I riferimenti alla vendetta nei casi di ἀνομία e παρανομία: analisi lessicale e prospettive giuridiche nella tragedia greca

This is the first complete analysis of the occurrences of ἀνομία and παρανομία (and their derivatives) found in Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. It aims to show how important they are for understanding tragedies in the light of the fifth-century debate on νόμος and its "deviations" from the polis' system. Focusing on the relationship between (τὸ) ἴδιον and (τὸ) κοινόν caused by the absence, in ancient Greek language, of demarcations such as that between violence and justice, personal retaliation and trial, this paper offers the first complete classification of the lexicon commonly related to "vengeance". Though this does not exist in ancient Greek but can be reconstructed from terms and expressions widely attested in tragedy, which gave voice to traits and attitudes of the coeval political and legal imagery.