Presenze di Elena nel corpus sofocleo

Abstract

The paper focuses on Helen and its ‘presence’ in Sophoclean drama. After a brief introduction (1), section 2 analyses the few references to Helen that are found in Sophocles’ extant plays (from Ajax and Electra). Sections 3‑5 all variously, and selectively, deal with Helen as a character in a few fragmentary plays. In particular, section 4 tentatively associates a one-word fragment from Sophocles’ Ἑλένης ἀπαίτησις (179 R.2) with the heroine; section 5 focuses on Λάκαιναι – a play most likely featuring Helen among its dramatis personae – and especially on fr. 368 R.2; the latter, it is argued, is incompatible with the hypothesis that Helen was its addressee.