Achilles kills Penthesilea in the tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, 470–460 BCE, found at Vulci

In Greek mythology, Penthesilea (Greek: Πενθεσίλεια) or Penthesileia was an Amazonian queen, daughter of Ares and Otrera,^[1] and sister of Hippolyta, Antiope and Melanippe. A tondo (plural "tondi" is a Renaissance term for a circular work of art either a painting or a sculpture Attica (Αττική Attikí;) is a periphery (subdivision in Greece, containing Athens, the capital of Greece A kylix (or cylix, plural kylixes or kylikes) is a type of Wine -drinking cup with a broad relatively shallow body raised on a Volci or Vulci is an Etruscan city (in Etruscan Velch or Velx in the Province of Viterbo, north to Rome, central Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical In Greek mythology, Ares ( Ancient Greek:, Μodern Greek Άρης) is the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek mythology, Otrera (or Otrere) was a Queen of the Amazons, the consort of Ares as well as his daughter and mother of Hippolyta In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte (Ἱππολύτη is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical Girdle she was given by her father Antiope ( ˈtaɪ o pe is a figure from Greek mythology. She was the only Amazon known to have married Quintus Smyrnaeus^[2] explains more fully than pseudo-Apollodorus how Penthesilea came to be at Troy: Penthesilea had killed Hippolyta with a spear when they were hunting deer; this accident caused Penthesilea so much grief that she wished only to die, but, as a warrior and an Amazon, she had to do so honorably and in battle. Quintus Smyrnaeus (or Quintus of Smyrna, also known as Kointos of Smyrna) ( Κόιντος Σμυρναίος) was a Greek epic The Bibliotheca (in English: Library) in three books provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic Legends She therefore was easily convinced to join in the Trojan War, fighting on the side of Troy's defenders. In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy stole Helen from her Troy ( Greek: grc Τροία Troia, also, Ilion; Latin: Trōia, Īlium, Hittite: Wilusa or

Penthesilea in the Epic Cycle

Proclus, who summarized the lost epic, the Aethiopis of Arctinos of Miletus, of which only five lines survive in a quotation,^[3] gave the events of Penthesilea's life. Proclus Lycaeus ( February 8, c 411 &ndash April 17, 485) called "The Successor" or "Diadochos" ( Greek Próklos An epic is a lengthy Narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation Arctinus of Miletus or Arctinus Milesius (Ἀρκτῖνος Μιλήσιος was a Greek epic poet whose reputation is purely legendary as none of his works survive The story of Penthesilea segues so smoothly from the Iliad in the Epic Cycle that one manuscript tradition of the Iliad ends

"Such were the funeral games of Hector. The Iliad ( Greek: Ἰλιάς (Ancient Ιλιάδα (Modern is together with the Odyssey, one of two ancient The Epic Cycle (Επικός Κύκλος was a collection of Ancient Greek Epic poems that related the story of the Trojan War, which includes the And now there came an Amazon, the great-hearted daughter of man-slaying Ares. In Greek mythology, Ares ( Ancient Greek:, Μodern Greek Άρης) is the son of Zeus and Hera. "

According to Diodorus Siculus

"Now they say that Penthesileia was the last of the Amazons to win distinction for bravery and that for the future the race diminished more and more and then lost all its strength; consequently in later times, whenever any writers recount their prowess, men consider the ancient stories about the Amazons to be fictitious tales. " (Diodorus Siculus, ii. 46).

Alongside Penthesilea were twelve other Amazons, including Antibrote, Ainia, and Cleite. The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical The Amazons (in Greek, grc Ἀμαζόνες are a nation of all-female warriors in Classical and Greek mythology, who were possibly historical The rest were Alcibie, Antandre, Bremusa, Derimacheia, Derinoe, Harmothoe, Hippothoe, Polemusa, and Thermodosa. In Greek Mythology Alcibie was an Amazon who fought with Penthesilea at Troy. In Greek Mythology, Antandre was an Amazonian warrior She was one of Penthesilea 's twelve companions at Troy In Greek Mythology, Bremusa was an Amazonian warrior She fought with Penthesilea at Troy Harmothoe is a genus of marine Polychaete worms belonging to the family Polynoidae. In Greek mythology, Hippothoe is the name of five characters The name means "Imperious mare" ^[4] However, Cleite's ship was blown off course and she never reached Troy.

Death of Penthesilea

In the Pseudo-Apollodorus Epitome of the Bibliotheke^[5] she is said to have been killed by Achilles, "who fell in love with the Amazon after her death and slew Thersites for jeering at him". The Bibliotheca (in English: Library) in three books provides a grand summary of traditional Greek mythology and heroic Legends In Greek mythology, Thersites, son of Agrius, was a rank-and-file soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War. The common interpretation of this has been that Achilles was romantically enamored of Penthesilea ^[6] (a view that appears to be supported by Pausanias, who noted that the throne of Zeus at Olympia bore Panaenus' painted image of the dying Penthesilea being supported by Achilles). Pausanias ( Greek:) was a Greek traveller and Geographer of the 2nd century CE, who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus ^[7] Twelfth-century Byzantine scholar Eustathius of Thessalonica postulated a more brutal and literalist reading of the term loved, however, maintaining that Achilles actually committed necrophilia on her corpse as a final insult to her. Eustathius of Thessalonica (Εὐστάθιος (1110c - 1198 was a native of Constantinople who became archbishop of Thessalonica. ^[8]

The Greek Thersites, jeered at Achilles's treatment of Penthesilea's body, whereupon Achilles killed him. In Greek mythology, Thersites, son of Agrius, was a rank-and-file soldier of the Greek army during the Trojan War. "When the roughneck was at last killed by Achilles, for mocking the hero's lament over the death of the Amazon queen Penthesilea, a sacred feud was fought for Thersites' sake":^[9] Thersites' cousin Diomedes, enraged at Achilles' action, harnessed Penthesilea's corpse behind his chariot, dragged it and cast it into the Scamander, whence, however, it was retrieved and given decent burial, whether by Achilles or by the Trojans is not known from our fragmentary sources. Diomēdēs or Diomed ( Greek: Διομήδης English translation: "God-like cunning" or "advised by Zeus" is a Hero In Greek mythology, Scamander ( Skamandros) was a river god son of Oceanus and Tethys according to Hesiod. ^[10]

Another tradition

A different tradition, attested in a lost poem of Stesichorus^[11] makes Penthesilea the slayer of Hector, seen as a son of Apollo. Stesichorus ( Ancient Greek:, English translation: "he who sets up the chorus" was a Greek lyric poet from Himera in

Theme of Penthesilea

Main article: Penthesilea Painter

The subject of Penthesilea was treated so regularly by a sixth-century BC Attic vase-painter, whose work bridged the "Severe style" and Classicism, that Adolf Furtwängler dubbed the anonymous master "The 'Penthesilea Painter". The Penthesilea Painter (active between 470 and 450 BC at Athens) was a Greek vase painter of the Attic red-figure style Adolf Furtwängler ( June 30, 1853 - October 10, 1907) was a famous German Archaeologist, teacher Art historian The Penthesilea Painter (active between 470 and 450 BC at Athens) was a Greek vase painter of the Attic red-figure style A considerable corpus for this innovative and prolific painter, who must have had a workshop of his own, was rapidly assembled^[12] in part by J.D. Beazley. Sir John Davidson Beazley ( Glasgow, Scotland, 1885 - Oxford, England, 1970 was an English Classical Scholar

Heinrich von Kleist's Penthesilea

Main article: Penthesilea (Kleist)

The treatment of Penthesilea that has received most critical attention since the early twentieth century, however, is the drama Penthesilea by Heinrich von Kleist, who cast its "precipitously violent tempo"^[13] in the form of twenty-four consecutive scenes, without formal breaks into acts. Penthesilea (1808 is a Tragedy by the German Playwright Heinrich von Kleist. Penthesilea (1808 is a Tragedy by the German Playwright Heinrich von Kleist. Bernd Heinrich Wilhelm von Kleist ( October 18, 1777 &ndash November 21, 1811) was a German Poet, Dramatist, An act is a division or unit of a theatrical play or Opera. The number of acts in a production can range from one to five depending on how a writer structures the The Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck wrote a 90' one-act opera, Penthesilea (Dresden, 1927) based on Kleist's drama. Othmar Schoeck ( Brunnen, Switzerland September 1 1886 &ndash March 8 1957) was a Swiss Composer. Penthesilea is a one-act Opera by Othmar Schoeck, to a German-language Libretto by the composer after the work of the same name by

Notes

References

• Justinus, Epitome Historiarum philippicarum Pompei Trogi ii. 4. 31-32
• Epitome of the Philippic History of Pompeius Trogus Book 2