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The Motif of Love in Euripides' Works Helen and Medea

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The Motif of Love in Euripides' Works Helen and Medea THE MOTIF OF LOVE IN THE HELEN AND THE ALCESTIS OF EURIPIDES by Eleftheria N. Athanasopoulou DOCTORAL DISSERTATION submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree DOCTOR LITTERARUM ET PHILOSOPHIAE in GREEK in the FACULTY OF HUMANITIES at the UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG SUPERVISOR: PROFESSOR J. L. P. WOLMARANS JANUARY 2008 For my family, and especially for my children… «Αν κάποιος προηγείται απλώς του καιρού του, κάποια μέρα ο καιρός θα τον προλάβει». (Wittgenstein, L. 1986). «Η θάλασσα που μας πίκρανε είναι βαθιά κι ανεξερεύνητη και ξεδιπλώνει μιαν απέραντη γαλήνη». (Seferis, G. 1967). ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Grateful acknowledgment is hereby made to Prof. J. L. P. Wolmarans for his advice, patience and assistance. This work would not have been completed without his encouragement. Indeed, his criticism was beneficial to the development of my ideas. It is of special significance to acknowledge the support given to me by some friends. I am particularly indebted to them for various favours. I also thank my husband for his advice, so that I could look afresh at a large number of questions. I wish to thank the anonymous reader for the improvements (s)he suggested. Johannesburg 2008 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABSTRACT xiii ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ xi I. INTRODUCTION The Helen and the Alcestis 1 Rationale 3 Problem Statement 5 Methodology 6 Layout and Structure 8 Overview of Literature 12 Note to the Reader 14 II. THE PHILOSOPHY OF EURIPIDES AND WITTGENSTEIN Euripides’ Profile: Life and Works 15 Wittgenstein’s Profile: Life and Works 23 Euripides and Wittgenstein: Parallel Patterns of Thought 33 The Motif of Love, Language and Gloss analysis 37 III. THE ROLES OF MALE AND FEMALE IN ANCIENT GREEK SOCIETY Athenian Ideology–The Life of Athens 44 Leisure and Ancient Greek Drama 55 The Character of the Family–Οἶκος 61 Woman and Marriage: A Guided Story 65 i IV. THE MOTIF OF LOVE IN THE HELEN OF EURIPIDES From Tradition to Literary Text: The Image of Helen 71 The Motif of Love 77 The Theme of Illusion 89 The Female Character 98 The Male Character 103 V. GLOSS ANALYSIS OF THE MOTIF OF LOVE IN THE HELEN OF EURIPIDES The Use of Language 107 Philosophical Grammar 115 The Theme of Illusion as a Language Game 120 The Cubist Helen of Euripides 127 VI. THE MOTIF OF LOVE IN THE ALCESTIS OF EURIPIDES From Tradition to Literary Text: The Image of Alcestis 132 The Motif of Love 137 The Theme of Restoration 153 The Female Character 160 The Male Character 163 VII. GLOSS ANALYSIS OF THE MOTIF OF LOVE IN THE ALCESTIS OF EURIPIDES The Use of Language 167 Philosophical Grammar 175 The Theme of Restoration as a Language Game 181 The Post–modern Perspective 190 ii VIII. EPILOGUE 226 BIBLIOGRAPHY 256 Primary Sources 256 Secondary Sources 257 GLOSSARY 271 List of Diagrams, Figures and Tables iv iii LIST OF DIAGRAMS, FIGURES AND TABLES DIAGRAMS 2.1 Language, Grammar, Philosophy and Reality 26 3.1 Male and Female Class System 48 3.2 Civic Characterisation of an Athenian Family Unit 64 4.1 Structure of the Helen of Euripides 75 4.2 Helen’s Ethos 78 4.3 Menelaus’ Ethos 84 4.4 Cardiograph of the Helen 89 5.1 The Function of Helen’s Ethos 111 5.2 The Function of Menelaus’ Ethos 112 5.3 The Philosophical Grammar of Helen’s Ethos 116 5.4 The Philosophical Grammar of Menelaus’ Ethos 118 5.5 The Order of Propositions A1 123 5.6 The Order of Propositions B1 125 5.7 The Order of Propositions C1 126 5.8 The Cubist Helen 130 6.1 Structure of the Alcestis of Euripides 134 6.2 Alcestis’ Ethos 137 6.3 Admetus’ Ethos 144 6.4 Cardiograph of the Alcestis 152 6.5 The Theme of Restoration 156 7.1 The Function of Alcestis’ Ethos 170 7.2 The Function of Admetus’ Ethos 172 iv 7.3 The Philosophical Grammar of Alcestis’ Ethos 177 7.4 The Philosophical Grammar of Admetus’ Ethos 179 7.5 The Order of Propositions A2 184 7.6 The Order of Propositions B2 188 7.7 The Order of Propositions C2 189 8.1 Mythic, Tragic and Social Realities of Euripides 229 8.2 The Characters in the Helen and the Alcestis 248 FIGURES 1. Euripides, the Dramatist 22 2. Wittgenstein, the Philosopher of Language 32 3a. A plan of the Athenian Agora 53 3b. Bust of Pericles 53 4. A Symposium–Scene 54 5. The Head of the Wine–God, Dionysos 59 6. Plan of an Ancient Theatre 60 7a. Women at Home 70 7b. Helen and Menelaus 70 8a. The Traditional Myth of Alcestis 159 8b. Hermes Assists Heracles to Bring Alcestis Back to Life 159 TABLES 2.1 Chronology of Euripides’ Life and his Age 17 2.2 Chronology of Wittgenstein’s Life and his Age 24 v 2.3 Euripides and Wittgenstein: Parallel Patterns of Thought 33 4.1 The Personality System of Freud Applied to Epic and Euripidean Helen 87 4.2 The Theme of Illusion 92 4.3 The Form of εδωλον 92 4.4 Helen’s Character 100 4.5 Menelaus’ Character 105 5.1 The Theme of Illusion as a Language Game 121 5.2 The Theme of Illusion in Modern Society 124 6.1 The Personality System of Freud Applied to the Alcestis of Euripides 162 6.2 Alcestis’ Character 174 6.3 Admetus’ Character 177 7.1 The Theme of Restoration as a Language Game 182 7.2 The Theme of Restoration in Modern Society 186 8.1 The Attic Value System 236 vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 1. Wittgenstein’s published works (translated from German into English). BB The Blue and Brown Books (1958. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). OC On Certainty (1969. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). PG Philosophical Grammar (1974. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). PI Philosophical Investigations (1974. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). PR Philosophical Remarks (1975. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). RC Remarks on Colour (1977. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). TLP Tractatus Logico Philosophicus (1996. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). WL Lectures: Cambridge 1932–1935 (1979. Oxford: Basil Blackwell). 2. References MIET Educational Foundation of the National Bank. OEΔΒ Organisation for the Publication of Didactic Books. vii ABSTRACT The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a contemporary reading of Euripides’ dramas, the Helen and the Alcestis. The main problem investigated is how Euripides treats the motif of love in the Helen and the Alcestis. This problem is approached by way of an analysis of the function of language. It is not just a simple interpretation of the female and male type but an exposition of the characteristics of the motif of love. The motif of love is explored as an event between husband and wife regulated by certain norms and expectations. The result of this research is given as an account of how Euripides deconstructs the traditional social norms governing the interaction between husband and wife. The method used is the application of Wittgenstein’s gloss analysis as it is described in his work Tractatus Logico Philosophicus. Gloss analysis is the philosophical analysis of language that extracts the underlying propositions. It is chosen because it allows for a deconstruction of the social order implied in literary texts. It also allows for a rereading of such texts within a surrealistic and post–modern framework that reveals Euripides’ enduring relevance. Gloss analysis is applied to the Helen and the Alcestis as follows: first of all, the use of language and how it functions are analysed both in the traditional myth and in Euripides’s version. Secondly, the philosophical grammar of his language is examined so that the reader can understand the function of the surface and the depth grammar especially with regard to the use of metaphors. Thirdly, his language games are analysed pragmatically by illuminating the elementary propositions of the traditional myth as well as of Euripides’ version. Finally, the theme of illusion related to the Helen and the theme of restoration with regard to the Alcestis are recreated in a modern–day version. viii Generally speaking, special emphasis is placed on the role of metaphorical language in order to show up the tensions in a classical marriage. Classical society was patriarchal and military and it prescribed fixed roles to male and female. Public life was organised mostly around the male, while domestic life was organised around the female. It is especially through the use of metaphors that Euripides shows up the dysfunctions of gender ideology and that he calls for social reform. Through gloss analysis his use of metaphors is illuminated, and this reveals the function of the value system and how it failed in the classical era. In the Helen, the result of the method applied to the motif of love is a new image of Helen: through gloss analysis, the Helen of Euripides appears as a cubist product of modern art because it represents a double reality, namely the theme of illusion. It reflects a false world which the couple must escape. The tragic world of Euripides speaks to the contemporary reader or artist in a surrealistic way. The epic Helen is represented by a range of circles that symbolise irrationalism, while the Egyptian Helen is represented by squares that symbolise rationalism. In the Alcestis the heroine’s restoration is the antidote to her husband’s patriarchal deficiency, namely his selfishness. Through gloss analysis, the Alcestis of Euripides is rewritten as an experiment in the principles of what is called today the Theatre of the Absurd. The result of the method applied to the motif of love is a new reading of the Alcestis – the most creative part of this study – that is based upon the irrational elements of Euripides’ version, such as the theme of restoration.
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