Characterization of Ancient Greek poets in the Lives: the Case of the Misogynist Euripides
Résumé
The Lives often contain judgements about the work, but also about the personality and behaviour of poets. One or more explicit characterizations often set the tone for the narrative. Pindar, for example, is called – and mainly pictured as – theophiles; Sophocles, philathenaiotatos but also theophiles; Homer, theios. Some characterizations are not given a specific name within the Lives but can be named by other authors, as in the case of Homer, whose Lives illustrate his status as kosmopolites emphasized by Eustathius. The case of Euripides, characterized above all as misogynistic, is a particularly interesting one. First, it allows a comparison with the sources explicitly put forward by the biographers (the poet's tragedies but also comedies, in particular by Aristophanes). More importantly, it is possible to identify different treatments and positions within the biographical corpus, which sheds light on the diverse narrative approaches and aims of the authors.