Abstract

This thesis studies the use and depiction of women's music in three plays of Euripides. Chapter One looks at the intersection of music, magic, and gender in Medea, linking the chorus' discussion of muse-granted female sophia (wisdom, authoritative knowledge) to Medea's skill in magic. Chapter Two proposes a novel interpretation of the first stasimon of Trojan Women, arguing that the famous kainoi hymnoi of line 512 -- translated here as "new and woeful songs" -- are emblematic of the play's depiction of lament. Chapter Three examines various ways in which the choral odes of Bacchae reflect the threatening power of the god Dionysus. In each of these works, I find that Euripides uses women's music to explore important thematic material. This result contradicts gendered criticisms of Euripides and other New Musical poets, whose work has been attacked by critics both ancient and modern as insubstantial, incoherent, and effeminate. A brief conclusion looks at the connection between women's music and emotion, suggesting that Euripides interrogates music's power to act persuasively on the emotions of others.

Committee Chair

Dr. Rebecca Sears

Committee Members

Dr. Timothy Moore Dr. Zoe Stamatopoulou

Degree

Master of Arts (AM/MA)

Author's Department

Classics

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

Summer 8-2024

Language

English (en)

Author's ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-5016-7732

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