A Tale of Two Sisters: Studies in Sophocles’ Tereus

Abstract

This paper aims to reassess the role of sister- and siblinghood in the fragmentary Tereus of Sophocles, a play unusual in its dramatization of a close and collaborative relationship between two sisters. The plot hinges on their recognition and reunion, and the all-female bond of sisterhood is shown to outweigh both wife-husband and mother-son obligations. Finally, a close reading of three fragments suggests that the play was characterized by the language and imagery of siblinghood, which reflect the thematic centrality of sisterhood to this tragedy.