Luctus est istic tuus,/ crimen novercae. Boskie i ludzkie szaleństwo Heraklesa na podstawie tragedii Eurypidesa i Seneki
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Date
2013-12-30
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Wydawnictwo Poznańskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk
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Luctus est istic tuus,/ crimen novercae. Divine and human madness of Heracles according to the dramas by Euripides and Seneca
Abstract
The article aims to examine the tragedies: Ήρακλής μαινόμενος by Euripides and Hercules Furens by Seneca
and exactly the different types of the madness, by which the main character is overcome in the above mentioned
dramas. Although the article touches also on the issue of the insanity sent to the hero by Hera/ Juno,
concentrates especially on the fit of madness, that is here defined as a human madness.
Description
One of the main, initial thesis of the article is that in the tragedies `Hρακλής μαινόμενος by
Euripides and Hercules Furens by Seneca the main character falls into the madness twice. The
first madness is sent by Hera/ Juno and is here defined, because of its origin, as a divine madness.
The second one is so called human madness and Heracles/ Hercules is most probably overcome
by it, after he has recognised, that he, driven by the involuntary fury, killed his own wife and sons.
This state of the psyche of the hero is already independent from the deity and originates in such
deeply human feelings like despair, anger, pain, shame. The strongly stirred hero plans to commit
a suicide. According to the contemporary psychology this situation can be, because of some
reasons analysed in the article, recognised as a symptom of irrationality. In the drama by Seneca
Amfithryon, the father of the hero also defines the state of Hercules, who has become aware of the
truth about his deeds, outright as furor. There is in the drama by Euripides, however, no reference to this second madness, which is connected with the somewhat different mentality that the drama
originated in (the still kept in memory Homeric ethos and the attitudes towards the issues of
honour, suicide etc. determined by it). Seneca as a stoic noticed and emphasized – although he
generally also accepted the suicide – that Hercules, because of the anger, acts irrationally and, as
a result, is in fact mentally unable to decide about his life and death. In the article is also presented
in what an interesting way the above mentioned differences in the mentality of Euripides and
Seneca manifest themselves in the case of the divine madness (among other things, the difference
between Greek Lyssa and Roman Furor).
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Keywords
Heracles, anger, Euripides, Suicide, Seneca, Madness
Citation
Symbolae Philologorum Posnaniensium, 2013, nr XXIII/2, s. 113-128.
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0302-7384