Restraining her Song and Saving the Oikos? Nurses in Euripides’ Medea, Hippolytus, and Andromache

Authors

  • Vasiliki Kousoulini National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13136/sjtds.v5i2.237

Abstract

Contemporary scholars usually associate actors’ song with extremely heightened emotion. Solo songs in tragedy, and especially in Euripides, are frequently attributed to female characters. In this article I examine three instances where a female character (Medea, Phaedra and Hermione) who sings is juxtaposed with another female character, a Nurse, who speaks or chants. Nurses attempt to restrain the songs of their mistresses and, usually, encourage them to articulate their thoughts in a more rational way. The excessive emotions, unrealistic fears and uncontrolled desires expressed by song are perceived by the Nurses as a threat to the lives of their mistresses. These emotions also pose a serious threat to the survival of the oikos. Nurses encourage these singing females to be more rational and attempt to save their lives, that is, they serve a consolatory function within the play; nevertheless, in this tragic environment both self-absorbed singing and dialogue lead to disaster. 

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Published

2019-12-31

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 2 (2019)

Section

Miscellany

License

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