(Letter) Writing in Euripides’ Tragedies

Sa？etak Some of the terms that usually denote a letter in Greek texts, such as δ？λτο？, γρ？μματα, γραφ？, ？πιστολ？ etc., exist in Aeschylus' and Sophocles' dramas. However, a careful analysis of the contexts reveals that the terms always denote oral messages and orders, paintings or inscriptions, but never letters. On the contrary, Euripides' dramas contain frequent allusions to various written documents, and a large portion of these are letters. They serve as props and convey relevant information, but have a so called kinetic role also: they steer the plot and take part in the anagnorisis or denouement. The letters were a key element of five of Euripides’ tragedies (two of them are lost, but some secondary sources reveal the outlines of their plots). The aim of this article is a detailed analysis of Euripides' tragedies from the epistolary perspective. I intend to scrutinize the role of letters in them and to evaluate the author's literary strategy and his skill in the usage of this “tricky” medium on the Athenian tragic stage. Also, I will define the effects achieved by the use of letters and point to the advantages of their usage over other possible means of conveying information in the respective contexts (e. g. a dialogue, a messenger's report etc.)