Nadia Spaziani

Agenouillé Athena: Understanding Athena as the Masculine Hero within Iconography of the Myth of Perseus

This paper explores representation of Athena on painted vessels within the narrative of the Perseus mythos. By establishing historical foundations of myth and vision, a psychoanalytic approach will be utilized to provide a more nuanced understanding of Athena and argue for her interpretation as the masculine hero of the narrative instead of Perseus. Evidence of this will be grounded in her positioning in relation to Medusa and the inclusion of Medusa’s head on Athena’s breastplate.Key words: Lacan, Butler, mythos, position agenouillé, phallus, gaze