, violence, and most particularly, death. When the occasion demanded, ancient Greek orators would emphasize differences between Greeks and foreign enemies. But at the same time other Greek thinkers were emphasizing the unity of humankind. Homer and the tragedians portray many of their foreign characters, who-for better or for worse-are thinking and acting as a Greek might have done in similar circumstances. That is the ultimate message of the scene in the Orestes where Euripides lets his audience see the actions of Orestes and Pylades through the eyes of a Phrygian slave.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements V
- Contents VII
- List of Figures IX
- Introduction 1
- Intercultural Relations and the Barbarian Repertoire in Greek Culture 7
- Making Friends with Foreigners: Xenoi in the Homeric Epics 29
- The xenos as a Focus for Civic Unity in History, Ritual, and Literature 55
- A God in Translation? Dionysus from Lucian to Gandhara 73
- The Phrygian Slave in Euripides’ Orestes 99
- Greek Historians, Persika and the Persian Empire (late 5th.c. – 4th.c.) 119
- The Abduction of Europa from Moschus to Nonnus 139
- List of Contributors 161
- Bibliography 163
- Index of Sources 177
- Index of Terms 187
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Acknowledgements V
- Contents VII
- List of Figures IX
- Introduction 1
- Intercultural Relations and the Barbarian Repertoire in Greek Culture 7
- Making Friends with Foreigners: Xenoi in the Homeric Epics 29
- The xenos as a Focus for Civic Unity in History, Ritual, and Literature 55
- A God in Translation? Dionysus from Lucian to Gandhara 73
- The Phrygian Slave in Euripides’ Orestes 99
- Greek Historians, Persika and the Persian Empire (late 5th.c. – 4th.c.) 119
- The Abduction of Europa from Moschus to Nonnus 139
- List of Contributors 161
- Bibliography 163
- Index of Sources 177
- Index of Terms 187
