Dark Humour In Orestes

Dark humour in Orestes

This whole scene is one of most hilarious stuff I have came across in classical literature. To completely grasp what's going on you need some context. It's almost the end of the whole play. Orestes avenged his father and now he runs around with naked sword, that still has blood on the edge. He meets a slave from Troy and boy oh boy... Orestes asks bunch of questions and slave (who is a war prisoner from Troian War btw) gives witty replays to all of them. My favourite one is when Orestes keeps the sword close to slave's throat. The question is: Is this sword as scary as a Gorgon? Because the slave is frozen like a stone statue. Slave replays: I have not seen a Gorgon, but I've seen some sword and i am sure, that this stuff kills. Orestes asks: Why is he so scared of death? In Hades there is no struggle. Witty comeback: Sir, everyone, even slaves, want to see the sun. Back to the meme above; In the original text slaves says literary 'You sing such beautiful song!' (καλὸν ἔπος λέγεις τόδε) . In translation we have: Not fabulous. And in Greek we have 'You don't sing beautiful now ('τοῦτο δ᾿ οὐ καλῶς λέγεις).

Which is even more funny when you recall the most famous ἔπος, which is the Iliad and it's opening: The wrath sing, goddess, of Peleus' son, Achilles, that destructive wrath which brought countless woes upon the Achaeans, and sent forth to Hades many valiant souls of heroes, and made them themselves spoil for dogs and every bird Translation: A.T. Murray

Slave in this scene is one of the most unhomeric characters of all. If you ever want to read whole play it's Euripides Orestes Stay classy folks.

⚠️It does not justify their actions in a culture and period full of war and suffering⚠️

a wip of a scylla drawing i’m working on. not entirely sure what color palette i’ma use yet

It’s funny to see Perseus being dubbed the “symbol of Patriarchy” when ppl talk about Medusa yet here is a modern poem that casts him as the new spirit of man, basically positive masculinity.

Agamemnon serving zero cunt because he gave it all to his depressed kids