Maya Upton

September 8, 2016
ENGL 398
Essay #1
Analyzing The Suppliant Maidens
One of the main themes of the play is that of supplicationthat is, the most earnest and
humble type of prayer. The play centers around a group of sisters who are going to be forced to
marry their cousins, unless someone is willing to step in and protect them from the forces of
Egypt. They supplicate the Olympian gods and Pelasgus, the leader of Argos, the land of their
ancestress Io that they hope will protect them in their time of need.
The Danaids pray humbly to the Gods and to the ruler of the land for protection, but they
also have legitimate claims to the protection that they seek, and they do not hesitate to make this
known to Zeus and Pelasgus.
The situation that the Danaids find themselves in, running away from men intent on
having them is similar to the situation that their ancestress Io found herself in with Zeus. One of
the things that I liked most about this play is that the Danaids recognized this and, even in their
prayers to Zeus, they remind him of the situation, indict him and insist that he protect them from
the same fate that Io met.
In Strophe and Antistrophe F, the sisters pray to Zeus, mentioning [his] Apian land.
Also, before the sisters make their official debut in Argos they call upon Apollo, the God once

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exiled from heaven in hopes that knowing this fate, he should feel sympathy. Later, when
Pelasgus is introducing himself, he shows the connection between his land, Apollo and Apia:
PELASGUS. The land since ancient times is called Apia, after a healer, the prophet Apis,
son of Apollo, who from Naupactus once came and cleansed this land of deadly,
monstrous creatures
Here, it is established that the land itself is indebted to foreigner who was the son of the onceexiled god, so when the Danaids present their case, having appealed to that very god, their plea
sits on a very firm foundation.
Pelasgus, one of the only two main speaking individuals, has a very important decision to
make and it is based on a number of factors. First, he has to consider the ancestry claim that the
sisters are making. He has them tell the story of Io and all that [they] say matches what [he
knows], so he knows their claim is legitimate, but he also has to consider what to do as a ruler.
Is it fair to drag his entire population into sure war over these women whose claim is so far from
the present? Both of these seem to weigh heavily for him, but ultimately and ironically, fear of
the consequences seems to motivate him the most. At one point before Pelasguss decision is
made, the chorus chants
ANTISTROPHE E. Do what you will, your house and children still remain to pay back
justice in full
They implore him to think of the consequences of not acting on their behalf, which they assume
is Zeus will. When Pelasgus still shows signs of doubt, they threaten to hang themselves from
the statues of the gods. This act of violence, paired with the threat of Zeus wrath does the trick,

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and Pelasgus goes to speak to his people. Danaus comes back to tell his daughters what
transpires with the townspeople:
DANAUS. So did the king persuade them with his speech about us, citing the Zeus of
Suppliantswho would fatten rich his wrath and bring about insatiate suffering.
Though it seems to be genuine, the townspeople made the decision to protect the women because
of the threat of Zeus wrath. This takes away some of the free will aspect of the decision and
shows that the motivation is not as pure as it may seem.
In the play, there are three individual characters and three choruses, one of which is the
group of Danaids. I think that the decision to make the Danaids one large and very vocal chorus
was a great, strategic one. Of course, it wouldve been difficult to give a voice to each of the fifty
sisters, so the decision was a practical one, but grouping the women together as a chorus has the
effect of amplifying their voices as one, making it easy to read the play for its sexual politics.
The relations between men and women are as much of a major theme of the play as
supplication. The women are literally running away from marriage which they liken to being
slave[s] to Egyptus sons It is unclear, however, exactly why the women are opposed to
marrying Egyptus sonsis it because they are cousins? According to the introduction of the
play, marrying first cousins was acceptable in most of the Greek world, so it shouldnt have been
as vile of an act as they seem to believe it is. (116) Are they opposed to the institution of
marriage as a whole? It seems to be that way, until the end of the play when the chorus of women
ask that Zeus ward off an Egyptian marriage for [them]. The specification makes it seem as if
the women would be okay with marriage if to a non-Egyptian man. Even further, after being
advised by the citizens of Argos to ask nothing too specific of the gods, the chorus simply asks

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that Zeus deprive [them] of an ill marriage and a bad husband. Here, we see that the problem is
not the institution itselfits the fear of bad husband which makes a bad marriage.
There are subtle hints in the play that anti-blackness may be the reason for the Danaids
great opposition to the union with their Egyptian cousins. It is clear from Pelasguss reaction to
their arrival that the Danaids look very different from the Greek women in Argos:
PELASGUS. You speak beyond my credence, strangers, claiming Argive birth: more like
Libyans you seem than like women native here; or else the Nile might foster such a
breed; perhaps such features might Cypriot men reproduce with their wives; and Ive
heard of Indian women riding camels like horses, nomads, neighbors to the Ethiopians; I
should even have thought you were the man-hating carnivorous Amazons, were you
armed with bows.
The constant references to African countries and physical features denotes that the women, at the
very least, must be brown-skinned. Earlier, in a prayer to Zeus, the chorus refers to themselves
as a sunburnt race. There is, however, a distinct difference in the connotation of brown-ness
and blackness in this play. Egyptus sons are distinctly described as black and darkness and
godlessness is associated with that blackness. Danaus, seeing the Egyptians on the ship, says of
them their limbs [are] all black, their clothes [are] white linen. This description of the black
limbs under white linen seems to paint them as deceptive.
CHORUS. Black ships they have, and strongly built; they sailed here in angry speed with
an army large and dark.
Here, in addition to the chorus describing the entire ship as black and the army of Egyptians as
large and dark, the qualities of strength and anger, both often attributed to the brute
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caricature of Black men, are used to describe the Egyptians. Its important to mention that
directly after this description, Danaus mentions many whose limbs the sun has made quite
brown and tough in noonday heat speaking of the citizens of Argos. The difference between the
connotations of brown and black are very apparent in this passage.
Along with anger and brute strength, godlessness is also used to describe the Egyptians
quite often.
CHORUS. Deadly purposed and crafty minds with impure hearts, just as ravens, they
heed no altar
DANAUS. Well that would be of help to us, my daughters, if to the gods, as to you, they
are hateful.
CHORUS. They fear not these tridents, no awe of gods; and for that they wont keep their
hands from me, father. Arrogant with unholy rage, lustful and dog-hearted, obeying the
gods in nothing.
The reference to ravens, the blackest of all birds, is tied to their perceived lack of religion.
Godlessness is another negative characteristic hurled onto Black people and it gives way to the
perceived deceptive nature of Black people in general, alluded to earlier in Danauss comment
about black limbs under white linens. What I found particularly interesting about this quote
is first that its clear that Danaus is not sure if they are hateful to the gods or not. Second, and
most importantly, a later passage clearly reveals that the Egyptians are not godless as the chorus
and Danaus would like for us to think.

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CHORUS. Ah, father, to the sea he leads me; like a spider, step by step, a dream, a black
dream. O woe, woe! Earth, mother Earth, avert this fearful creature! O father Zeus, son of
Earth!
HERALD: I do not fear the gods that I see here: they did not nurse me nor raise me to old
age.
Danaus and the Danaid Chrous portray the Egyptians the way that they do not because they are
godless, but because Egyptians dont serve the Olympians gods that Danaus and his daughters
revere so much.
Though the entire play centers around the Danaids running from marriage, their reasons for
doing so are oddly blurred. Is it because of their familial connections? Is it their objection to the
institution of marriage as a whole? The issues of intermarriage and the Danaids problems with
the institution of marriage seem to be resolved by the end of the play, but the anti-black aspects
persist, which leads me to believe that was a main objection to their union.

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