The weapon of mousikē in Euripides' Cyclops

Title: The weapon of mousikē in Euripides' Cyclops
Source document: Graeco-Latina Brunensia. 2021, vol. 26, iss. 2, pp. 149-165
Extent
149-165
  • ISSN
    1803-7402 (print)
    2336-4424 (online)
Type: Article
Language
 

Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.

Abstract(s)
The aim of this paper is to explore the poetic function of mousikē in Euripides' Cyclops. The plot unfolds through flashes of playful utterances that relate to Greek song culture. Each of these subversively pokes fun at the dichotomy between the civilised and the uncivilised. Forms of and references to choreia and mousikē, embedded in the performative context of the satyr-drama, function on two levels: on the level of plot (traditional myth put on stage), they constitute a weapon against the giant; on the level of community and emotions, they reveal that, by the end of the 5th century, protection offered by culture becomes vulnerable.
Note
The research was supported in part by a grant (OTKA K-125518) from the Hungarian National Scientific Research Foundation.
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