Trojan Palimpsests: The Relation Of Greek Tragedy To The Homeric Epics

Abstract

The myth of the Trojan War, the subject of the Homeric epics Iliad and Odyssey as well as of the cyclic epics complementing them, informs the plot not only of Aeschylus' own Oresteia , but of almost half of the still extant Greek tragedies. The popularity of the myth of Troy in Greek tragedy reflects the crucial role of the epic tradition in Greek literature and culture embodied in the founding figure of Homer. This chapter mainly focuses on the Euripidean tragedies depicting the fall of Troy and its immediate aftermath: the Hecuba , the Trojan Women , and the Andromache . After briefly sketching their plots, it looks at specific passages dealing with the topic of memory and explores their relationship to the Homeric epics. Finally, the chapter addresses the issue of the contemporary significance of the myth of the Trojan War in the historical context of the Peloponnesian War. Keywords: Andromache ; Greek tragedy; Hecuba ; Homeric epics; Trojan War; Trojan Women