From Apotheosis to Reverse Conversion: A Posthuman Reading of Euripides’ and Pasolini’s Medea

Andrea Barcaro

doi:10.17742/IMAGE29684

Authors

Andrea Barcaro School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17742/IMAGE29684

Abstract

Medea is an ancient mythical figure who has caught the imagination of artists and authors across the centuries. In this essay, I focus on Euripides’ 5th-century BC eponymous tragedy and Pasolini’s 1969 cinematic adaptation. Through a posthuman reading of Medea, I propose that in Euripides the heroine sheds her humanity and embraces divinity in her final apotheosis. In Pasolini’s film, on the other hand, we witness a reverse conversion, a journey towards a loss of the sacred and a spiritual catastrophe. In my analysis, I explore how posthuman forms of subjectivity embrace monstrosity to emphasise the divine power of alterity. I propose that, by deactivating normative discourses and making possible resistance to norms, posthuman subjectivities can be a powerful tool to break the spell of the present and create productive alternatives to the seemingly timeless dominance of global capitalism.

Author Biography

Andrea Barcaro , School of Arts and Humanities, University of Lisbon

Andrea Barcaro is a freelance writer and communication professional with an interest in the intersection between culture, identity, and posthumanism. Having graduated from SOAS, University of London in 2005 with a Bachelor's in Japanese and Social Anthropology, he spent over a decade and a half working at NGOs and communication firms in Asia. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Culture and Communication at the School of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon, and engaging with the academic community through public speaking and participation in academic conferences. Through his writing, Barcaro questions contemporary constructions of European identity vis-à-vis issues of gender and race, and processes of migration and decolonization, aiming at the creation of productive forms of subjectivity and identity. His work engages with transdisciplinarity and the connection between academic thinking, popular culture, digital media, and visual art.