The weapon of mousikē in Euripides' Cyclops

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore the poetic function of mousikē in Euripides' Cyclops. The plot unfolds through flashes of playful utterances that relate to Greek song culture. Each of these subversively pokes fun at the dichotomy between the civilised and the uncivilised. Forms of and references to choreia and mousikē, embedded in the performative context of the satyr-drama, function on two levels: on the level of plot (traditional myth put on stage), they constitute a weapon against the giant; on the level of community and emotions, they reveal that, by the end of the 5 th century, protection offered by culture becomes vulnerable.