The Characters
Lysanias
Lysanias is in the queue to consult the oracle. He is from Athens and is full of anxiety. He has come to Dodona to ask about his wife, Annyla, whom he thinks has a lover. He believes she is pregnant with that man’s child.
The story Lysanias tells us is based on a famous speech by the defendant in a fourth century lawcourt speech by Lysias. The defendant is on trial for murdering his wife’s lover.
Lysanias’ character is based on a question dating to the second century BCE when the goddess Dione was invoked in questions:
Lysanias asks Zeus Naios and Dione whether the child with which Annyla is pregnant is not from him.