Art and Politics: Prometheus Bound and the Delphic Festivals

This essay explores Aeschylus’ tragedy Prometheus Bound within the context of its performance at the 1927 and 1930 Delphic Festivals organized by Eva and Angelos Sikelianos. The Sikelianoses hoped that the enduring ruins and natural landscape of Delphi would provide a foundation for their spiritual...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Classical world 2024-09, Vol.118 (1), p.31-66
Main Author: Ballengee, Jennifer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aeschylus (522-456 BC)
Festivals
Greek civilization
Politics
Reception (Artistic works)
Sikelianos, Angelos (1884-1951)
Tragedies
World War I
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Summary:This essay explores Aeschylus’ tragedy Prometheus Bound within the context of its performance at the 1927 and 1930 Delphic Festivals organized by Eva and Angelos Sikelianos. The Sikelianoses hoped that the enduring ruins and natural landscape of Delphi would provide a foundation for their spiritual project— though the engagement of the Greek government put those goals in tension with political demands. At a time when a sense of autochthony or origin continues to invigorate political struggles over geographic landscapes, this essay provides a timely meditation upon the limits of landscape to be mapped to a spiritual or political project.
ISSN:0009-8418
1558-9234
1558-9234
DOI:10.1353/clw.2024.a944555