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1	Tragic Male Suicide in Fifth-century Athens Beauchamp, Daniel 11 1900 (has links) The cultural ascendency of Athens during the fifth century BC involved the production of works of tragedy. Among the purposes of tragedies was the moral education of Athenian society. The democratic organization of Athens meant that the polis was predicated upon the political and social contributions of adult, citizen men. Given these features, it is all the more striking that male suicide, so apparently destructive of these goods, is mainly depicted positively throughout Attic tragedy. The presence of these moments in the tragedies suggests that the Athenians intended to model positive meaning through these representations. The aim of this study is to show how the framing of male suicide in tragedy mimicked Athenian ideals of civic duty and civic pride that were the products of an increasing cultural hegemony during the Peloponnesian War. The findings of this thesis will demonstrate that the Athenians engaged with the issues of government, self-sacrifice, and social contribution through the performances of male suicide at the City Dionysia. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / During the Peloponnesian War in the fifth century BC, the ancient Greek city of Athens produced a number of works of tragedy. These plays were part of Athens’ cultural ascendancy during this period, and were intended to contribute to the moral education of Athenian citizens. As this citizen body was made up of adult men, it is striking that one seemingly destructive aspect of Greek tragedy, that of male suicide, is depicted positively throughout the surviving plays. This thesis will demonstrate that the ancient Athenians portrayed male suicide in a particular way in tragedy in order to glorify cultural ideals of civic duty and civic pride during this period.
2	The concept of autochthony in Euripides' Phoenissae Sanders, Kyle Austin 05 September 2014 (has links) Euripides’ Phoenissae is a challenging work that is often overlooked by scholars of Greek drama. This study analyzes how the concept of autochthony occupies a central thematic concern of the play. On the one hand, autochthony unites humans to soil, political claims to myths, and present to past. On the other hand, autochthony was often invoked to exclude foreigners, women and exiles from political life at Athens. We observe a similar dichotomy in the Phoenissae. Autochthony unites the episode action–the story of the fraternal conflict—with the very different subject matter of the choral odes, which treat the founding myths of Thebes. By focalizing the lyric material through the perspective of marginalized female voices (Antigone and the chorus), Euripides is able to problematize the myths and rhetoric associated with autochthony. At the same time, Antigone’s departure with her father at the play’s close offers a transformation of autochthonous power into a positive religious entity. I suggest that a careful examination of the many facets of autochthony can inform our understanding of the Phoenissae with respect to dramatic structure, apparent Euripidean innovations, character motivation, stage direction and audience reception. / text Autochthony Phoenissae Phoenician women Euripides Tragedy Greek drama Phoinissai Athens Thebes Menoeceus Antigone Oedipus Jocasta Chorus Spartoi Sown men Theban play Mastronarde Septem Colonus Euripides.--Phoenician women Citizenship--Greece--Athens Greek drama (Tragedy)--Political aspects

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Tragic Male Suicide in Fifth-century Athens

The concept of autochthony in Euripides' Phoenissae