Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus
This paper investigates the representation of pathological erôs—an excessive or socially transgressive form of erotic desire—in four fragmentary tragedies by Euripides: Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus. The study addresses how Euripides dramatized forms of erôs that go beyond the bounds of...
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| Formato: | Artículo revista |
| Lenguaje: | Español |
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Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad
2026
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| Acceso en línea: | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/48900 |
| Aporte de: |
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I10-R348-article-48900 |
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Universidad Nacional de Córdoba |
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Astrolabio |
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Español |
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Artículo revista |
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erotic desire sex pathology fragments Euripides deseo erótico sexo patología fragmentos Eurípides |
| spellingShingle |
erotic desire sex pathology fragments Euripides deseo erótico sexo patología fragmentos Eurípides Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus |
| topic_facet |
erotic desire sex pathology fragments Euripides deseo erótico sexo patología fragmentos Eurípides |
| author |
Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula |
| author_facet |
Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula |
| author_sort |
Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula |
| title |
Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus |
| title_short |
Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus |
| title_full |
Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus |
| title_fullStr |
Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus |
| title_sort |
dangerous desires: pathological erôs in euripides’ fragmentary aeolus, cretans, protesilaus, and oedipus |
| description |
This paper investigates the representation of pathological erôs—an excessive or socially transgressive form of erotic desire—in four fragmentary tragedies by Euripides: Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus. The study addresses how Euripides dramatized forms of erôs that go beyond the bounds of socially acceptable behavior, including sibling incest, mother-son incest, bestiality, and obsessive mourning expressed through eroticized attachment to inanimate objects. The objective is twofold: to assess the presence of medicalized language and imagery in these plays, and to explore how the dramatist and his characters conceptualize and respond to such desires. Methodologically, the paper combines philological close readings of the extant fragments with intertextual comparisons (notably with Homer, Ovid, and later sources), and draws on affect theory and ancient medical discourse. The analysis reveals that Euripides used the language of illness, divine punishment, and moral ambiguity to present a complex picture of erotic transgression. The plays often dramatize the tension between individual emotion and societal norms, and—despite their fragmentary state—offer unique insights into ancient perceptions of desire, agency, and punishment. By shedding light on lesser-studied dramas and emphasizing their emotional and ethical dimensions, the paper contributes to the reassessment of the Euripidean corpus. It argues for the centrality of pathological erôs in the tragic imagination and highlights the fragmentary plays as fertile ground for exploring the intersections of passion, gender, and normativity in classical Athens. |
| publisher |
Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad |
| publishDate |
2026 |
| url |
https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/48900 |
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I10-R348-article-489002026-01-29T11:43:41Z Dangerous Desires: Pathological Erôs in Euripides’ fragmentary Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus Deseos peligrosos: El erôs patológico en los fragmentos de Eolo, Cretenses, Protesilao y Edipo de Eurípides Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula Valtadorou, Anastasia Stavroula erotic desire sex pathology fragments Euripides deseo erótico sexo patología fragmentos Eurípides This paper investigates the representation of pathological erôs—an excessive or socially transgressive form of erotic desire—in four fragmentary tragedies by Euripides: Aeolus, Cretans, Protesilaus, and Oedipus. The study addresses how Euripides dramatized forms of erôs that go beyond the bounds of socially acceptable behavior, including sibling incest, mother-son incest, bestiality, and obsessive mourning expressed through eroticized attachment to inanimate objects. The objective is twofold: to assess the presence of medicalized language and imagery in these plays, and to explore how the dramatist and his characters conceptualize and respond to such desires. Methodologically, the paper combines philological close readings of the extant fragments with intertextual comparisons (notably with Homer, Ovid, and later sources), and draws on affect theory and ancient medical discourse. The analysis reveals that Euripides used the language of illness, divine punishment, and moral ambiguity to present a complex picture of erotic transgression. The plays often dramatize the tension between individual emotion and societal norms, and—despite their fragmentary state—offer unique insights into ancient perceptions of desire, agency, and punishment. By shedding light on lesser-studied dramas and emphasizing their emotional and ethical dimensions, the paper contributes to the reassessment of the Euripidean corpus. It argues for the centrality of pathological erôs in the tragic imagination and highlights the fragmentary plays as fertile ground for exploring the intersections of passion, gender, and normativity in classical Athens. Este artículo investiga la representación del éros patológico —una forma excesiva o socialmente transgresora de deseo erótico— en cuatro tragedias fragmentarias de Eurípides: Eolo, Cretenses, Protesilao y Edipo. El estudio aborda cómo Eurípides dramatizó formas de éros que exceden los límites del comportamiento socialmente aceptado, como el incesto entre hermanos, la bestialidad y el duelo obsesivo expresado mediante el apego erotizado a objetos inanimados. El objetivo es doble: evaluar la presencia de lenguaje e imaginería de corte médico en estas obras, y explorar cómo el dramaturgo y sus personajes conceptualizan y responden a dichos deseos. Metodológicamente, el trabajo combina lecturas filológicas detalladas de los fragmentos conservados con comparaciones intertextuales (principalmente con Homero, Ovidio y fuentes posteriores), y se apoya en la teoría de las emociones y en el discurso médico antiguo. El análisis revela que Eurípides utilizó el lenguaje de la enfermedad, el castigo divino y la ambigüedad moral para presentar una imagen compleja de la transgresión erótica. Las obras dramatizan con frecuencia la tensión entre la emoción individual y las normas sociales y, pese a su estado fragmentario, ofrecen una visión singular de las percepciones antiguas del deseo, la capacidad de acción (“agency”) y el castigo. Al iluminar dramas menos estudiados y destacar sus dimensiones emocionales y éticas, el artículo contribuye a una reevaluación del corpus euripideo. Sostiene que el éros patológico ocupa un lugar central en la imaginación trágica y que las obras fragmentarias son terreno fértil para explorar las intersecciones entre pasión, género y normatividad en la Atenas clásica. Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios sobre Cultura y Sociedad 2026-01-02 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Artículos revisados por pares application/pdf text/html https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/48900 10.55441/1668.7515.n36.48900 Astrolabio; No. 36 (2026): Enero - Junio: Emociones y afectos en el teatro fragmentario griego del siglo V a. C.; 44-70 Astrolabio; Núm. 36 (2026): Enero - Junio: Emociones y afectos en el teatro fragmentario griego del siglo V a. C.; 44-70 Astrolabio; n. 36 (2026): Enero - Junio: Emociones y afectos en el teatro fragmentario griego del siglo V a. C.; 44-70 1668-7515 10.55441/1668.7515.n36 spa https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/48900/51314 https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/astrolabio/article/view/48900/51988 Derechos de autor 2026 Anastasia Stavroula Valtadorou https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 |