Publication Date
5-26-2026
Abstract
This essay explores recurring metaphors for pain in the Trachinian Women and argues that they gain their meaning from the experiences of the women Deianeira and Iole, to later express the physical pain of Herakles, which is further conceptualized as atē. These metaphors employ imagery associated with natural cycles, such as blooming flowers and ocean waves. The metaphorical connections between the women’s emotional pain and Herakles’ physical agony helps us to arrive at a fuller understanding of what is meant when Herakles concludes that he is “like a parthenos” and has been found to be female (1071 and 1075).
First Page
7
Last Page
45
Recommended Citation
Dué, Casey and Ebbott, Mary
(2026)
"The Bloom of Atē: Women's Lives, Pain, and Metaphor in Sophocles' Trachinian Women,"
New England Classical Journal: Vol. 53
:
Iss.
1
, 7-45.
Keywords
metaphor, pain, Trachinian Women, atē, natural cycles, women’s lives