The Women of Trachis - Sophocles

Ancient Greece's greatest legendary hero, Heracles, is away on an adventure when his wife, Deianira, hears reports of his unfaithfulness. So she sends him a magical robe, enchanted by the blood of the centaur, Nessus, that will allegedly charm him away from ever loving another woman.

This myth, dramatized by Sophocles in "The Women of Trachis" (c. 440 BCE), was the origin of "the shirt of Nessus": a once-popular metaphor defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "a destructive or expurgatory force or influence."

Sophocles was one of the most celebrated playwrights in ancient Athens. He composed over 100 plays, only seven of which survive in their entirety. As Aeschylus is remembered as the inventor of Greek tragedy, so Sophocles is remembered as its perfector.

Women of Trachis:

• kindle (version 1)
• kindle (version 2)
• Librivox
• YouTube 1hr 11m

Supplemental:

• Commentary

Extracts:

• "...my jacket stuck to me like the fatal shirt [of] Nessus." (White-Jacket, 47)

This meetup is part of a series on Fig Leaves and Fancy Pants.