Greek Masculinity‛: the Elusive Ideal
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UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON DEPARTMENT OF GREEK AND LATIN Euripidean Men Revisited Four Case Studies Dimitra Kokkini Thesis submitted to the University College of London for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy University College London August 2010 1 Declaration I, Dimitra Kokkini, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. Signature: 2 Abstract While Euripides’ women have attracted a great deal of attention in recent decades, it is now half a century since the last substantial monograph devoted to his male characters. The present thesis examines representations of manliness and male behaviour in Euripidean tragedy. It aims to revisit Euripidean men as characters in their own right, not simply as foils to powerful women, and in relation with ideals of manliness as expressed and experienced in fifth-century Athens. The Introduction is divided thematically into two parts. The first part deals with the emergence of Gender and Men’s Studies from the same theoretical thinking that shaped Feminist thought, and demonstrates how their rhetoric and ideas can be used in literary criticism. The second part uses the idea of masculinity as a cultural construct and focuses on the concept of ‚ideal masculinity‛ as promoted in ancient Greek sources. Four case studies constitute the four main chapters of the thesis, each one of them placing emphasis on different aspects of masculinity and male identity. Chapter 1 focuses on Herakles in Herakles, and deals with questions regarding his relation with femininity, gender balance of roles within the oikos, male domesticity and the existence of multiple definitions of manly courage. The second case study is Admetos; Chapter 2 demonstrates that in Alkestis courage is not necessarily synonymous with the male sex, while other positive elements of male identity such as propriety and hospitality are given prominence as equally important and praiseworthy. Chapter 3 focuses on Hippolytos and explores the implications of a narrow and distorted understanding of positive qualities such as sophrosyne and piety, which can place a man at odds with his familial and public role. Finally, Chapter 4 uses Jason in Medeia to highlight the ramifications of a failure to fulfill the male obligations to his oikos and its members. 3 Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................. 7 Abbreviations............................................................................................................ 9 Notes ......................................................................................................................... 10 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 11 Why Men in Euripides? .................................................................................. 11 From feminism to gender studies ................................................................. 14 Gender theory and literature ......................................................................... 22 Defining ideal masculinity in ancient Greece ............................................ 26 Andreia: manly virtue ................................................................................ 31 Harming enemies: masculinity and revenge ........................................ 36 Aidos and sophrosyne ................................................................................ 39 Public and private ...................................................................................... 48 The ‘Other’ ................................................................................................... 50 ‚Greek masculinity‛: the elusive ideal ........................................................ 55 A note on method ............................................................................................. 56 HERAKLES .............................................................................................................. 60 Herakles and femininity ................................................................................. 63 Herakles and Megara: gender roles within the house .............................. 67 The domesticated hero .................................................................................... 71 Manhood and revenge ..................................................................................... 80 The courage of the bowman ........................................................................... 87 The courage to stay alive ................................................................................. 96 4 Self-reliance and the importance of friendship ....................................... 102 Isolation vs. interdependence: Lykos and Herakles ............................... 108 The role of the gods ....................................................................................... 112 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 121 ADMETOS ............................................................................................................ 123 The genre question ........................................................................................ 123 The issue of Admetos’ cowardice................................................................ 127 Father and son ................................................................................................. 140 Herakles’ ‚other‛ masculinity ..................................................................... 148 Friends and xenoi ........................................................................................... 151 Spousal love .................................................................................................... 162 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 178 HIPPOLYTOS ....................................................................................................... 181 Hippolytos’ problematic sexuality: Hippolytos and the analysts ........ 181 Athenian attitudes towards male and female sexual activity ................ 187 Sophrosyne and gender, and the untouched meadow of Artemis ........ 191 Sexual abstinence and cult ........................................................................... 195 The goddess and the male hero ................................................................... 202 Piety and masculinity: Hippolytos’ misguided exclusivity ................... 205 A man’s duty towards the polis ................................................................... 215 Hippolytos and the polis ......................................................................... 216 Obligations of a bastard son to the oikos ............................................. 223 Exile from the polis ................................................................................... 229 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 231 JASON .................................................................................................................... 233 Jason, Medeia and marriage ......................................................................... 234 5 Male duties and obligations within the marriage ................................... 245 Men and children ........................................................................................... 250 Jason’s dislocation from the oikos .............................................................. 255 Male integrity .................................................................................................. 259 Men and intelligence ..................................................................................... 264 Conclusion ....................................................................................................... 268 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................... 272 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 275 6 Acknowledgements The process of writing this thesis has been long and meticulous and would not have been possible without the aid of various colleagues and friends, to whom I have incurred debts all these years. It gives me great pleasure to finally be able to thank them here. My first and greatest thanks are owed to my supervisor, Professor Chris Carey. Notwithstanding his immense workload and various commitments, he has always made himself available for meetings and advice, reading numerous drafts and providing extensive feedback. His infallible attention to detail and his immense knowledge have been a constant inspiration and an invaluable lesson for my research activities. Throughout the years I have been studying near him he has provided constant academic support, with an incomparable ability of gently pointing me to the right direction in times of confusion. I am profoundly grateful to him, not only for his academic advice, but also for his courtesy, gentleness and sense of humour, which made this experience invaluable for me. I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to work with him. I am also very grateful to Dr. Stephen Colvin who, as my second supervisor, provided me with insightful