Euripides Alcestis Social Script or Ideological Critique Agenda Discussion Best of Women Scripted Femininity Euripides Alcestis Social Script or Ideological Critique 20131015 ID: 611584
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Slide1
Alcestis and Admetus. Etruscan vase
Euripides’
Alcestis
Social Script or Ideological Critique?Slide2
AgendaDiscussion: “Best of Women”Scripted Femininity?Euripides’ Alcestis
Social Script or Ideological Critique?
2013-10-15Euripides’ Alcestis2Slide3
Discussion: “Best of Women”Scripted Femininity?Slide4
Chorus:“…
she who in my mind appears / noble beyond / all women beside in a wife’s
duty” (10).“… the noblest woman underneath the sun, by far” (15).“… the bravest wife …” (19).“Now let ... Death ... | know that you are the bravest of wives, by far” (24).
“best of all women” (45
)
Pheres:
“I
say people ought to marry / like this. Otherwise, better not to marry at
all” (32)
Pericles:
“…
the highest praise you can win is to be spoken of by men as little as possible …” (Thucydides quoted Paul-
Zinserling
p. 22
)Slide5
DiscussionScript?
family firstneeds of family before ownshe’d rather have her children have a father than a mother
strength, nobility, bravery – not thatpassivity – yescare-taker, mother, wifeEumelus’ speechpassivitylet’s stuff happen, doesn’t fightparadox of being spoken of…
it may be a kind of joke????
It’s performance?
mixed points on her providing for her family
gender reversals
male mourning
courageous woman
dying for = feminine
way she dealt with it masculine
assertiveness
2013-10-15
Euripides’ Alcestis
5Slide6
Euripides’ AlcestisSocial Script or Ideological Critique?Slide7
Production Facts438 BCE1st preserved play2
nd to Sophocles
2013-10-15Euripides’ Alcestis
7Slide8
Alcestis: AnalysisPrologue
Apollo, death (debate)Chorus entryAlcestis: best of womenScene
Maidservant, ChorusChorus“Gods: “help!”SceneAlcestis, Admetus, Eumelus. Grief, oathChorusBest of women. . .
Scene
Heracles, Admetus
Chorus
Admetus’ hospitality
Scene
Admetus, Pheres (debate)
Chorus
Scene
Servant, Heracles
Chorus
Power of fate
Finale
Happy ending?Slide9
Antinomies in Euripides’ Alcestis
male
~
female
sociality
~
isolation
belonging
~
alienation
Admetus’ hospitality
~
Alcestis’ glory
life
~
death
revelry
~
mourning
dominant
~
submissive
fame
~
silenceSlide10
Does Euripides’ Alcestis “think” inside/outside the ideological “box”?