The figure of the nurse in the classical theatre from an educational perspective

This paper analyses the figure of the nurse in Ancient Greece: the sources considered are Homer’s poems and the classical tragedies. In the epics, the nurse is characterized as displaying a series of traits: old age, not so much in terms of physical decline, but rather as wisdom and restraint in actions and behaviour; unconditional loyalty and faithfulness. The analysis of the tragic texts, instead, and particularly of two cases (Aeschylus’ Oresteia and Euripides’Medea) suggests that the nurse in Greek drama is different to her counterpart in the epics: the nurse, in fact, become a figure with greater independence and depth. The tragedies often put her in dialectical interaction with parents as well as offspring, thereby representing her as playing a role in the education of both children and adults. Thus, classical drama brings a more reflective perspective to bear on the role of the nurse, problematizing it and attributing it with greater complexity, during a historical period that saw the beginnings of widespread reflection on education both in and outside the home

Il teatro classico propone con frequenza sulla scena la figura della nutrice: analizzandola, è possibile osservare che ella è diversa da quella presente nei testi epici. Il teatro attribuisce a questa figura una maggiore autonomia e spessore, spesso mettendola in posizione dialettica nei confronti dei genitori. Ella acquisisce a tutti gli effetti un ruolo formativo anche rivolto agli adulti: le tragedie classiche sembrano quindi proporre una riflessione sul ruolo della nutrice, problematizzandolo e rendendolo più complesso, in un periodo storico in cui si diffonde una prima riflessione sia sull’educazione familiare sia sull’educazione extradomestica