Ventriloquizing Rape in Menander's Epitrepontes

摘要: Menander's Epitrepontes offers a variant of New Comedy's "rape motif," (1) insofar as its action is generated by the sexual violation and resultant pregnancy, both occurring prior to dramatic time, citizen woman who will turn out unwittingly (if, in end, happily) have married her rapist. Critical discussion surrounding these plots has dealt with fundamental question semantics, that is, how evaluate attitudes towards an act--rape--for which ancient Greeks (or Romans, for matter) had no direct unambiguous linguistic expression. (2) Edward Harris (2006, 297-32) argues interest modern critics rape per se misguided anachronistic, since freeborn Greek evaluated assault primarily on basis perpetrator's intent consequences act honor victim's family: Did assailant desire, or was he willfully abusing his power over victim, committing hubris? While conceding poets were not indifferent suffering victims, ample evidence suggest such assault, we refer rape, legally condemned only when it understood hubris against male kin; 330), acknowledged insult someone whom would call victim. (3) Rosanna Omitowoju's (2002) study terminology violence Athenian forensic oratory Comedy emphasized other semantic groups (e.g., bia cognates) important regulation (4) but also stresses relatively insignificant role woman's consent plays defining crimes. Similarly, Vincent Rosivach's (1998) expressed tends read genre's treatment opposition tragedy, particularly Euripides' successful, now fragmentary, Auge. (5) Rosivach (1998, 44) notes Menander Roman successors focus overwhelmingly emotional maturation contentment young lover, rather than experienced female victims assault. One problem evaluations evidence, however, lies tendency privilege dominant, usually masculine point view offered generic enterprises ranging from history oratory, listening carefully muted (but still audible) voices more peripheral characters. (6) Cultural anthropology long recognized complex overlay signals, human intention, interaction, specific context determine what description should be given. social 'norms' indicated through, e.g., legal texts are surely part overlay, they do constitute totality. phenomena, approached contextualized symbolic actions interpreted, cannot reduced any single ontological status. As such, definitions adequately describe myriad exchanges take place between resisting victim full account Clifford Geertz (1973) calls "thick description," does survive intact text, traces evident poetic descriptions violence. For Geertz, cultural productions signs. Using Gilbert Ryle's famous attempt distinguish twitch eye conspiratorial wink parody wink, recommends densely interpretive approach understanding simplest gestures most recherche artistic performance (a Beethoven quartet): "The thing ask their import is: ridicule challenge, irony anger, snobbery pride, that, occurrence through agency, getting said" (1973, 10). (7) Following this line argument, may understand phenomenon "enlargement universe discourse" (Geertz 1973, 14), (8) reduction it; words, "What said? …