Religious extremism on the stage of tragedy

The case of Hippolytus and Io

Authors

  • Gyula Lindner

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63872/ZMGX7693

Keywords:

vallástörténet, tragédia, Euripidés, Ió, Hippolytus

Abstract

This paper investigates the dramatic portrayal of religious extremism in two Euripidean tragedies, Ion and Hippolytus. The protagonists embody opposing yet equally intense relationships with the divine: one clings to a belief in divine ancestry, while the other embraces an austere and obsessive cultic devotion. The analysis argues that tragedy functioned as a forum for the critical examination of religious convictions, rather than merely reflecting the civic ideology of the polis. The tragic stage, therefore, served to expose the inner contradictions and social ramifications of religious experience, offering a complex portrayal of the dynamic between gods and mortals.

Author Biography

Gyula Lindner

Gyula Lindner is an assistant professor at the Department of Ancient History at the Faculty of Humanities, University of Pécs. His research areas include Greek–Roman religious history, Greek literary history, and the history of classical studies. His most recent article in Ókor was: 'Religious Historians Among Themselves: On the Margins of the Correspondence Between Angelo Brelich and Károly Kerényi' (2021/1).

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Published

2025-09-11

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 3–4 (2024): Myth and Drama

Section

Tanulmányok

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