HOMER Book 1 7 Book 6 25 Book 9 41 Book 16 61 Book 18 68 Book 24 85

Home , Acamas, Acamas (son of Antenor), Acamas (son of Theseus), Adrastus, Adrastus (mythology), Aegium

Descendants of Troy Readings In Humanities

Second Edition

Edited by Sergio La Porta California State University - Fresno Bassim Hamadeh, CEO and Publisher Michael Simpson, Vice President of Acquisitions and Sales Jamie Giganti, Senior Managing Editor Miguel Macias, Graphic Designer David Miano, Senior Specialist Acquisitions Editor Natalie Lakosil, Licensing Manager Claire Yee, Interior Designer

Copyright © 2016 by Cognella, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted, reproduced, transmitted, or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying, microfi lming, and recording, or in any information retrieval system without the written permission of Cognella, Inc.

First published in the United States of America in 2016 by Cognella, Inc.

Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation and explanation without intent to infringe.

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN: 978-1-62661-626-4 (pbk) / 978-1-62661-627-1 (br) Contents

Introduction ...... 1 SERGIO LA PORTA

Iliad ...... 5 HOMER Book 1 7 Book 6 25 Book 9 41 Book 16 61 Book 18 68 Book 24 85

Th e Shield of Achilles ...... 111 W.H. AUDEN

Odyssey ...... 115 HOMER Book 1 117 Book 2 129 Book 5 142 Book 10 149 Book 11 161 Book 21 181 Book 23 194 Book 24 201

Odysseus to Telemachus ...... 207 JOSEPH BRODSKY Ithaka ...... 209 C.P. CAVAFY

Th e Trojan Women ...... 211 EURIPIDES

Aeneid ...... 259 VIRGIL Book 1 261 Book 3 287 Book 4 302 Book 6 317

Th e Swan ...... 345 CHARLES BAUDELAIRE

Metamorphoses ...... 349 OVID Book 12 350 Book 13 360 Book 14 394

Inferno ...... 401 DANTE Canto 1 404 Canto 2 408 Canto 3 412 Canto 4 416 Canto 5 420 Canto 24 425 Canto 25 430 Canto 26 434 Canto 32 440 Canto 33 444 Canto 34 448 Introduction

by Sergio La Porta

Th is reader is intended to introduce the classical Western literary tradition to students who have had little or no exposure to it. It tries to balance a wide range of reading with the ability to enjoy a deep reading of each text. Th e selections included are large enough to give students an appreciation of the style and method of each author, yet manageable enough to be read in one semester. It is hoped that students will be motivated to read the full text of these works after reading these selections. When teaching survey courses in the past, I found that students had a diffi cult time adjusting to new characters, places, and historical contexts for each new work. Th e eff ort required to become familiar with foreign names and places blocked their ability to become comfortable with the material. Th erefore, I decided to focus the readings for this class on the Trojan War and its participants so that students can quickly assimilate a more limited number of names and places. Th e common references will also help attune students’ ears to literary resonances between texts. Beyond making these works more accessible, this reader also endeavors to illuminate their contemporary relevance. Towards that end, selections of modern poetry have been included that underscore how artists continue to be inspired by these classical texts. Th ese modern poems also bring into relief important social and moral questions implicit in the earlier works. Th is strategy provides students a stimulating introduction to modern poetry, as well as fostering an understanding of intertextuality and the dynamics of literary creation. Th e selections begin with the Homeric epics and proceed chronologically, concluding with Dante’s Inferno. No prose texts have been included. Given the importance of poetry in the classical world and its underappreciation in modern American society, it seemed benefi cial to enhance students’ compre- hension of the poetic form. Th e selections from the Iliad are meant to challenge most students’ assumption that the work constitutes a record of the Trojan War as an historical event. Rather, the passages draw attention to the ‘personalities’ of the characters: the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon (bk. 1); the meeting of Glaucus and Diomedes and that of Hector with Andromache (bk. 6); the embassy of Odysseus to con- vince Achilles to re-enter the war (bk. 9); the death of Patroclus (bk. 16); and the embassy of Priam to beseech Achilles for his son’s corpse (bk. 24). Th ese passages should lead students to question what kind of hero Achilles represents, whether there is evidence of character development for Achilles, whether any act can be just during war, and why the Homeric position does not seem to present a triumphalist

1 Descendants of Troy: Readings in the Humanities

FIG. 1.1 Map of the Mediterranean World narrative. In addition, the description of Achilles’ shield (bk. 18) is included in order that it may be compared with W.H. Auden’s “Th e Shield of Achilles.” Auden’s poem again evokes the questions of the eff ects of war on a society and whether Achilles can be considered a contemporary hero. Th e selections from the Odyssey similarly focus on those passages that help defi ne the characters rather than on the tales of Odysseus’s journey. Th ey include Telemachus’s situation at home (bks. 1 and 2); the introduction of Odysseus on Calypso’s island (bk. 5); Odysseus’s defeat of Circe and his stay on her island (bk. 10); Odysseus’s journey to the underworld (bk. 11); the contest of Penelope (bk. 21); Penelope’s recognition scene (bk. 23); and the fi nale in the underworld (bk. 24). Two modern poems have been selected to resonate with the Odyssey, C.P. Cavafy’s “Ithaka” and Joseph Brodsky’s “From Odysseus to Telemachus.” Cavafy’s “Ithaka” asks students to recast Odysseus’s journey home into a more personal journey through life. Brodsky’s poem teases out the tensions of Odysseus as (willingly?) absent father and thus relates the story of Telemachus and Odysseus to concerns of parenthood. Th e Homeric epics are followed by Euripides’s Th e Trojan Women, of which the entirety is reproduced here. Th is play provides the opportunity for students to delve deeper into the issue of the eff ects of war on its participants and on society from a perspective not often portrayed, that of the most marginalized element of ancient society, the captured woman. Th e play also invites a discussion of the role of tragedy in ancient Greek society and the role of the dramatist as a social critic. It further aff ords an occasion to show examples of the play’s modern dramatization either on stage or on fi lm. Th e reader then returns to the epic tradition with Virgil’s Aeneid, which allows for comparison with the Iliad and the Odyssey. Th e selections focus on Aeneas’ relationship with and treatment of Dido (bks. 1 and 4); Aeneas’ realization of his destiny in the scene of little Troy (bk. 3); and his descent to the underworld (bk. 6). Aeneas’ relationship with Dido, unlike Odysseus’s sexual conquests, raise the question of whether one’s social, historical duty should take precedence over personal responsibilities. Th e

episode in which Aeneas visits ‘little Troy’ reveals Aeneas’ realization that Troy cannot be reborn, but that he must establish a new city. Baudelaire’s “Th e Swan” is intended to be read alongside this episode from the Aeneid. It explores the burden of memory and loss on the self. Both Virgil and Baudelaire can open up discussion of current immigration issues, like trying to live a new life in America and the eff ects of past traumas on new immigrants. Th e fi nal selection from the Aeneid is Aeneas’ journey to the underworld (bk. 6), which permits further comparison with Odysseus and a discussion of the function of the underworld in both texts. Remaining in the Latin world, the reader then includes selections from bks. 13 and 14 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Th e emphasis in these passages is on Ovid as a subversive author and social critic. Th e selections underscore how he undermined the epic tradition and questioned the Roman political establishment through his literature. Ovid’s treatment of the Iliad once again raises the problem of the hero and the glorifi cation of war. By the time students’ have fi nished with the Metamorphoses, they will have become acquainted with poetics, intertextuality, and the function of the author as social critic. Th is will prepare them for the large leap from the literature of classical antiquity to Dante’s Inferno. Although the Inferno contains little direct reference to the Trojan War, the prior readings should still guide the students much as Virgil guides Dante. Th e selections from the Inferno do not concentrate on the punishments Dante enumer- ates, nor on the historical Florentine confl ict in which he was involved. Instead, they focus on literary issues: the introduction of the literary self into the text; the distinction between Dante the author and Dante the pilgrim; Dante’s relationship to classical literature; and Dante’s reading methodology. Th roughout, the selections challenge the student to read between the lines, whether deciphering the obscure words at the entrance to hell, listening to Francesca’s misreading of love, or comprehending Ugolino’s crime. As is readily discernible, although the Trojan War forms the backdrop to nearly all of the texts included, this reader has deemphasized the historical and mythological aspects of these works in favor of issues that on the one hand concern literary form, character development, and intertextuality, and on the other, larger moral questions of justice and war, of personal versus civic responsibilities, and of the role of literature and of the artist in society. In the past, this approach has made students more receptive to these texts and enabled them to bring their own experiences into their reading. Overall, this reader aims to impress on students that active and engaged reading is a fundamental tool to leading an active and engaged intellectual and public life.

3 Iliad Books 1, 6, 9, 16, 18, and 24

by Homer; translated by Stanley Lombardo

INTRODUCTION

By Sergio La Porta

Th e narrative of the Iliad takes place in the fi nal year of the Trojan War, which scholars date to about 1250 BCE. Th e principal antagonists are the Greeks (also called the Achaeans

Pyraechmes Pontus Euxinus

Euphemus Paeonia Acamas Peirous Illyria Thrace Rhesus Pandarus Abdera Byzantium Ismarus Ascanius Phorcys Macedonia Pangaeus Pella Propontis Polypoetes Thasos Leonteus Thracian Chersonesus Arctonessos Ascania Sestus Artacia Pieria Olynthos Samothrace Guneus Imbros Percote Zeleia Cyzicus Athos From Abydus Asius Pylaemenes Paphlagonia Olympus Podalirius Sithonia Lemnos Elaeus Dardanus Adrastus Machaon Oloosson Troy Amphius Aeneas Epirus Hestiaeotis Homole Philoctetes Hector Archelochus Ossa Acamas Buthrotum Oechalia Cyphus Gyrton Tenedos Corcyra Ida Thebe Eetion Theanus Meliboea Prothous Dodona Tricca Eumelus Antandrus Adramytium Boebe Mynes Eurypylus Tenes Lyrnessus Amazons from Pindus Ithome Assus Penthesilia Thermodon Pherae Iolcus Methymna Podarces Philace Medon Chromius Methone Antissa Mysia Protesilaus Lesbos Ennomus Epistrophus From Adriatic Achilles Thaumacia Itonus Odius Alybe Olizon Aegean Sea Eurypulus Patroclus Pteleus Ajax Mytilene Pergamum Sea Eastern Phoenix Ascalaphus Alope Antron Memnon Ethiopians Eurytus Ialmenus Elephenor Automedon Trachis Neoptolemus Hippothous Leucas Cynus Cerinthus Oeta Cyme Aetolia Opus Pylaeus Schedius Parnassus Orchomenus Peneleus Phocaea Taphos Delphi Copae Larisa Sardis Epistrophus Olenus Phocis Euboea Leitus Ithaca Ocaela Sipylus Mesthles Calydon Ozolian Locris Crisa Aulis Eretria Archesileus Smyrna Tmolus Boeotia Antiphus Meges Echinades Cyparissus Prothoenor Chios Erythrae Chalcis Onchestus Hyria Clazomenae Maeonia Same islands Aegium Thebes Clonius Patrae Teos Odysseus Achaea Pellene Thisbe Aphidnaea Styra Buprasium Marathon Carystus Lebedus Colophon Cephallenia Erymanthus Sicyon Megara Eleusis Pheneus Andros Notium Clarus Myrsinus Elis Cyllene Corinth Athens Stymphalus Cleonae Hymettus Samos Ephesus Elis Pisa Menestheus Nastes Nemea Mycenae Ionia Thoas Zacynthos Orchomenus Attica Tenos Icaria Priene Amphimacus Olympia Argos Tiryns Epidaurus Mantineia Myus Amphimacus Lerna Asine Ceos Myconos Latmos Troezen Syros Miletus Thalpius Phigalia Tegea Mases Argolis Calydnian Polyxenus Delos Oechalia Hermione Seriphos Island Diores Agapenor Dorium Laconia Ajax Caria Glaucus Messene Sparta Teucer Paros Naxos Sarpedon Amyclae Lebinthos Halicarnassus Pylos Taygetus Agamemnon Calymne Pharis Phidippus Gerenia Adrastus Ionian Sea Augeae Helus Amarynceus Siphnos Antiphus Las Cos Oetylus Diomedes Astypalea Euryalus Melos Syme Nireus Nestor Messe Malea Sthenelus Ialysus Lycia Antilochus Nysirus Taenarum Cycnus Thera Camirus Thrasymedes Cyanippus Rhodesa Cythera Anaphe Lindus Menelaus Cretan Sea Tlepolemus

Dia Carpathos Cydonia Cnossus Miletus Crete Ida Lyctus Dicte Idomeneus Ghortys Rhytium Meriones Phaestus

5 Descendants of Troy: Readings in the Humanities

and the Danaans) who are led by Agamemnon, king of Mycenae, and the Trojans (also known as the Dardanians), led by Priam, king of Troy (also known as Ilium). Th e war started when Paris, a son of Priam, ran away with Helen, the wife of Menelaus, the brother of Agamemnon. In response, the two brothers forged an army to attack Troy and sailed across the Aegean sea to reclaim Helen or destroy Troy (Fig. 2.1). Th e siege of Troy took ten years and in the end the Greeks were able to take the city through the ruse of the Trojan horse. Neither the beginning nor the end of the War, however, are related within the epic poem itself, which concentrates on the events leading up to the confrontation between the two central heroes of each side: Greek Achilles and Trojan Hector. FIG. 2.2 Homer Th e poem consists of twenty-four books whose authorship is tra- ditionally ascribed to Homer (Fig. 2.2). We do not know much about Homer. Again according to tradition, he was blind and also composed the other major epic poem of antiquity, the Odyssey, as well as some hymns. Th ere is some scholarly debate as to whether Homer actually existed as well as whether the same person composed both epics. Nonetheless, the two poems show a great deal of internal consistency that suggests they are each the conscious composition of an individual who for the sake of convenience we will refer to as Homer. Th e epics are considered to have been composed in the 8th century BCE; that is, approximately 500 years after the Trojan War is thought to have occurred. Homer was surely not the fi rst person to memo- rialize the War and he undoubtedly constructed his narrative from pieces of earlier traditions concerning the confl ict. It is debated whether the Iliad and the Odyssey as they stand now were originally orally transmitted and later written down or, given their length, conceived of as a written text from the beginning. Regardless of whether Homer wrote them down or not, the poems contain a number of features of oral poetry and performance including a set meter, repeated poetic formulae, catalogs, and set speeches. Despite the passing of millennia and of the civilization that produced them, the Homeric epics continue to fascinate and entertain readers, attesting to the poetic imagination and creative genius of their author.

Table 2.1 Periodization of Antiquity

Archaic Period: 8th – 6th century BCE Homeric Poems

Classical Period: ca. 500 BCE – 323 BCE Th e rise of Athens

Hellenistic Period: 323 BCE – ca. 150 BCE Alexander the Great

Roman Period: ca. 150 BCE – ca. 330 CE Th e Formation of the Roman Empire

Late Antiquity: 330 CE – 6th century CE Th e spread of Christianity

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