Serpientes trágicas: su simbología en Medea y Bacantes de Eurípides

Abstract

Animality represents a basic referent of a polyvalent language, adaptable to
the most varied discursive contexts of positive or negative sign. Animalization of
characters and animal references in tragedy present a wealth of analysis that invites to
focus on these issues in Euripides’s plays. This is especially remarkable in Medea and
Bacchae. The playwright deploys an extreme use of this resource rich in mechanisms as well as in degrees of dramatic intensity. As an animal with the most ambiguous
symbolic values, serpents have established a particular relationship with the sacred
and with the origins, apart from being one of the most important chthonic creatures.
The linking of Dionysus and Medea with the animal world is overwhelming. Both
characters in the mythological tradition involve representations that bring them
closer to wilderness and monstrosity. It is from this perspective that we propose to
analyze the ophidian references to detect a series of mechanisms that operate in both
works. We find a set of remissions in intimate connection with the great victimizers
(Medea and Dionysus) based on certain symbolic animals and monsters that are
related to these tragic characters.