Rhesus (Greek: Ῥῆσος, Rhēsos) is an Atheniantragedy that belongs to the transmitted plays of Euripides. Its authorship has been disputed since antiquity,[1] and the issue has invested modern scholarship since the 17th century when the play's authenticity was challenged, first by Joseph Scaliger and subsequently by others, partly on aesthetic grounds and partly on account of peculiarities in the play's vocabulary, style and technique.[2] The conventional attribution to Euripides remains controversial.
Rhesus takes place during the Trojan War, on the night when Odysseus and Diomedes make their way covertly into the Trojan camp. The same event is narrated in book 10 of Homer's epic poem, the Iliad.
In the middle of the night, Trojan guards on the lookout for suspicious enemy activity sight bright fires in the Greek camp. They promptly inform Hector, who almost issues a general call to arms before Aeneas persuades him this would be ill-advised. The best course, Aeneas argues, would be to send someone to spy on the Greek camp and see what the enemy is up to. Dolon volunteers to spy on the Greeks in exchange for Achilles's horses when the war is won. Hector accepts the offer and sends him out. Dolon leaves wearing the skin of a wolf, and planning on deceiving the Greeks by walking on all fours. Next, Rhesus, the king of neighboring Thrace, arrives to assist the Trojans soon after Dolon sets out. Hector berates him for coming so many years late, but accepts his arrival; Rhesus responds that he had intended on coming from the beginning, but had been sidetracked defending his own land from an attack by Scythians.
Meanwhile, making their way to the Trojan encampment with the intention of killing Hector, Odysseus and Diomedes run into Dolon and kill him. When they reach their destination Athena guides them to Rhesus' sleeping quarters instead of Hector's, warning them that they are not destined to kill Hector. Diomedes kills Rhesus and others, and Odysseus takes his prized horses, before making their escape. Rumors spread from Rhesus' men that there had been treachery and that Hector was responsible. Hector arrives and casts blame on the sentinels, for, pointing to the sly tactics indicating that the guilty party could only be Odysseus. The mother of Rhesus, one of the nine muses, then arrives and lays blame on all those responsible: Odysseus, Diomedes, and Athena. She also announces the imminent resurrection of Rhesus, who will become immortal but will be sent to live in a cave.
This short play is most notable in comparison with the Iliad. Here, Dolon's role is pushed to the background, and much more is revealed about Rhesus and the reactions of the Trojans to his murder.
Authorship controversy
The first since ancient times to fully dispute that the Rhesus had been written by Euripides was L. C. Valckenaer in his Phoenissae (1755) and Diatribe in Euripidis deperditorum dramatum reliquias (1767).[3] In an introduction to Rhesus, Gilbert Murray wrote that passages from the play were quoted by early Alexandrian writers.[4] The ancient hypotheses transmitted along with the play, however, show that its authenticity was attacked by a number of scholars whose names are not given.[2] Cases against Euripides' authorship generally center on stylistic differences. Murray argued that these may be attributable simply to the play being an early work by a younger or less-developed Euripides, or the possibility of its being an edited version of a Euripidean play, perhaps made by a contemporary or by Euripides' son. Edith Hall argued in an introduction that modern readers "will be struck in particular by the un-Euripidean lack of interest in women," and noted the fact of Euripides' son having borne the tragedian's name as an argument against the conventional attribution.[5] A recent theory by Vayos Liapis is that the Rhesus was composed by an unknown author in the court of Philip II or Alexander the Great at the end of the IV century BC.[6]
Richmond Lattimore asserted in 1958 that the Rhesus had been written by Euripides, probably at some point before 440 BC,[7] and in 1964, William Ritchie defended the play's authenticity in a book-length study, though his conclusions were opposed by Eduard Fraenkel. Michael Walton has also claimed that modern scholarship agrees with classical authorities in ascribing the play to Euripides,[8] but admitted in a later work that the attribution is still disputed by a number of scholars.[9]
Translations
Michael Wodhull, 1809 - verse: The Nineteen Tragedies and Fragments of Euripides, Vol. II full text: Internet Archive
Edward P. Coleridge, 1891 – prose: The Plays of Euripides full text: Perseus
Arthur S. Way, 1896 – verse: The Tragedies of Euripides in English Verse, Vol. II full text: Internet Archive
Gilbert Murray, 1913 – verse: The Rhesus of Euripides full text: Perseus
^B. M. W. Knox, "Minor Tragedians", pp. 87–93, in P. E. Easterling & B. M. W. Knox (eds.), The Cambridge History of Classical Literature, vol. I: Greek Literature, CUP, Cambridge, 1989, pp. 90–91.
^ abW. Ritchie, The Authenticity of the Rhesus of Euripides, CUP, Cambridge, 1964, ISBN9780521060936, p. vii.
^Hall, 2008, p. xxv-xxvi: "Euripides was widely imitated by other tragedians, and others bore his name, including his own youngest son, who was responsible for the posthumous production of Iphigenia at Aulis and Bacchae. The prevalent scholarly view holds therefore that Rhesus is the work of an unidentifiable playwright active in the fourth century BCE (when there was a revival of interest in dramatizing themes from the Iliad), and as such it is a unique document, since all other Greek tragedies date from the century before."
^Liapis, Vayos (2009). "Rhesus revisited: the Case for a Fourth-Century Macedonian Context". The Journal of Hellenic Studies. 129: 71–88. doi:10.1017/S0075426900002974. ISSN 0075-4269. S2CID 161301126 – via Academia.edu.
^Lattimore, Richmond. "Introduction to Rhesus," by Euripides. From Euripides IV, edited by David Grene and Richmond Lattimore. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958. p. 5.
Hall, Edith. 2008. Introduction. In Bacchae and Other Plays, Oxford World's Classics. ISBN0199540527.
Walton, J. Michael. 1997. Introduction. In Plays VI. By Euripides. Methuen Classical Greek Dramatists ser. London: Methuen. vii–xxii. ISBN0-413-71650-3.
Walton, J. Michael, Euripides Our Contemporary, University of California Press, 2009, ISBN0520261798.
Further reading
Fantuzzi, Marco, ed. The Rhesus Attributed to Euripides. Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
Fenik, B. C. Iliad X and the Rhesus. The myth. Collection Latomus; LXXIII. Bruxelles: Latomus, 1964.
Fries, Almut. Pseudo-Euripides, "Rhesus": Edited with Introduction and Commentary. Berlin, München, Boston: De Gruyter, 2014.
Liapis, V. A Commentary on the Rhesus Attributed to Euripides. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Ritchie, W. The Authenticity of the Rhesus of Euripides. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1964. full text available for digital loan: Internet Archive
External links
Works related to Rhesus (Euripides) at Wikisource
January 06, 2023
rhesus, play, rhesus, greek, Ῥῆσος, rhēsos, athenian, tragedy, that, belongs, transmitted, plays, euripides, authorship, been, disputed, since, antiquity, issue, invested, modern, scholarship, since, 17th, century, when, play, authenticity, challenged, first, . Rhesus Greek Ῥῆsos Rhesos is an Athenian tragedy that belongs to the transmitted plays of Euripides Its authorship has been disputed since antiquity 1 and the issue has invested modern scholarship since the 17th century when the play s authenticity was challenged first by Joseph Scaliger and subsequently by others partly on aesthetic grounds and partly on account of peculiarities in the play s vocabulary style and technique 2 The conventional attribution to Euripides remains controversial RhesusOdysseus and Diomedes stealing Rhesus horses red figure situla by the Lycurgus Painter ca 360 BC Written byEuripides disputed ChorusTrojan sentriesCharactersOdysseusHectorDiomedesAeneasParisDolonAthenaMessengerShepherdMuseRhesusDate premieredUnknownOriginal languageAncient GreekSubjectTrojan WarGenreAthenian tragedySettingBefore Hector s tent at the gates of TroyRhesus takes place during the Trojan War on the night when Odysseus and Diomedes make their way covertly into the Trojan camp The same event is narrated in book 10 of Homer s epic poem the Iliad Contents 1 Plot synopsis 2 Authorship controversy 3 Translations 4 References 5 Sources 6 Further reading 7 External linksPlot synopsis EditIn the middle of the night Trojan guards on the lookout for suspicious enemy activity sight bright fires in the Greek camp They promptly inform Hector who almost issues a general call to arms before Aeneas persuades him this would be ill advised The best course Aeneas argues would be to send someone to spy on the Greek camp and see what the enemy is up to Dolon volunteers to spy on the Greeks in exchange for Achilles s horses when the war is won Hector accepts the offer and sends him out Dolon leaves wearing the skin of a wolf and planning on deceiving the Greeks by walking on all fours Next Rhesus the king of neighboring Thrace arrives to assist the Trojans soon after Dolon sets out Hector berates him for coming so many years late but accepts his arrival Rhesus responds that he had intended on coming from the beginning but had been sidetracked defending his own land from an attack by Scythians Meanwhile making their way to the Trojan encampment with the intention of killing Hector Odysseus and Diomedes run into Dolon and kill him When they reach their destination Athena guides them to Rhesus sleeping quarters instead of Hector s warning them that they are not destined to kill Hector Diomedes kills Rhesus and others and Odysseus takes his prized horses before making their escape Rumors spread from Rhesus men that there had been treachery and that Hector was responsible Hector arrives and casts blame on the sentinels for pointing to the sly tactics indicating that the guilty party could only be Odysseus The mother of Rhesus one of the nine muses then arrives and lays blame on all those responsible Odysseus Diomedes and Athena She also announces the imminent resurrection of Rhesus who will become immortal but will be sent to live in a cave This short play is most notable in comparison with the Iliad Here Dolon s role is pushed to the background and much more is revealed about Rhesus and the reactions of the Trojans to his murder Authorship controversy EditThe first since ancient times to fully dispute that the Rhesus had been written by Euripides was L C Valckenaer in his Phoenissae 1755 and Diatribe in Euripidis deperditorum dramatum reliquias 1767 3 In an introduction to Rhesus Gilbert Murray wrote that passages from the play were quoted by early Alexandrian writers 4 The ancient hypotheses transmitted along with the play however show that its authenticity was attacked by a number of scholars whose names are not given 2 Cases against Euripides authorship generally center on stylistic differences Murray argued that these may be attributable simply to the play being an early work by a younger or less developed Euripides or the possibility of its being an edited version of a Euripidean play perhaps made by a contemporary or by Euripides son Edith Hall argued in an introduction that modern readers will be struck in particular by the un Euripidean lack of interest in women and noted the fact of Euripides son having borne the tragedian s name as an argument against the conventional attribution 5 A recent theory by Vayos Liapis is that the Rhesus was composed by an unknown author in the court of Philip II or Alexander the Great at the end of the IV century BC 6 Richmond Lattimore asserted in 1958 that the Rhesus had been written by Euripides probably at some point before 440 BC 7 and in 1964 William Ritchie defended the play s authenticity in a book length study though his conclusions were opposed by Eduard Fraenkel Michael Walton has also claimed that modern scholarship agrees with classical authorities in ascribing the play to Euripides 8 but admitted in a later work that the attribution is still disputed by a number of scholars 9 Translations EditMichael Wodhull 1809 verse The Nineteen Tragedies and Fragments of Euripides Vol II full text Internet Archive Edward P Coleridge 1891 prose The Plays of Euripides full text Perseus Arthur S Way 1896 verse The Tragedies of Euripides in English Verse Vol II full text Internet Archive Gilbert Murray 1913 verse The Rhesus of Euripides full text Perseus Richmond Lattimore 1958 verse available for digital loan James Morwood 2000 In Bacchae and Other Plays Oxford World s Classics ISBN 9780199540525 George Theodoridis 2010 prose full textReferences Edit B M W Knox Minor Tragedians pp 87 93 in P E Easterling amp B M W Knox eds The Cambridge History of Classical Literature vol I Greek Literature CUP Cambridge 1989 pp 90 91 a b W Ritchie The Authenticity of the Rhesus of Euripides CUP Cambridge 1964 ISBN 9780521060936 p vii See Ancient History Sourcebook See his introduction to Rhesus Hall 2008 p xxv xxvi Euripides was widely imitated by other tragedians and others bore his name including his own youngest son who was responsible for the posthumous production of Iphigenia at Aulis and Bacchae The prevalent scholarly view holds therefore that Rhesus is the work of an unidentifiable playwright active in the fourth century BCE when there was a revival of interest in dramatizing themes from the Iliad and as such it is a unique document since all other Greek tragedies date from the century before Liapis Vayos 2009 Rhesus revisited the Case for a Fourth Century Macedonian Context The Journal of Hellenic Studies 129 71 88 doi 10 1017 S0075426900002974 ISSN 0075 4269 S2CID 161301126 via Academia edu Lattimore Richmond Introduction to Rhesus by Euripides From Euripides IV edited by David Grene and Richmond Lattimore Chicago University of Chicago Press 1958 p 5 Walton 1997 viii xix J Michael Walton 2009 p 43 Sources EditHall Edith 2008 Introduction In Bacchae and Other Plays Oxford World s Classics ISBN 0199540527 Walton J Michael 1997 Introduction In Plays VI By Euripides Methuen Classical Greek Dramatists ser London Methuen vii xxii ISBN 0 413 71650 3 Walton J Michael Euripides Our Contemporary University of California Press 2009 ISBN 0520261798 Further reading EditFantuzzi Marco ed The Rhesus Attributed to Euripides Cambridge Classical Texts and Commentaries Cambridge Cambridge University Press 2021 Fenik B C Iliad X and the Rhesus The myth Collection Latomus LXXIII Bruxelles Latomus 1964 Fries Almut Pseudo Euripides Rhesus Edited with Introduction and Commentary Berlin Munchen Boston De Gruyter 2014 Liapis V A Commentary on the Rhesus Attributed to Euripides Oxford Oxford University Press 2012 Ritchie W The Authenticity of the Rhesus of Euripides Cambridge Cambridge University Press 1964 full text available for digital loan Internet ArchiveExternal links Edit Works related to Rhesus Euripides at Wikisource Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rhesus play amp oldid 1127130767, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
