DOCSLIB.ORG

A Speaker of Words and Doer of Deeds: the Reception of Phoenix’ Educational Ideal

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Speaker of Words and Doer of Deeds: the Reception of Phoenix’ Educational Ideal A Speaker of Words and Doer of Deeds: The Reception of Phoenix’ Educational Ideal Jacqueline Klooster Introduction: Iliad 9.438–443 In Iliad Book 9, the episode of the embassy, Achilles’ old tutor Phoenix emo- tionally addresses his one-time pupil, who has just announced that he will no longer stay at Troy where he is not treated with the honour that he deserves. If Achilles goes so will he, Phoenix says, because: […] σοὶ δέ μ’ ἔπεμπε γέρων ἱππηλάτα Πηλεὺς ἤματι τῷ ὅτε σ’ ἐκ Φθίης Ἀγαμέμνονι πέμπε νήπιον, οὔ πω εἰδόθ’ ὁμοιΐου πολέμοιο, οὐδ’ ἀγορέων, ἵνα τ’ ἄνδρες ἀριπρεπέες τελέθουσι. τοὔνεκά με προέηκε διδασκέμεναι τάδε πάντα, μύθων τε ῥητῆρ’ ἔμεναι πρηκτῆρά τε ἔργων. Il. 9.438–443 With you the old horseman Peleus sent me on the day when he sent you out from Phthia to Agamemnon, a mere child knowing nothing as yet of evil war, nor of gatherings in which men become preeminent. For this reason he sent me to instruct you in all these things, to be both a speaker of words and a doer of deeds. trans. murray-wyatt Besides highlighting the intimate bond of tutor and pupil and underlining the irony of the fact that Achilles is currently anything but a doer of deeds, the speech has largely been taken to express the composite ideal of Homeric male virtue: to be a speaker of words and a doer of deeds. Because of this, Phoenix’ speech and the ideal it expresses have in fact been read as a Princes’ Mirror of sorts, both in antiquity and in modern scholarship: the ideal often turns up in contexts of advice on how to rule, and features prominently in both ancient and modern discussions of Homer as the educator of the Greeks.1 In 1 See the contribution of De Jong in this volume. © koninklijke brill nv, leiden, 2018 | doi: 10.1163/9789004365858_005 66 klooster this chapter, I trace the fortune of this ideal by looking at the way in which Phoenix’ phrase is quoted in particular ancient contexts, or referenced by later authors. Besides reflecting the enduring authority of Homer as educator of the Greeks and general compendium of values,2 this itinerary allows us to follow the development of important discourses in Greek thought. Examples are the relation between words and deeds in the ideal education of princes, but also the casting of Alexander the Great as a model ruler, through the link of his well- documented admiration for Achilles. The theme of ‘words and deeds’, or even ‘words versus deeds’, in the context of good rule is potentially very broad. It might be said to include, on the one hand, the entire philosophical debate about the relative merits of the public vita activa (bios politikos) versus the philosophical and private vita contempla- tiva (bios theōrētikos), which finds its first systematic discussion in Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics.3 That Phoenix’ words were sometimes taken to epitomize a conciliation of these two ways of life can be seen in Cicero’s De oratore 3.15.57: That ancient learning, indeed, appears to have been at the same time the preceptress of living rightly [recte faciendi] and of speaking well [bene dicendi]; nor were there separate masters for those subjects, but the same teachers formed the morals and the language; as Phoenix in Homer, who says that he was appointed a companion in war to the young Achilles by his father Peleus, to make him an orator in words, and a hero in deeds [ut efficeret oratorem verborum actoremque rerum]. trans. watson On the other hand, through its highlighting of eloquence in the life of the heroic king, the topic is crucial to the tradition of using Homeric epic as a model text for orators and the debate this entails on whether or not Homer was aware of rhetoric—and whether this meant it was a technē (art) or rather an aretē (inborn talent). This rich and well-studied theme is beautifully exemplified in Quintilian’s Institutio Oratoria 2.17, also with a reference to our passage.4 2 For this role of Homer in antiquity, cf. Pl. R. 10.606e, X. Smp. 4.6, D. Chr. Or. 18.8; see e.g. Jaeger (1933) 3–56, Verdenius (1970), Pontani (2016). See also the contribution of De Jong in this volume, with further references. 3 Arist. en 1.4. 4 Kennedy (1957 and 1980: 89–90) discusses the ancient debate on whether Homer was aware of an actual technē of rhetoric or whether this only came into existence with Tisias and Corax in the fourth century bc. See recently also Pontani (2016), with ample reference to the theme. Ancient discussions about this topic can be traced from Plato via Aristotle, Aelius Aristides,.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 1 Divine Intervention and Disguise in Homer's Iliad Senior Thesis
    Divine Intervention and Disguise in Homer’s Iliad Senior Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Undergraduate Program in Classical Studies Professor Joel Christensen, Advisor In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts By Joana Jankulla May 2018 Copyright by Joana Jankulla 1 Copyright by Joana Jankulla © 2018 2 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor, Professor Joel Christensen. Thank you, Professor Christensen for guiding me through this process, expressing confidence in me, and being available whenever I had any questions or concerns. I would not have been able to complete this work without you. Secondly, I would like to thank Professor Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow and Professor Cheryl Walker for reading my thesis and providing me with feedback. The Classics Department at Brandeis University has been an instrumental part of my growth in my four years as an undergraduate, and I am eternally thankful to all the professors and staff members in the department. Thank you to my friends, specifically Erica Theroux, Sarah Jousset, Anna Craven, Rachel Goldstein, Taylor McKinnon and Georgie Contreras for providing me with a lot of emotional support this year. I hope you all know how grateful I am for you as friends and how much I have appreciated your love this year. Thank you to my mom for FaceTiming me every time I was stressed about completing my thesis and encouraging me every step of the way. Finally, thank you to Ian Leeds for dropping everything and coming to me each time I needed it.
    [Show full text]
  • DATE PALM “11M Palm”
    DATE PALM “11M Palm” DID YOU KNOW? In addition to the commemorative palm found in this garden (“11M Palm”), there is another specimen at Santo Antonio de Herbón’s convent. This specimen has been considered to be a singular tree in Galicia. It was planted together with another specimen following the tradition that begun in the 15th century by Juan Rodríguez de la Cámara, a writer from Padrón. It belongs to the Arecaceae family and the Coryphoideae subfamily. It is present from the south of the Mediterranean basin (Senegal and southern Morocco) to Pakistan. It is also present in the east and south of the Iberian Peninsula, especially because of the dispersal of its fruits by birds and mammals, but it is not present far from the coast. Common names: “palmera”, “palmera datilera” (Spanish); “palma”, “palmeira datileira” (Galician); “date palm” (English). Etymology: • Phoenix: it is a generic name that comes from the Greek word “φοῖνιξ” or “φοίνικος” (phoinikos), which is the name used for the date palm, used by Theophrastus and Pliny the Elder. It is likely for them to refer to the Phoenician Phoenix, son of Amyntor and Cleobule in Homer’s Iliad, or to the phoenix (bird). • Dactilyfera: it is a specific epithet that means “date carrier”. Description: This plant can reach 30 meters high, even its trunk is thin and often has buds, which makes it different from the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) and why they are usually mistaken. Its leaves are persistent, leathery, pinnate, thorny, arched, very big and they come out like plumes from the crown.
    [Show full text]
  • The Myth of Helen of Troy: Reinterpreting the Archetypes of the Myth in Solo and Collaborative Forms of Playwriting
    The Myth of Helen of Troy: Reinterpreting the Archetypes of the Myth in Solo and Collaborative Forms of Playwriting. Volume One of Two Submitted by Ioannis Souris to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Performance Practice In October 2011 This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Signature: ………………………………………………………….. 1 Abstract In this practice-based thesis I examine how I interpreted the myth of Helen of Troy in solo and collaborative forms of playwriting. For the interpretation of Helen’s myth in solo playwriting, I wrote a script that contextualised in a contemporary world the most significant characters of Helen’s myth which are: Helen, Menelaus, Hermione, Paris, Hecuba, Priam. This first practical research project investigated how characters that were contemporary reconstructions of Menelaus, Hermione, Paris , Hecuba, Priam, Telemachus were affected by Helen as an absent figure, a figure that was not present on stage but was remembered and discussed by characters. For the interpretation of Helen’s myth in collaborative playwriting, I asked three female performers to analyse the character of Helen and then conceptualise and write their own Helen character. The performers’ analyses and rewritings of Helen inspired me to write a script whose story evolved around three Helen characters that were dead and interacted with one another in a space of death.
    [Show full text]
  • (Tom) Palaima Department
    CC 303 Intro to Classical Mythology 32925 MWF 12-1:00 JGB 2.324 Palaima, Thomas G. Professor Thomas (Tom) Palaima Department: Classics WAG 123 Mail Code: C3400 Office: Waggener 14AA Office Hours: M 3:30-4:30pm W 10-11:00 am and by appt [email protected] Campus Phone: 471-8837 fax: 471-4111 Dept. 471-5742 Assistant Instructors William (Bill) Farris Dept: Classics WAG 123 Mail Code: C3400 Office: Waggener 11 Office Hours: T 10-11am TH 12:30-1:30pm and by appt [email protected] Campus Phone: NONE fax: 471-4111 Dept. 471-5742 Samantha (Sam) Meyer Department: Classics WAG 123 Mail Code: C3400 Office: Waggener 13 Office Hours: M 9-10am F 1-2pm and by appt [email protected] Campus Phone: NONE fax: 471-4111 Dept. 471-5742 SI sessions: Mondays 5-6pm in CBA 4.330 Thursdays 6-7pm in MEZ 1.210 Supplemental Instruction (SI) consists of weekly voluntary discussion sessions that are aimed at helping students learn and practice study strategies with the course materials. Two sessions are offered each week (while you are absolutely welcome to come to both, you do not need to attend both). These sessions are facilitated by the SI leader, but primarily they are a space for collaborative, student-driven discussion and review. Please let Sam know if you have any questions! Course Description: Greek mythology is mainly a public performance literature embedded in a still primarily oral culture. Ancient Greek mythmakers (the word muthos means simply “something uttered,” i.e., what we call a “story”) used their stories in public settings to make sense of their world and to entertain, instruct, ask questions and provoke discussion among people who lived mainly in “continual fear and danger of violent death, [in historical periods when] the life of man [was] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short” (Thomas Hobbes).
    [Show full text]
  • Phoenix in the Iliad
    University of Mary Washington Eagle Scholar Student Research Submissions Spring 5-4-2017 Phoenix in the Iliad Kati M. Justice Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research Part of the Classics Commons Recommended Citation Justice, Kati M., "Phoenix in the Iliad" (2017). Student Research Submissions. 152. https://scholar.umw.edu/student_research/152 This Honors Project is brought to you for free and open access by Eagle Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Research Submissions by an authorized administrator of Eagle Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PHOENIX IN THE ILIAD An honors paper submitted to the Department of Classics, Philosophy, and Religion of the University of Mary Washington in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Departmental Honors Kati M. Justice May 2017 By signing your name below, you affirm that this work is the complete and final version of your paper submitted in partial fulfillment of a degree from the University of Mary Washington. You affirm the University of Mary Washington honor pledge: "I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work." Kati Justice 05/04/17 (digital signature) PHOENIX IN THE ILIAD ​ Kati Justice Dr. Angela Pitts CLAS 485 April 24, 2017 2 Abstract This paper analyzes evidence to support the claim that Phoenix is an narratologically central and original Homeric character in the Iliad. Phoenix, the ​ ​ instructor of Achilles, tries to persuade Achilles to protect the ships of Achaeans during his speech. At the end of his speech, Phoenix tells Achilles about the story of Meleager which serves as a warning about waiting too long to fight the Trojans.
    [Show full text]
  • CLA 2323A Greek Mythology
    Outline of the Iliad CLCV 2000A Classical Mythology Book 1 C. Hektor finds Andromache and Astyanax (369-502) I. The Quarrel (1-430) V. Paris and Hektor return to the fighting (503-529) II. Return of Chryseis to her home (430-492) Book 7 III. Balancing scene among the gods (493-611) I. Hektor and Paris return to battle (1-16) Book 2 II. Duel between Hektor and Aias (17-322) I. Agamemnon tests the army (1-154) III. Fighting halted to bury the dead (323-482) A. Odysseus recalls the troops (155-210) A. Greeks dig walls around ships (323-344) B. Thersites episode (211-332) B. Paris refuses to return Helen but offers other gifts (345-397) C. Nestor’s counsel (333-483) C. Greeks refuse Paris’ gifts (398-420) II. Catalogue of Greek Ships (484-785) D. Cremation of dead, Greeks build walls (421-482) III. Catalogue of Trojan troops (786-877) Book 8 Book 3 I. Assembly of gods; Zeus forbids gods to take part in battle (1-52) I. Truce by single combat between Paris and Menelaos (1-120) II. A day of fighting (53-349) II. The Teichoskopeia (Helen’s ‘View from the Wall’) (121-244) A. Battle begins with the scales of Zeus (53-65) III. The duel and the rescue (245-382) B. Nestor threatened by Hektor, rescued by Diomedes (78-166) IV. Helen and Paris (383-461) C. Advance of Trojans under Hektor (167-216) Book 4 D. Agamemnon rallies troops (217-334) I. Pandaros breaks the truce (1-122) E.
    [Show full text]
  • I I I: Briseis. to Achilles
    I I I: Briseis. to Achilles The character of Briseis is derived by Ovid from the Iliad. In that soQrce, however, the character of Briseis is scarcely developed and she is little more than a pivot around which the fabled wrath of Achilles is devdpped. While she may have been loved by Achilles in Homer's account, we should also note that for him the loss ofBriseis must surely have been perceived as an insult of the. gravest propor­ tions. We know very litde about Briseis and the charms she might have had in the eyes of Achilles; we only know that upon losing her Achilles retired from combat to his tent. In the Heroides, Briseis becomes a woman richly endowed with human feeling who grieves that she has not been reunited with the man she. loves, who fears that she will be supplanted by another, and who must now find her future life with those who destroyed her homeland, her family and her heritage. For Briseis the attraction identified u love is dangerously close to the fear of abandonment. She does not object so much to captivity as to the uncer~ty and instability that it has brought into her life. In this, Briseis echoes a theme which permeates the Heroidts: the lover and the beloved both seek to bring into their .lives a degree of permanence and changelessness that in reality is nearly impossible of attainment. But the situation of Bri~eis is still more tenuous. She is not only a pawn in a mysterious game being played out by characters superior to her in every way but she is also a barbarian.
    [Show full text]
  • Authoritative Response, Homeric Irony, and the Peril of a Missed Language Cue 1
    This article belongs to a special issue of Oral Tradition published in honor of John Miles Foley’s 65th birthday and 2011 retirement. The surprise Festschrift, guest-edited by Lori and Scott Garner entirely without his knowledge, celebrates John’s tremendous impact on studies in oral tradition through a series of essays contributed by his students from the University of Missouri- Columbia (1979-present) and from NEH Summer Seminars that he has directed (1987-1996). http://journal.oraltradition.org/issues/26ii This page is intentionally left blank. Oral Tradition, 26/2 (2011): 493-520 “Stricken to Silence”: Authoritative Response, Homeric Irony, and the Peril of a Missed Language Cue 1 Andrew E. Porter The Formula The formula2 “Thus he spoke, but they in fact all were stricken to silence” (ὣς ἔφαθ’, οἳ δ’ ἄρα πάντες ἀκὴν ἐγένοντο σιωπῇ)3 occurs sixteen times in Homer4 and has received significant treatment in a number of recent studies focusing on its referential force. Its “connotative level of signification” (Kelly 2007:6) has been projected in part for the Iliad, and important themes and functions have been suggested. Silvia Montiglio (1993:175-78) has considered the formula’s meaning within the Iliad both etymologically and more generally, and found that it suggests “une rupture anormale,” “la déchirure” of the normal communication process. John Miles Foley has linked the formula in the Iliad with the speech that precedes it, since “each initial speech proposes or reports a radical, usually unexpected action” (1995:13) that promises either the winning or losing of kleos. Foley’s research further demonstrates that the 1 I wish to thank my anonymous external reviewers along with Casey Dué, Scott Garner, David Mulroy, and Kevin Muse for their remarks on earlier drafts of this article.
    [Show full text]
  • Ajax: Introduction
    Ajax: Introduction I Outline The parts of a play: A Greek tragedy is divided into distinct sung (STASIMA , “formations” or ODES, “songs”) and spoken parts (EPISODES parts “between the songs”), with the occasional mixing of the two in a KOMMOS (“beating” [of the breast] or “lament” between actors and chorus). Like most Greek plays, the Ajax begins with a PROLOGUE. Sophoclean Prologues are usually in dialogue form.1 The prologue of Ajax adds a third character, but there is no triangular scene of the three characters interacting. The prologue tells us or shows us where we are in the story, but it is also part of the play. All parts of the plays are in verse: the most common meter for the dialogue portions is iambic trimeter (considered the meter most like ordinary speech) in dipodic units (groups of two feet): that is six iambs (¢ ¯ and their variations, called resolutions). The prologue characters leave and the chorus enters usually chanting in anapests (¢ ¢ ¯), suitable for making an entrance. Their entrance song is called the PARODOS (the entrances on the sides of the stage area are also called PARODOI “side-walks” or EISODOI “entrances”). After the anapestic entrance the chorus forms into a group to sing and dance in various lyric meters. Their song is in strophic form, that is, matched sets of STROPHE/ANTISTROPHE (“turning”, “opposite turning”) in the same meter and generally thought to be accompanied by the same choral movements; sometimes an ode ends with an astrophic (unmatched) EPODE. The scene after the last choral ode (or STASIMON) is called the EXODOS (“exit”).
    [Show full text]
  • Sing, Goddess, Sing of the Rage of Achilles, Son of Peleus—
    Homer, Iliad Excerpts 1 HOMER, ILIAD TRANSLATION BY IAN JOHNSTON Dr. D’s note: These are excerpts from the complete text of Johnston’s translation, available here. The full site shows original line numbers, and has some explanatory notes, and you should use it if you use this material for one of your written topics. Book I: The quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon begins The Greeks have been waging war against Troy and its allies for 10 years, and in raids against smaller allies, have already won war prizes including women like Chryseis and Achilles’ girl, Briseis. Sing, Goddess, sing of the rage of Achilles, son of Peleus— that murderous anger which condemned Achaeans to countless agonies and threw many warrior souls deep into Hades, leaving their dead bodies carrion food for dogs and birds— all in fulfilment of the will of Zeus. Start at the point where Agamemnon, son of Atreus, that king of men, quarrelled with noble Achilles. Which of the gods incited these two men to fight? That god was Apollo, son of Zeus and Leto. Angry with Agamemnon, he cast plague down onto the troops—deadly infectious evil. For Agamemnon had dishonoured the god’s priest, Chryses, who’d come to the ships to find his daughter, Chryseis, bringing with him a huge ransom. In his hand he held up on a golden staff the scarf sacred to archer god Apollo. He begged Achaeans, above all the army’s leaders, the two sons of Atreus: “Menelaus, Agamemnon, sons of Atreus, all you well-armed Achaeans, may the gods on Olympus grant you wipe out Priam’s city, and then return home safe and sound.
    [Show full text]
  • Divine Riddles: a Sourcebook for Greek and Roman Mythology March, 2014
    Divine Riddles: A Sourcebook for Greek and Roman Mythology March, 2014 E. Edward Garvin, Editor What follows is a collection of excerpts from Greek literary sources in translation. The intent is to give students an overview of Greek mythology as expressed by the Greeks themselves. But any such collection is inherently flawed: the process of selection and abridgement produces a falsehood because both the narrative and meta-narrative are destroyed when the continuity of the composition is interrupted. Nevertheless, this seems the most expedient way to expose students to a wide range of primary source information. I have tried to keep my voice out of it as much as possible and will intervene as editor (in this Times New Roman font) only to give background or exegesis to the text. All of the texts in Goudy Old Style are excerpts from Greek or Latin texts (primary sources) that have been translated into English. Ancient Texts In the field of Classics, we refer to texts by Author, name of the book, book number, chapter number and line number.1 Every text, regardless of language, uses the same numbering system. Homer’s Iliad, for example, is divided into 24 books and the lines in each book are numbered. Hesiod’s Theogony is much shorter so no book divisions are necessary but the lines are numbered. Below is an example from Homer’s Iliad, Book One, showing the English translation on the left and the Greek original on the right. When citing this text we might say that Achilles is first mentioned by Homer in Iliad 1.7 (i.7 is also acceptable).
    [Show full text]
  • Greek Mythology Link (Complete Collection)
    Document belonging to the Greek Mythology Link, a web site created by Carlos Parada, author of Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology Characters • Places • Topics • Images • Bibliography • Español • PDF Editions About • Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. This PDF contains portions of the Greek Mythology Link COMPLETE COLLECTION, version 0906. In this sample most links will not work. THE COMPLETE GREEK MYTHOLOGY LINK COLLECTION (digital edition) includes: 1. Two fully linked, bookmarked, and easy to print PDF files (1809 A4 pages), including: a. The full version of the Genealogical Guide (not on line) and every page-numbered docu- ment detailed in the Contents. b. 119 Charts (genealogical and contextual) and 5 Maps. 2. Thousands of images organized in albums are included in this package. The contents of this sample is copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. To buy this collection, visit Editions. Greek Mythology Link Contents The Greek Mythology Link is a collection of myths retold by Carlos Parada, author of Genealogical Guide to Greek Mythology, published in 1993 (available at Amazon). The mythical accounts are based exclusively on ancient sources. Address: www.maicar.com About, Email. Copyright © 1997 Carlos Parada and Maicar Förlag. ISBN 978-91-976473-9-7 Contents VIII Divinities 1476 Major Divinities 1477 Page Immortals 1480 I Abbreviations 2 Other deities 1486 II Dictionaries 4 IX Miscellanea Genealogical Guide (6520 entries) 5 Three Main Ancestors 1489 Geographical Reference (1184) 500 Robe & Necklace of
    [Show full text]