This is one of the earliest scenes in Greek tragedy where three actors actually engage in a three-way conversation. This allows the poet to change the “character” of the scene. The first part (216-331) is similar to a formal debate (agon) a set-piece in tragedy, esp. in Rip. But Hecuba’s mention of agon megas, ‘a great trial’ (229) is an instance of Euripidean misdirection; it falsely suggests that an agon scene is about to occur. However, from a formal point of view the scene lacks the angry dialogue after the speeches which is the convention. The content of Hecuba’s speech also differs from those in the agon scenes: she abandons arguments on justice (271) and unexpectedly turns her accusation of Odysseus into a passionate supplication speech (275). Odysseus’ rejection (299-331) does not lead to an altercation, but to the introduction of the third speaking actor, playing Polyxena, into the conversation. Hecuba asks her daughter to supplicate herself to Odysseus, but Polyxena’s refusal to supplicate (342-5) and acceptance of her fate lead to the farewell scene (409-43).
The debate between Hecuba and Odysseus (216-95) introduces some of the play’s crucial themes: human sacrifice, charis and reciprocity, aristocratic and democratic codes of conduct. Hecuba spared Odysseus life in the past when he was caught spying inside the walls of Troy. For Hecuba, philia between aristocrats of different, even opposed communities is a stronger bond than those linking the members of the community itself. Odysseus’ curt speech is devoid of any sympathy for Hecuba’s suffering. The revelation of Odysseus’ indebtedness to Hecuba (239-53) exposes his coolness as self-serving ingratitude.
Polyxena is to be sacrificed at the tomb of Achilles by the hero’s son, Neoptolemus. Hecuba tries to bargain for the life of her daughter, but Odysseus says he is following protocol. Hecuba then begs Polyxena to supplicate herself to Odysseus. In tragedy and epic suppliants usually made literal contact with the knees chin and right hand of the person they are supplicating. Euripides thus has Polyxena say, “Odysseus, I see you hiding your right hand beneath your cloak and turning away your face, so that I cannot touch your beard.” If a gesture was too small or subtle to be read in a 17,000-seat theatre, Euripides has characters react to it verbally.
Polyxena tells Odysseus not to worry about retribution from the god of suppliants, (Zeus himself), because she is going to die willingly, like Iphigenia, except that Priam and Hecuba’s daughter is not going silently. Polyxena explains her preference for death as following logically from her nobility. She would rather go to the afterlife as a princess than as a slave. Euripides is making a sly reference to Achilles’ lines from Hades in the Odyssey, when the hero’s shade says, also to Odysseus, “I’d rather serve as another man’s slave, as a poor peasant without land, and be alive on Earth, than be lord of all the lifeless dead. “
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