44 pages • 1 hour read
Ed. John C. Gilbert, EuripidesIon
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Symbols & Motifs
Serpents
Serpents figure into Ion during several critical moments. First, the poison that Creusa uses to attempt to kill Ion comes from the serpent hair of the Gorgon Medusa. However, snakes are not necessarily negatively connotated, and here they stand as a symbol for the city of Athens. Specifically, snakes decorate the crib in which Creusa exposed her infant son in a cave, and Creusa put miniature necklaces in the shape of snakes within the crib. Some scholars think that adorning children with infant snake necklaces was a widespread custom in classical Athens. Indeed, in this play the necklaces serve as a token through which Creusa proves her identity as Ion’s biological mother. Thus, the serpent transforms from a harbinger of death to a symbol of the connection between mother and son.
Oracles
Oracles are a familiar motif in ancient literature, and Ion is no exception. Oracles were notoriously ambiguous, and consequently problematic, in the ancient world. Specifically, oracles were known for supplying partial information that may mislead the listener. This tendency is fully exhibited in Ion in two places. First, when the oracle at the shrine of Trophonius tells Xuthus that neither he nor Creusa would return to Athens without a son, though it is undisclosed that the son will not be biologically related to Xuthus. Second, when the oracle in the temple of Apollo proclaims that the first person Xuthus sees upon exiting will be his son, though their true relationship remains hidden from Xuthus even at the end of the play. Oracles are not to be trusted entirely, but they certainly help propel and add tension to the plot.
The Altar
The altar of Apollo is a significant emblem within the play. Altars were stone slabs that were placed immediately in front of a temple, which was not to be entered by anyone other than the temple’s custodians or those directly addressing the oracle. Therefore, people congregated outside the temple, near the altar. Such is the location of the majority of the play’s events. Nevertheless, the altar is hardly in the background alone; it gains special relevance as the cite where Creusa takes refuge from Ion and Delphian lords, who plan to kill her. Thus, the altar temporarily saves Creusa from death at the hands of her own son.
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