Agonistes

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The word Agonistes, found as an epithet following a person's name, means 'the struggler' or 'the combatant'. It is most often an allusion to John Milton's 1671 verse tragedy "Samson Agonistes," which recounts the end of Samson's life, when he is a blind captive of the Philistines (famous line: "Eyeless in Gaza at the mill with slaves"). The struggle that "Samson Agonistes" centers upon is the effort of Samson to renew his faith in God's support.

Probably the most famous post-Miltonic use of Agonistes is by T.S. Eliot, who titled one of his dramas Sweeney Agonistes, where Sweeney, who appeared in several of Eliot's poems, represents the materialistic and shallow modern man. Another well-known example is Garry Wills' 1969 political book Nixon Agonistes, discussing embattled president Richard Nixon. Today, the word occasionally appears in headlines in a similar fashion, e.g., Rumsfeld Agonistes, George W. Agonistes.

Agonistes is also the name of an action figure in the series Tortured Souls, produced by Spawn and made by Clive Barker.

[edit] Etymology

Agonistes is a borrowing from Greek (αγωνιστής), where it means "a contestant in the public games". This word is derived from "agon" (αγών) meaning a struggle; contest; assembly ( In English, "agon" usually refers to the conflict between the main characters in a work).

Some related words include "agonist" (the usual English form; agonistes preserves the Greek ending), agony (originally referring to mental struggle), and agonize.

[edit] External links

• Samson Agonistes Full-text, with study aids. Courtesy Trustees of Dartmouth College.