Sacrifice and Revenge in Euripides' Hecuba

Abstract

Recent studies of theHecubahave begun to allay doubts about whether its two disparate halves form a single plot. I shall approach this question from a different angle, finding the unity of theHecubain two areas: first, the similarity of the acts of sacrifice and revenge; and, second, the irresolution of the reason for Polyxena's sacrifice, the restraining winds, until Hecuba has avenged herself on Polymestor. Euripides' drama engages the emotional dynamics of sacrifice and revenge in order to explore the power of theatre to destabilise such societal activites and the ethical distinctions held by its audience. The Theatre of Dionysus thus bears witness to a drama that undermines ethical certitudes and makes problematic the types of institutions that thepolisneeds for stability. When a vote is taken on human sacrifice, when sacrifice fails to control violence, when revenge becomes the chosen recourse to achieve justice, how can apolisrestore order? While the action of theHecubaoccurs beyond the realm of any recognisablepolis, its war-time setting and the undercurrent of references to Athens and its institutions suggest that theHecuba'sanswers could not have been reassuring to its audience.