Thucydides and Hesiod

The puzzling reference by Thucydides, during his account of Demosthenes’ Aetolian campaign in 426, to the death of Hesiod, can be explained as an instance of foreshadowing through myth: Hesiod’s tragic end prepares the reader for the tragic consequences of Demosthenes’ decisions. A similar use of mythical foreshadowing in Herodotus is compared

Reperformances and the transmission of texts

Abstract:This chapter analyses the impact of reperformance traditions on the transmission of the texts of classical drama, including, but not limited to, the question of actors’ interpolations and adaptations.</jats:p

The Hero’s Quest in Sophocles’ Philoctetes

The quest for the bow corresponds to the tale model of the hero’s quest, whom Sophocles repeatedly adapts, especially in the final part, in order to place a particular emphasis on some aspects of the story