Away from Achilles’s footsteps

Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor(a) principal: Henriques, Bruno
Data de Publicação: 2023
Tipo de documento: Artigo
Idioma: por
Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.34624/fb.v0i19.34708
Resumo: In the Iliad, Achilles refuses to take part in the battle, because Agamemnon takes Briseis, as spoils of war from the king of the Myrmidons, for himself. Is this well-known fact the literary precedent that Ben, the protagonist of The Mercy Seat, updates? Written by Neil LaBute in the aftermath of the attack on the Twin Towers, this 2002 play explores the limits of human selfishness: Ben and Abby take advantage of the dust to which thousands of their compatriots have been reduced to to spout cheap philosophy in the extramarital bedroom. Like Achilles, who abandons the Greeks out of spite, Ben ignores national and family tragedy out of selfishness. However, Achilles remains a hero, Ben, for many, a pusillanimous scoundrel. In this article, I will try to determine the underlying reasons for this discrepancy.
id RCAP_d0718dc8c269b5c4ba379868f82a04b3
oai_identifier_str oai:proa.ua.pt:article/34708
network_acronym_str RCAP
network_name_str Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
repository_id_str 7160
spelling Away from Achilles’s footstepsLonge da pegada de AquilesIn the Iliad, Achilles refuses to take part in the battle, because Agamemnon takes Briseis, as spoils of war from the king of the Myrmidons, for himself. Is this well-known fact the literary precedent that Ben, the protagonist of The Mercy Seat, updates? Written by Neil LaBute in the aftermath of the attack on the Twin Towers, this 2002 play explores the limits of human selfishness: Ben and Abby take advantage of the dust to which thousands of their compatriots have been reduced to to spout cheap philosophy in the extramarital bedroom. Like Achilles, who abandons the Greeks out of spite, Ben ignores national and family tragedy out of selfishness. However, Achilles remains a hero, Ben, for many, a pusillanimous scoundrel. In this article, I will try to determine the underlying reasons for this discrepancy.Na Ilíada, Aquiles recusa-se a participar na peleja, porque Agamémnon toma para si Briseida, despojo de guerra do rei das mirmidões. Será este facto sobejamente conhecido o precedente literário que Ben, o protagonista de The Mercy Seat, actualiza? Escrita por Neil LaBute no rescaldo do ataque às Torres Gémeas, esta peça de 2002 explora os limites do egoísmo humano: Ben e Abby aproveitam o pó a que milhares de compatriotas foram reduzidos para desfiar filosofia barata na alcova extraconjugal. Tal como Aquiles, que abandona os gregos por despeito, Ben ignora a tragédia nacional e familiar por egoísmo. No entanto, Aquiles continua a ser um herói, Ben, para muitos, um canalha pusilânime. Neste artigo, tentarei aferir as razões subjacentes a esta discrepância.UA Editora - Universidade de Aveiro2023-11-17info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://doi.org/10.34624/fb.v0i19.34708https://doi.org/10.34624/fb.v0i19.34708Forma Breve; No 19 (2023): A fúria de Aquiles: as faces da guerra; 419-425Forma Breve; n.º 19 (2023): A fúria de Aquiles: as faces da guerra; 419-4252183-47091645-927Xreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAPporhttps://proa.ua.pt/index.php/formabreve/article/view/34708https://proa.ua.pt/index.php/formabreve/article/view/34708/23032Direitos de Autor (c) 2023 Bruno Henriqueshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessHenriques, Bruno2023-11-30T18:45:39Zoai:proa.ua.pt:article/34708Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T23:19:34.075270Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Away from Achilles’s footsteps
Longe da pegada de Aquiles
title Away from Achilles’s footsteps
spellingShingle Away from Achilles’s footsteps
Henriques, Bruno
title_short Away from Achilles’s footsteps
title_full Away from Achilles’s footsteps
title_fullStr Away from Achilles’s footsteps
title_full_unstemmed Away from Achilles’s footsteps
title_sort Away from Achilles’s footsteps
author Henriques, Bruno
author_facet Henriques, Bruno
author_role author
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv Henriques, Bruno
description In the Iliad, Achilles refuses to take part in the battle, because Agamemnon takes Briseis, as spoils of war from the king of the Myrmidons, for himself. Is this well-known fact the literary precedent that Ben, the protagonist of The Mercy Seat, updates? Written by Neil LaBute in the aftermath of the attack on the Twin Towers, this 2002 play explores the limits of human selfishness: Ben and Abby take advantage of the dust to which thousands of their compatriots have been reduced to to spout cheap philosophy in the extramarital bedroom. Like Achilles, who abandons the Greeks out of spite, Ben ignores national and family tragedy out of selfishness. However, Achilles remains a hero, Ben, for many, a pusillanimous scoundrel. In this article, I will try to determine the underlying reasons for this discrepancy.
publishDate 2023
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2023-11-17
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv https://doi.org/10.34624/fb.v0i19.34708
https://doi.org/10.34624/fb.v0i19.34708
url https://doi.org/10.34624/fb.v0i19.34708
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv por
language por
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv https://proa.ua.pt/index.php/formabreve/article/view/34708
https://proa.ua.pt/index.php/formabreve/article/view/34708/23032
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv Direitos de Autor (c) 2023 Bruno Henriques
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv Direitos de Autor (c) 2023 Bruno Henriques
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv UA Editora - Universidade de Aveiro
publisher.none.fl_str_mv UA Editora - Universidade de Aveiro
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Forma Breve; No 19 (2023): A fúria de Aquiles: as faces da guerra; 419-425
Forma Breve; n.º 19 (2023): A fúria de Aquiles: as faces da guerra; 419-425
2183-4709
1645-927X
reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
instacron:RCAAP
instname_str Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
instacron_str RCAAP
institution RCAAP
reponame_str Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
collection Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
repository.name.fl_str_mv Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1799135494243614720