Sympotic and Rhapsodic Discourse in the Homeric Epics Laura Erin Mawhinney Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Classics University of Toronto 2012
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
SYMPOTIC AND RHAPSODIC DISCOURSE IN THE HOMERIC EPICS by Laura Erin Mawhinney A thesis in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Classics University of Toronto © Copyright by Laura Mawhinney 2012 Sympotic and Rhapsodic Discourse in the Homeric Epics Laura Erin Mawhinney Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Classics University of Toronto 2012 ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the relationship between sympotic and rhapsodic discourses and the Homeric epics and specifically considers how an understanding of sympotic discourse can affect an external audience’s perception of events within the narrative. Heroic feasting is examined and defined as an activity which signifies different attitudes and aesthetics than the symposium. Yet a case is made for the possibility that Greek people are practicing symposia at a time when rhapsodes – the creative composers-in-performance of the epics – would have been freely incorporating material from the contemporary world into their performances. This is a period of time extending over much of the 7th century, and perhaps even into some time before and after. I analyze both the symposium and rhapsodic performances as discourses, using literary, archaeological, epigraphic, and iconographic evidence to define markers – certain signs, gestures, attitudes, accoutrement, and behavior specific to each – of each discourse. By treating the symposium and rhapsodic performances as discourses with their own markers, I establish a methodology with which to examine certain passages of the epics and the implicit meanings conveyed in them. Odysseus is thus shown to be manipulating sympotic discourse in the Phaeacian episodes of the Odyssey in order to win a favorable return home – at least as the contemporary external audience familiar with ii sympotic conventions of speaking and behaving would have understood it. Achilles too is treated, with specific reference to his behavior in the embassy scene of the Iliad. The sympotic discourse conveyed by the actions and attitudes of Achilles and Patroclus can be shown to communicate additional layers of meaning to the external audience and perhaps reference extra-Iliadic motifs concerning Achilles’ behavior at symposia. A proper understanding of rhapsodic and sympotic discourses within the epics not only contributes to a more nuanced understanding of character behavior within the epics and audiences’ perception of such behavior, but also challenges our understanding of the role of archaic social institutions such as the symposium within the epics. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Any attempt to acknowledge everyone to whom I owe gratitude for support and guidance is inadequate. As with any thesis, support came in many forms both academic and personal. Out of these many people I wish to single out a few for particular thanks, without whom this dissertation would still be in its infancy. I owe my greatest debt of gratitude to my supervisor Jonathan Burgess, who has been a thoughtful and encouraging mentor since my first semester at the University of Toronto. My committee members, Eph Lytle and Dimitri Nakassis, whose critical readings and suggestions were most helpful, have become good friends. I have had the pleasure of working with and getting to know several other professors in the department who have been generous with their time and advice, particularly Ben Akrigg, Jarrett Welsh, and Victoria Wohl. My external examiner, Andrew Ford, was especially helpful with his comments and thoughts on the future directions of my work. The entirety of my graduate studies, like everything else in this department, was made possible by the tireless work and friendliness of Coral Gavrilovic and Ann-Marie Matti. I had the additional honor of spending my final year of studies at Mt. Allison University as the Crake Doctoral Fellow. There, the collegial atmosphere created by Bruce Robertson, Dustin Heinen, and Ilaria Battiloro gave me the opportunity to complete the final stages of my dissertation. I owe special gratitude to Leslie Shumka and Fiona Black, whose friendship and guidance extended beyond the academic and helped me feel at home in Sackville, NB. It was an exceptional privilege to be among the graduate students at the University of Toronto. In particular I have drawn endless advice, support, and kind friendship from John Abad, Megan iv Campbell, Vicki Ciocani, Jeff Easton, Melissa Goldman, George Kovacs, Kathryn Mattison, Tim Perry, Melanie Racette-Campbell, Lee Sawchuk, Donald Sells, Eirene Seiradaki, and the members of the Classics softball team. I owe many thanks to far more people, and I wish I could list the ways everyone has encouraged me and shown me patience and kindness throughout this whole process, but I am in especial debt to Caleb Carswell who has given up considerable time and offered unfailing support on many “emergency” phone calls. Lastly, I wish to express the deep appreciation I have for the love and guidance of my family. My sisters and brothers – Christie, Michael, Liz, both Andys, and Megan – have been unceasingly generous with their positivity and encouragement. My mother- and father-in-law, Caryl and John Hope, often offered kind support. For my own mother and father, Judy and Terry Mawhinney, I cannot adequately convey how much they have done for me. My mother’s insatiable curiosity and my father’s tireless work ethic and patience have affected me profoundly, and their continued and unfaltering guidance, love, and support are part of who I am. My greatest and deepest thanks go to Carl, who has been instrumental in helping me take this work from seminar paper to dissertation. His unfailing love, undeterred positivity, and keen ability to discern sports metaphors have been invaluable throughout my studies. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES viii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1: FEASTING IN THE HOMERIC EPICS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROTO-SYMPOSIUM Introduction 11 Wine-drinking and feasting in the Homeric epics 15 Synchronism between the proto-symposium and the performance of the Homeric epics 29 Nestor’s cup and the proto-symposium 31 The Date of the Homeric epics 39 Conclusion 40 CHAPTER 2: THE SYMPOSIUM: MARKERS AND THEIR EMPLOYMENT Introduction 42 Markers of the Symposium 46 Material Culture 46 Preliminaries 55 Drinking Games 57 Circulation and distribution: endexia/epidexia 67 Aesthetics 71 The markers of sympotic discourse and the epics 94 Conclusion 101 CHAPTER 3: RHAPSODES: MARKERS AND THEIR EMPLOYMENT Introduction 102 The Rhapsoidos and the Aoidos 104 The rhapsode 104 The aoidos 112 Rhapsodic Discourse 116 Rhapsoidos: Stitcher of Song 116 Participatory and Sequential Performance 122 Conclusion 129 CHAPTER 4: THE ODYSSEY: ODYSSEUS AS RHAPSODE AND SYMPOSIAST Introduction 132 Rhapsodic Relay and the Odyssey 132 vi The Symposium and the Odyssey: The Court of the Phaeacians 143 Material Culture 145 Drinking Games 147 Aesthetics 148 Sympotic Discourse and Character Behavior 149 Dangerous Phaeacians 150 Sympotic competition: Books 8 and 9 154 Phaeacian youth: competitive performances 155 Catalogues of Women: Odyssey 11 160 The catalogue of heroines as a rhapsodic insertion 160 The catalogue of heroines and sympotic discourse 167 Sympotic techniques and aesthetics in the contest of the bow and the banquet of the suitors 173 Conclusion 179 CHAPTER 5: THE ILIAD: SYMPOSIUM AND THE SONGS OF ACHILLES AND PATROCLUS Introduction 181 The Songs of Achilles and Patroclus 182 Rhapsodic technique and relay performance 183 Markers of Sympotic Discourse in Iliad 9.185-231 190 Drinking Games 191 Preliminaries 192 Material Culture 196 Sympotic Aesthetics: Achilles at Banquets 200 Conclusion 210 CONCLUSION 211 APPENDIX 1 219 APPENDIX 2 220 APPENDIX 3 236 BIBLIOGRAPHY 238 vii List of Figures Figure 1. Chronological table of the symposium and epic performance. 41 Figure 2. Red-figure cup, c.480. From Lissarrague (1990a). 53 Figure 3. Red-figure cup, c.500. From Lissarrague (1990a). 53 Figure 4. Beazley, ARV2, p. 183, no. 15, c. 490-480 BCE. 111 Figure 5. Madrid No.11267; ARV2, 58/59, c. 520 BCE. From Węcowski (2002b). 214 viii INTRODUCTION The social context of the Homeric epics is problematic. Crucial evidence is lost. “Homer” has become, in most cases, a moniker for an epic tradition rather than the name of the historical author of the Iliad and the Odyssey. The question of when such a person or tradition existed and created the epics has largely turned into for how long or up to what point were the epics in a state of creation. How the Homeric epics came to be has been richly and rewardingly studied from the standpoint of oral composition, but such a standpoint complicates our understanding of when the epics came to be written down in the monumental form we have them today. Context is nevertheless essential to our understanding of the epics. Neoanalytical scholarship has demonstrated the significant contexts of mythological traditions for the Iliad and the Odyssey.1 This project will approach the social context of the Homeric epics through an examination of the interaction between the epics and the symposium. The symposium is not an institution readily associated with the Homeric epics. Epic heroes feast by ritually sacrificing and roasting meats. At times they are entertained by performances of professional bards. At first glance such activities may seem to be a far cry from the reclining wine-party of the symposium where participants dine on dainty finger-foods and often perform their own compositions aimed at