Giovani vittime della guerra tra ira e vendetta nel teatro euripideo

Basing on Aristotle’s description of wrath in Rhetoric (2.1378a30-1378b9) and on Thucydides’ άξίωσις τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐς τὰ ἔργα caused by war (3.82-84), this paper takes into consideration Euripides’ representation of such emotion as regards young characters whose life has been affected by the Trojan war. In particular, I focus on Andromache, Electra and Orestes in order to demonstrate how Hermione, Orestes and Electra developed wrathful and vengeful characters due to the lack of noble education through familiar examples: their excessive behaviour mirrors moral confusion and social disorder, which are direct consequences of war times. Furthermore, also basing on the application of the deus ex machina, I try to outline a pessimistic evolution in Euripides’ treatment of these ‘problem kids’, which goes hand in hand with the historical context and the playwright’s increasing distrust towards Athenian politics and human nature.