The absence of the kalón in the Greek tragedy Agamemnon

Abstract

The challenges involved in the translation of the Greek term “kalón” are well known. We know that it has, at least, aesthetic as well as ethical connotations. This range of meanings might suggest that a Greek tragedy would offer the perfect opportunity to study the term in question. Aeschylus’ work, however, mentions the term in very few occasions. Through a detail commentary on the ways in which the term “kalón” is used in the tragedy Agamemnon, I propose that the absence of the term also sheds light on its meaning.