View from Vanishing Point

Abstract

This paper explores the aspects of mortal temporal awareness which Eteocles reveals as he struggles with the paradox that we have epistemic access to the past but not to the future. His rejection of divine assistance and his attempt to shape strategy and control future events have particular resonance for contemporary Athens where control of muthos and kairos was increasingly viewed as key to determining the future of the polis. The Pindaric model of the myth in Pythian 8 bolsters oligarchic tradition, while Aeschylus suggests a new strategic model for the evolving democratic meta-city. Through analysis of critical moments, imagery and Aeschylus’ stylistic use of tense and mood, we see how Eteocles follows a linguistic trajectory which articulates his psychological journey and highlights the spatio-temporal dynamics of the play.