Great Books Ep 90. Euripides - The Phoenician Maidens. Equality is Man’s Natural Law
Inequality is not biologically predetermined but culturally constructed, and we can always work towards a just and equitable society without preconceived notions of who should be what.
“prize equality that ever linketh friend to friend, city to city, and allies to each other; for equality is man’s natural law”
~ ‘The Phoenician Maidens’ by Euripides (Edward P. Coleridge translation. GB5 - p. 382)
Brief Summary
The play opens with a monologue from Jocasta, in front of the royal palace in Thebes, setting the context. She talks about her late husband Laius’ lineage from Cadmus. Cadmus → Polydore → Labdacus → Laius. She says they didn’t have a child for a long time and prayed to Apollo, who warned them that any son born to them would kill Laius. But Laius impregnated Jocasta in a drunken fit, and they had a baby (Oedipus). Fearing the prophecy, Laius had his ankles pierced and gave him to shepherds to have him killed. But they gave him to Polybus, who raised him as his son. After he grew up, he ended up killing Laius on the road due to a dispute over the right of way, not knowing that the man he killed was his biological father. Later, after solving the Sphinx’s riddle, Oedipus became king and married Jocasta, his mother. They had four children - Eteocles, Polynices, Ismene, and Antigone. Oedipus blinds himself once he finds out the truth. There is a conflict in the rule of succession to resolve that both sons agree to share power by ruling Thebes alternatively every year. Eteocles takes power first and when Polynices’ turn comes, he refuses to give the power and banishes Polynices.
Polynices is given refuge in Argos. He takes the help of Argive King Adrastus to seek justice. Adrastus gathers an army to help Polynices, who is also his son-in-law. They come to Thebes to attack it. Polynices first enters the city under a truce to talk to his mother, Jocasta. She tries to persuade him to withdraw and Polynices says that if he is given the power to rule Thebes as agreed upon earlier, he would withdraw. She calls Eteocles and asks him to heed Polynices’ wishes. But Eteocles does not agree. Teiresias, the blind prophet, says that Thebes will be destroyed by the marching army and can only be saved by Menoeceus’ (Creon’s son)’s death. Creon is aghast, but Menoeceus sacrifices himself for the city.
The brothers agree to single combat in order to avoid large-scale bloodshed. During the duel, they mortally wound each other. Eteocles dies soon after. Polynices, still barely alive, asks his sister to give him a proper burial in his homeland. Jocasta commits suicide. Creon takes power, exiles Oedipus, and orders that Polynices not be given burial since he sought to sack Thebes. Antigone defies both orders and says that she will bury her brother and follow her father into exile.
My Thoughts
The story of Oedipus and his children is told so many times by different storytellers that there is a new angle, new insight, at every retelling. Recently, I saw a book on my Kindle feed named ‘Jocasta’s Children’. I guess even modern authors are retelling the Greek myths from a new perspective. The entire body of work of ancient Greek classics is a treasure trove for authors and moviemakers. I remember seeing Ares, the god of war, in Wonder Woman 2 and wondering how modern writers have added mythology into comic book stories. So, even as technology evolves, we keep the mythical stories fresh by retelling them from new perspectives.
Even in this play, Euripides wrote different versions of the same stories compared to Sophocles. They had different timelines and events for the same story. In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Jocasta kills herself when she gets to know that Oedipus, her husband, is also her son. Here, Jocasta is still alive. Also, in Sophocles’s other play on Oedipus, Oedipus is exiled by Creon, and when he is in Athens, Polynices goes to him to ask for help. Also, we see a different Creon in this play. He is portrayed as power-hungry and vengeful in Sophocles’ plays. But here, he has to sacrifice one of his sons to save Thebes. In Sophocles’ Antigone, we know that his other son Haemon also dies. I guess Creon can be subject of another play or story as a person who got caught in a drama because his sister married into the wrong family. For a moment, I thought Creon was the name of the Emperor of the Galaxy in the Foundation series, but it was Cleon and not Creon.
A couple of quotes made me think and I was exploring the idea of expanding my thoughts on them - One about truth and another about equality.
“The words of truth are simple, and justice needs no subtle interpretations, for it hath a fitness in itself; but the words of injustice, being rotten in themselves, require clever treatment.”
and
“prize equality that ever linketh friend to friend, city to city, and allies to each other; for equality is man’s natural law”
In the modern world, where there is so much misinformation, especially online, I’m not sure if the statement that ‘truth needs no explanation, but falsehood does’ is fully valid. It seems to be the reverse, when most people believe in falsehoods, truth needs special attention. Don’t we need to point people to logic or peer-reviewed articles or other authoritarian sources to convince them of the truth? Even that is not quite useful many times when people are willfully ignorant.
What about equality? Is there more sense of equality now than in the past? I guess even when ‘equality is man’s natural law’ was written, there was no equality in the world among all the people. They probably didn’t think of slaves and foreigners as people. Of course, people have come a long way from belief in the divinity of kings and hereditary rule. Or have they? There may be people who still believe that royalty is descended from gods since there are so many countries that still have kings and queens. Across the world, people have fought bloody battles for the sake of equality. Is democracy something new and is being ruled by strong men the natural way? Most of the written history and mythology that people have across the world make us feel that having a king and being ruled by someone was the way it always was. All mythologies talk of kings and queens, and even among gods, there are rulers and the ruled.
But if you take the evolutionary view of living beings on earth, where living things have gradually evolved over millions of years and Homo Sapiens are just 350,000 years old and the stories of kings and large battles for power are just 3000 to 5000 years old. So, being ruled and seeking power itself is relatively new for living things. In Nexus, Yuval Harari says this -
“To judge by the archaeological and anthropological evidence, democracy was the most typical political system among archaic hunter-gatherers. Stone Age bands obviously didn’t have formal institutions like elections, courts, and media outlets, but their information networks were usually distributed.”
Harari, Yuval Noah. Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI (p. 136).
So, inequality is not biologically predetermined but culturally constructed, and we can always work towards a just and equitable society without preconceived notions of who should be what. At least, there are a few countries in the world where you can be anyone you want to be based on your talents and hard work, and they are the models that would propel humankind to thrive and flourish and not fight and perish.
AI Response to the Post
Podcast of the episode (Generated by Notebooklm)
Text Response (Gemini)
It’s fascinating how you’ve connected with “The Phoenician Maidens” on so many levels! You’ve hit upon some really interesting points about myth, truth, and equality. Let’s delve deeper:
1. Retelling Myths and the Concept of Equality
You’re absolutely right that retelling myths offers fresh perspectives and new insights. Each generation, each culture, can find different meanings and messages within these ancient stories. The fact that you saw a book titled “Jocasta’s Children” highlights this perfectly. It suggests a focus on the often-overlooked female perspective in this tragic tale, potentially exploring Jocasta’s agency, grief, and resilience.
This continuous reinterpretation keeps myths alive and relevant. Think about how many versions of the King Arthur story exist, or how Shakespeare drew inspiration from Greek myths. Even today, movies like “Wonder Woman 2” weave mythological figures into contemporary narratives, demonstrating their enduring power.
Regarding equality, your observation about its complexities is spot on. While the play extols equality as a “natural law,” the ancient Greek world was far from egalitarian. Slavery was prevalent, women had limited rights, and foreigners were often viewed with suspicion.
However, the ideal of equality, even if not fully realized, was still a powerful concept. It served as a benchmark against which society could be measured and inspired movements for social change.
Your point about Harari’s observation in “Sapiens” is thought-provoking. Perhaps our modern hierarchical structures are not inevitable but rather a cultural construct. This opens up the possibility of reimagining society and striving for greater equality.
2. Deeper Analysis of “The Phoenician Maidens”
Themes:
Fate and Free Will: The play wrestles with the idea of whether we can escape our predetermined destiny. Oedipus’s story, a cornerstone of the play, exemplifies this struggle. Despite his efforts to avoid his fate, he ultimately fulfills the prophecy. Does this mean we are powerless against fate, or do our choices still matter?
The Destructive Nature of Power: The conflict between Eteocles and Polynices demonstrates how the pursuit and maintenance of power can corrupt and destroy. Their feud tears apart their family and ultimately leads to their deaths and the devastation of Thebes.
The Importance of Family: The play portrays the complex and often tragic bonds of family. Jocasta’s desperate attempts to reconcile her sons, Antigone’s unwavering loyalty to Polynices, and even Creon’s sacrifice of his son all highlight the powerful, albeit sometimes destructive, nature of family ties.
Symbolism:
Thebes: Thebes symbolizes the fragility of civilization and the consequences of unchecked ambition and conflict. The city, once prosperous, is brought to the brink of ruin by the brothers’ feud.
Blindness: Both Oedipus and Teiresias are blind, yet they possess insight into the truth. This symbolizes the idea that true vision is not physical but comes from wisdom and understanding.
The Chorus of Phoenician Women: They represent the innocent victims of war and conflict, caught in the crossfire of the brothers’ struggle for power.
Lessons for Today’s World:
The play warns against the dangers of unchecked ambition and the pursuit of power at all costs.
It highlights the importance of compassion, compromise, and seeking peaceful solutions to conflict.
It reminds us that true leadership involves responsibility and sacrifice, not just the exercise of authority.
3. Thought-Provoking Questions
How does the play’s portrayal of fate and free will resonate with modern audiences? Do we believe our lives are predetermined, or do we have the power to shape our own destinies?
In a world still rife with conflict and inequality, what lessons can we draw from “The Phoenician Maidens” about the pursuit of peace and justice?
How does the play’s portrayal of women, such as Jocasta and Antigone, challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles?
Is Creon a tragic figure or a villain? Does his sacrifice of Menoeceus redeem him in any way?
How does the play’s ending leave you feeling? Is there any sense of hope or redemption amidst the tragedy?