Supervisors info:
Βασίλειος Π. Βερτουδάκης, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Αρχαίας Ελληνικής Φιλολογίας, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, Τομέας Κλασικής Φιλολογίας ΕΚΠΑ (επιβλέπων)
Ανδρέας Ν. Μιχαλόπουλος, Καθηγητής της Λατινικής Φιλολογίας, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, Τομέας Κλασικής Φιλολογίας ΕΚΠΑ (συνεπιβλέπων)
Βασίλειος Α. Λεντάκης, Καθηγητής Αρχαίας Ελληνικής Φιλολογίας, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, Τομέας Κλασικής Φιλολογίας ΕΚΠΑ (συνεπιβλέπων)
Original Title:
Εκδικητικές γυναίκες στην αρχαία ελληνική και ρωμαϊκή μυθολογία: Αλθαία, Κλυταιμνήστρα, Μήδεια και Πρόκνη
Summary:
In this paper I deal with the theme of women's revenge in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, and in particular I will examine the cases of Althea, Clytemnestra, Medea and Procne. The choice of these four was not made by chance, but the reason was the fact that Clytemnestra, Medea and Procne
constitute the most familiar vengeful female figures in the reader's consciousness and have established themselves as the most ruthless, as the rich literary
production and the resonance of their myths as well as their uptake by the modern
literature and the arts (see corresponding chapters). The myth of Althea, though less so
popular than the other three, is a necessary addition; goal, through the
examination of these myths, to draw certain conclusions about the permitted ones
possibilities of women's freedom of speech and action (both moral and social
level), as well as the degree to which these capabilities evolve over time
of the centuries.
The shocking ending of the myths of Euripides' Medea and Ovid's Procne with
the subsequent rescue of the heroines, raises the following question: whether it is possible
after their heinous and heinous crimes to "atone" in his conscience
audience and the reader and/or the ancient Greek and Roman citizen - if we assume that the
literature expresses, to a certain extent, the perceptions of the era in which it is produced ̶, while the
Althea and Clytemnestra to be punished exemplary in the tradition in general
their myth? 1
I will therefore attempt a sociological approach to the action of the revengers
women, with psychological implications, taking into account the limitations set by
their mythological status. In order to make safe conclusions about the
their activity (causes, conditions and results of crimes), I consider it appropriate to
examine these mythological female figures in their evolution and totality – as they are
feasible ̶; for this reason – almost ̶in each of the main axis projects for each
heroine, I will compare a second work of reference: for the story of Althaia, the main work will be Ovid's Metamorphoses (8.445-546) and the secondary work will be Homer's Iliad (1529-99), and for that of Clytemnestra, the main works will be both Agamemnon of
Aeschylus as well as Euripides' Iphigenia in Aulidis, with a slight lead for him
Agamemnon. For the myth of Medea I will mostly use the tragedy of the same name
by Euripides, while for the story of Proknis Ovid's Metamorphoses (6.424-674)
and supporting passages from Sophocles' Tereus (TrGF 4 ap. 583-595b).
Based on this data, after clarifying the concept of revenge, I will attempt one
overview and co-examination of all known ancient Greek – for the most part ̶and
of Roman myths that include vengeful female actions, as well as their evaluation (causes and consequences), both on a mythological and social level. Both at the beginning of the work and within the chapters that will concern the action of the four women, I will demonstrate the socio-political changes that took place during the classical Greek and Roman period of antiquity and I will investigate whether they allowed the citizen-spectator and reader to face with a more mature look and a greater sense of sympathy the woman and her position in society as a whole.
Keywords:
feminism in antiquity, tragedy, epic, roman poetry, female revenge
