The thesis argues for a reading of Euripides’ Andromache that focuses on the statuses of the characters – their roles within the oikos – and their instability. The scholarship on this play focuses on its differences from other surviving plays and, based on an ancient hypothesis calling it a “second-rate play,” it has acquired a negative reputation. The goal of the thesis is not to defend the work and salvage its reputation but to provide a reading which responds to some of the criticism and offers a new analysis. The chapters are divided according to the gender of the characters with the first one examining the male characters, Neoptolemus, Menelaus, Peleus, and Orestes and the next two focusing on Andromache, including her child, and Hermione separately. The exploration of these characters is connected to their own relationship to Neoptolemus’ oikos. It is the actions of men that define the statuses of the female characters in this play and Euripides depicts the men’s roles as less questionable. Because the statuses of Andromache and Hermione are the most unstable a full chapter is required for both. The analysis of the characters is based on their interactions with other characters within the play and at times includes an exploration of how the characters relate to the works of other tragedians and political works in fifth century BCE Athens. By reading the play with this specific focus, the actions of the characters suggest a distinctive portrayal by Euripides which can correlate with social issues in Athens at the time of the play’s production (c.428-425 BCE). A new reading of this play explains its unique composition and adds another way Euripides may have been influenced by Athenian politics and his interpretation of a problem in the relationship between the polis and the oikos. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / The thesis analyzes the statuses of the characters in the play Andromache, written by the Athenian Euripides in the fifth century BCE. Euripides’ Andromache has been considered one of his weaker plays, with scholars calling the lack of both a central character and a coherent and logical plot as the play’s weaknesses. However, with an examination of the characters’ statuses, the plot becomes clearer and the play comments on the problems of defining citizenship and status which Athens was experiencing during Euripides’ life. All the characters in this play fill the roles of positions connected to the Greek oikos (house). By analyzing Euripides’ characterization of these characters regarding their relation to the oikos, it is possible that this play serves as a commentary on issues of citizenship at Athens of both females and bastard children in the second half of the fifth century BCE. This analysis may also answer some of the play’s so-called problems.

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Democracy and tragedy were intrinsically linked during the time of the Athenian city-state. Yet this symbiosis, vital as it was then, is largely forgotten today. The dearth of serious political discussion is all the more puzzling since political scientists and international relations scholars write extensively on tragedy and democracy, often via a return to ancient Athens. However, these efforts have largely neglected the intrinsic links between democracy and tragedy; preferring instead to focus on either democracy or tragedy. Exploration of their essential links has, by and large, become confined to studies in philology and cultural history. The objective of this Thesis is to explore the contemporary political relevance of the ancient symbiosis of democracy and tragedy. It argues that the most politically important insight of this symbiosis today stems from tragedy’s so-called multivocal form: its ability to bring a variety of – otherwise marginalised – stories, characters and voices onto the public stage and into democratic debate. In particular, this Thesis explores two novel lessons that tragedy’s multivocal form can potentially teach contemporary democrats seeking to extend the institutions and procedures of democracy in the age of globalisation. The first is the understanding that the idea and practice of democracy should not be solely concerned with the institution of order in political life. Tragedy teaches us the lesson that while order is necessary for a stable and productive communal existence sites of disorder too provide insights into dilemmas posed by political instability, inequality, exclusion, and flux. A truly democratic order must seek to include and give voice to democratic disorder. Given this, the second lesson that this Thesis highlights from its study of Athenian tragedy’s multivocal form is the need to draw on both factual and fictional sources of knowledge in an effort to negotiate and overcome contemporary democratic dilemmas. Only by broadening the scope of reality, through a resort to fiction, can democrats hope to legitimate a variety of – otherwise marginalised – stories, characters and voices today.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Theatre, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 45-47).

Από τις εμφανίσεις φαντασμάτων στην αρχαιοελληνική λογοτεχνία, άλλες παρουσιάζονται ως ιστορικά γεγονότα, όπως οι εμφανίσεις φαντασμάτων στον Ηρόδοτο, ενώ άλλες υπηρετούν τους σκοπούς του δημιουργού, ενσωματωμένες σε αμιγώς λογοτεχνικά έργα. Η έρευνά μας, επικεντρωμένη στην δεύτερη ομάδα, εξετάζει επιφάνειες φαντασμάτων στον Όμηρο και την αττική τραγωδία, συγκεκριμένα δε αυτές του Πατρόκλου (Ἰλ. Ψ 59-108), του Δαρείου (Πέρσ. 598-842), της Κλυταιμήστρας (Εὐμεν. 94-139) και του Πολυδώρου (Ἑκ. 1-58). Η επιλογή των συγκεκριμένων περιπτώσεων υπαγορεύεται αφενός από την προαναφερθείσα κοινή λογοτεχνική φύση τους, και αφετέρου από την ομοιότητα στα χαρακτηριστικά των σκηνών, δηλαδή των συνθηκών εμφάνισης (χρόνος, χώρος, κατάσταση του ζωντανού δέκτη), της όψης και της συμπεριφοράς των φαντασμάτων (άυλη εμφάνιση, διατήρηση της μορφής, γνωστικό επίπεδο των φαντασμάτων) και της λειτουργίας τους ως λογοτεχνικών χαρακτήρων. Ειδικότερα, ως προς τις συνθήκες εμφάνισης παρατηρείται ισχυρή σύνδεση των φασματικών χαρακτήρων με την νύχτα και τα όνειρα, με την μοναχικότητα του ζωντανού στον οποίο εμφανίζονται, ενώ ο τόπος της εμφάνισης καθορίζεται σε μεγάλο βαθμό από την ευχέρεια που παρέχει στο φάντασμα να επιτύχει την ικανοποίηση των αιτημάτων του. Αναφορικά με την όψη και την συμπεριφορά τους, η έρευνα αποκάλυψε ότι, παρά την άυλη φύση τους (γνωστή ήδη από τους ακυρωμένους εναγκαλισμούς Αχιλλέα-Πατρόκλου στην Ἰλιάδα και Οδυσσέα-Αντίκλειας στην Ὀδύσσεια), οι ψυχές των νεκρών διατηρούν την μορφή του ζωντανού εαυτού τους, ενίοτε φέροντας και τα θανατηφόρα τραύματά τους. Κατά παρόμοιο τρόπο, η συνομιλία μαζί τους εκτυλίσσεται συνήθως σε φυσιολογικές συνθήκες, σαν να πρόκειται δηλαδή για ζωντανό, με εξαίρεση την άγνοιά τους για ορισμένα γεγονότα του Επάνω κόσμου, κυρίως για όσα έχουν συμβεί κατά την παραμονή τους στον Άδη. Τέλος, το αίτημα του φαντάσματος για ταφή ή εκδίκηση εις βάρος του δολοφόνου του (παράμετροι που καθορίζουν σε μεγάλο βαθμό την εμφάνιση), αποσκοπεί στην αποκατάσταση της τάξης (όσον αφορά το ίδιο το φάντασμα και την διαχείριση του νεκρού σώματός του) και, συνεπώς, προωθεί την πλοκή. / Of the appearances of ghosts in the ancient Greek literature, some are incorporated in historical works (such as in the work of Herodotus), whereas others are part of sheer literary works. Our dissertation focuses on four instances from the second category: the ghosts of Patroclus (Iliad 23.59-108), Darius (Aesch. Persae 598-842), Clytemnestra (Aesch. Eumenides 94-139) and Polydorus (Eurip. Hecuba 1-58). The selection of these instances is not only based on their literary context, but mainly on the correspondence on the matters of conditions, in which they make their appearance, on their look and behaviour and, finally, on their function. Particularly, it seems that there is a close connection between ghosts and the night and dreams, as well as with the loneliness of the living person, who meets them. They also seem to appear in places that facilitates the fulfillment of their demand. As for their look, despite their insubstantial nature (known already from the Iliad and Odyssey), the ghosts maintain the appearance of their body, in the case of the biaiothanatoi bearing the wounds, that caused their death. Their knowledge of the Upper World varies, as they sometimes ignore facts, which have happened after their death. Finally, their demand for burial or vengeance against their murderers aims to the instauration of order and, because of its importance, advances the plot.