Gold and wealth: power and manipulation of society and kosmos in Euripides’ Danae

Abstract

This paper raises questions about the social value of money, gold and wealth in Athenian society of V century BC. and their manipulative power of traditional values, through the analysis of Euripides’ Danae. Beginning on the suspicion of Acrisio about loving seduction that gold have reached on his young daughter Danae, this paper investigates the ability of wealth to legitimize socio-political ideas and positions in the field of traditional values such as virtue, intelligence and the opportunity. Finally, the article discusses the subject in other tragic and lyric fonts to suggest that, from the mid-sixth century BC. gold rivals with Érws in power, seductive and manipulative traditional strength in the kósmos.