De taal van mannen en vrouwen

Abstract

In this article I aim to show the importance of forms of address in ancient Greek tragedy. In several case studies of Sophocles’ plays, I highlight, examine, and interpret how forms of address are used. I first examine women’s ways of addressing other women in the Antigone and Electra, then men’s ways of addressing other men by looking at the Philoctetes, and finally the interactions between a man and a woman in Oedipus Tyrannus. These case studies demonstrate that forms of address are important to understand the complex and intricate relationships between characters in Greek drama, as they significantly contribute to those relationships. Additionally, I pursue the question of how gender comes into play when addressing an interlocutor.