Nozze rubate e morte incombente: la messa in scena della gioia delusa

Besides happy ending tragedies, in Euripides joy is a fleeting emotion, that frequently turns painfully into desperation. This pattern definitely applies to the Euripidean mise-en-scène of the wedding rite, often ruined from a fatal event. This paper explores the tools and devices used by Euripides in a bridal context to convey joy and desperation, and to translate the crucial moment of the shift from the first to the second emotion on the scene. The analysis starts from Phaethon and then confronts it with Iphigenia in Aulis and Trojan Women, while giving continuous attention to performative aspects.