https://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/85 Entrées d’index fr 0 https://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/82 Menander’s Perikeiromene centers on a haircut forcibly imposed on a free woman by her lover, a recently demobilized soldier. This paper interprets the haircut against evidence of domestic violence in ancient Greece, tragic models of self-sacrificing virgins, and contemporary studies of intimate partner violence. Glykera’s loyalty to her natal home shows an internalization of patriarchal values, in the tragic tradition. Although Polemon shows striking similarities with modern perpetrators and victim disfigurement is common, the actual act of cutting the victim’s hair is not and he shows some elements of the kind of abuser who can change. mar., 14 juin 2022 08:24:28 +0200 mar., 17 oct. 2023 14:42:47 +0200 https://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/82 https://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/636 This essay argues that character development and self-understanding in Menander’s recognition plots are reserved for men characters: women characters show resolve, but do not develop. Menander’s recognition plot is thus gendered – most observably in Sikyonioi, the only play to show recognitions of an unrelated man and woman in the same play. In this play, a young woman, Philoumene (kidnapped at an early age), finds her father, while a mercenary soldier, Stratophanes, also discovers his true natal family and new role as an Athenian citizen; they marry, and Stratophanes’ brother Moschion loses out. Philoumene protects her respectability, but is otherwise passive and never gains control over her own body. Once recognized by her father, she is engaged to Stratophanes, and her adventure ends. Stratophanes, by contrast, must overcome threats to his finances, identity, and love affair, developing into a responsible citizen. For him, the recognition plot is an adventure that does not end when he finds his parents. Sikyonioi also demonstrates that not everyone wins in the recognition plot: Moschion loses sexual object, sense of self, and status a sole heir. He is forced to develop through the limitations on his privilege. Moreover, the erotic competition highlights the passivity of Philoumene, who is not active participant in a love triangle, but prize. Because Sikyonioi highlights both gender disparity in the recognition plot and the positive and negative repercussions of the plot for male rivals, it is a crucial locus for anyone interested in gender relations in Menander. mar., 14 juin 2022 08:59:29 +0200 jeu., 16 mars 2023 09:06:15 +0100 https://www.peren-revues.fr/eugesta/636