Euripides’ Cyclops
Primitive Sophistication
Odysseus, Companions, Cyclops, Satyrs
1
Agenda
• Euripides’ Cyclops
– What do you Think?
• Introduction to Satyr Drama
– What, When, Why, How
• Euripides’ Cyclops
– Production, Myth
• Cyclops: Frivolous or Serious?
– plus Agon Pages 23–5
• What Would Plato Say?
– What Would You Say Back?
2
Euripides’ Cyclops
What do you Think?
Odysseus, Companions, Cyclops, Satyrs
3
Cyclops: Your Reactions …
To Characters
• Odysseus
• Cyclops
• Silenus
• Satyrs
To Humor
• cannibalism
• sexuality
– Helen
» “When you took that
woman, did you all take
turns?”
(Satyr Coryphaeus, p. 19)
How different from
tragedy/comedy?
– Silenos, Cyclops
» “It’s a bitter wine I’ll
have to drink now”
(Silenos p. 36)
4
Cyclops: Your Reactions …
• more fun to read
– adventure
• mythological parody
• liked
– relationship between c s strange
» sexual humor
• toilet humor
– farts
5
Introduction to Satyr Drama
What, When, Why, How
Odysseus, Companions, Cyclops, Satyrs
6
Satyr / Silenos
•
•
•
•
rustic
pleasure-addicted
divine-immortal
Dionysus’ retinue
Satyr with pipes and holder,
Athenian cup, Epiktetos
circa 510 BCE
7
Dionysus with Satyrs,
Athenian cup (“Brygos painter”)
circa 510 BCE
Satyr Drama: Origins
• Dionysian
– komos
– thiasos
• 533 BCE (ca.) tragedy
• Late 500s, satyr drama
Return of Dionysus
9
Satyr Drama: Elements
Structure
• earlier satyr drama
– loose, agitated
• “tragic” Cyclops (late
400s)
– prologue
– parodos
– 4 episodes
Humor, theme, treatment
• profanity
• sexuality
• paratragedy
• topicality?
» one with agon
– stasimon choral interludes
– off-stage “killing” scene
(656 ff.)
– exodos
10
“Pronomos Vase”
late 400s BCE Athenian
(Naples Museum)
Satyr choreuts (chorus members)
Coryphaeus (chorus leader)
Playwright Demetrius
Dionysus and Ariadne
Queen-character
Himeros (= Eros)
Pronomos (piper)
Heracles
Charinus (kithara player)
(Pappo)silenos
King-character
Euripides’ Cyclops
Production, Myth
Odysseus, Companions, Cyclops, Satyrs
14
Production
• Composed
– post 411
• Produced
– ca. 408
• Tetralogy ?
• Prize ?
Actor playing Silenus in a
satyr drama (from Pronomos
Vase)
15
Italy
Troy
Ithaca
Sicily
Greece
Lydians
Aetna
Athens
Mount Aetna from Taormina, by Thomas Cole (1844)
Odysseus and men blinding Cyclops
(archaic vase painting)
Blinding of Cyclops, with Satyrs (circa 413)
Cyclops: Frivolous or Serious?
plus Agon Pages 23–5
Odysseus, Companions, Cyclops, Satyrs
20
Political Resonances
ODYSSEUS Where are the walls and city-towers?
SILENUS This is no city, No man inhabits here.
ODYSSEUS Who does inhabit it? Wild animals?
SILENUS The Cyclopes. They live in caves, not houses.
ODYSSEUS Who governs them? Or do the people rule?
SILENUS They are savages. There is no government.
Odysseus and Cyclops:
Traditional Treatment
Odysseus
• crafty
• intelligent
• resourceful
Cyclops
• stupid
• barbaric
• naive
22
… in Agon in Cyclops
Odysseus
• crafty
• intelligent
• resourceful
“Forget this sacrilege
and do what is right.
Many have paid the
price for base profits.”
Cyclops
• atheist
• relativist
• egoist-sophist
“To eat, to drink from day to
day, to have no worries—
that’s the real Zeus for your
clever man.”
23
What Would Plato Say?
What Would You Say Back?
Odysseus, Companions, Cyclops, Satyrs
24
What would…
Plato say?
• foolish imitation
• doesn’t like that c speaks ill of z
–
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
or other impieties
Plato would like punishment part
Plato would criticize the “for a woman”
exemplifies value of good government
wouldn’t like it – violates hierarchy
the war thing – Cyclops oversimplifies
Plato would not want debate
the symbolism perhaps above our
heads
the ugly representing the ugly
•
•
you say back?
meant to be entertainment
–
•
•
doing it to survive
goes with the tragedy thing
–
•
i’m up to it
validates tragedy more generally
agrees with the Helen thing
25