Greek tragedy addressed mythological issues, and it was common for different playwrights to perform their own particular versions of the same mythical episodes. One of the dramatically performed myths was that of Philoctetes. This myth is currently known mainly thanks to Sophocles’ version, the only tragedy with that subject matter which has been preserved. But other playwrights, notably Aeschylus and Euripides, also wrote tragedies about the same events. This article deals in particular with Euripides’ version of
Philoctetes.
The Philoctetes myth was initially known through the epic poems. Thus, the Iliad (2.716-725) and also the Cypria (Proclus’ epitome or summary in Chrestomathy 144-146 Severyns) tell of Philoctetes being abandoned on the island of Lemnos because of a serpent’s
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Citation: Encinas Reguero, M. Carmen. "Philoctetes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 19 March 2018 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38814, accessed 23 April 2024.]
