Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Volume/Issue:
Volume 61: Issue 1
Just a pale shadow? The characterization of Briseis in Homer’s Iliad
Author:
Linda Molli Università di Pisa

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8399-3460
Pages:
1–9
Online Publication Date:
17 May 2022
Publication Date:
17 May 2022
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/068.2021.00001
Keywords:
Briseis; Iliad; characterization; narratology; gender studies
Restricted access

Abstract

This paper aims at analysing the character of Briseis, Achilles’ slave in the Iliad, through the lenses of narratology, in order to highlight her importance in the poem. Far from being a pale shadow, Briseis has a privileged position among captive women in the Greek camp not only because she is the cause of the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, but also because she is endowed with the privilege of direct speech; at the same time, she is also linked to important women on the Trojan side, like Helen and Andromache. Through scattered bits of information about her past, through epithets and periphrases, Homer creates an in fieri portrait of the character which culminates in the lament Briseis performs on the corpse of Patroclus in Il. XIX 282–302: in remarkable lines containing her first and unique speech in the Iliad, Briseis mourns for the death of her beloved friend, while lamenting her unlucky fate. As this paper will hopefully make clear, a refined and accurate characterization provides Briseis with a rich profile, which challenges the possibility of labelling her as a minor Iliadic character.

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Cover Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Print ISSN:
0044-5975
Online ISSN:
1588-2543

Senior editors

Editor(s)-in-Chief: Takács, László

Managing Editor(s): Kisdi, Klára

Editorial Board

  • Tamás DEZSŐ (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest)
  • Miklós MARÓTH (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Avicenna Institute of Middle Eastern Studies)
  • Gyula MAYER (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Classical Philology Research Group)
  • János NAGYILLÉS (University of Szeged)
  • Lajos Zoltán SIMON (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest)
  • Csilla SZEKERES (University of Debrecen)
  • Kornél SZOVÁK (Pázmány Péter Catholic University)
  • Zsolt VISY (University of Pécs)

 

Advisory Board

  • Michael CRAWFORD (University College London, prof. em.)
  • Patricia EASTERLING (Newnham College, University of Cambridge, prof. em.)
  • László HORVÁTH (Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest)
  • Patricia JOHNSTON (Brandeis University Boston, prof. em.)
  • Csaba LÁDA (University of Kent)
  • Herwig MAEHLER
  • Attilio MASTROCINQUE (University of Verona)
  • Zsigmond RITOÓK (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, prof. em.)

László Takács
Acta Antiqua
Mikszáth tér 1.
H-1088 Budapest
E-mail: acta.antiqua.hung@gmail.com

Scopus
Current Contents - Arts and Humanities

2024  
Scopus  
CiteScore  
CiteScore rank  
SNIP  
Scimago  
SJR index 0.184
SJR Q rank Q1

2023  
Scopus  
CiteScore 0.2
CiteScore rank Q3 (Classics)
SNIP 0.532
Scimago  
SJR index 0.111
SJR Q rank Q3

Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
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Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae
Language English
French
(Latin)
German
Italian
Spanish
Size B5
Year of
Foundation		 1951
Volumes
per Year		 1
Issues
per Year		 4
Founder Magyar Tudományos Akadémia   
Founder's
Address		 H-1051 Budapest, Hungary, Széchenyi István tér 9.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 0044-5975 (Print)
ISSN 1588-2543 (Online)

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