A fifth-century BCE tragedy by the Athenian playwright Euripides told the story of Perseus and Andromeda. Andromeda began with the events depicted on this bell-krater.
Perseus, having fallen in love, moves towards the distressed Andromeda who is tied awkwardly to two stakes. The sea monster rising from beneath the waves is about to be slain – in this version of the story, by Perseus’ raised weapon. Perseus’ gaze is fixed on Andromeda, underlining the claim that the play was the first Greek tragedy to portray a protagonist falling in love.
A stage prop used in a production of Andromeda may have inspired the simplistic illustration of the sea monster. The scene depicted may also allude to the sea monster’s death offstage. Violent episodes were not commonly shown on the Athenian tragic stage: they were explained by other means, such as through messengers, the chorus retelling the scene or the reappearance of a figure who is obviously dead or maimed.
