Euripides Phniss

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Euripides Phnissæ
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Phnissæ

• Important Names
• Iocasta
• Creon
• Polynices
• Eteocles
• Antigone
• Teiresias
• Menceus
• Date ca. 409 B.C.
• Recent commentary by Donald J. Mastronarde

• Probably part of a trilogy. The titles of the
  other plays are disputed.
• There are almost certainly later interpolations.
  The precise lines interpolated are disputed.

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Plot Summary

• I. Prologue by Iocasta (1-87)
• A. History of Cadmus line (1-9)
• B. Her name (10-13)
• C. The tragedy of the house so far (14-80)
• 1. The birth of dipus (13-31)
• 2. The murder of Laïus (31-44)
• 3. The riddle of the sphinx and dipus resulting
  marriage and children (45-58)
• 4. dipus downfall (59-69)
• 5. Eteocles and Polynices (70-80)
• D. The truce (81-87)

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Plot Summary (cont.)

• II. Dialogue between Antigone and the pedagogue
  (Teichoscopia) (88-201)
• A. Pedagogues opening speech (88-102)
• B. The Seven Against Thebes (103-181)
• 1. Hippomedon (119-131)
• 2. Tydeus (132-144)
• 3. Parthenopæus (145-155)
• 4. Polynices and Adrastus (156-171)
• 5. Amphiaraus (171-177)
• 6. Capaneus (178-191)
• C. Pedagogues closing speech (192-201)

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Plot Summary (cont.)

• III. Parodos (202-260)
• A. Self-description (202-236)
• B. The impending battle (237-260)
• IV. Dialogue between Iocasta, Polynices, and
  Eteocles (261-636)
• A. Dialogue between Polynices and the chorus
  (261-301)
• B. Dialogue between Polynices and Iocaste
  (302-442)

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Plot Summary (cont.)

• 1. Iocastes speech (302-353)
• a. Her joy (302-316)
• b. Her grief (317-325)
• c. dipus grief (326-335)
• d. Polynices marriage (336-349)
• e. Conclusion (350-353)
• 2. Polynices speech (357-378)
• a. His love of Thebes (357-370)
• b. He asks about his family (371-378)
• 3. Dialogue (379-442)
• a. Polynices wandering (379-407)
• b. His alliance to Adrastus and Tydeus (408-425)
• c. The attack against Thebes (426-442)

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Plot Summary (cont.)

• C. Dialogue between all three (443-636)
• 1. Iocasta opens the debate (452-468)
• 2. Polynices argument (469-496)
• 3. Eteocles argument (499-525)
• 4. Iocasta tries again (528-585)
• 5. Stichomythia (588-636)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• 1. Iocastes speech (302-353)
• a. Her joy (302-316)
• b. Her grief (317-325)
• c. dipus grief (326-335)
• d. Polynices marriage (336-349)
• e. Conclusion (350-353)
• 2. Polynices speech (357-378)
• a. His love of Thebes (357-370)
• b. He asks about his family (371-378)
• 3. Dialogue (379-442)
• a. Polynices wandering (379-407)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• b. His alliance to Adrastus and Tydeus (408-425)
• c. The attack against Thebes (426-442)
• C. Dialogue between all three (443-636)
• 1. Iocasta opens the debate (452-468)
• 2. Polynices argument (469-496)
• 3. Eteocles argument (499-525)
• 4. Iocasta tries again (528-585)
• 5. Stichomythia (588-636)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• V. First Stasimon (638-689)
• A. Strophe Cadmus, Dionysius (638-656)
• B. Antistrophe the dragon the Sparti (657-675)
• C. Epode appeal to Epaphus (676-689)
• VI. Dialogue between Eteocles and Creon (690-783)
• A. C enters (691-696)
• B. Introductory material (697-705)
• C. War is imminent (706-719)
• D. They discuss strategy (720-756)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• E. Es three requests (757-783)
• 1. Marry Hæmon to Antigone (757-762)
• 2. Consult Teiresias (766-773)
• 3. Forbid Polyneices burial (774-777)
• VII. Second Stasimon (784-833)
• A. Strophe Ares (present) (784-800)
• B. Antistrophe Cithæron (past) (801-817)
• C. Epode Gæa (distant past) (818-833)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• VIII. Dialogue between Creon and Teiresias
  (834-976)
• A. T led in by his daughter and Mencius
  (834-848)
• B. Cs question (849-864)
• C. T delays (865-910
• 1. On dipus (865-877)
• 2. On Eteocles, Polynices, and Thebes (878-884)
• 3. T reluctant to reveal the cure (885-895)
• 4. C forces him to speak (896-910)
• D. Mencius must die (911-918)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• E. C refuses (919-928)
• F. T explains the reason (929-959)
• G. C chooses his son over his city (962-969)
• IX. Mencius self-sacrifice (970-1018)
• A. Creon urges M to flee (970-976)
• B. M agrees until C leaves (977-990)
• C. M will kill himself to save Thebes (991-1018)
• X. Third Stasimon (1019-1066)
• A. Strophe the Sphinx (1019-1042)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• B. Antistrophe the house of Cadmus (1043-1066)
• XI. Messenger speech (1067-1283)
• A. Eteocles attendant (1212) summons Iocaste
  (1067-1076)
• B. E and P are still alive M is dead (1077-1092)
• C. The seven part 2 cf. 103-181 (1093-1140)
• D. Battle description (1175-1199)
• E. Reluctant messenger tells of the arrangement
  for single combat between the brothers (1200-1258)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• F. He urges Iocaste to go to the battle and stop
  them (1259-1263)
• G. Iocaste and Antigone go (1264-1283)
• XII. Fourth Stasimon a dirge (1283-1305)
• XIII. Messenger speech (1307-1479)
• A. Creon mourns Mencius (1307-1331)
• B. Messenger the brothers are dead (1331-1346)
• C. Messenger Iocaste is dead (1347-1353)
• D. Messenger speech part 1 the death of the
  brothers (1354-1426)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• E. Messenger speech part 2 the death of Iocaste
  and the Theban victory (1427-1479)
• XIV. Kommos (1480-1581)
• A. Antigone mourns (1485-1538)
• B. dipus learns what has happened (1539-1581)
• XV. Dialogue between Creon, Antigone, and dipus
  (1582-1766)
• C. dipus exiled by Creon (1584-1594)
• D. dipus mourns (1595-1624)
• E. Creon forbids Polynices burial (1625-1634)

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Phnissæ Plot Summary (cont.)

• F. Antigone argues with Creon (1639-1692)
• 1. She will bury Polynices (1639-1672)
• 2. She will not marry Hæmon (1673-1677)
• 3. She will go with dipus (1678-1692)
• G. dipus tells of his fated end (1703-1709)
• H. dipus and Antigone depart, mourning
  (1710-1763)
• I. Choral coda (1763-1766)