Table of Contents

1. Introduction: the start of the journey; 2. Roadmaps of déviance: the 'Orphic' gold tablets; 3. Descent into the depths of comedy: The Frogs of Aristophanes; 4. The upward path of philosophy: the myth in Plato's Phaedo; 5. Conclusions: the end of the road.

Promotional Information

This 2004 book explores myths of the underworld in Plato, Aristophanes, and the 'Orphic' gold tablets.

About the Author

Radcliffe G. Edmonds III is assistant professor of Greek, Latin and Classical Studies at Bryn Mawr College. A member of the editorial board of the Bryn Mawr Classical Review, he has contributed to Classical Antiquity, TAPA, and Ancient World.

Reviews

'Edmonds is a lively and intelligent guide to the many forks and detours on the journey. ... anyone with an interest in Greek eschatology will find it a stimulating book.' JACT '... provides solid, interesting, and helpful insights'. Bryn Mawr Classical Review 'This is an enterprising, enjoyable, and scholarly book ... Edmonds' extensive treatment of the gold funerary lamellae should help to make those puzzling but fascinating texts better known, and his discussions of both the Frogs and the Phaedo deserve close attention from anyone seriously interested in those very different yet mythologically related works. Edmonds' arguments are always informative and thought-provoking, even where they prompt disagreement.' Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews '... stimulating ... Edmond's approach leads to some intriguing discussion, and he does show how careful attention to the way the elements of a traditional tale are reworked in each telling can uncover hidden complexities.' Journal of Hellenic Studies ' ... convincingly analyses how extensively Plato in the Phaedo redefines the ritual purity of the mysteries and funeral rites and traditional elements in mortuary journeys ... The fascination for the reader in this analysis, as in Edmond's earlier ones, will be found in the details.' Raymond J. Clark, University of Ottowa