Children in Greek Tragedy

Astyanax is thrown off the walls of Troy, Medeia kills her children to take revenge on her husband, and Aias reflects sadly on his son’s inheritance, yet he kills himself and leaves Eurysakes vulnerable to his enemies. The pathos created by threats to children is a notable feature of Greek tragedy, but does not explain the range of situations where the playwrights chose to employ them. Although they are largely silent, passive figures, children exert a dramatic force that goes beyond their limited onstage presence. This book proposes a new paradigm to understand the roles of children in tragedy, emphasizing their dangerous potential as the future adults of myth. Their multiple projected lives create dramatic palimpsests which are paradoxically more significant than the immediate emotional effects. Children are never killed because of their immediate weakness, but because of their potential strength. Staging considerations underpin this re-evaluation, as the embodied identities of children are central to their roles. A new examination of the evidence for child actors concludes that the physical presence of children was a significant factor in their presentation. The socio-historical context of fifth-century Athens gives some pointers, but child roles can only be fully appreciated as theatrical phenomena, utilizing the inherent ambiguities of drama.