©Copyright 2020 Anna E Simas
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©Copyright 2020 Anna E Simas Killer Queen: Clytemnestra as Goddess, Heroine, and Monster Anna E Simas A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2020 Reading Committee: Ruby Blondell, Chair Olga Levaniouk Kathryn Topper Program Authorized to Offer Degree: Classics University of Washington Abstract Killer Queen: Clytemnestra as Goddess, Heroine, and Monster Anna E Simas Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Ruby Blondell Classics This dissertation examines the mythological figure of Clytemnestra across genre and time. From Homeric poetry through late Greek tragedy, this duplicitous husband-murderer reflects ancient Greek male anxieties about women. I argue that the conceptualization of Clytemnestra shifts over time and according to generic conventions, and that authors portray her as heroic, monstrous, or divine in order to advance their own agendas about the dangerousness of women to male society. We will see that there is no universal conception of Clytemnestra: while many authors treat her as an example of the threat of the feminine, others explore the complexities of her motives, even presenting relatively sympathetic discussions of her situation. Although she is never fully exculpated, her actions are often rationalized as a consequence of her mistreatment by Agamemnon. Such a topic naturally raises questions about structural misogyny in ancient Greece, but as we shall see, many modern scholars have reproduced this misogyny in scholarship on Clytemnestra. Thus, a major goal of this project is to identify and resist the sexism of such scholarship. This is the first comprehensive study of Clytemnestra across time and genre, and integrates both literary and visual sources with the goal of producing an anti-misogynistic, holistic portrait of this important cultural figure. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: The Murderess of Mycenae ....................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1. The Iliad ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.1. The Terms in the Formula .................................................................................................. 11 1.2. The Formula ....................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter 2. The Odyssey ................................................................................................................ 30 2.1. Epic Glory .......................................................................................................................... 31 2.2. The Relation of a Name to Reputation .............................................................................. 40 2.3. Clytemnestra’s Name ......................................................................................................... 43 2.3.1. Non-Etymological Descriptions of Clytemnestra ....................................................... 46 2.3.2. Etymological Evidence for Clytemestra ..................................................................... 51 2.3.3. Etymological Evidence for Clytemnestra ................................................................... 56 Chapter 3. Lyric Poetry ................................................................................................................. 64 3.1. Stesichorus ......................................................................................................................... 64 3.2. Simonides ........................................................................................................................... 78 3.3. Pindar ................................................................................................................................. 81 Chapter 4. Aeschylus’ Oresteia .................................................................................................... 98 4.1. The Structure of Female Choruses ..................................................................................... 98 4.2. The Female Monster .......................................................................................................... 99 4.3. The Female Monster in Pre-Aeschylean Literary Sources .............................................. 104 4.3.1. Gorgons ..................................................................................................................... 105 4.3.2. Harpies ...................................................................................................................... 109 i 4.4. Monstrous Language in the Oresteia ............................................................................... 116 4.4.1. Gorgon Imagery used of Clytemnestra and the Erinyes ........................................... 117 4.4.2. Harpy Imagery used of Clytemnestra and the Erinyes ............................................. 131 Chapter 5. The Electra Plays ...................................................................................................... 143 5.1. The Dates of the Plays ..................................................................................................... 144 5.2. Electra’s Name ................................................................................................................. 146 5.3. The Characterizations of Electra and Clytemnestra in Euripides .................................... 150 5.4. The Characterizations of Electra and Clytemnestra in Sophocles ................................... 167 Chapter 6. Euripides’ Iphigeneia at Aulis ................................................................................... 188 6.1. Considerations for the Discussion of Eleusinian-Orphic Allusions and Intertexts .......... 188 6.2. The Text of IA .................................................................................................................. 193 6.3. Evidence for Demeter Erinys ........................................................................................... 196 6.4. References to the Myth of Demeter and Persephone in IA .............................................. 203 6.4.1. Eleusinian-Orphic Framing of IA .............................................................................. 205 6.4.2. Assimilation of Clytemnestra to Demeter and Iphigeneia to Persephone ................ 208 Conclusion: Clytemnestra’s Enduring Appeal ............................................................................ 220 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................... 222 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank first and foremost my dissertation director, Ruby Blondell, for their guidance, support, friendship, and encouragement throughout this process. They have often seemed to know what I want before I do, which has been invaluable for my research and for my psyche. Many thanks as well to my Reading Committee members, Olga Levaniouk and Kathryn Topper, who have inspired, challenged, and guided me from the very start of graduate school. Thank you also to Shirley Yee and Cricket Keating in the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies for their help as I planned and conducted my dissertation research and completed my Graduate Certificate in Feminist Studies. I have been lucky to have had such fierce and wonderful mentors to guide me through this process, and for that I am eternally grateful. This dissertation would not have been possible without the support, both financial and otherwise, from the Department of Classics and the Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Washington, and from the American Association of University Women, to whom I owe the deepest gratitude. The last year of work on this dissertation was funded by an American Fellowship from AAUW (2019-2020), without which I would not have been able to complete this project. Many thanks to the Greenfield family, the DeLacy family, the Nesholm family, and Eleftherios and Mary Rouvelas, whose generosity has allowed me to conduct my research and engage in travel related to my research and studies. Lastly, I would like to thank the Women’s Classical Caucus for their commitment to securing equity in Classics, as well as for guiding me in my journey through graduate school. Finally, I would like to thank those closest to me who have provided support for my academic career. Thank you to my family, both natal and chosen. Emma Brobeck, whose iii steadfast companionship has kept me in good spirits, thank you for the σκωµµάτων εἴδη µυρία. Many thanks are also owed to my colleagues at UW, too numerous and with too much emotion to adequately thank here, especially Megan O’Donald, whose keen editorial eye has benefited me in many instances; Edgar García, whose folk etymologies kept my wits sharp; the Dungeons and Dragons crew for countless hours of fun; and Matthew Gorey, Luke Parker, Chad Carver, and Canan Bolel, in whose company much of this dissertation was written. The sincerest appreciation for Tom, ὁδοιπόρῳ διψῶντι πηγαῖον ῥέος. iv DEDICATION For my mother, κούφα σοι | χθὼν ἐπάνωθε πέσοι v 1 INTRODUCTION: THE MURDERESS OF MYCENAE Clytemnestra was a persistent source of fascination for ancient authors and artists.1 Much like her sister Helen, though in a very different style, she represents the threat that female autonomy poses to the oikos and to patriarchal society. As we