Parole chiave
Homer
Euripides
Conceptual Metaphor Theory
embodied emotions
melting
Come citare
Abstract
Metaphors of melting (τήκειν) applied to human beings or parts of their bodies have a long and complex history in ancient Greek literature. This paper focuses on Homer and Euripides and examines how metaphors of melting are or can be used to describe embodied emotions, thus forming ‘primary’ or ‘correlational’ metaphors in the sense of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. In Homer, the most common target of melting metaphors is weeping, but we also find cases where the association with bodily experience remains more open. Euripides sometimes constructs more daring melting metaphors, especially cases referring to abstracta or the relatively new concept of the soul. Even in these cases, however, the context mostly suggests an association with embodied emotions; when the tragedies were performed, this bodily dimension of the emotions was probably even visible on stage. Overall, while Homer’s and Euripides’ melting metaphors differ due to literary factors and evolving anthropological concepts, they share a strong interest in emotion as bodily experience.
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