Abstract: At the third episode of Sophocles’ Electra, the heroine, believing that her brother Orestes is dead, invites her sister Chrisothemis to a plan to kill Aegisthus, in a speech that recalls fifth century Athenian’s public honors to the tyrannicide couple, Harmodius and Aristogiton, and thus presents the two sisters as a kind of democratic champions (v. 947-989). This paper compares the treatment given by contemporary Commentaries to Sophocles’ Electra to this speech with recent gender-oriented studies of Athenian citizenship, in order to argue that the idea of the ancient polis as a “man’s club” depends much more on a modern stereotype about Athenian politics than on the ancient evidence available to us - a stereotype that projects XIX century European conceptions of politics on the ancient context, and perpetuates backwards a supposedly universal masculine domination. In this light, Electra’s attitude, surely exceptional because of her equally exceptional situation, far from strikingly transgressing ancient gender-roles, points to the importance of female citizenship in democratic Athens.

Resumo: No terceiro episódio da Electra de Sófocles, a heroína, acreditando que seu irmão Orestes está morto, tenta convencer sua irmã Crisótemis a participar de um plano de matar Egisto, em um discurso que retoma as honras públicas instituídas na Atenas do século V a.C. em homenagem ao casal tiranicida, Harmódio e Aristogíton, e, portanto, aproxima as duas irmãs da imagem de campeãs da democracia (v. 947-989). Este artigo compara o tratamento dado por Comentários contemporâneos à Electra de Sófocles a este discurso com estudos recentes da cidadania ateniense que fazem uso do gênero como ferramenta metodológica, no intuito de argumentar que a ideia da polis como um “clube de homens” depende muito mais de um estereótipo moderno sobre a política ateniense do que das evidências antigas disponíveis - um estereótipo que projeta concepções europeias do século XIX acerca do político sobre o contexto antigo e perpetua, no passado, uma dominação masculina supostamente universal. Nessa perspectiva, a atitude de Electra, certamente excepcional pela situação igualmente excepcional em que a heroína se encontra, longe de transgredir de um modo impressionante os papéis de gênero antigos, aponta para a importância da cidadania feminina na democracia ateniense.

Abstract: This paper is a study of Dionysian lysis, “liberation”. We begin with (I) the suggestion that in the description of the mania telestike in Plato’s Phaedrus 244d-245a, the best candidate among Dionysian ritual practices abstracted by Socrates’ rhetoric is maenadic trance. The maenadic references also accompany the testimonies on Dionysos Lysios in Corinth, Sicyon and Thebes (II), but here the evidence invites us to widen the scope of Dionysian cult practices and look at the god’s Mystery cults (III), notably at the evidence provided by the golden leaves founded in initiated sepultures. We propose then an exclusively Dionysian (i.e. non-Orphic) reading of the Pelinna leave (OF 485 Bernabé). This reading leans on: (IV) an analysis of the leaf’s text; (V) a critique of the interpretations associating lysis with the expiation of the Titans’ crime; (VI) an examination of Persephone’s role; (VII) the meaning of lysis in OF 350 Bernabé; and (VIII) the linking up of the famous passages of Plato’s Republic dealing with initiations (2. 363a-366-b) with the dynamics of postponed punishment in ancient Greek representations of divine justice. Finally, the article suggests that (IX) Dionysian lysis is concerned with liberation not only after death, but also during the life of the initiated. In conclusion (X), it goes back to Plato’s Phaedrus 245a, in order to contrast Dionysian maenadic and mystic trance.

Résumé : Cet article est une étude sur la lysis, la « libération » dionysiaque. On commence avec la suggestion que dans la description de la mania telestike dans le Phèdre 244d-245a, le meilleur candidat parmi les pratiques cultuelles dionysiaques à l’opération de soustraction résultante de la rhétorique socratique c’est la transe ménadique (I). Les références ménadiques accompagnent également les témoins sur Dionysos Lysios à Corinthe, Sicyone et Thèbes (II), mais ici les sources nous invitent à élargir l’horizon des pratiques cultuelles dionysiaques pour regarder les cultes à mystère en l’honneur du dieu, notamment aux renseignements des lamelles d’or trouvées dans des sépultures des initiés (III). Puis, on entreprend de proposer une lecture exclusivement dionysiaque (i.e. non-orphique) de la lamelle de Pélinna (OF 485 Bernabé). Cette lecture prend appui sur: une analyse du texte de la lamelle (IV); une critique des interprétations qui mettent la lysis en rapport avec l’expiation du crime des Titans (V); un examen du rôle de Perséphone (VI) ; la signification de lysis dans l’OF 350 Bernabé (VII); l’articulation des célèbres passages de la République où il est question des initiations (2. 363a-366b) avec les dynamiques de la punition différée dans les représentations grecques anciennes de la justice divine (VIII). Puis, l’article suggère que la lysis dionysiaque porte sur une délivrance non seulement après la mort, mais aussi pendant la vie des initiés (IX). En conclusion, l’étude revient au Phèdre 245a pour mettre en contraste les transes ménadique et mystique (X).