Let's Talk About Myths, Baby! | Greek Mythology & the Ancient Mediterranean BONUS RE-AIR Conversations: The Missing Women of Euripides, Fragments w/ Dr Melissa Funke
Mar 11, 2026
Dr Melissa Funke, a classicist who studies Euripides and fragmentary drama, joins to explore lost plays and why fragments survive. They talk about new papyrus finds, strange Euripidean plots, motherhood and pregnancy outside marriage, patterns of assault and recognition, theatrical performance clues, and debates over whether Euripides can be seen as proto-feminist.
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Hypsipyle Shows Euripides' Plot Complexity
- Hypsipyle survives in relatively long papyrus fragments revealing complex plot mechanics: Lemnian massacre, twins with Jason, enslavement, and the death of Opheltes by a snake.
- Funke emphasizes preserved songs and recognition scenes that influenced New Comedy's recognition plots.
Euripides' Rape And Recognition Plot Pattern
- A recurring Euripidean theme is women impregnated in non‑marital contexts: he stages the social fallout and legal vulnerabilities that follow.
- Funke labels these 'rape and recognition' plots where later recognition rescues mothers and legitimizes children.
Rare Acknowledgement From a Perpetrator In Fragments
- Some male perpetrators in fragments acknowledge wrongdoing in unusual ways, e.g., Heracles tells Auge 'I admit I did you wrong', showing moral complexity without modern apology forms.
- Funke stresses the significance of the verb adikein (to do wrong) in that admission.
