Katabasis

Giulia Torello-Hill

doi:10.1002/9781118542842.ch11

Katabasis

Giulia Torello-Hill

Italian

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Abstract

The theme of katabasis - the descent of a hero to the underworld to acquire wisdom or immortality - is found in ancient epics, from the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh to book 11 of Homer's Odyssey. The most notable appropriation of this motif in Attic Old Comedy occurs in Aristophanes' Frogs. In this play, Dionysus goes down to the underworld in order to retrieve the tragedian Euripides but, instead, decides to bring back to life Aeschylus.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Encyclopedia of Greek Comedy
Editors	Alan H Sommerstein
Place of Publication	Hoboken, United States of America
Publisher	John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Pages	468-469
Volume	2
ISBN (Print)	9781118542842, 9781118605042
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118542842.ch11
Publication status	Published - 28 May 2019

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10.1002/9781118542842.ch11

https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/31177

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title = "Katabasis",

abstract = "The theme of katabasis - the descent of a hero to the underworld to acquire wisdom or immortality - is found in ancient epics, from the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh to book 11 of Homer's Odyssey. The most notable appropriation of this motif in Attic Old Comedy occurs in Aristophanes' Frogs. In this play, Dionysus goes down to the underworld in order to retrieve the tragedian Euripides but, instead, decides to bring back to life Aeschylus.",

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AB - The theme of katabasis - the descent of a hero to the underworld to acquire wisdom or immortality - is found in ancient epics, from the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh to book 11 of Homer's Odyssey. The most notable appropriation of this motif in Attic Old Comedy occurs in Aristophanes' Frogs. In this play, Dionysus goes down to the underworld in order to retrieve the tragedian Euripides but, instead, decides to bring back to life Aeschylus.

U2 - 10.1002/9781118542842.ch11

DO - 10.1002/9781118542842.ch11

M3 - Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

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SN - 9781118605042

VL - 2

SP - 468

EP - 469

BT - The Encyclopedia of Greek Comedy

A2 - H Sommerstein, Alan

PB - John Wiley & Sons, Inc

CY - Hoboken, United States of America

ER -

Katabasis

Abstract

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