Shaping the pain: Lamenting of Euripides’, Kakojannis’ and Lis’ Electra

Abstract

This paper is the continuation of a wider research, presented with its first part: Shaping the pain: Ancient Greek Lament and Its Therapeutic Aspect. In the mentioned papers’ focus is creative- therapeutic aspect of a lament. The pain verbalized, revealed and shared with others -becomes itself a more bearable burden both for the woman that laments and for the bereaved family. Related to this therapeutic is the creative aspect of lament: the woman that mourns has to lament in order to make it easier for herself and others; but while lamenting, she is creating something. Deeply rooted in funeral ritual, a lament respects certain ritual rules, and yet it is a spontaneous expression of pain. A role of a lament in ancient Greek ritual is, as always when it comes to the Greek culture, an inexhaustible topic. The theme of a lament within ancient Greek tragedy is particularly interesting. Although tragedy belongs to literary tradition, it is a trustworthy source for ancient Greek ritual practice; a lament within tragedy is thus a ritual lament, and not only a literary one. Therapeutic aspect of a lament is also in the focus of this paper which examines "shaping of the pain" in few case studies. Inspired by laments of Montenegrin women, those that I have heard or read, I am re-reading Euripides’ Electra and Electra by Danilo Kiš (in which both Euripides’ drama and Montenegrin folklore is reflected), I am watching the Michalis Kakojannis’ movie Electra. Electra’s pain for loss, her sorrowful dirge, the one that through despair leads to anger and revengefulness, is found written or filmed: it is captured in a work of art, but it emits folklore and ritual characteristics. From that perspective I am re-reading one of the most beautiful Serbian epic poems, The Death of Jugović's Mother, which tells us about a mother that didn’t lament.