For
my figurative analysis I have chosen to focus on Euripides’s Greek tragedy Hecuba, specifically the first agon of
Polyxena’s sacrificial death. Talthybius, herald of Agamemnon, recounts
Polyxena’s death to her faint-hearted mother, Hecuba. Zeroing in on the scene
of sacrifice, patriarchal themes play a much larger role than mere undertones.
Polyxena appears to escape her fate as a
slave in accepting her sacrificial death, yet her death tragically proves she
has always been a slave. While held down by Argive warriors over Achilles’
tomb, Polyxena utters, "O Argives, who have sacked my city! of my free
will I die; let none lay hand on me; for bravely will I yield my neck. Leave me
free, I do beseech; so slay me, that death may find me free; for to be called a
slave amongst the dead fills my royal heart with shame." In so “bravely”
accepting her sacrificial virgin death, she demonstrates the deeply ingrained
nature of female subjugation in a male dominated society. Polyxena’s
obliviousness to the reality of her status, only further demonstrates the
deceptive strength of patriarchy. Additionally, Achilles’ son leads the
sacrifice offering his dead father “the black blood of a virgin pure” to
appease his spirit from bringing on a disastrous storm. In order to appease and
honor the patriarchal figure, an animal is not sacrificed, but rather a virgin
woman. The death of women quite literally perpetuates patriarchy.
Once unrestrained, Polyxena rips open her
robe from shoulder to waist, exposing her breasts; the objectified symbol of
femininity. Polyxena goes on to piteously say, "Young prince, if 'tis my
breast thou'dst strike, lo! here it is, strike home! or if at my neck thy sword
thou'lt aim, behold! that neck is bared." Interestingly, instead of
striking her breasts, Achilles’ son uses his golden sword, a phallic symbol of
patriarchal hierarchy, to penetrate Polyxena’s throat to complete the virgin
sacrifice; a metaphorical devirgination. Polyxena’s neck and breath signify her
livelihood as well as her ability to speak. In order to emphasize the silencing
of women, the female form remains intact. Furthermore, Polyxena’s fatal wound foreshadows
her own mother’s feral fate of losing her ability to speak. But unlike her mother, Polyxena has chosen to
silence herself. In a patriarchy, women have no glory from words and deeds.
Even in phallic fatality, Talthybius
notes that Polyxena “took good heed to fall with maiden grace, hiding from gaze
of man what modest maiden must.” The alliteration draws attention to the rigid expectations
of women’s modesty in a patriarchal society; even in the final moments of death
it is unacceptable for a woman to accidentally show her vagina in the presence of
men. Ironically, Polyxena must hide from sight the very reason she was chosen
as the virgin sacrifice. As soon as Polyxena breathed her final breath, the
Argive warriors were tasked with covering her corpse. Those who were not
helpful were scolded, “Stand’st thou still, ignoble wretch, with never a robe
or ornament to bring for the maiden?” Even as a corpse, Polyxena’s body needed
to remain not only covered, but also decorated.
Through the use of metaphorical and
symbolic phallic imagery, modest irony, and attention grabbing alliteration,
Polyxena’s sacrificial virgin death is not simply an offering to Achilles, but
an offering to the patriarchy. The death, silencing, and objectification of
women strengthen the patriarchal institution and perpetuate its values.
1 comment:
Samantha,
This is a somewhat good attempt at dealing with the figuration in the scene of Polyxena's sacrifice, but you need to show us how these figures of phallic insertion and silencing define or redefine what patriarchy is. Yes, we have established in lecture that females are subjugated to male dominance, but this is not enough to help us synthesize rhetorical figures into something more profoundly meaningful. You have to show us how these figures not only stage patriarchy, but what they reveal about its nature. Is patriarchy reducible to female sacrifice?
There are some sections that need clarification. What does Achilles mean when he says that Polyxena's blood is "black" and of a "virgin pure?" Are these symbols? Of what? If Polyxena is sacrificed instead of an animal, why? What does virginity symbolize or what does Polyxena herself symbolize? Also, you state that Polyxena is "oblivious" to her status-- by which I take it you mean that she is oblivious that she is an object of patriarchy. This needs to be stated more clearly, and even if it is, I would question: is it true? By acknowledging her status as a noblewoman and also the risk of her status as a slave, isn't she in some way cognizant of her status?
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