Divine Power in Tragedy

This chapter pursues comparisons between characters of Greek drama with the gods on the grounds of power. The first part examines such comparisons in the context of supplication in tragedy, and similar contexts in comedy, where suppliants perceive saviour figures as more than mortal. Since these passages are determined by their ritual context, they shed further light on the argument, formulated in the preceding chapters of this book, that individual rituals themselves shape our perceptions of those involved. The second part of this chapter analyses similar visions found outside of established ritual contexts. Here, comparisons with the gods convey a sense of danger and impending catastrophe. The differences between the two kinds of comparison, especially with regard to their effect, highlights the importance of ritual as a mitigating factor in elevating humans.

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Argument (complex analysis) · Art · Biology · Comedy · Context (archaeology) · Drama · Epistemology · Greek tragedy · Literature · Perception · Power (physics) · Sociology · Tragedy (event) · Vision · Anthropology · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History · Philosophy · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices