Courtship and its Discontents in Greek Literature

A number of foundational narratives of archaic Greek culture revolve around courtship competitions in which a multitude of suitors subject themselves to a fierce, often deadly, competition for the hand of one woman. Most retellings of these stories focus on the competition and its outcome, a marriage that typically confirms, and occasionally upsets, the dynastic ambitions and power alliances of the bride's male guardian. Conversely, they offer no more than glimpses of the anxieties brought about by courtship competitions—from the rivalry and jealousy between the competing suitors to the question of the bride's own desire and her interest in the contest's outcome. As this article shows, however, it is the comico-satyrical traditions that fill the gap by providing an explicit, if skewed, commentary which subverts the "official" version. The focus here is on the courtships of Helen, Penelope, and Agariste; it is argued that this last case (Herodotus 6.126–131.1) confronts the "official" account of the courtship with its satyric double. Courtship narratives are thus shown to reveal not just a way of representing social and political practice, but also the anxieties and social dangers which elite narratives suppress.