Secrets and Lies in Menander's Samia: A Reading of the Play Focused on Light and Darkness

This paper examines the implications of the opposition ‘Athenian sun' versus ‘Pontic fog' for a better understanding of Menander's dramatic art in Samia. The secret intrigues orchestrated inside the houses of Demeas and Nikeratos obscure the luminous, open spaces of Athens for the two...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Philippides, Katerina (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Österreichischen Akademie d. Wissenschaften [2019]
In: Wiener Studien
Year: 2019, Volume: 132, Pages: 7-28
RelBib Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BE Greco-Roman religions
KBK Europe (East)
TB Antiquity
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (Resolving-System)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:This paper examines the implications of the opposition ‘Athenian sun' versus ‘Pontic fog' for a better understanding of Menander's dramatic art in Samia. The secret intrigues orchestrated inside the houses of Demeas and Nikeratos obscure the luminous, open spaces of Athens for the two uninformed or misinformed returnees from the dark regions, leading to complete confusion and near misfortune. Ironically, the fog that plagued the two men in Pontos now shrouds the brilliant Athenian sky. Thus, the climatic descriptions, introduced in one early scene, transcend the limits of their literal sense and acquire a metaphorical meaning which can be traced in most of the play.
ISSN:1813-3924
Contains:Enthalten in: Wiener Studien
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1553/wst132s7