From: Alex / Ali (alexali@surf.net.au)
Date: Thu Feb 10 2000 - 07:52:14 EST
Jeffrey Gibson asked about "the pre-pauline use of the topos 'X died /gave
him(her)self for Y'," and Clayton's response had the effect of waking me
up, somewhat; I've been too busy lately to do much more than skim postings.
Alcestis 284: QNHiSKW, PARON MOI MH QANEIN, hUPER SEQEN - and the whole
play concerns Alcestis' giving up her life for her husband. The case of
Macaria in the Heraclidae may be relevant (eg 500-502, but not explicit with
the X for Y terms): MH NUN TRESHiS ET' ECQRON ARGEION DORU. EGW GAR AUTH
PRIN KELEUSQHNAI, GERON, QNHSKEIN hHTOIMH KAI PARISTASQAI SFAGHi. Also
Iphigenia (in Aulis) 1397b: DIDWMI SWMA TOUMON hHLLADI. (Chasing up Clay's
suggestion, I looked through the Allen/Italie concordance to Euripides but
hUPERQNHiSKW doesn't appear in the IA. Iph's lines from 1375-1401 address
the X dies for Y theme). Clay mentioned hUPERQNHiSKW in the Phoinissai,
where Menoiceus says at 997B-998, SWiSW POLIN YUCHN TE DWSW THSD'
hUPERQANEIN CQONOS. Lines 1013-1014 are also worth looking at, and
1055-1056 (hOS EPI QANATON OICETAI GAS hUPER PATRWiAS); Creon had said
(968-969) AUTOS D' - EN hWRAIWi GAR hESTAMEN BIOU - QNHiSKEIN hETOIMOS
PATRIDOS EKLUTHRION. The lines at Hecuba 547-552 may be of some interest,
and Euadne's episode in the Supplices is another example of Euripides' use
of the theme of self-sacrifice, though not with quite the same X for Y idea.
I have in front of me an unpublished doctoral thesis, 'Self-Sacrifice in
Euripidean Drama' which I'll continue to scan. Clay's reference to the IA
took me back to a theme which held considerable interest for me some years
back.
Dr Alex Hopkins (Melbourne, Australia)
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