Due Re "Frammentari". Acrisio e Inaco in Sofocle

In this paper two case studies of the representation of sole rulers in fragmentary Sophoclean drama are examined: Acrisius in Acrisius and Danae, and Inachus in the homonymous drama. In Acrisius we can detect some typical traits of the character typology of the tragic bad king, or “tyrant”. Inachus, on the other hand, appears to be a more complex figure, where a multifaceted nature of sole ruler, who displays both positive and negative traits, is intertwined with that of the river-god. The stories of both these characters help in reconstructing a more expanded and diversi- fied picture of how Sophocles represented mythical kings.