Slaves

• Slaves are a regular feature of Greek tragedy, even in minor roles
• There is little reflection on the morality of slavery, but their presentation gives insight into the values of the audience
• Tragedy slaves tended to be loyal to their masters, and there is no suggestion that they might resent their position 
• The 2nd Messenger in Bacchae says that he feels sorrow for the Theban royal house, even though he is only a slave (1027-8; 883-5)
• Tragedy does reveal some of the hardships of a slave’s life 
• Oedipus threatens to torture the shepherd when he refuses to answer his questions (1152=4; 1266-9)
• While Oedipus behaves harshly, the speed in which he resorts to violence is more shocking to the modern audience – ancients see slaves as their property
• We see the humiliation of slavery when Oedipus assumes Jocasta’s distress at learning the story of his birth is because she thinks he was the child of a slave (1062-85; 1164-94)
• To Oedipus, it is unsurprising that Jocasta should be horrified at the idea of being married to someone of slavish descent, and therefore he brushes off her pleas