Aeschylus, Euripides, and Tragic Painting: Two Scenes from Agamemnon and Hecuba

Aeschylus' famous simile comparing Iphigeneia to a painting just before her sacrifice (Ag. 239–42) rests not just on the girl's silence and unbroken gaze at her killers but also on the strikingly pitiable nature of her expression. The Euripidean Hecuba's plea to Agamemnon to pity her by gazing on her "like a painter" (Hec. 807–8) develops this idea and comprises a parallel to aspects of ancient literary criticism that prescribe an emotive identity between poets and their works. The incorporation of painting into these highly charged moments focuses on its ability to arouse pity, a preeminent emotion of tragedy overall.