«The Body Does not Lie». «Körper-Analyse» around the Character of Penelope in the Play «Ithaka» by Botho Strauß

Abstract

The essay analyses the representations of the body in the play Ithaka (1996) by Botho Strauß. Corporeality emerges in the play through different conditions: as a form of obesity, as anatomical fragmentation in the representation of the chorus, even as an epiphany of Athena. These cases revolve around the character of Penelope, who acquires, differently from many 20th-century re-writings of the Odissey, a revolutionary strength and modernity. Penelope’s role is part of a broader process of de-mythologisation that embraces all the female figures of the play. The myth of the Odyssey is thus recast through the feminine entity, which inevitably undermines the myth of Ulysses.