Ion: Analysis of Major Characters
"Ion" is a classical play that focuses on the intricate relationships and conflicts among its major characters, primarily revolving around themes of identity, parentage, and divine influence. The central character, Ion, is the son of Apollo and Creusa, a princess of Athens. After being hidden away at birth, he grows up in the temple at Delphi, unaware of his origins. His chance meeting with Creusa, who is childless and seeking help from Apollo, sparks a deep connection between them, highlighting their shared struggles.
Creusa, portrayed as a tragic figure, grapples with her past abandonment by Apollo and her subsequent marriage to Xuthus, which she did not choose willingly. Her loyalty to Athens and her fear of foreign rule catalyze her desperate actions against Ion, whom she initially believes to be an outsider. Xuthus, on the other hand, is portrayed as blissfully ignorant of the complexities surrounding his familial ties, accepting Ion as his son based solely on an oracle's proclamation.
The narrative is further enriched by supporting figures such as the Chorus of Creusa's attendants, who amplify her sentiments, and an old slave who embodies the pride of Creusa's lineage. The play also introduces divine entities like Athena and Hermes, who influence the unfolding events and provide reassurance to Ion about his heritage. Through these characters, "Ion" explores the profound impacts of destiny, the complexities of maternal bonds, and the intricate interplay between mortals and gods in ancient Greek culture.
Ion: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Euripides
Genre: Play
Locale: The temple of Apollo at Delphi
Plot: Tragicomedy
Time: Remote antiquity
Ion (I-on), the son of Apollo and Creusa, a princess of Athens. At his birth he was, by Apollo's command, hidden in a cave. Unknown to Creusa, Hermes carried the infant from the cave to Delphi. There, he was nurtured in the temple. As keeper of the temple, he leads a happy life, marred only by his ignorance of his origin. At the beginning of the play, Creusa and Xuthus, to whom she has been given in marriage because of his military aid to Athens, come to the temple to seek Apollo's aid because they are childless. Ion and Creusa meet outside the temple, and an immediate sympathy is born between them: Creusa is childless and Ion lacks knowledge of his background. Creusa tells him her own story, alleging it to be that of another woman on whose behalf she wants to question Apollo. Ion, in his sheltered innocence, is shocked that Apollo could have behaved as he did to Creusa and tries to make excuses for him. This is the first contact of Ion's cloistered virtue with worldliness; it is continued through the play, and he quickly acquires self-confidence and strength of will. Apollo gives Ion to Xuthus as his own son and the two, as father and son, leave to celebrate this gift of the god. Creusa, thinking that an alien will come to rule Athens, plots to kill Ion. He learns of her attempts and leads the Delphians to stone her, but she takes refuge at the altar of Apollo. A priest-ess of Apollo appears with the cradle in which she found Ion, and Creusa recognizes it. Ion suspects a trick to save her life but, after she describes certain tokens left in the cradle, he acknowledges that she is his mother. Athena appears to assure Ion that Apollo is his father (though the fact is to be kept from Xuthus), that he will rule Athens, and that his four sons will sire the tribes that will dwell on the coasts and on the isles of the Aegean Sea.
Creusa (kree-EW-suh), the daughter of Erechtheus, king of Athens. Seduced by Apollo and forced to abandon her child to die, as she believes, she is introduced as a tragic character. In her first interview with Ion, she is able for the most part to keep her sorrow and feeling of rebellion without bounds, but she ends by criticizing Apollo for compelling her to abandon his child. She also reveals that she has not married Xuthus by choice, so that when Ion is revealed as his son, she, out of fear that foreigners will rule Athens, plans to kill Ion. The dynastic theme is important in this play, and Creusa's national loyalty is the major aspect of it. Her belief that Apollo has given Xuthus a son while she will have no other makes the loss of her own son and the treachery of Apollo seemingly more intolerable and emphasizes her role as a tragic figure. When the true facts are revealed, she accepts her triumph, her house is saved, and the stigma of childlessness is removed without any of the moral questionings about the actions of the gods that bother Ion.
Xuthus (ZEW-thuhs), Creusa's husband. He consults the oracle and is told that the first man he meets on leaving the temple will be his son. Meeting Ion, he is so overjoyed that he does not worry over the identity of the mother or the problems of accepting a foreigner as heir to the throne of Athens.
The Chorus of Creusa's Attendants, who mirror the point of view of Creusa entirely. It is their function to amplify her feeling and lend support to what she represents in the play.
An old man, an aged slave to Creusa. He represents the pride of the house he has served; he is devoted but foolish and irresponsible. His questioning of Creusa leads to her account of her relations with Apollo. He suggests and attempts to carry out the poisoning of Ion.
The priestess of Apollo, who reveals, at the god's direction, the cradle she has kept hidden.
Athena (uh-THEE-nuh), the goddess of wisdom. She appears as dea ex machina sent by Apollo to assure Ion that the god is his father.
Hermes (HUR-meez), the messenger of the gods, who speaks the prologue. He is not directly concerned in the action, except that he had taken Ion to the shrine at Delphi at Apollo's request. His tone is not emotional or dramatic.