Athenian Nationalism and Other Feminine Concerns in Euripides’s Ion

Abstract

This article considers the central conflict in the play Ion by Euripides, in which the protagonist thinks her son is actually her husband's illegitimate child who will inherit her family's estate and accordingly tries to kill him. I will argue that the play ultimately asks us to accept that jealousy is a universal response to infidelity for both men and women, but it also draws parallels between a woman's jealousy and everyday political problems like citizenship, inheritance, and Athenian nationalism to encourage the audience to identify with a potentially controversial female character and her concerns.