Wisdom and Folly in Euripides

Description

A major, defining polarity in Euripidean drama, wisdom and folly, has never so far been the subject of a book-length study. The volume aims at filling this gap. Virtually all Euripidean characters, from gods to slaves, are subject to some aspect of folly and claim at least some measure of wisdom. The playwright’s sophisticated handling of the tradition and the pervasive ambiguity in his work add extra layers of complexity. Wisdom and folly become inextricably intertwined, as gods pursue their agendas and mortal characters struggle to control their destiny, deal with their troubles, confront their past, and chart their future. Their amoral or immoral behavior and various limitations often affect also their families and communities. Leading international scholars discuss wisdom and folly from various thematic angles and theoretical perspectives. A final section deals with the polarity’s reception in vase-painting and literature. The result is a wealth of fresh insights into moral, social and historical issues. The volume is of interest to students and scholars of classical drama and its reception, of philosophy, and of rhetoric Table of Contents Preface I. General Euripides the Antiquarian Euripides-Poet of irritations Gods wise and foolish: Euripides and Greek literature from Homer to Plutarch ‘Rightly does Aphrodite’s
Name begin with aphrosune’: Gods and Men between Wisdom and Folly Wisdom from Slaves II. Individual Plays Hearth and Home in Euripides’ Alcestis The Wisdom of Jason The Education of Hippolytus Wisdom, Nobility, and Families in Andromache Wisdom through Experience: Theseus and Adrastus in Euripides’ Suppliant Women ‘Sail with your fortune’: Wisdom and Defeat in Euripides’ Trojan Women The Significance of Numbers in Trojan Women The Delphic School of Government: Apollonian Wisdom and Athenian Folly in Euripides’ Ion Did Orestes Have a Conscience? Another Look at Sunesis in Euripides’ Orestes Madness Narrative in Euripides’ Bacchae The Language of Wisdom in Sophokles’ Philoktetes and Euripides’ Bacchae The Figure of Teiresias in Euripides’ Bacchae The Bacchae: Manipulation and Destruction Mistaken Identity in Euripides’ Ino III. Reception Whatever Happened to Euripides’ Lekythion (Frogs 1198–1247)? Euripidean Frenzy goes to Rome: The Case of Roman Comedy and Novel The Leopard-skin of Heracles: traditional wisdom and untraditional madness in a Ghanaian Alcestis New Evidence for Euripides’ (?) Alkmene: Another Look at a South Italian Vase-Painting List of Contributors Bibliography Publications by Daniel Iakov Index of Terms Index of Passages