Since Homer, death has been perceived as preferable to life in certain circumstances. In two of Sappho’s poems (frr. 94 and 95 Neri), the persona loquens explicitly asserts a strong death wish. In archaic literature, this desire appears in various forms: for instance, with a projection towards the future, or even an impossible wish directed towards the past; the first section of the paper investigates this peculiar and exaggerated rhetorical tool, which also finds space in Attic drama. In the second part of the essay, we analyse one of the tragic ›formulaic expressions‹, namely the statement of ›being dead‹ (ἀπωλόμην), especially in its paradoxical use in Euripides’ Alcestis, where Admetus strongly affirmsaffirms this same desire for death.
Una retorica dell’esagerazione: morti invocate e morti immaginate tra enfasi e ›formula‹
Andrea Rodighiero
2025-01-01
Abstract
Since Homer, death has been perceived as preferable to life in certain circumstances. In two of Sappho’s poems (frr. 94 and 95 Neri), the persona loquens explicitly asserts a strong death wish. In archaic literature, this desire appears in various forms: for instance, with a projection towards the future, or even an impossible wish directed towards the past; the first section of the paper investigates this peculiar and exaggerated rhetorical tool, which also finds space in Attic drama. In the second part of the essay, we analyse one of the tragic ›formulaic expressions‹, namely the statement of ›being dead‹ (ἀπωλόμην), especially in its paradoxical use in Euripides’ Alcestis, where Admetus strongly affirmsaffirms this same desire for death.
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