Wisdom and Folly in Euripides (Trends in Classics - Supplementary Volumes, 31)

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 5 Preface 9 I. General 11 Euripides the Antiquarian 13 Euripides-Poet of irritations 31 Gods wise and foolish: Euripides and Greek literature from Homer to Plutarch 47 ‘Rightly does Aphrodite’s Name begin with aphrosune’: Gods and Men between Wisdom and Folly 55 Wisdom from Slaves 75 II. Individual Plays 93 Hearth and Home in Euripides’ Alcestis 95 The Wisdom of Jason 115 The Education of Hippolytus 131 Wisdom, Nobility, and Families in Andromache 147 Wisdom through Experience: Theseus and Adrastus in Euripides’ Suppliant Women 165 ‘Sail with your fortune’: Wisdom and Defeat in Euripides’ Trojan Women 187 The Significance of Numbers in Trojan Women 205 The Delphic School of Government: Apollonian Wisdom and Athenian Folly in Euripides’ Ion 219 Did Orestes Have a Conscience? Another Look at Sunesis in Euripides’ Orestes 239 Madness Narrative in Euripides’ Bacchae 251 The Language of Wisdom in Sophokles’ Philoktetes and Euripides’ Bacchae 267 The Figure of Teiresias in Euripides’ Bacchae 285 The Bacchae: Manipulation and Destruction 295 Mistaken Identity in Euripides’ Ino 309 III. Reception 327 Whatever Happened to Euripides’ Lekythion (Frogs 1198–1247)? 329 Euripidean Frenzy goes to Rome: The Case of Roman Comedy and Novel 345 The Leopard-skin of Heracles: traditional wisdom and untraditional madness in a Ghanaian Alcestis 357 New Evidence for Euripides’ (?) Alkmene: Another Look at a South Italian Vase-Painting 375 List of Contributors 389 Bibliography 395 Publications by Daniel Iakov 429 Index of Terms 433 Index of Passages 441 "The volume throws fresh light on a major polarity in Euripidean drama, including its roots in the tradition and its reception in vase-painting and literature. Virtually all Euripidean characters are subject to folly and claim some measure of wisdom. Leading international scholars discuss the polarity and the plays' ambiguities from various angles and theoretical perspectives, offering trenchant insights into moral, social and historical issues."-- Provided by publisher Focuses on a major polarity in Euripidean drama, including its roots in the tradition and its reception in vase-painting and literature. In this book, leading international scholars discuss the polarity and the plays' ambiguities from various angles and theoretical perspectives, offering trenchant insights into moral, social and historical issues.