Euripides’ Suppliants: Mystery Cult Initiation and the Deaths of Evadne and Capaneus

Abstract:The deaths of Capaneus and Evadne in Euripides’ Suppliants have caused considerable difficulty. Many argue there are irreconcilable contradictions in Capaneus’s portrayal throughout the play. Many have also found the portrayal of Evadne’s death, leaping from a great height, as being out of the ordinary in terms of character and Greek stagecraft. This article argues that the two deaths are replete with imagery from mystery cult initiation and that an understanding of this might help to resolve these difficulties. It also suggests how these references to mystery cult might impact on a wider reading of the drama, particularly with regard to Theseus and Athenian politics.