Performing Interpersonal Violence (eBook)

Acknowledgments 6
I. Introduction 14
Notions of Violence – State of Research – Goals 14
Methodology: The Performative Turn and Ritual Studies (A Brief Overview) 23
The Controlling Function of Ritualization 29
Sources – Chronological Scope 32
II. Forensic Speeches 35
Ritual Framing 35
Constructing Violence: Discursive Rules of Violence I (Interaction) 45
Contexts 46
First Blow versus Self-Defense 47
Murder versus Lawful Homicide 48
Public versus Hidden Violence 64
Day versus Night 78
Inebriation versus Sobriety 80
Old Age versus Young Age 83
Thresholds (invasion of homes versus protection of oikos) 85
Disturbance of Public Duty versus Maintenance of Public Order 95
Perversion of Religious Customs 96
Perversion of Gender, Citizenship Status, Social Rank and Role 97
Mediated (Sanctioned) versus Direct Violence 107
Escalation versus De-escalation 109
Images of Violence: Discursive Rules of Violence II (Mental and Cultural Representation) 115
The Depiction of Violence 117
Selfless Motives versus Selfishness 127
Anger 128
Transgression of Boundaries 132
Hubris 133
Tyrants 139
Barbarians 143
Old versus New Discourse Strategies 144
Functions of Ritualization 153
How to Plead in Court – A Conclusion 171
III. Curse Tablets 177
Proportions – Social Origins of Cursers – Functions of Tablets 182
Ritual Framing 190
Ritual Actions (drômena) 191
Ritual Words (legomena) 195
Degree of Violence 202
Diachronic Development 235
Conclusion 240
IV. Old and New Comedy 248
Ritual Framing 251
Ritual Origins 251
Theater Production as Ritual Process 256
Ritual Efficacy 260
The Discursive Rules of Violence 264
Aristophanes 264
Three Case Studies: Wasps, Birds, and Clouds 298
The Double-Layerdness of Violence 324
Aristophanes' Discourse on Democracy – Summary 329
Menander 332
Menander's Discourse on Society – Summary 377
Ritual Functions of Scenes of Violence in Comedy 380
Conclusion 386
V. Conclusions 392
Chronological Development of the Violence Discourse in Different Genres 392
Three Theses on Athenian Violence 397
Controlling Function of Ritualization 400
Social Origins of Perpetrators of Violence 402
A State Monopoly on Violence ? 404
Outlook on Violence in Athenian Foreign Policy 405
VI. References 408
1. Corpora of Athenian Curse Tablets 408
2. Abbreviated Works 409
3. English Translations 410
4. Secondary Literature 411
Index locorum 454
Literary Sources 454
Inscriptions 469
Papyri 474
Iconographical Sources 474
General Index 476
Important Greek and Latin terms 484
Ancient proper names (historical and fictional persons) 487