Euripides’ Bellerophon and the Sophists

Abstract

This thesis examines how Euripides’ Bellerophon engages with the contemporary intellectual currents of the 5th century BCE. Focusing especially on the Sophistic movement and its various
manifestations, it argues that the characters of the play articulate their views in terms relevant to contemporary intellectual trends, bringing to the stage a wide range of ethical and philosophical
paradigms. Chapter 1 establishes the context for the analysis, exploring previous accounts of the myth and assessing our evidence regarding the reconstruction of the play. Chapter 2 demonstrates
the engagement of the “atheistic” F 286 with the ideas of individual sophists, showing that as the hero develops his argumentation against the divinity, his reasoning closely resembles
Thrasymachus of Chalcedon, a prominent sophist who defined justice as the “advantage of the stronger” (Resp. 339a). The following section examines the play’s interaction with the ideas of
Democritus, Prodicus, and the author of the Sisyphus fragment, thinkers who argued that religion is a delusive human invention, artificially shaped by the needs and complexity of the human mind.
Additionally, views of other contemporary intellectuals are also considered in relation to several fragments of the play. Chapter 3 offers an analysis of F 286b, in terms of both reconstruction and
philosophy. It demonstrates deep engagement with Hippocratic thought, and particularly with On the Sacred Disease, a treatise which conveys innovative theological ideas regarding the origins
and nature of diseases. The views of Xenophanes are also addressed, showing that the speaker proclaims an alternative and optimistic conception of divinity. Finally, an alternative interpretation
is suggested, arguing that the nosos mentioned in the fragment, refers to Stheneboea’s illicit love (erōs), which was frequently portrayed as a god-sent and irresistible disease in Euripides’ plays.

Date of Award	26 Mar 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Patrick Finglass (Supervisor)