DOCSLIB.ORG

The Limit of Anoikeios Logos in Sophocles' Trachiniae the Mute Iole in Sophocles' Trachiniae Is a Fascinating Figure. Altho

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Limit of Anoikeios Logos in Sophocles' Trachiniae the Mute Iole in Sophocles' Trachiniae Is a Fascinating Figure. Altho The Limit of Anoikeios Logos in Sophocles’ Trachiniae The mute Iole in Sophocles’ Trachiniae is a fascinating figure. Although she is on stage for only part of the first episode (229-334), her enigmatic presence generates the major events of the drama. Commentators have often compared her with other female characters, both in the Trachiniae (Aphrodite, Deianira, the Nurse) and elsewhere (e.g. Cassandra in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon). When studied on its own, her silence has been thought to signify inter alia “the impossibility of articulating the boundlessness of her despair and isolation” (Bowra 1944: 123), “the other in the purest sense” (Wohl 1998: 48), and “the mortal problem of having to live in time without full knowledge of the past or future” (Rood 2010: 360). In this paper, I look at the use and function of language in the play from an angle that enriches the existing interpretative spectrum by examining Iole alongside Heracles on the grounds that both are liminal figures poised uneasily between mutually incompatible states of being. Their fluidity or indeterminacy, I argue, makes them adopt an anoikeios logos, a diction that in different ways is not their own in the sense that it does not issue from them as bearers of a stable (social) identity: Iole is resolutely silent, while Heracles either speaks tormented by pain and in the grip of insanity or reports another’s words. The only purposeful speech that Heracles utters is the oath that he places upon Hyllus whereby he dictates the conditions under which he, viz. Heracles, and Iole will acquire fixity and presumably (continue to) speak, albeit beyond the confines of the drama. Away from Trachis Iole is the princess of Oechalia who first enslaves Hercules and is then enslaved by him; in Trachis she is a harmless parthenos and a destructive gunê, the nameless daughter of a king and the fatherless Iole, the putative dweller of a sheltered spot and Heracles’ “secret bed,” the silent captive of warlike valor and the weeping bearer of a Fury, the pitiable xenos and the fearsome fortos. Her silence shows simultaneously strength, because it turns her into an impenetrable mystery, and weakness, because it erodes her personal voice. As for Heracles, away from Trachis he is a savage hero whose exploits are seen as service to others and who, though victorious in all else, is enslaved by Iole; in Trachis he is carried in a litter barely alive and, at the same time, he is “nothing, nothing that can even crawl” (1107-8). He is a man feminized by pain (1070- 5) whose entrance on stage is marked by the silence of sleep. When he awakens, he speaks ineffective words while being wracked by pain (Deianira’s suicide has preempted his killing her) or the language of the illness (lavish descriptions of its effects and cries of agony) or another’s words (his father’s oracle about his death). His speech evinces simultaneously strength by allowing him to express his thoughts and weakness by communicating his total surrender to agony. The only utterance that Heracles freely chooses is the oath that he forces upon his son: Hyllus must facilitate his father’s death and marry Iole. The recovery of his voice goes hand in hand with a degree of self- recovery and has political implications: the infliction of the oath shows that Heracles has reasserted himself both as a potent hero by temporarily overcoming his paiin and as a father by subordinating his son to his will and prescribing the conditions of his death and the continuation of his house. Before the oath Heracles is at the mercy of his illness, but afterwards Hyllus is at the mercy of his father. The implementation of the oath will deliver Heracles from pain altogether and enable him to speak as an omnipotent immortal. It will also end Iole’s indeterminacy and, presumably, allow her to speak as Hyllus’ legitimate wife and queen of the new oikos. Works Cited Bowra, C.M. 1944. Sophoclean Tragedy. Oxford: Clarendon Press. Rood, N. 2010. “Four Silences in Sophocles’ Trachiniae,” Arethusa 43.3: 345-64. Wohl, V. 1998. Intimate Commerce: Exchange, Gender, and Subjectivity in Greek Tragedy. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Herodotos Project (OSU-Ugent): Studies in Ancient Ethnography
    Faculty of Literature and Philosophy Julie Boeten The Herodotos Project (OSU-UGent): Studies in Ancient Ethnography Barbarians in Strabo’s ‘Geography’ (Abii-Ionians) With a case-study: the Cappadocians Master thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Linguistics and Literature, Greek and Latin. 2015 Promotor: Prof. Dr. Mark Janse UGent Department of Greek Linguistics Co-Promotores: Prof. Brian Joseph Ohio State University Dr. Christopher Brown Ohio State University ACKNOWLEDGMENT In this acknowledgment I would like to thank everybody who has in some way been a part of this master thesis. First and foremost I want to thank my promotor Prof. Janse for giving me the opportunity to write my thesis in the context of the Herodotos Project, and for giving me suggestions and answering my questions. I am also grateful to Prof. Joseph and Dr. Brown, who have given Anke and me the chance to be a part of the Herodotos Project and who have consented into being our co- promotores. On a whole other level I wish to express my thanks to my parents, without whom I would not have been able to study at all. They have also supported me throughout the writing process and have read parts of the draft. Finally, I would also like to thank Kenneth, for being there for me and for correcting some passages of the thesis. Julie Boeten NEDERLANDSE SAMENVATTING Deze scriptie is geschreven in het kader van het Herodotos Project, een onderneming van de Ohio State University in samenwerking met UGent. De doelstelling van het project is het aanleggen van een databank met alle volkeren die gekend waren in de oudheid.
    [Show full text]
  • Thucydides Sparta
    102528_Prelims.qxp_Layout 1 27/11/2020 09:26 Page iii THUCYDIDES AND PROOFSSPARTA edited by Anton Powell† and Paula Debnar Contributors Jean Ducat, Thomas J. Figueira, Maria Fragoulaki, Emily Greenwood, Polly Low, Ellen Millender The Classical Press of Wales 102528_Prelims.qxp_Layout 1 27/11/2020 09:26 Page iv First published in 2020 by The Classical Press of Wales 15 Rosehill Terrace, Swansea SA1 6JN [email protected] www.classicalpressofwales.co.uk Distributor in North America. E-book distributor world-wide ISD, 70 Enterprise Drive, Suite 2, Bristol, CT 06010, USA Tel: +1 (860) 584-6546 Fax: +1 (860) 516-4873 www.isdistribution.com © 2020 All rights reserved.PROOFS No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN hard-back 978-1-910589-75-5; ebook 978-1-910589-99-1 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Typeset by Louise Jones, and printed and bound in the UK by Gomer Press, Llandysul, Ceredigion, Wales ––––––––––––––––– The Classical Press of Wales, an independent venture, was founded in 1993, initially to support the work of classicists and ancient historians in Wales and their collaborators from further afield. It now publishes work initiated by scholars internationally, and welcomes contributions from all parts of the world. The symbol of the Press is the Red Kite. This bird, once widespread in Britain, was reduced by 1905 to some five individuals confined to a small area known as ‘The Desert of Wales’ – the upper Tywi valley.
    [Show full text]
  • The Hercules Story Pdf, Epub, Ebook
    THE HERCULES STORY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Martin W. Bowman | 128 pages | 01 Aug 2009 | The History Press Ltd | 9780752450810 | English | Stroud, United Kingdom The Hercules Story PDF Book More From the Los Angeles Times. The god Apollo. Then she tried to kill the baby by sending snakes into his crib. Hercules was incredibly strong, even as a baby! When the tasks were completed, Apollo said, Hercules would become immortal. Deianira had a magic balm which a centaur had given to her. July 23, Hercules was able to drive the fearful boar into snow where he captured the boar in a net and brought the boar to Eurystheus. Greek Nyx: The Goddess of the Night. Eurystheus ordered Hercules to bring him the wild boar from the mountain of Erymanthos. Like many Greek gods, Poseidon was worshiped under many names that give insight into his importance Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Athena observed Heracles shrewdness and bravery and thus became an ally for life. The name Herakles means "glorious gift of Hera" in Greek, and that got Hera angrier still. Feb 14, Alexandra Dantzer. History at Home. Hercules was born a demi-god. On Wednesday afternoon, Sorbo retweeted a photo of some of the people who swarmed the U. Hercules could barely hear her, her whisper was that soft, yet somehow, and just as the Oracle had predicted to herself, Hera's spies discovered what the Oracle had told him. As he grew and his strength increased, Hera was evermore furious.
    [Show full text]
  • Heracles' Itch: an Analysis of the First Case of Male Uterine Displacement in Greek Literature
    The Classical Quarterly 70.1 27–42 © The Classical Association (2020). This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecom- mons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 27 doi:10.1017/S0009838820000270 HERACLES’ ITCH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST CASE OF MALE UTERINE DISPLACEMENT IN GREEK LITERATURE* Scholars have long grappled with the nature of Heracles’ νόσος and his consequent fem- inization in Sophocles’ Women of Trachis (= Trachiniae).1 Despite being triggered by a poisonous garment,2 which acts by means of magic incantation, the evolution of Heracles’ symptoms is described as a clinical case. Yet, making sense of his feminiza- tion from a scientific perspective has proven hard.3 In this paper, I investigate the symp- toms experienced by Heracles, which Sophocles generically refers to as νόσος. The first part focusses on Sophocles’ description of erôs as a disease in Trachiniae. I then move on to dividing Heracles’ symptoms into two categories, which I will call νόσος1 and νόσος2. The erotic passion for Iole which Heracles naturally experiences in the first part of the tragedy will be denoted by νόσος1, whereas νόσος2 will refer to the * I wish to express my gratitude to Professor Gábor Betegh, Dr Sophia Connell, Dr Sean Coughlin, Dr Tiziana D’Angelo, Professor Patrick Finglass and the anonymous referee for their very helpful comments on this paper. 1 P. Biggs, ‘The disease theme in Sophocles’ Ajax, Philoctetes and Trachiniae’, CPh 61 (1966), 223– 35, at 228 underlines how Heracles’ disease deprives him of his humanity and condemns him to isolation.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Reading Athenaios' Epigraphical Hymn to Apollo: Critical Edition And
    Reading Athenaios’ Epigraphical Hymn to Apollo: Critical Edition and Commentaries DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Corey M. Hackworth Graduate Program in Greek and Latin The Ohio State University 2015 Dissertation Committee: Fritz Graf, Advisor Benjamin Acosta-Hughes Carolina López-Ruiz 1 Copyright by Corey M. Hackworth 2015 2 Abstract This dissertation is a study of the Epigraphical Hymn to Apollo that was found at Delphi in 1893, and since attributed to Athenaios. It is believed to have been performed as part of the Athenian Pythaïdes festival in the year 128/7 BCE. After a brief introduction to the hymn, I provide a survey and history of the most important editions of the text. I offer a new critical edition equipped with a detailed apparatus. This is followed by an extended epigraphical commentary which aims to describe the history of, and arguments for and and against, readings of the text as well as proposed supplements and restorations. The guiding principle of this edition is a conservative one—to indicate where there is uncertainty, and to avoid relying on other, similar, texts as a resource for textual restoration. A commentary follows, which traces word usage and history, in an attempt to explore how an audience might have responded to the various choices of vocabulary employed throughout the text. Emphasis is placed on Athenaios’ predilection to utilize new words, as well as words that are non-traditional for Apolline narrative. The commentary considers what role prior word usage (texts) may have played as intertexts, or sources of poetic resonance in the ears of an audience.
    [Show full text]
  • A Complete List of Terms to Know
    Classical Drama and Theatre: A Complete List of Terms to Know Terms to Know From Section 1: Chapter 1 Theatre History Theatron Historiography Institution Historia Theatrical Herodotus Language Ionian Revolution Impersonation Primary Evidence Audience Secondary Evidence Positivism Inference Progress Cogent Primitive Tripartition E.K. Chambers Battle of Thermopylae Chorus Ibn Kahldun Chapter 2 Transitional Forms Herodotus Bronislaw Malinowski The Histories Aetiological Relics Claude Levi-Strauss Fossils Structuralism Aristotle Lumpers James Frazer, The Golden Bough Splitters Anthropology Mimetic Positivism Chapter 3 Age of Tyrants Pelasgians Tyrannos Indo-Europeans Pisistratus of Athens Proto-Indo-European Attic Ionians Age of Lawgivers Athens Solon Asia Minor Sicily Dorians Black Sea Peloponnese Age of Colonization Trojan War Magna Graecia Epic Phoenicians Homer Lyric Age The Iliad Lyre Heinrich Schliemann Lyric Poetry Troy Sappho Polis Classical Age 1 Chapter 4.1 City Dionysia Thespis Ecstasy Tragoidia "Nothing To Do With Dionysus" Aristotle Year-Spirit The Poetics William Ridgeway Dithyramb Tomb-Theory Bacchylides Hero-Cult Theory Trialogue Gerald Else Dionysus Chapter 4.2 Niches Paleontologists Fitness Charles Darwin Nautilus/Nautiloids Transitional Forms Cultural Darwinism Gradualism Pisistratus Steven Jay Gould City Dionysia Punctuated Equilibrium Annual Trading Season Terms to Know From Section 2: Chapter 5 Sparta Pisistratus Peloponnesian War Athens Post-Classical Age Classical Age Macedon(ia) Persian Wars Barbarian Pericles Philip
    [Show full text]
  • 4.2 Empires and Military Glory: Herodotus Relates the Story of Thermopylae
    Part 4: Greece and the Hellenistic World 4.2 Empires and Military Glory: Herodotus Relates the Story of Thermopylae Imperialism often goes hand-in-hand with a tradition of martial heroism and a glorification of wartime exploits. In rationalizing their future imperial aspirations, the Greek city-states would often hark back to the deeds of valour during the Persian Wars (490–479 B.C.E.), as in this description of the Spartan stand at the pass of Thermopylae by the historian Herodotus. Source: Bernard Knox, ed.. The Norton Book of Classical Literature (N.Y.: W.W. Norton, 1993), p. 288–293. The Persian army was now close to the pass, and the Greeks, suddenly doubting their power to resist, held a conference to consider the advisability of retreat. It was proposed by the Peloponnesians generally that the army should fall back upon the Peloponnese and hold the Isthmus; but when the Phocians and Locrians expressed their indignation at that sug- gestion, Leonidas gave his voice for staying where they were and sending, at the same time, an appeal for reinforcements to the various states of the confederacy, as their numbers were inadequate to cope with the Persians. During the conference Xerxes sent a man on horseback to ascertain the strength of the Greek force and to observe what the troops were doing. He had heard before he left Thessaly that a small force was concentrated here, led by the Lacedaemonians under Leonidas of the house of Heracles. The Persian rider approached the camp and took a thorough survey of all he could see—which was not, however, the whole Greek army; for the men on the further side of the wall which, after its reconstruction, was now guarded, were out of sight.
    [Show full text]
  • Synoikism, Urbanization, and Empire in the Early Hellenistic Period Ryan
    Synoikism, Urbanization, and Empire in the Early Hellenistic Period by Ryan Anthony Boehm A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Emily Mackil, Chair Professor Erich Gruen Professor Mark Griffith Spring 2011 Copyright © Ryan Anthony Boehm, 2011 ABSTRACT SYNOIKISM, URBANIZATION, AND EMPIRE IN THE EARLY HELLENISTIC PERIOD by Ryan Anthony Boehm Doctor of Philosophy in Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology University of California, Berkeley Professor Emily Mackil, Chair This dissertation, entitled “Synoikism, Urbanization, and Empire in the Early Hellenistic Period,” seeks to present a new approach to understanding the dynamic interaction between imperial powers and cities following the Macedonian conquest of Greece and Asia Minor. Rather than constructing a political narrative of the period, I focus on the role of reshaping urban centers and regional landscapes in the creation of empire in Greece and western Asia Minor. This period was marked by the rapid creation of new cities, major settlement and demographic shifts, and the reorganization, consolidation, or destruction of existing settlements and the urbanization of previously under- exploited regions. I analyze the complexities of this phenomenon across four frameworks: shifting settlement patterns, the regional and royal economy, civic religion, and the articulation of a new order in architectural and urban space. The introduction poses the central problem of the interrelationship between urbanization and imperial control and sets out the methodology of my dissertation. After briefly reviewing and critiquing previous approaches to this topic, which have focused mainly on creating catalogues, I point to the gains that can be made by shifting the focus to social and economic structures and asking more specific interpretive questions.
    [Show full text]
  • 3Rd International Conference of the CULTRURAL+ European Network for Rural and Cultural Resilience of Remote Areas
    3rd International Conference of the CULTRURAL+ European Network for Rural and Cultural Resilience of Remote Areas “Cultural valorization of rural economies: heritage, production, gastronomy, entrepreneurship” Farkadona Town Hall, Thursday, June 24th 2021 CULTRURAL+ European Network for Rural and Cultural Resilience of Remote Areas ADSUAR J. C.,1 MANZANO-REDONDO F.,2 MORENAS-MARTÍN, J.,3 DÍAZ HERNÁNDEZ M.,4 GALÁN ARROYO, M. DEL CARMEN,5 ROJO-RAMOS, J.6 1. University of Extremadura, [email protected] 2-6 University of Extremadura “Nature tourism in Spain: gender implications and sustainability” Nature tourism is increasing. It is important that tourism does not cause environmental damage, in this sense, it is necessary to look for ways to make this tourism sustainable. The aim of this study is to look at the sociodemographic characteristics of nature tourists in Spain. After analyzing more than 3000 nature tourists, it can be affirmed that there are more women than men doing this type of tourism, women who do nature tourism are younger, are in a couple, and do not have children. In general, men who do this type of tourism have a lower academic level and less income than women. Eighty-five percent of the tourists used private transportation, the second most used was the airplane (8%). These two types of transportation have a negative influence on the environment, the first step to improve the situation is to describe it as is done in this communication. It concludes by indicating that the data provided may contribute to sustainable solutions accomodating the needs of tourists according to their gender.
    [Show full text]
  • Homer's Use of Myth Françoise Létoublon
    Homer’s Use of Myth Françoise Létoublon Epic and Mythology The Homeric Epics are probably the oldest Greek literary texts that we have,1 and their subject is select episodes from the Trojan War. The Iliad deals with a short period in the tenth year of the war;2 the Odyssey is set in the period covered by Odysseus’ return from the war to his homeland of Ithaca, beginning with his departure from Calypso’s island after a 7-year stay. The Trojan War was actually the material for a large body of legend that formed a major part of Greek myth (see Introduction). But the narrative itself cannot be taken as a mythographic one, unlike the narrative of Hesiod (see ch. 1.3) - its purpose is not to narrate myth. Epic and myth may be closely linked, but they are not identical (see Introduction), and the distance between the two poses a particular difficulty for us as we try to negotiate the the mythological material that the narrative on the one hand tells and on the other hand only alludes to. Allusion will become a key term as we progress. The Trojan War, as a whole then, was the material dealt with in the collection of epics known as the ‘Epic Cycle’, but which the Iliad and Odyssey allude to. The Epic Cycle however does not survive except for a few fragments and short summaries by a late author, but it was an important source for classical tragedy, and for later epics that aimed to fill in the gaps left by Homer, whether in Greek - the Posthomerica of Quintus of Smyrna (maybe 3 c AD), and the Capture of Troy of Tryphiodoros (3 c AD) - or in Latin - Virgil’s Aeneid (1 c BC), or Ovid’s ‘Iliad’ in the Metamorphoses (1 c AD).
    [Show full text]
  • Pronunciation Booklet
    PRONUNCIATION BOOKLET Word Phonetic pronunciation (mine) What Meaning (if known) Actual sacred space or enclosure attached to a temple of ab-are-ton Abaton Asclepius where those wanting to be cured slept Acayo a-key-owe Fictional character - a Spartan soldier Greek name meaning out of step/ill-timed Acropolis ac-rop-o-liss Actual fortified part of a city, normally built on a hill Actual ancient Greek King of Athens, father of the hero Aegeus ee-gee-us Greek name meaning protection Theseus Actual Ancient Greek name given to the public open space Agora ag-or-are Greek name meaning gathering place or assembly used for markets Agrias ag-ree-us Fictional character - Alexis' father, and King of Trachis Greek name of unknown meaning Aigai ay-gay Greek name meaning place of goats Actual ancient first capital of Macedonia, now called Vergina Fictional character - Princess of Thermopylae, daughter of Greek name meaning helper and defender (can be male Alexis al-ex-us Agrias & Melina or female name) Amazonomachiai am-a-zon-e-mack-ee Plural of the battle of the Amazonomachy Portrayal of a mythical battle between the Amazons and Amazonomachy am-a-zon-e-mack-ee Amazon battle Ancient Greeks Amphissa am-f-iss-are Actual ancient city in Phocis, now known as Amfissa Greek name meaning surround Actual Ancient Greek jar or jug with two handles and a Amphora am-for-a From Greek word amphoreus meaning to bear narrow neck (singular) Amphorae am-for-i Actual plural of the Ancient Greek jars or jugs called amphora Amyntas arm-in-t-us Actual King of Macedonia Amyntas
    [Show full text]
  • Heracles' Itch: an Analysis of The
    The Classical Quarterly 70.1 27–42 © The Classical Association (2020). This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecom- mons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 27 doi:10.1017/S0009838820000270 HERACLES’ ITCH: AN ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST CASE OF MALE UTERINE DISPLACEMENT IN GREEK LITERATURE* Scholars have long grappled with the nature of Heracles’ νόσος and his consequent fem- inization in Sophocles’ Women of Trachis (= Trachiniae).1 Despite being triggered by a poisonous garment,2 which acts by means of magic incantation, the evolution of Heracles’ symptoms is described as a clinical case. Yet, making sense of his feminiza- tion from a scientific perspective has proven hard.3 In this paper, I investigate the symp- toms experienced by Heracles, which Sophocles generically refers to as νόσος. The first part focusses on Sophocles’ description of erôs as a disease in Trachiniae. I then move on to dividing Heracles’ symptoms into two categories, which I will call νόσος1 and νόσος2. The erotic passion for Iole which Heracles naturally experiences in the first part of the tragedy will be denoted by νόσος1, whereas νόσος2 will refer to the * I wish to express my gratitude to Professor Gábor Betegh, Dr Sophia Connell, Dr Sean Coughlin, Dr Tiziana D’Angelo, Professor Patrick Finglass and the anonymous referee for their very helpful comments on this paper. 1 P. Biggs, ‘The disease theme in Sophocles’ Ajax, Philoctetes and Trachiniae’, CPh 61 (1966), 223– 35, at 228 underlines how Heracles’ disease deprives him of his humanity and condemns him to isolation.
    [Show full text]