The Use of Anonymous Characters in Greek Tragedy

Florence Yoon, D.Phil. (2008) in Classics, University of Oxford, is Assistant Professor in Greek Language and Literature at the University of British Columbia.

REFERENCES AND ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................... 4
INTRODUCTION: “WHAT’S IN A NAME?” .......................................................................... 7
I. CLASSES .......................................................................................................................16
1. Personal servants .............................................................................................17
Nurses and Tutors ...................................................................................21
2. Other servants .................................................................................................32
Heralds ....................................................................................................32
3. Priests ..............................................................................................................37
4. Children ..........................................................................................................44
II. INDIVIDUALS ...............................................................................................................54
1. Characters who affect the portrayal of their hero by what they say ...............57
1.1 Prologizomenoi: ................................................................................57
a) The Watchman (Agamemnon) ................................................57
b) The Nurse and the Tutor (Medea) ..........................................59
1.2 Eteocles and his Scout (Septem) ........................................................64
1.3 Agamemnon and the Herald (Agamemnon) ......................................66
1.4 Admetus and the Servants (Alcestis) ................................................71
2. Characters who affect the portrayal of their hero by their dialogue ...............75
2.1 Creon and the Watchman (Antigone) ................................................75
2.2 Deianeira and the Messenger (Trachiniae) .......................................81
2.3 Orestes, Electra, and the Tutor (S. Electra) ......................................83
2.4 Iolaus, Alcmene and the Servant of Hyllus (Heracleidae) ...............89
2.5 Hippolytus and the Old Man (Hippolytus) .......................................93
2.6 Andromache and her suvndoulo~ (Andromache) ..............................96
2.7 Electra, Orestes, and the Old Tutor (E. Electra) ...............................99
2.8 Menelaus and the Doorkeeper (Helen) ...........................................104
2.9 Orestes and the Phrygian Slave (Orestes) .......................................108
3. Characters who affect the portrayal of their hero by what they do................113
3.1 Phaedra and her Nurse (Hippolytus) ...............................................115
3.2 Creousa and the Old Tutor (Ion) .....................................................122
3.3 Agamemnon and the Old Servant (IA) ............................................128
4. Characters who affect the portrayal of their hero by what they are ..............131
4.1 Electra and the Autourgos (E. Electra) ...........................................131
4.2 Eurystheus and his Herald (Heracleidae) .......................................143
4.3 The Egyptians and their Herald? (A. Supplices and Aegyptioi) .....151
III. SPECIAL CASES .........................................................................................................160
1. The Persian Queen: the anonymity of a historical figure .............................160
2. Cilissa: anonymously named ........................................................................171
3. The Slave of Loxias in Ion: naming an anonymous character ......................175
IV. CONTRASTS AND COMPARISONS ...............................................................................183
1. Epic: Homer and Hesiod ...............................................................................183
2. Aristophanic Comedy: the khdesthv~ in Thesmophoriazusae........................188
3. A brief note on later tragedy ..........................................................................196
CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................199
WORKS CITED.................................................................................................................204