Files

Abstract

This dissertation argues that Euripides’ Electra, Iphigenia among the Taurians (IT), Helen, Orestes and Iphigenia in Aulis comprise a fictional multiverse: a corpus of alternate, complementary, or conflicting timelines wherein multiple versions of the same characters and narratives coexist. It suggests that the verbal and visual allusions, the patterns of iteration, the thematic continuity, and the revisiting of unrealized possibilities throughout the corpus as world-building tools weave an intricate web of connections that ties the corpus together. It also underscores the importance of the interplay between novelty and tradition, as an overarching theme that further contributes to the interconnectedness of the corpus. By treating the plays as a fictional multiverse of “what if” and “yes, and” scenarios that complement each other, this dissertation suggests that each individual tragedy is to be understood against the backdrop of the rest of the corpus. In doing so, it provides new readings of all five plays, and it reveals that their tragic essence stems from the patterns of iteration within the corpus, while also showcasing that this network of connections has a cumulative effect on the audience, as the proliferation of timelines constantly invites them to reexamine previous plots. It aims to show that by liberating himself from the constraints of linear narratives and exploiting the flexibility, multivalence, and unending serialized world-building inherent in multiverse narratives, Euripides traps his audience in a cycle oscillating between despair and anticipation, imbues his characters and narratives with newfound depth and highlights the full potency of myth and theater.

Details

Actions

from
to
Export
Download Full History