Eros and the eros-afflicted: ancient Greek erotic anxiety through the myths of Helen and Medea

The aim of the thesis is to examine the portrayals of eros, both its perceived origin and effects on the human body, and eros-afflicted women, who might be compelled to act against the established socio-political norm. Helen and Medea are used as a lens through which any potential changes or shifts in Greek thought over time may be identified. The thesis progresses chronologically through time beginning with Homer and concluding in the fourth and third centuries B.C.E.