Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Clytemnestra (Greek mythology) in literature'

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Bachelors
Arts and Sciences
Humanities

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2001.
Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 277-283). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

This thesis is a systematic study of the representations of Telamonian Ajax in archaic and classical Greece. Its aim is to trace, examine, and understand how and why the constitutive elements of his myth evolved in the way they did in the long chain of its receptions. Particular attention is paid to the historical, socio-cultural and performative contexts of the literary works and visual representations I analyse as well as to the audience for which these were produced. The study is divided into three parts, each of which reflects a different reality in which Ajax has been received (different with respect to time, place, or literary genre). Artistic representations of the hero, as well as his religious dimension and political valence, are consistently taken into account throughout the thesis. The first part - Ajax from Salamis - focuses on epic poetry, and thus investigates the Panhellenic significance of the hero (rather than his reception in a particular place). It treats the entire corpus of early Greek hexameter poetry that has come down to us in written form as the reception of a common oral tradition which each poem has adapted for its own purpose. I establish that in the larger tradition of the Trojan War, Ajax was a hero characterised by his gift of invulnerability. Because of this power, he is the figure who protects his companions - dead or alive - par excellence. However, this ability probably also led him to become over-confident, and, accordingly, to reject Athena's support on the battlefield. Hence, the goddess's hostility towards him, which she demonstrated by making him lose the reward of apioteia (Achilles' arms). His defeat made Ajax so angry that he became mad and committed suicide. I also show how this traditional Ajax has been adapted to fit into the Iliad's own aesthetics. The second part - Ajax in Aegina - concentrates on the reception of Ajax in the victory odes of Pindar and Bacchylides for Aeginetan patrons. I argue that in the first part of the fifth century, Ajax becomes a figure imbued with a strong political dimension (especially with regard to the relationship between Athens and Aegina). Accordingly, I show how the presence of Ajax in Pindar's and Bacchylides' poems is often politically charged, and significant within the historical context. I discuss the influence this had on his representation. Finally, the third part moves to Athens, as I consider Ajax's reception during three distinct periods: the sixth century, the first half of the fifth century, and finally the rest of the classical period. I equally insist on the political dimension of the figure. I demonstrate that his figure undergoes a shift of paradigm in the early fifth century, which deeply affects his representation. By following in the footsteps of Ajax, this study prompts a series of reflections and comments on each of the works in which the hero features as well as on the relationship of these works to the historical context in which they were produced.

In the first chapter we intend to present, although in a restricted sense, some of the positions of the most recent critics, which will allow us to determine the meaning of our Author.
The next chapter is mainly dedicated to giving information which establishes the relationships between the most important mythological traditions and classical works. Such information will serve to find and establish the components of the Pavesian culture.
Cesare Pavese was born in Piemonte, Italy, in 1908, he lived in the historical period during which fascism and nazism triumphed and through all the horrors of the immediate after-war. Pavese's incapacity to be concretely active in the political field brings him to relive, in his writings, the ancient Italian cult of the Evocativo. This technique of his is a hermetic method of going through with his ethical social mission. To evoke a god in a moment of national crisis is a traditionally Italian ritual; while the invocation to a God or a Muse is also part of the literary tradition. The classicism of Pavese is now recognized by different critics. Their basis for this decision is his work Dialoghi con Leuco. However, our attention is more focused on the romance Il diavolo sulle colline which occupies the central part of the trilogy La Bella Estate.
This text Il diavolo sulle colline contains many meanings which requires different approaches--such as the cultural precedents of other authors, and even those of Pavese himself--to decipher. The many messages in this work can all be traced back to the concept of death and rebirth. Pavese uses themes which are beloved to Dante and the humanists, who were themselves inspired by the great Greek and Latin authors.
And thus, we are left wondering whether Il diavolo sulle colline was conceived according to the norms of the classical tragedy, which was based on the celebrations in honor of the god Dionisus (the Hellenic demon venerated by the Latins under the name of Bacchus, and affiliated with an old Italian divinity whose symbolic name was Liber Pater). Poli, a dominating figure in Il diavolo sulle colline could be the double of this god. Our discussion will therefore be founded on the testimony of mythographers.
From a methodological point of view, our analysis will not take into account the chronological sequences, but rather the themes which imply the operation of segmenting the text.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 24, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

The myth of Circe and Odysseus has been told, interpreted and retold from Homer's time to the present. This thesis begins with a detailed study of Homer's balancing of positive and negative elements of the myth and argues that Homer's Circe is connected with age-old traditions of goddess worship, particularly of Artemis of Ephesus. Chapters III and IV investigate the cultural context in which the purely negative Circe of the Homeric allegorists developed and how this allegorical Circe affected works by other ancient writers, particularly Virgil and Ovid. Later chapters demonstrate how this negative allegorical view of Circe prevailed through the Renaissance and seventeenth century, as evidenced in mythographies, Calderon's plays and by Spenser's Acrasia. The study concludes that allegorical interpretations of the Circe myth were founded on body-soul dualism, so that not until this belief is questioned and abandoned by Joyce and Atwood in the twentieth century are more original and/or positive Circes found.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: "The growth of any discipline depends on the ability to communicate and develop ideas, and this in turn relies on a language which is sufficiently detailed and flexible" (Singh 1997: 59). Many metaphors relating to creativity are too misleading, confusing, and restricted in scope for a meaningful exploration of the phenomenon and its fluctuating social and cultural contexts. Given the Muse's long-term association with literature, philosophy, education, and more recently, the fine arts and other "creative" fields, an analysis of this concept may provide a unique opportunity to gain insight into the "mechanisms" underlying the creative process. Since affiliation with the Muse appears to have signalled attainment of critical cultural and/or social status by cultural practitioners in various societies, from the ancient to the present (a category which was broadened substantially), it is thus logical to assume this concept encompasses and has accumulated characteristics particular to the creative process as historically and currently valued in Western culture. Given the limited scope of the thesis, I have focused on specific concerns: 1) Provide an overview of the history, origin and development of the concept via specific examples ranging from antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern. 2) Assess the changes which have occurred in the development of the concept, and postulate likely causes: such as for example, the impact of an increased focus on the visual - and by extension, the physical - due to a more literate populace, on a concept originally conceived of as experienced through predominantly audial means. 3) Identify closely related concepts, the characteristics of which may have played a role in the formulation of the initial concept, along with those integrated into it, to form the modern version of the Muse: examples include the influence of the myth of Pygmalion on notions regarding the poet's relationship with both material and Muse; and the consequences of an amalgamation of characteristics of Aphrodite with those of the pastoral Muse. 4) Explore the extent to which the Muse-poet interaction can reveal fundamental aspects of the creative process and its main components: the differences between the public invocation and experience of the Muse in an oral context, as opposed to the privately experienced Muse of the literate poet; also, the changes imposed on the concept's perceived means of functioning due to its extension to the practice of the visual arts; and the correlation between the Jungian notion of the anima and aspects of the Muse. 5) Postulate the fundamental aspects of the creative process as revealed by analysis of the concept of the Muse for further investigation. In brief then, the main intention of this thesis is simply to examine by analysis of particular examples, the feasibility of applying the concept of the Muse as metaphor through which to identify for further exploration, issues and themes relating to the production and changes in social assessment of creative enterprises.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: "The growth of any discipline depends on the ability to communicate and develop ideas, and this in turn relies on a language which is sufficiently detailed and flexible" (Singh 1997: 59). Menige metafore verbonde aan kreatiwiteit is te misleidend, verwarrend, of beperk in omvang vir 'n betekenisvolle ondersoek van díe verskynsel en die fluktueerende sosiale en kulturele kontekste daarvan. Gesien in die lig van die Muse se langtermyn assosiasie met letterkunde, filosofie, opvoedkunde en meer onlangs, the skone kunste en ander "kreatiewe" velde, mag 'n analise van die konsep moontlik 'n unieke geleentheid bied om insig te verkry in die onderliggende "meganismes" van die kreatiewe proses. Aangesien affiliasie met die Muse blyk om die bereiking van kritiese kulturele en/of sosiale status, deur kulturele praktisyne in verskeie samelewings, van die antieke tot die huidige ('n kategorie wat aansienlik uitgebou is) aan te dui, is dit dus logies om te aanvaar dat die konsep alomvattend is van eienskappe kenmerkend van die kreatiewe proses, soos geskiedkundig en huidig op prys gestel in die Westerse kultuur. Gegewe die beperkte bestek van die tesis, is gefokus op spesifieke kwessies: 1) Verskaf 'n oorsig van die geskiedenis, oorsprong, en ontwikkeling van die konsep deur spesifieke voorbeelde, in omvang vanaf die antieke, die middeleuse periode, en die moderne. 2) Evalueer die veranderinge wat voorgekom het in die ontwikkeling van die konsep, en veronderstel moontlike redes daarvoor: soos byvoorbeeld, die impak van vermeerderde fokus op die visuele - en daarby die fisiese - as gevolg van 'n meer geletterde bevolking, op 'n konsep wat aanvanklik hoofsaaklik ouditief ondervind is. 3) Identifiseer verwante konsepte, die eienskappe waarvan moontlik 'n rol kon gespeel het in die formulasie van die aanvanklike konsep, asook die wat daarby geintegreer is, om die moderne weergawe van die Muse te vorm: voorbeelde sluit in, die invloed van die mite van Pigmalion op begrippe aangaande die digter se verhouding met beide die materiaal en Muse; en die gevolge van 'n samesmelting van Aphrodite se karaktertrekke met die van die pastorale Muse. 4) Ondersoek die mate waartoe die Muse-digter verhouding fundamentele aspekte van die kreatiewe proses en sy hoof komponente kan ontbloot: soos die verskille tussen die publieke invokasie en ervaring van die Muse in 'n verbale konteks, in teenstelling met die geletterde digter wat die Muse privaat ondevind; asook die veranderinge temeegebring op die persepsies aangaande die konsep se funksionering as gevolg van die uitbreiding daarvan tot die visuele kunste; en die korrelasie tussen die Jungiaanse idee van die anima, en aspekte van die Muse. 5) Veronderstel die fundamentele aspekte van die kreatiewe proses, soos ontbloot deur analise van die konsep van die Muse vir verdere ondersoek. Kortliks dan, die hoof voorneme van hierdie tesis is om deur analise van spesifieke voorbeelde, die uitvoerbaarheid te ondersoek om die konsep van die Muse toe te pas as metafoor vir verdere navorsing waardeur kwessies en temas, aangaande die produksie en veranderinge in sosiale waardering van kreatiewe ondernemings, ge-identifiseer kan word.

Orientador: Flávio Ribeiro de Oliveira
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T03:35:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cabral_LuizAlbertoMachado_D.pdf: 1547375 bytes, checksum: a0b009115fe122a26f2169fba6f1742b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013
Resumo: A Biblioteca é um compêndio em Grego antigo de mitos e lendas heroicas dispostos em três livros e foi denominado "a mais valiosa obra mitográfica dos tempos antigos que chegou até nós", mas não se sabe absolutamente quem é o seu autor. A obra que temos em mãos é atribuída a Apolodoro, o Gramático, ou seja, Apolodoro de Atenas, um erudito do século II a. C. e autor da obra Sobre os Deuses (Perì Theôn). O texto que possuímos, no entanto, menciona um autor romano, o cronista Cástor, um contemporâneo de Cícero do século I a. C. Os eruditos que se seguiram a Fócio se equivocaram na atribuição da obra. Uma vez que Apolodoro de Atenas não poderia ter escrito a obra, o autor da Biblioteca é convencionalmente denominado o "Pseudo Apolodoro" por aqueles que almejam ser estritamente precisos. As referências tradicionais mencionam apenas "a Biblioteca e Epítome". Sua primeira menção na literatura grega ocorre em 858 d. C. pelo erudito bizantino Fócio, que teve acesso à obra na íntegra, tal como ele menciona no seu "relato de livros lidos", que ela continha histórias dos heróis da Guerra de Troia e dos nóstoi (Retornos) que faltam nos manuscritos que restaram. Infelizmente, a Biblioteca chegou-nos incompleta. Nos manuscritos ela se encontra indivisa, mas por convenção, foi dividida em três livros. Parte do Livro III, que é interrompido abruptamente no meio das aventuras de Teseu, foi perdida. No século XII d. C., no entanto, John Tzetzes possuía o texto completo, e em 1885, R. Wagner constatou que um manuscrito da Biblioteca do Vaticano, que continha trechos de uma obra de Tzetzes, continha também um longo trecho resumido, extraído de todo o conteúdo da Biblioteca, incluindo o seu final perdido. Essa versão resumida (ou epítome) é conhecida atualmente como Epítome do Vaticano. Coincidentemente, poucos anos depois, A. Papadopoulos-Kerameus descobriu em Jerusalém um manuscrito que continha um conjunto de excertos resumidos, todos do Livro III e da parte conhecida apenas pela epítome de Tzetzes. Este manuscrito ficou conhecido como Epítome Sabaítica (devido ao monastério de São Sabbas, onde o manuscrito foi descoberto); Portanto, embora a Biblioteca tenha sido impressa pela primeira vez em uma edição moderna em 1555, foi somente com a edição de R. Wagner, de 1894, que tivemos acesso ao texto completo, ou pelo menos próximo disso. Estas duas epítomes são inestimáveis para nós por serem nossos únicos testemunhos da parte do livro que se perdeu e foram compostas em tempos diferentes, por diferentes eruditos ou copistas, e quando são contrastadas, nem sempre conservam o mesmo material ou detalhe. Este é o motivo pelo qual escolhemos traduzir uma versão combinada delas, criada por J. G. Frazer, que une as duas epítomes para criar um relato mais completo e coerente. Em nossa tradução da obra, tentamos manter a clareza e a objetividade sem pretender "embelezar", quando nosso autor não teve a intenção de fazê-lo. Compilada fielmente, embora de maneira acrítica, a partir das melhores fontes literárias disponíveis para o Pseudo Apolodoro, em sua época, a importância da Biblioteca deriva sobretudo da fidelidade com a qual ele reproduz ou resume os relatos de escritores cujas obras nos são acessíveis e nos inspira a aceitar suas afirmações também com relação a outros autores, cujos escritos desapareceram. Daí a extrema importância documental desse livro como um registro meticuloso sobre o que os gregos acreditavam a respeito da origem do mundo e da antiga história de sua raça, pois é o único testemunho de tradições perdidas de que dispomos. Os relatos breves e desprovidos de adornos dos mitos na Biblioteca levaram alguns comentadores a sugerir que mesmos as suas seções completas são um resumo de uma obra perdida.
Resumo: A Biblioteca é um compêndio em Grego antigo de mitos e lendas heroicas dispostos em três livros e foi denominado "a mais valiosa obra mitográfica dos tempos antigos que chegou até nós", mas não se sabe absolutamente quem é o seu autor. A obra que temos em mãos é atribuída a Apolodoro, o Gramático, ou seja, Apolodoro de Atenas, um erudito do século II a. C. e autor da obra Sobre os Deuses (Perì Theôn). O texto que possuímos, no entanto, menciona um autor romano, o cronista Cástor, um contemporâneo de Cícero do século I a. C. Os eruditos que se seguiram a Fócio se equivocaram na atribuição da obra. Uma vez que Apolodoro de Atenas não poderia ter escrito a obra, o autor da Biblioteca é convencionalmente denominado o "Pseudo Apolodoro" por aqueles que almejam ser estritamente precisos. As referências tradicionais mencionam apenas "a Biblioteca e Epítome". Sua primeira menção na literatura grega ocorre em 858 d. C. pelo erudito bizantino Fócio, que teve acesso à obra na íntegra, tal como ele menciona no seu "relato de livros lidos", que ela continha histórias dos heróis da Guerra de Troia e dos nóstoi (Retornos) que faltam nos manuscritos que restaram. Infelizmente, a Biblioteca chegou-nos incompleta. Nos manuscritos ela se encontra indivisa, mas por convenção, foi dividida em três livros. Parte do Livro III, que é interrompido abruptamente no meio das aventuras de Teseu, foi perdida. No século XII d. C., no entanto, John Tzetzes possuía o texto completo, e em 1885, R. Wagner constatou que um manuscrito da Biblioteca do Vaticano, que continha trechos de uma obra de Tzetzes, continha também um longo trecho resumido, extraído de todo o conteúdo da Biblioteca, incluindo o seu final perdido. Essa versão resumida (ou epítome) é conhecida atualmente como Epítome do Vaticano. Coincidentemente, poucos anos depois, A. Papadopoulos-Kerameus descobriu em Jerusalém um manuscrito que continha um conjunto de excertos resumidos, todos do Livro III e da parte conhecida apenas pela epítome de Tzetzes. Este manuscrito ficou conhecido como Epítome Sabaítica (devido ao monastério de São Sabbas, onde o manuscrito foi descoberto); Portanto, embora a Biblioteca tenha sido impressa pela primeira vez em uma edição moderna em 1555, foi somente com a edição de R. Wagner, de 1894, que tivemos acesso ao texto completo, ou pelo menos próximo disso. Estas duas epítomes são inestimáveis para nós por serem nossos únicos testemunhos da parte do livro que se perdeu e foram compostas em tempos diferentes, por diferentes eruditos ou copistas, e quando são contrastadas, nem sempre conservam o mesmo material ou detalhe. Este é o motivo pelo qual escolhemos traduzir uma versão combinada delas, criada por J. G. Frazer, que une as duas epítomes para criar um relato mais completo e coerente. Em nossa tradução da obra, tentamos manter a clareza e a objetividade sem pretender "embelezar", quando nosso autor não teve a intenção de fazê-lo. Compilada fielmente, embora de maneira acrítica, a partir das melhores fontes literárias disponíveis para o Pseudo Apolodoro, em sua época, a importância da Biblioteca deriva sobretudo da fidelidade com a qual ele reproduz ou resume os relatos de escritores cujas obras nos são acessíveis e nos inspira a aceitar suas afirmações também com relação a outros autores, cujos escritos desapareceram. Daí a extrema importância documental desse livro como um registro meticuloso sobre o que os gregos acreditavam a respeito da origem do mundo e da antiga história de sua raça, pois é o único testemunho de tradições perdidas de que dispomos. Os relatos breves e desprovidos de adornos dos mitos na Biblioteca levaram alguns comentadores a sugerir que mesmos as suas seções completas são um resumo de uma obra perdida.
Abstract: The Bibliotheke is an ancient Greek compendium of myths and heroic legends, arranged in three books and it has been called "the most valuable mythographical work that has come down from ancient times", but his author is completely unknown to us. The work has come down to us attributed to Apollodorus the Grammarian, that is, Apollodorus of Athens, a second-century BC scholar and author of On the Gods (Peri Theon). The text that we possess, however, cites a Roman author: Castor the Annalist, a contemporary of Cicero in the 1st century BC. The mistaken attribution was made by scholars from Photius onwards. Since for chronological reasons Apollodorus of Athens could not have written the book, the author of the Bibliotheke is conventionally called the "Pseudo-Apollodorus" by those wishing to be scrupulously correct. Traditional references simply instance "the Library and Epitome". The first mention of the work in the Greek literature is in AD 858 by the Byzantine scholar Photius, who had the full work before him, as he mentions in his "account of books read" that it contained stories of the heroes of the Trojan War and the nostoi, missing in surviving manuscripts. Unfortunately the Bibliotheca has come down to us incomplete. It is undivided in the manuscripts but conventionally divided in three books. Part of the third book, which breaks off abruptly in the middle of Theseus' adventures, has been lost. In the twelfth century AD, however, John Tzetzes, had a complete text too, and in 1885 R. Wagner realized that a manuscript in the Vatican Library containing excerpts of some Tzetzes' work also contained large abridged excerpts drawn from across the whole of the Bibliotheke - including the lost ending. This abridged version (or epitome) is known as the Vatican Epitome. Coincidentally, a few years later, A. Papadopoulos-Kerameus discovered in Jerusalem a manuscript that contained another set of abridged excerpts, all from the third book and the portion known only from Tzetzes' epitome. This became known as the Sabbaitic Epitome (from the monastery of St. Sabbas, where the manuscript was discovered); Thus, although the Bibliotheke was first printed in a modern edition in 1555, it was only with Wagner's edition of 1894 the we had a complete, or at least nearly complete, text. The two epitomes are invaluable for us because they are our witness to the last part of the book and were made at different times by different copyists and scholars, and when they overlap they do not always preserve the same material or detail. That is the reason why we have chosen to translate a combined version of them, created by J. G. Frazer; with stitches the separate epitomes together to create a fuller and more connect account. In our translation of the work we have tried to be clear and straightforward, without "prettying up" our author into something he is not. Compiled faithfully, if uncritically, from the best literary sources open to the Pseudo- Apollodorus, the Bibliotheke debt its importance above all to the fidelity with which he reproduced or summarized the accounts of writers whose works are accessible to us and inspires us with confidence in accepting his statements concerning others whose writings are lost. Hence his book possesses a documentary value as an accurate record of what the Greeks in general believed about the origin and early history of the world and of their race. The brief and unadorned accounts of myth in the Bibliotheca have led some commentators to suggest that even its complete sections are an epitome of a lost work.
Abstract: The Bibliotheke is an ancient Greek compendium of myths and heroic legends, arranged in three books and it has been called "the most valuable mythographical work that has come down from ancient times", but his author is completely unknown to us. The work has come down to us attributed to Apollodorus the Grammarian, that is, Apollodorus of Athens, a second-century BC scholar and author of On the Gods (Peri Theon). The text that we possess, however, cites a Roman author: Castor the Annalist, a contemporary of Cicero in the 1st century BC. The mistaken attribution was made by scholars from Photius onwards. Since for chronological reasons Apollodorus of Athens could not have written the book, the author of the Bibliotheke is conventionally called the "Pseudo-Apollodorus" by those wishing to be scrupulously correct. Traditional references simply instance "the Library and Epitome". The first mention of the work in the Greek literature is in AD 858 by the Byzantine scholar Photius, who had the full work before him, as he mentions in his "account of books read" that it contained stories of the heroes of the Trojan War and the nostoi, missing in surviving manuscripts. Unfortunately the Bibliotheca has come down to us incomplete. It is undivided in the manuscripts but conventionally divided in three books. Part of the third book, which breaks off abruptly in the middle of Theseus' adventures, has been lost. In the twelfth century AD, however, John Tzetzes, had a complete text too, and in 1885 R. Wagner realized that a manuscript in the Vatican Library containing excerpts of some Tzetzes' work also contained large abridged excerpts drawn from across the whole of the Bibliotheke - including the lost ending. This abridged version (or epitome) is known as the Vatican Epitome. Coincidentally, a few years later, A. Papadopoulos-Kerameus discovered in Jerusalem a manuscript that contained another set of abridged excerpts, all from the third book and the portion known only from Tzetzes' epitome. This became known as the Sabbaitic Epitome (from the monastery of St. Sabbas, where the manuscript was discovered); Thus, although the Bibliotheke was first printed in a modern edition in 1555, it was only with Wagner's edition of 1894 the we had a complete, or at least nearly complete, text. The two epitomes are invaluable for us because they are our witness to the last part of the book and were made at different times by different copyists and scholars, and when they overlap they do not always preserve the same material or detail. That is the reason why we have chosen to translate a combined version of them, created by J. G. Frazer; with stitches the separate epitomes together to create a fuller and more connect account. In our translation of the work we have tried to be clear and straightforward, without "prettying up" our author into something he is not. Compiled faithfully, if uncritically, from the best literary sources open to the Pseudo- Apollodorus, the Bibliotheke debt its importance above all to the fidelity with which he reproduced or summarized the accounts of writers whose works are accessible to us and inspires us with confidence in accepting his statements concerning others whose writings are lost. Hence his book possesses a documentary value as an accurate record of what the Greeks in general believed about the origin and early history of the world and of their race. The brief and unadorned accounts of myth in the Bibliotheca have led some commentators to suggest that even its complete sections are an epitome of a lost work.
Doutorado
Linguistica
Doutor em Linguística

Thesis (MPhil (Ancient Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this thesis is to explore the purpose of monster figures by investigating the relationship between these creatures and the cultures in which they are generated. It focuses specifically on the human-animal hybrid monsters in the mythology, literature and art of ancient Greece. It attempts to answer the question of the purpose of these monsters by looking specifically at the nature of manhorse monsters and the ways in which their dichotomous internal and external composition challenged the cultural taxonomy of ancient Greece. It also looks at the function of monsters in a ritual context and how the Theseus myth, as initiation myth, and the Minotaur, as hybrid monster, conforms to the expectations of ritual monsters. The investigation starts by considering the history and uses of the term “monster” in an attempt to arrive at a reasonable definition of monstrosity. In aid of this definition, attention is also given to themes that recur when considering monster beings. This provides a basis from which the hybrid monsters of ancient Greece, the centaur and Minotaur in particular, can be considered. The next section of the thesis looks into the attitudes to animals prevalent in ancient Greece. The cultural value of certain animal types and even certain body parts have to be taken account, and the degree to which these can be traced to the nature and actions of the hybrid monster has to be considered. The main argument is divided in two sections. The first deals with the centaur as challenger to Greek cultural taxonomy. The centaur serves as an eminent example of how human-animal hybrid monsters combine the familiar and the foreign, the Self and the Other into a single complex being. The nature of this monster is examined with special reference to the ways in which the centaur, as proponent of chaos and wilderness, stands in juxtaposition to the ideals of Greek civilisation. The second section consists of an enquiry into the purpose of the hybrid monster and considers the Minotaur’s role as a facilitator of transformation. The focus is directed towards the ritual function of monsters and the ways in which monsters aid change and renewal both in individuals and in communities. By considering the Theseus-myth and the role of the Minotaur in the coming-of-age of the Attic hero as well as the city of Athens itself, the ritual theory is given application in ancient Greece. The conclusion of this thesis is that hybrid monsters, as manifestations of the internal dichotomy of man and the tenuous relationship between order and chaos, played a critical role in the personal and communal definition of man in ancient Greece.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doelstelling van hierdie tesis is om die sin van monsters te ondersoek deur te kyk na die verhouding wat bestaan tussen hierdie wesens en die gemeenskappe waarbinne hulle hul ontstaan het. Die tesis fokus spesifiek op die mens-dier hibriede monster in die mitologie, literatuur en kuns van antieke Griekeland. Dit probeer om tot ‘n slotsom te kom oor die bestaansrede van monsters deur te kyk na die aard van die man-perd monster. Hierdie wese se tweeledige samestelling – met betrekking tot beide sy interne en eksterne komposisie – het ‘n wesenlike bedreiging ingehou vir die kulturele taksonomie van die antieke Grieke. Die tesis kyk ook na die rol, van monsters in die konteks van rituele gebeure. Die mite van Theseus as ‘n mite met rituele verbintenisse, en die Minotaurus as hibriede monster, word dan oorweeg om te bepaal wat die ooreenstemming is met die verwagtinge wat daargestel is vir rituele monsters. Ten einde ‘n redelike definisie van monsteragtigheid daar te stel, begin die ondersoek deur oorweging te skenk aan die geskiedenis en die gebruike van die woord “monster”. Ter ondersteuning van hierdie definisie word daar ook aandag geskenk aan sekere temas wat herhaaldelik opduik wanneer monsters ter sprake kom. Dit skep ‘n basis vir die ondersoek na die hibriede monsters van antieke Griekeland, en meer spesifiek na die kentaurus en die Minotaurus. Die tesis oorweeg ook die houding van die antieke Griekse beskawing teenoor diere. Die kulturele waarde van sekere soorte diere, en selfs seker ledemate van diere, moet in ag geneem word wanneer die hibriede monsterfiguur behandel word. Aandag moet geskenk word aan die maniere waarop die assosiasies wat die Grieke met diere gehad het, oorgedra word na die aard en handelinge van die monsterfiguur. Die hoofargument van die tesis word in twee dele uiteengesit. Die eerste gedeelte behandel die kentaurus as uitdager van die kulturele taksonomie van die antieke Grieke. Die kentaurus dien as ‘n uitstekende voorbeeld van die manier waarop die mens-dier monster dit wat bekend is en dit wat vreemd is, die Self en die Ander, kombineer in een komplekse wese. Die aard van hierdie wese word ondersoek met spesifieke verwysing na die maniere waarop die kentaurus, as voorstander van die ongetemde en van chaos, in teenstelling staan teenoor die ideale van die Griekse beskawing. Die tweede gedeelte vors die doel van die hibriede monster na en oorweeg die Minotaurus se rol as bevorderaar van transformasie. Hier word gefokus op die rol van die monster in ’n rituele konteks en die maniere waarop monsters verandering en vernuwing teweegbring in enkelinge sowel as in gemeenskappe. Hierdie teorie word van toepassing gemaak op antieke Griekeland deur die mite van Theseus en die rol van die Minotaurus te oorweeg binne die konteks van die proses van inburgering wat beide die held en sy stad, Athene, ondergaan. Die gevolgtrekking van hierdie tesis is dat hibriede monsters, as uitbeeldings van die interne tweeledigheid van die mens sowel as van die tenger verband tussen orde en chaos in die wêreld, ‘n noodsaaklike rol gespeel het in die persoonlike en sosiale definisie van die individu in antieke Griekeland.

Although mythological monsters have rarely been examined in any collective and comprehensive manner, they constitute an important cosmic presence in archaic and classical Greek poetry. This thesis brings together insights from the scholarly areas of 'monster studies' and the 'sensory turn' in order to offer readings of the sounds made by monsters. I argue that the figure of the monster in Greek poetry, although it has positive attributes, does not have a fixed definition or position within the cosmos. Instead of using definitions of monstrosity to think about the role and status of Greek monsters, this thesis demonstrates that by listening to the sounds of the monster's voice, it is possible to chart its position in the cosmos. Monsters with incomprehensible, cacophonous, or dangerous voices pose greater threats to cosmic order; those whose voices are semiotic and anthropomorphic typically pose less serious threats. The thesis explores the shifting depictions of monsters according to genre and author. In Chapter 1, 'Hesiod's Theogony: The Role of Monstrosity in the Cosmos', I consider Hesiod's genealogies of monsters that circulate and threaten in the nonhuman realm, while the universe is still undergoing processes of organisation. Chapter 2, 'Homer's Odyssey: Mingling with Monsters', discusses the monster whom Odysseus encounters and even imitates in order to survive his exchanges with them. In Chapter 3, 'Monsters in Greek Lyric Poetry: Voices of Defeat', I examine Stesichorus' Geryoneis and the presence of Centaurs, Typhon, and Gorgons in Pindar's Pythian 1, 2, 3, and 12. In lyric, we find that these monsters are typically presented in terms of the monster's experience of defeat at the hands of a hero or a god. This discussion is followed by two chapters that explore the presence of the monster in Greek tragedy, entitled 'Centripetal Monsters in Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound and Oresteia' and 'Centrifugal Monsters in Greek Tragedy: Euripides and Sophocles.' Here, I argue that in tragedy the monster, or the abstractly 'monstrous', is located within the figure of the human being and within the polis. The coda, 'Monstrous Mimesis and the Power of Sound', considers not only monstrous voices, but monstrous music, examining the mythology surrounding the aulos and looking at the sonic developments generated by the New Musicians.

This thesis charts divine assembly scenes in ancient Mesopotamian narrative poetry and the early Greek hexameter corpus, and aims to contribute to a cross-cultural comparison in terms of literary systems. The recurrent scene of the divine gathering is shown to underpin the construction of small- and large-scale compositions in both the Sumero-Akkadian and early Greek traditions. Parts 1 and 2 treat each corpus in turn, reflecting a methodological concern to assess the comparanda within their own context first. Part 1 (Chapters 1-4) examines Sumerian narrative poems, and the Akkadian narratives Atra-hsīs, Anzû, Enûma eliš, Erra and Išum and the Epic of Gilgameš. Part 2 (Chapters 5-8) considers Homer's Iliad, the Odyssey, the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod's Theogony. The comparative approaches in Part 3 are developed in two chapters (9-10). Chapter 9 offers a detailed comparison of this typical scene's poetic morphology and compositional purpose. Relevant techniques and effects, a function of the aural reception of literature, are shown to overlap to a considerable degree. Although the Greeks are unlikely to have taken over the feature from the Near East, it is suggested that the Greek divine assembly is not to be detached form a Near Eastern context. Because the shared elements are profoundly embedded in the Greek orally-derived poetic tradition, it is possible to envisage a long-term process of oral contact and communication fostered by common structures. Chapter 10 turns to a comparison of the literary pantheon: a focus on the organisation of divine prerogatives and the chief god figures illuminates culture-specific differences which can be related to historical socio-political conditions. Thus, this thesis seeks to enhance our understanding of the representation of the gods in Mesopotamian poetry and early Greek epic, and develops a systemic approach to questions of transmission and cultural appreciation.

Thesis (MPhil (Ancient Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.
This thesis deals with the connection between mythology and psychagogy, and a structured way of reading and using myth for personal development is suggested. The myth of Demeter and Persephone is used for this purpose, and the text of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter is analysed as the basic (but not exclusive) text. In the modern world the psychagogic component relies on the work of Jung, which is seen as the most appropriate template available. His concept of the archetype is particularly useful, and the archetype of the mother goddess is analysed as a representation of the personal and spiritual development of modern women.

The main part of this thesis is a survey of Pindar's treatment, in his epinicians, of myths involving the mythological family of the Aiakids. I establish what may be known of Pindar's sources for these stories, and then compare his own accounts. I consider (together with some minor incidents) Aiakos' assist- ance in building the walls of Troy; Phokos' murder; Peleus' experience with Hippolyta and Akastos, and his marriage to Thetis; Telamon's participation in Herakles' expedition against Troy; Achilles' infancy, his combats against Telephos, Kyknos, Hektor and Memnon, and his own fate; Aias' birth and suicide; and finally the story of Neoptolemos' visit to Delphi (chapters 1-7). My major conclusion is that his versions of these myths are more firmly grounded in the mythological tradition than is widely believed: they are constantly allusive, and contain little innovation. What changes there are may be ascribed to a broad rationalizing tendency, rather than to sophisticated poetic purposes. Pindar seems to prefer lesser known, often locally preserved, strands of tradition, but is concerned to produce authoritative accounts of them. The defensive tone of N. 7 may be satisfactorily explained by his care to produce such an account from confused and undignified material; the poem does not contain an apology for a hostile treatment of Neo- ptolemos in Pae.6. In chapter 8, I confirm my conclusions by examining three difficult cases: the myths of P. 3, O.I, and the break-off from the first myth of 0. 9. These examples confirm that traditional material has intrinsic value in epinician, and suggest the conclusion that the explication of a paradeigmatic relation between myth and victory is not the only valid explan- ation of the function of myth in Pindar. Myth may also serve to provide a publicly acceptable warrant for the praise of the victor.

Orientador : Joaquim Brasil Fortes Junior
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação
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Resumo: As primeiras adaptações de mitos gregos em obras destinadas a crianças e jovens, escritas e publicadas no Brasil, datam do início do século XX, em que Monteiro Lobato, autor considerado como um dos fundadores de nossa literatura infanto-juvenil, teve uma importante contribuição. Com a publicação de "O Minoutauro" (1939) e "Os doze trabalhos de Hércules" (1944), Lobato apresenta uma imagem da Grécia Antiga (em especial, do século V a. C., conhecido como "século de Péricles") e da Grécia Arcaica (que ele chama de "Heróica", por ser onde localiza os grandes feitos de heróis guerreiros, como Hércules). Nessas obras, chamanos a atenção a maneira como o autor se apropria da chamada "mitologia grega" - subvertendo, muitas vezes, a versão canônica, re-inventando narrativas, adaptando-as ao público mirim e apresentando uma imagem idealizada da cultura grega antiga e arcaica. Nesse sentido, Lobato revela suas influências de autores franceses, como Ernest Renan e Anatole France, e do filósofo e historiador Will Durant, ao reforçar, em suas obras, a idéia do "milagre grego". Além disso, constrói singularmente a figura do herói Hércules, como um homem bruto em modos e inteligência, mas dotado de grande sentimentalidade. Isso nos faz refletir sobre os diversos modelos de narrativa heróica, em especial, dos heróis grego arcaico (típico da narrativa épica) e europeu moderno (típico da narrativa romanesca)
Abstract: The first adaptations of Greek myths in books for children and young readers, written and published in Brazil, are dated back to the beginning of 20th century. Monteiro Lobato, writer known as one of the founders of our literature for young people, had an important contribution to these first adaptations. By publishing O Minotauro (The Minotaur), in 1939, and Os doze trabalhos de Hércules (The twelve trials of Hercules) in 1944, Lobato portraits na image of Ancient Greece (especially of the 5th century B. C., called â?¿Age of Periclesâ??) as well as Archaic Greece (which was called "Heroic" by Lobato, for being the period in which the great acts of heroes, like Hercules, took place). In these books, the way in which the writer makes use of the so-called Greek mythology attracts our attention â?¿ sometimes subverting the canonical version, reinventing narratives, adapting them to the young public and presenting na idealized image of the ancient and archaic Greek culture. In this way, Lobato reveals his influences of French writers, like Ernest Renan and Anatole France, and the philosopher and historian Will Durant, by reinforcing in his books, the idea of the "Greek miracle". Moreover, he singularly constructs the image of the hero Hercules, as a rude man, not only in his manners, but also in his intelligence, but endowed with great sentimentality. This causes us to reflect upon the various models of heroic narratives, especially of the archaic Greek heroes (typical in epic narratives) and modern European (typical in roman narratives) ones
Mestrado
Educação, Conhecimento, Linguagem e Arte
Mestre em Educação

This thesis combines art historical analysis and creative writing in a collection of essays and short stories centered on the myths of Persephone and Medusa. Ancient art, text, and context is considered in the essays, while the stories approach these subjects on a more contemporary and personal level.

Orientador: Suzi Frankl Sperber
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
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Resumo: este trabalho consiste numa tradução da peça Antigone, do tragediógrafo italiano Vittorio Alfieri, escrita em 1776 em Florença, Itália. Esta tragédia revela inquietações artísticas e particularidades linguísticas que refletem o período que antecede o Risorgimento, tanto no âmbito político quanto no que se refere à cultura e ao idioma italiano. A presente dissertação apresenta também um perfil biográfico de Vittorio Alfieri, autor até o momento pouco conhecido no Brasil, a partir de estudo de sua autobiografia e de estudos publicados na Itália sobre sua obra e seu envolvimento com movimentos políticos que culminaram na Revolução Francesa
Abstract: this work consists on a translation of the play Antigone, by the Italian tragedy writer Vittorio Alfieri. The play was written in 1776 in Florence, Italy. This tragedy reveals artistic concerns and linguistic particularities that reflect the period of time that precedes the Risorgimento, both in a political extent as in where the Italian culture and language is concerned. The present dissertation presents also a biographic profile of Vittorio Alfieri, author until this moment little known in Brazil, based on the study of his autobiography and texts published in Italy about the author's work and involvement in political movements that led to the French Revolution
Mestrado
Teoria e Critica Literaria
Mestra em Teoria e História Literária

La lune dans le monde grec est un objet d’étude problématique dont la définition n’est pas unique et homogène. L’aspect sur lequel nous avons choisi de focaliser nos analyses, celui de la visualité, permet toutefois de faire ressortir certaines cohérences et de rendre compte à la fois de la figure divine de Séléné, déesse qui se manifeste dans le domaine du visible par ses apparitions et ses disparitions, et du récit d’Endymion, amant de la Lune au sommeil éternel. Notre recherche s’articule en quatre axes : la lumière de la lune, avec les visions qu’elle suscite et les représentations associées aux éclipses ; Séléné et son mode d’action en tant que déesse visible et œil du ciel ; Endymion et les représentations textuelles et iconographiques de son sommeil, soulevant la question du rêve ; enfin la lune comme miroir et source de reflets ou eidôla. La perspective adoptée, inspirée de l’anthropologie historique, dégage des structures et des relations en s’appuyant sur l’analyse contextualisée des sources au sein d’un corpus large (de la période archaïque à la fin de l’époque impériale). Il ne s’agit pas de définir une « mythologie lunaire » globale, mais plutôt de dégager les éléments qu’éclaire la caractérisation de la lune comme objet visuel
The moon in the ancient Greek world is a problematic topic, for which there is no single, homogeneous definition. Nevertheless, the focus on visualness that we have chosen for our study, allows us to make out some elements of consistency and to account both for the existence of Selene as a divine figure making herself manifest in the visible world by appearing and disappearing, and for the tale of Endymion, the moon-goddess’ lover, and of his eternal sleep. Our work is divided in four parts: we first focus on the light of the moon and the visions it summons, as well as the representation of lunar eclipses; secondly, on Selene and her way of acting as a visible goddess and as a celestial eye; thirdly, on Endymion and the textual and iconographic representations of his sleep, which allows us to deal with the question of dreaming; fourthly, on the moon as a mirror and a source of reflections (eidola). The perspective that we choose to adopt is inspired by the methods of historical anthropology. We aim to shed light on structures and relations, relying on the analysis of various sources in context within a vast corpus extending from the archaic period to the end of the Roman Empire. Our goal is not to define a general “lunar mythology”, but rather to examine what the definition of the moon as a visual object might reveal

La construcció de les tradicions biogràfiques dels poetes mítics grecs va començar a gestar-se des de les primeres manifestacions literàries gregues i es va prolongar durant segles. Al llarg d’aquest període, aquestes figures van ser adoptades amb finalitats diverses i van encaixar en els usos i les necessitats individuals o col·lectius d’autors literaris, grups de culte o interessos polítics. A més a més, la construcció biogràfica d’aquests poetes comparteix processos i mecanismes de caracterització similars als que van fer servir les tradicions dels poetes històrics i d’altres operadors culturals com els filòsofs. Així doncs, la tesi analitza els motius biogràfics principals que s’incorporaren a les figures dels poetes mítics, per blocs temàtics, i el procés com es generaren i s’aprofitaren els t pics i els motius biogràfics en els poetes considerats sovint iniciadors de la poesia grega. Les anàlisis d’aquesta recerca s’organitzen principalment al voltant de figures com Tàmiris, Orfeu, Museu, Eumolp, Epimènides, Linos, Olè, Filammó i Amfíon, entre d’altres, i s’estructuren seguint uns eixos temàtics com són els orígens (genealogia i pàtria), les relacions de magisteri i d’iniciació i altres motius típics de la biografia heroica (el viatge, els enfrontaments poètics i amb el poder, les invencions, la institució de cultes, la mort i la integració en la condició heroica). L’estudi dels motius biogràfics ha comportat la identificació d’una funció d’equivalència entre alguns d’aquests motius i s’hi ha detectat també una voluntat de jerarquització i competència, molt lligada al context cultual en què molts d’aquests poetes tenien presència. De manera similar, els biografemes han contribuït a assignar als poetes analitzats una funció instauradora per a la tradició literària i religiosa que els prenia com a referent, com a conseqüència de la relació constant i privilegiada amb la divinitat.
The development of the biographical traditions of the Greek mythical poets started with the first Greek literary works and it lasted for centuries. Throughout this period these figures were adapted for different uses and they suited literary, cultic or political interests either particularly or collectively. Furthermore, the shaping of the traditions of these poets, generally considered previous to Homer, has similarities with the historical poets, philosophers, sages and others. So, the thesis analyses the main sets of biographical formulaic themes and the process in which these formulaic motifs were elaborated and reshaped. The poets studied are Thamyris, Orpheus, Musaeus, Eumolpus, Linus, Epimenides, Olen, Philammon and Amphion among others, and the topics are their genealogy and origin, poetic initiation and other traditional topics of the heroic biography (teacher-pupil relationship, travel, song contests, quarrel with authorities, inventions, establishment of new cults, death, heroization). The study of these biographical traditions has led to identify the equivalence among some formulaic themes and the intention to set up a hierarchy, tied to cultic context where these poets were used. Similarly, the biographemes contributed to assign them an authoritative role for the literary and religious tradition which took them as a referent, thanks to the constant and privileged relationship with deities.

This thesis offers an approach to the history of mythographical discourse through the figure of Theseus and his appearances in texts from England, Italy and France. Analysing a range of poetic, historical, and allegorical works that feature Theseus alongside their classical and contemporary intertexts, it is a study of the conceptions of Greco-Roman mythology prevalent in European literature from 1300-1600. Focusing on mythology’s pervasive presence as a background to medieval and early modern literary and intellectual culture, it draws attention to the fragmentary, fluid and polymorphous nature of mythology in relation to its use for different purposes in a wide range of texts. The first impact of this study is to draw attention to the distinction between mythology and mythography, as a means of focusing on the full range of interpretative processes associated with the ancient myths in their textual forms. Returning attention to the processes by which writers and readers came to know the Greco-Roman myths, it widens the commonly accepted critical definition of ‘mythography’ to include any writing of or on mythology, while restricting ‘mythology’ to its abstract sense, meaning a traditional collection of tales that exceeds any one text. This distinction allows the analyses of the study’s primary texts to display the full range of interpretative processes and possibilities involved in rewriting mythology, and to outline a spectrum of linked but distinctive mythographical genres that define those possibilities. Breaking down into two parts of three chapters each, the thesis examines Theseus’ appearances across these mythographical genres, first in the period from 1300 to the birth of print, and then from the birth of print up to 1600. Taking as its primary texts works by Giovanni Boccaccio, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Lydgate and William Shakespeare along with their classical intertexts, it situates each of them in regard to their multiple defining contexts. Paying close attention to the European traditions of commentary, translation and response to classical sources, it shows mythographical discourse as a vibrant aspect of medieval and early modern literary culture, equally embedded in classical traditions and contemporary traditions that transcended national and linguistic boundaries.

Les mythes grecs « font signe sans signifier, montrant, dérobant, toujours limpides disant le mystère transparent, le mystère de la transparence1 ». Maurice Blanchot dans cette remarque met en valeur le mystère inhérent à tout mythe. Il en va ainsi pour le mythe de Narcisse qui a connu un succès considérable à l’époque médiévale mais dont il n’est pas aisé de fixer un sens stable. C’est de la version du célèbre poète de l’époque augustéenne, Ovide, que les auteurs médiévaux ont hérité. La richesse de la légende, conférée par les nombreux ajouts d’Ovide, leur a permis de déployer à leur tour de nombreux sens nouveaux.Narcisse est avant tout perçu comme figure amoureuse. Narcisse est l’amant malheureux qui souffre d’une passion si forte qu’il finit par en mourir. L’objet de l’amour de Narcisse est bien souvent tu et oublié dans les reprises médiévales. Peu importe finalement qu’il ait aimé une ombre, l’accent est mis sur l’intensité de son amour et surtout sur ses funestes conséquences. La passion entraîne Narcisse sur le chemin de la mort : mort de l’esprit sous le coup de la folie et mort physique. Narcisse a été un objet de choix pour la poésie de la fin’amor. Troubadours et trouvères ont réélaboré la figure de Narcisse en parfait représentant du fin amant entre les XIIe et XIIIe siècles. Par ailleurs, la figure de Narcisse entretient des liens étroits avec les représentations du mélancolique, issues des théories psychophysiologiques sur l’amour de la philosophie et de la médecine.Le mythe a également inspiré des lectures morales. En effet, tout un pan des reprises du mythe – le pan chrétien – dévoile Narcisse sous les traits d’un pécheur entaché de défauts. L’orgueil dont il fait preuve est dans la conception chrétienne laracine de tous les maux ; ce vice engendre la vanité et l’arrogance. De la fin du XIIe au XIVe siècles, les clercs font de Narcisse l’incarnation parfaite de tous ces défauts. Selon la perspective adoptée la condamnation change légèrement mais l’idée reste lamême : Narcisse est imbu de sa propre personne et en tire une satisfaction trop haute.Enfin l’eau de la source, l’un des motifs essentiels du mythe de Narcisse, a été le point de convergence de plusieurs traditions qui ont fini par s’entremêler dans les œuvres médiévales : le motif biblique de l’eau d’un côté, de l’autre les conceptions néoplatoniciennes sur le reflet et le mythe antique de Narcisse. Un réseau d’images similaires irrigue ces traditions, constitué de l’eau claire, du reflet et de la fontaine. Le "fons" antique s’est peu à peu métamorphosé en fontaine médiévale jusqu’à devenir véritable miroir. Le motif du miroir s’autonomise peu à peu par rapport à la surface des eaux. La dimension fantasmatique de l’amour de Narcisse pour son reflet s’amplifie nettement. Se voir soi-même dans un miroir constitue une expérience étrange où l’individu touche au secret de son être. Incapable de l’atteindre réellement, il voit son intimité se dérober à lui, ce qui provoque son désenchantement. Le miroir, véritable porte d’entrée sur le rêve, est un motif idéal pour figurer tous les possibles de l’acte d’écriture. C’est pourquoi certaines reprises médiévales offrent l’utopie d’un amour partagé tandis que d’autres préfèrent peindreles travers de l’être humain. Le miroir enfin se fait métaphore de l’écriture ellemême. La présence de Narcisse se réalise sous des formes plus ou moins implicites dans ces œuvres dont la portée réflexive est actualisée par le motif du miroir
Greek myths « font signe sans signifier, montrant, dérobant, toujours limpides disant le mystère transparent, le mystère de la transparence2 ». With these words, Maurice Blanchot insists on the very mystery of all myth. It is also the case for the myth of the Narcissus that has known a considerable success in the medieval time but for which it is difficult to … a stable meaning. It is the famous Augustinian poet Ovidius myth that the medieval authors inherited. They added new meanings to the already rich legend, following the footsteps of Ovidius.Narcissus is foremost a figure in love. Narcissus is the unfortunate lover who suffers such a strong passion he dies from it. What he is in love with can be ignored in the medieval versions. Even if he loved a shadow, it is the intensity of his love and the funest consequences the texts insist on. Passion drives Narcissus on the road to death : spiritual death because of Madness et physical death. Narcissus was a prime subject for fin’amor poetry. Troubadours and trouveres made of Narcissus the perfect example of the fin amant between the XIIth and XIIIth centuries. Moreover Narcissus is the deeply linked to the representation of the melancholic that came from the psycho-physiological philosophical and medical theories of love.Moral Reading were also inspired by the myth. Indeed, Narcissus becomes a sinner full of flaws Under the Christian vision of the myth. Pride is the origin of all the flaws: vanity and arrogance are direct consequences. Narcissus becomes the perfect incarnation of these sins. Depending of the point of view the condemnation may vary but the idea is still the same: Narcissus is self-important and is too pleased with himself. Finally the water from the source, one of the most important aspect of the Narcissus mythology, became the meeting point of several traditions which interlaced in the medieval work: biblical water on one side and neoplatonician conceptions of reflection and ancient myth of Narcissus. The ancient fons transforms itself into a medieval fountain and a true mirror. The mirror becomes more and more independent from the surface of water. The phantasmatical dimension of the Narcissus love for his reflection is developed

This paper represents the final culmination of a theater senior project. The project consisted of an analytical research paper, performance in a mainstage department production, and supporting process documentation. I portrayed Myrrha, Hunger, Zeus, and others in a production of the play Metamorphoses. Through research on Mary Zimmerman’s 1998 play Metamorphoses, adapted from the works of Roman poet Ovid, this thesis grapples with the historical meaning of the myth of Myrrha. A polarizing figure, Myrrha was cursed to fall in lust with her father. By exploring of portrayals sexual assault onstage, I tackle themes of audience relationships to trauma and taboo subjects. I seek to understand the importance of her story in a modern context, specifically considering the #metoo movement and increasingly public discussions around sexual violence, rape culture, and systematic oppression. I stress our responsibility to understand how codifying stories on stage impacts audiences. This project also contains my conceptualization for the characters I portrayed in Metamorphoses, my rehearsal journal, and post-show reflections. In these sections, I detail the acting theory behind my characters as well as the steps we took to adapt Metamorphoses for our community.

La Bibliothèque d’Apollodore, probablement composée au IIe ou au IIIe s. ap. J.-C., vise à rassembler les légendes et les mythes grecs en un système cohérent organisé selon un plan généalogique. Son auteur fonde son travail sur les écrits qui faisaient autorité en la matière, en particulier ceux des grands mythographes en prose du Ve s., parmi lesquels Phérécyde et Acousilaos sont les plus souvent nommés par Apollodore. Ce travail se propose d’analyser les rapports entre ces deux mythographes anciens et la Bibliothèque. Il examine chaque mention de leur nom dans cet ouvrage, et confronte tous leurs fragments au texte de la Bibliothèque, afin de comprendre pourquoi Apollodore choisit de les nommer ou, au contraire, de ne pas le faire ; pourquoi il les suit ou pourquoi il s’en écarte ; quelle place ils occupent réellement dans son traité. Plus largement, ce travail présente une réflexion sur les liens génériques entre la Bibliothèque et les mythographes anciens, en examinant en particulier la question de leur écriture, afin de comprendre comment Apollodore se situe par rapport aux premiers traités mythographiques grecs
Apollodorus’ Library, probably written during the 2nd or 3rd century A. D., aims at gathering Greek legends and myths in a coherent system based upon a genealogical structure. Its author bases his work on the most authoritative sources, including prestigious 5th-century mythographers as Pherecydes and Acusilaus, whose names are the most mentioned ones in Apollodorus’ treatise, along with Hesiod’s. This work analyses the links between those two ancient mythographers and the Library. It takes a close look at every mention of their name, and compares all their fragments to Apollodorus’ text, in order to understand how and why he cites them or not ; why he draws on them or chooses other sources ; what is their real influence on his treatise. This study also offers a reflection about the links between the Library and the ancient mythographical tradition as a genre, mainly on the basis of their respective style

Pour montrer la richesse des représentations poétiques de la mer, l’époque augustéenne constitue un moment clef. Avec la bataille d’Actium, la mer occupe une place nouvelle à Rome et devient un enjeu majeur, lieu de victoires et de pouvoir dans le discours d’Auguste et dans l’imaginaire romain, à un moment de refondation aussi bien politique que morale de la cité après les guerres civiles. C’est la manière dont cet objet s’est constitué en tant que catalyseur de toutes les grandes mutations de l’époque augustéenne qui retient notre attention. Nous étudions la mer comme locus, c’est-à-dire comme un objet poétique susceptible de refléter ou de modifier le lieu réel où l’activité humaine se déploie durant l’histoire grecque et romaine, mais aussi les représentations socioculturelles. Dans notre première partie, nous entreprenons une comparaison des rapports à la mer chez les Grecs et les Romains, dans leur histoire, leurs mentalités et leur littérature. Il apparaît que d’un point de vue axiologique, si la mer des poètes augustéens reçoit un traitement négatif en grande partie influencé par la poésie grecque, ce motif est enrichi d’un élément inédit : la condamnation de la navigation. Reliée aux guerres et à la luxuria, elle s’inspire chez les poètes augustéens d’une synthèse entre les influences de la philosophie grecque et de la morale traditionnelle : elle devient le lieu d’expression des passions humaines, depuis la cupidité jusqu’à la colère du Prince. Mais les poètes augustéens ont aussi été sensibles à l’héritage grec du motif épique de la mer : Virgile, dans l’Énéide, élabore à partir des modèles grecs un héroïsme nouveau, adapté à l’arrière-plan culturel romain, où prime la pietas, dans des errances où les épreuves maritimes sont systématiquement désamorcées. Ovide, dans ses Métamorphoses, relit Virgile pour déconstruire cette mer de la fabrique des héros et proposer une nouvelle représentation de la mer, miroir de la Pax Augusta. Pourtant, c’est l’élégie qui, en transférant toute ses ambiguïtés au locus marin, en fait le mieux le miroir troublant des changements politiques et des mutations morales que connaît Rome au début du Principat : la réélaboration élégiaque du motif épique de la mer est l’occasion du questionnement et de la réaffirmation des valeurs du mos maiorum, d’expérimentations génériques et surtout de la construction d’un nouvel héroïsme en mer, celui d’Auguste à Actium
To show the richness of the poetic representations of the sea, the Augustan epoch is considered a key period. With the battle of Actium, the sea holds a new place in Rome and becomes a major stake, place of victories and power in the speech of Augustus and in the Roman imagination, during a political and moral city rebuilding after the civil wars. It is the way this object was established as a catalyst of all the great changes of the Augustan period that holds our attention. We study the sea as locus, that is to say as a poetic object likely to reflect or modify the real place where the human activity spreads out during the Greek and Roman history, but also the socio-cultural representations. In our first part, we undertake a comparison of the relationships with the sea for Greeks and Romans, in their history, their mentalities and their literature. It appears that from an axiological point of view, if the sea of Augustan poets receives a negative treatment as in Greek poetry, this pattern is enriched by a previously unseen element: the navigation condemnation. Linked with war and luxuria, it is inspired for the Augustan poets by a synthesis between the influences of Greek philosophy and traditional morality: it becomes the place of expression of the human passions, from greed to anger of the Prince. But the Augustan poets have also carried the Greek heritage of the epic motif of the sea Virgil, in the Aeneid, develops from the Greek models a new heroism, adapted to the Roman cultural background, where the pietas takes the central part through wanderings where sea trials are systematically undone. Ovid, in his Metamorphoses, rereads Virgil to deconstruct this sea of heroes and to build a new representation of the sea, mirror of the Pax Augusta. However, the elegy, as the most ambiguous genre, introduces the most original and complex vision of the marine locus. Elegiac poets makes it the most disturbing mirror of the political changes and moral mutations that Rome experienced at the beginning of the Principate: the elegiacre-elaboration of the epic motif of the sea is an opportunity to question and reaffirm the values of the mos maiorum, generic experiments and especially the construction of a new heroism at sea, that of Augustus to Actium

The ancient myth of Electra has a rich history of reception through the ages, which is well documented in scholarship. The scholarly debate, however, ceases when it comes to the reception of the myth after 1960, especially after 1970. Very few scholars have critically engaged with the adaptations of the Electra myth in the last three decades. In my thesis I intend to fill in this gap in scholarship by presenting eight adaptations of the Electra myth between 1960 and 2005 covering a span of three continents, three (or four) languages and three media (drama, comic series, film). The common factor between all of these adaptations consists in the fact that they have strong political and societal connotations. I selected them in order to illustrate my underlying argument in this thesis that the Electra myth survives from antiquity until today because it appeals to the creative imagination of authors and playwrights from different historical backgrounds, who use this specific myth as a vehicle in order to engage with their political and societal situation in their respective countries at their respective time. This selection also serves the purpose of illustrating a new trend in the reception of antiquity in modem times, a shift from more traditional high culture adaptations to the more unconventional popular mass media. With my thesis I would like to make a contribution to Reception Studies, a subdiscipline of Classics which has recently emerged from the long-standing field of Classical Tradition, by combing the methodologies of traditional Classical Philology and modern Literary Theory into one single comparative study. It is also an attempt to make some rather lesser known yet not less rewarding plays accessible to a wider audience. I hope that this attempt will prove to be fruitful and that my thesis will be the starting point for further research on more recent adaptations of the Electra myth.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.