Sappho Flashcards
A stringed musical instrument, often used by ancient Greek poets like Sappho to accompany their lyric poetry. This instrument’s soft tones complemented the intimate, emotional nature of her work.
Lyre
Fragment
Many of Sappho’s poems survive only in fragments, meaning incomplete pieces of text. These fragments are often reconstructed from ancient papyrus or quotations by later authors.
Plectrum
A small tool used to pluck the strings of a lyre. Sappho may have used a plectrum while performing her poetry to produce melodic accompaniment.
Monody
A type of solo lyrical performance, often sung by a single voice. Sappho’s poetry was likely performed in this style, expressing personal emotions in an intimate setting.
Chorus
A group of performers who sang and danced together in ancient Greek culture. Though Sappho’s poetry is personal and often monodic, she also composed choral songs for groups of young women.
Lyric Poetry
A form of poetry that expresses personal feelings and emotions, often accompanied by music. Sappho is one of the most famous practitioners of this genre, focusing on themes like love, desire, and longing.
Stanza
A grouped set of lines in a poem. Sappho’s poems often follow specific stanzaic forms, such as the four-line Sapphic stanza, which became a hallmark of her style.
Thiasos
A religious or social group in ancient Greece, often made up of women who gathered for worship or ritual activities. Sappho was thought to have led a thiasos of young women, where they learned poetry and music. (A finishing school?)
Topos/Topoi (pl)
A traditional theme or motif in literature. Sappho’s poetry includes many topoi of love, such as longing, jealousy, and the power of beauty, which have influenced later poets.
Hyperbole
A rhetorical figure involving exaggeration for emphasis. Sappho often used hyperbole in her poetry to convey the intensity of her emotions, especially when expressing desire or admiration.
Metaphor
A figure of speech that compares two unlike things without using “like” or “as.” Sappho employed metaphors to express abstract emotions, such as comparing love to fire or longing to sickness.
Eros
The Greek god of love, represents passionate desire. In Sappho’s poetry, eros is often depicted as an overwhelming and consuming force, reflecting the emotional intensity of romantic love.
Thumos
A Greek term referring to the spirited or emotional part of the soul. In Sappho’s poetry, thumos is the seat of passion and desire, often driving the speaker’s emotions and actions.
Pothos
A Greek term meaning yearning or desire, often associated with longing for something absent. Pothos appears in Sappho’s work to describe the intense desire for a loved one who is far away.
