Odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"

The article shows that Odysseus in Sophocles’ Ajax and Philoctetes is at the centre of a redefinition of the concept of “nobility”. This figure has been seen to promote a new definition of the concept, but previous analyses tended to focus only on one or the other of the two plays, as Odysseus appe...

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Autor principal: Elodie Paillard
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Publicado: Center for Hellenic Studies 2020
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Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/bb4a89dc5a4c4698a0514ce1ed52694d
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spelling oai:doaj.org-article:bb4a89dc5a4c4698a0514ce1ed52694d2021-11-25T07:53:04ZOdysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"10.35296/jhs.v4i1.592536-572X2536-5738https://doaj.org/article/bb4a89dc5a4c4698a0514ce1ed52694d2020-12-01T00:00:00Zhttp://helenskestudije.me/ojs/index.php/jhs/article/view/59https://doaj.org/toc/2536-572Xhttps://doaj.org/toc/2536-5738 The article shows that Odysseus in Sophocles’ Ajax and Philoctetes is at the centre of a redefinition of the concept of “nobility”. This figure has been seen to promote a new definition of the concept, but previous analyses tended to focus only on one or the other of the two plays, as Odysseus appeared too dissimilar to be considered from the same viewpoint. A closer analysis reveals that he defends the same values and is endowed with the same non-élite features in both plays. Among those values is the idea that nobility has nothing to do with descent, but with the ability at proving helpful to the whole social group. The perception other characters have of Odysseus, however, changes between the first and the second play. This change can be linked to the evolution of Athenian society. With the development of democracy, non-élite citizens redefined concepts such as eugeneia. Elodie PaillardCenter for Hellenic StudiesarticleGreek LiteratureTragedyOdysseusNobilityGreek societySophoclesHistory of GreeceDF10-951Greek philology and languagePA201-899ENSRAkropolis, Vol 4, Iss 1 (2020)
institution DOAJ
collection DOAJ
language EN
SR
topic Greek Literature
Tragedy
Odysseus
Nobility
Greek society
Sophocles
History of Greece
DF10-951
Greek philology and language
PA201-899
spellingShingle Greek Literature
Tragedy
Odysseus
Nobility
Greek society
Sophocles
History of Greece
DF10-951
Greek philology and language
PA201-899
Elodie Paillard
Odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"
description The article shows that Odysseus in Sophocles’ Ajax and Philoctetes is at the centre of a redefinition of the concept of “nobility”. This figure has been seen to promote a new definition of the concept, but previous analyses tended to focus only on one or the other of the two plays, as Odysseus appeared too dissimilar to be considered from the same viewpoint. A closer analysis reveals that he defends the same values and is endowed with the same non-élite features in both plays. Among those values is the idea that nobility has nothing to do with descent, but with the ability at proving helpful to the whole social group. The perception other characters have of Odysseus, however, changes between the first and the second play. This change can be linked to the evolution of Athenian society. With the development of democracy, non-élite citizens redefined concepts such as eugeneia.
format article
author Elodie Paillard
author_facet Elodie Paillard
author_sort Elodie Paillard
title Odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"
title_short Odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"
title_full Odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"
title_fullStr Odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"
title_full_unstemmed Odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in Sophocles' "Ajax" and "Philoctetes"
title_sort odysseus and the concept of “nobility” in sophocles' "ajax" and "philoctetes"
publisher Center for Hellenic Studies
publishDate 2020
url https://doaj.org/article/bb4a89dc5a4c4698a0514ce1ed52694d
work_keys_str_mv AT elodiepaillard odysseusandtheconceptofnobilityinsophoclesajaxandphiloctetes
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