Tiresias between texts and sex

This paper investigates the special dramatic role of the combined presence of Tiresias and his daughter, Manto, in Seneca’s Oedipus. An overview of Manto’s relatively rare appearance in both Greek and Latin literature is followed by a detailed examination of Tiresias’ mythological past. Tiresi...

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Main Author: Charilaos N. Michalopoulos
Format: Article
Language:deu
Published: Université de Lille 2012-01-01
Series:Eugesta
Online Access:http://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/index.php?id=1085
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author Charilaos N. Michalopoulos
author_facet Charilaos N. Michalopoulos
author_sort Charilaos N. Michalopoulos
collection DOAJ
description This paper investigates the special dramatic role of the combined presence of Tiresias and his daughter, Manto, in Seneca’s Oedipus. An overview of Manto’s relatively rare appearance in both Greek and Latin literature is followed by a detailed examination of Tiresias’ mythological past. Tiresias’ bisexuality, an emblematic trait of his myth, which is intrinsically related to his prophetic power, receives special attention. Learned Seneca proves to be well informed of Tiresias’ bisexuality, possibly through Ovid. The Roman dramatist exploits the father-daughter pair of Tiresias and Manto not only as an on-stage pre-figuration of Oedipus’ future (blind Oedipus guided by his daughter Antigone), but more importantly as a bold dramatic visualization of Tiresias’ own bisexuality. My discussion is rounded off with a section on the multiple connections between Oedipus and Tiresias.
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spelling doaj.art-ec9c6c564f664f099661e1de0574d8e82024-02-19T07:50:39ZdeuUniversité de LilleEugesta2265-87772012-01-01210.54563/eugesta.1085Tiresias between texts and sexCharilaos N. Michalopoulos This paper investigates the special dramatic role of the combined presence of Tiresias and his daughter, Manto, in Seneca’s Oedipus. An overview of Manto’s relatively rare appearance in both Greek and Latin literature is followed by a detailed examination of Tiresias’ mythological past. Tiresias’ bisexuality, an emblematic trait of his myth, which is intrinsically related to his prophetic power, receives special attention. Learned Seneca proves to be well informed of Tiresias’ bisexuality, possibly through Ovid. The Roman dramatist exploits the father-daughter pair of Tiresias and Manto not only as an on-stage pre-figuration of Oedipus’ future (blind Oedipus guided by his daughter Antigone), but more importantly as a bold dramatic visualization of Tiresias’ own bisexuality. My discussion is rounded off with a section on the multiple connections between Oedipus and Tiresias.http://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/index.php?id=1085
spellingShingle Charilaos N. Michalopoulos
Tiresias between texts and sex
Eugesta
title Tiresias between texts and sex
title_full Tiresias between texts and sex
title_fullStr Tiresias between texts and sex
title_full_unstemmed Tiresias between texts and sex
title_short Tiresias between texts and sex
title_sort tiresias between texts and sex
url http://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/index.php?id=1085
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