The Mortal Voice in the Tragedies of Aeschylus

Abstract

Voice connects our embodied existence with the theoretical worlds we construct. This book argues that the voice is a crucial element of mortal identity in the tragedies of Aeschylus. It first presents conceptions of the voice in ancient Greek poetry and philosophy, understanding it in its most literal and physical form, as well as through the many metaphorical connotations that spring from it. Close readings then show how the tragedies and fragments of Aeschylus gain meaning from the rubric and performance of voice, concentrating particularly on the Oresteia. Sarah Nooter demonstrates how voice - as both a bottomless metaphor and performative agent of action - stands as the prevailing configuration through which Aeschylus' dramas should be heard. This highly original book will interest all those interested in classical literature as well as those concerned with material approaches to the interpretation of texts.

El paisaje sonoro en la Odisea

“…No siempre es fácil imaginar los sonidos extinguidos del pasado. No obstante, algunos trabajos son dignos de ser mencionados a este respecto, como Nooter (2012Nooter ( , 2017, autora que se ha adentrado en la sonoridad de la tragedia de Esquilo y de Sófocles como espectáculo en directo y que más adelante coordinó un volumen (Butler & Nooter 2019) en que diversos investigadores colaboran con trabajos dedicados al sentido del oído en la Antigüedad y al sonido del Mundo Antiguo. Uno de ellos (Montiglio 2019) será citado más adelante, por estar directamente relacionado con este artículo.…”

Reported Speech in Greek Tragedy

“…2 1. See Nooter (2017) on Aeschylus and, in her introduction, on tragedy in general, and Weiss (2017) on the relationship between inarticulate noise and song in tragic laments. Gurd (2016) discusses sound in Greek literature in general, but frequently touches on tragedy.…”

Orestes and Electra’s Prayer Practices as Instructions to the City

“…Ragged, submissive Electra and her husband, then, stand in stark contrast to richly dressed and resolute Orestes and Pylades. Thus, at the very beginning of the tragedy, Euripides puts on display the inequality of the protagonists, their self-absorption, distrust of each other, and most importantly, Electra's desire to see what she is willing to see 13 , which will inevitably manifest itself in prayers and a joint plan for revenge. The difference in the motivations of Electra and Orestes can again be seen through comparing their prayers, which somebody or something keeps preventing Euripides' heroes saying.…”

“…El. 288-289, 323-331, 509-519) and is also a place outside the city walls which symbolizes the need for righteous vengeance, that is, active actions in relation to those who are in the city/palace 13. W. Geoffrey Arnott[7, p. 182] asserts that Electra views Orestes and Clytemnestra in a very specific way: "It is always a prejudiced and distorted view, interpreting the world from behind the blinkers of a naive heroic vision which simplifies issues in terms of the obsolete values.…”