DOCSLIB.ORG

1 Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War: an Introductory Case Study

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
1 Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War: an Introductory Case Study Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-89582-8 - Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths: An Introduction Klaus Junker Excerpt More information 1 Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War: An introductory case study From early times, the use of the bow and arrow formed a part of Greek military practice, as a dangerous long-range weapon. If the arrow had not struck an immediately fatal blow, it could still be the cause of insidious wounds. If the arrowhead had become completely embedded in the body and perhaps, in the heat of the battle, broken off from the shaft, then the removal of the metal would cause acute pain and, in certain circumstances, cause further damage to the tissues surrounding the wound. In the detailed battle descriptions of the Iliad, wounds caused by arrows are mentioned on various occasions. When the Greek Menelaus has just been struck by an arrow, his initial fear gives way to relief that the binding, which attaches the arrowhead to the shaft, is still visible (4, 150–1): the wound cannot be deep and the damage is therefore slight. So too in the picture that will now be used as a test case for interpretation (Fig. 1), the warrior has been lucky in his misfortune. The arrow portrayed in beautiful detail in the left foreground, so as to put the cause of the wound in his arm beyond all doubt, is still complete and, at the most, slightly bent at the tip, unless the small irregularity in the drawing is unintentional. Yet the abrupt turn away of the head and the open mouth, with the teeth visible and coated in added white, convey something of the pain that the man feels, as his comrade-in-arms applies the bandage to his arm. But the fact that neither man has taken off his armour – the helper still wears his helmet and his companion’s cuirass is only partially unfastened – gives an obvious impression that the wound can be treated there and then, and that the two warriors will probably return immediately to the fray. Thus an unpleasant incident, admittedly, but not a catastrophe: a passing event on the edge of the battlefield, where nothing in the image would lead a viewer to think that the arrow-shot would have fatal conse- quences for the wounded man. So why, then, was an event of such obviously transient significance seen as a theme deserving of representation? If one were to confine oneself exclusively to what is shown in the image itself, then the question could only be answered speculatively. So-called ‘iconography’, the verbal recording of all the visual elements in an image, cannot on its own supply any indication of the significance of the content. A symbol of friendship and solidarity, of the dangers of war or, conversely, 1 © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-89582-8 - Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths: An Introduction Klaus Junker Excerpt More information 2 Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War Figure 1 Achilles tends the wounded Patroclus. Attic red-figure cup, signed by the potter Sosias, interior, c. 500 BC of the obligation to defend one’s country? Each of these is equally justified as an off-the-cuff idea, with an equally free choice between them, since in the end it is only the spontaneous reaction of a present-day viewer that is being put into words. The path to be followed in a careful interpretation, by contrast, has a clear, yet never wholly attainable, intermediate goal: to recover the cognitive horizons of the people for whom this image was made. ‘Context’ is the term used for the sum of those aspects which could have been fundamental to the contemporary understanding of an image or an object. Often the context of an image can be deduced only very incom- pletely, but in the present case the circumstances are relatively favourable. Enough clues are available, whether provided by the picture itself or taken from external sources, to form the basis for an interpretation. Some of the circumstantial evidence, derived from various fields of context, will be © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-89582-8 - Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths: An Introduction Klaus Junker Excerpt More information Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War 3 examined presently. The fundamentals of contextual research will be dealt with in the methodological chapter. In antiquity, no one ever saw the image in the isolated form in which it appears in our illustration. The scene with the two male figures decorates the interior of a large terracotta drinking-cup. The image has a diameter of 17.5 cm.; the bowl of the cup, one of 32 cm. Since the broad outer ring is coated in a lustrous, deep black, the effect is one of looking at the image through an opening. This artistic trick – that is, the decision not to extend the figured scene over the entire surface available – emphasises the some- what miniaturist character of the execution, but also has the effect of focusing attention on the events depicted. The high level of artistic craftsmanship represented by the cup can be directly grasped by anyone who goes to see the original in the Department of Antiquities of the Berlin Museums. The vessel dates from the years around 500 BC: in historical terms, to the period of transition from the Archaic to the Classical period in Greece. The piece is one of the undisputed master- pieces among the painted vases produced in Athens. The term ‘vase’, introduced here, should be understood not as an indication of function, but as a purely conventional expression to convey the sense of a luxury vessel. The contribution of the potter is the first feature to display high quality. The wide-splaying bowl of the cup, very thin-walled in proportion to its extent, sits perched on a slender foot in such a way that the contour of the vessel runs in an elegant, unbroken curve all the way from the round foot to the outer rim of the bowl. Two handles provided the means of holding, at the same time enlivening the shape of the cup. The potter has added his name, Sosias, on the edge of the foot. The painter (assuming that he was not the same person as the potter) has not signed his work. Since no name is found, either, on other vessels which on the basis of style could be identified as works by the same hand, the painter is known by the alias or substitute name of the ‘Sosias Painter’. Even though his oeuvre and his artistic develop- ment are no longer accessible to us, it is beyond question that he was not just a master of the technique of vase painting, but also an innovator within it. For the first time in the history, already centuries long, of Greek vase painting and two-dimensional art in general, we have on the Sosias cup (as it is called in the technical jargon) profile figures whose eyes are also shown in profile. By comparison with the pictorial convention followed hitherto, with the eyes shown in frontal view, an exceptional gain was achieved in the accuracy and vividness of the portrayal of the human figure. One can also see just how innovatory this type of rendering was, from the fact that the same vase painter did not employ it for the scenes on the outside of the same © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-89582-8 - Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths: An Introduction Klaus Junker Excerpt More information 4 Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War Figure 2 Heracles takes his place among the gods on Mount Olympus. Exterior of the cup shown in Fig. 1 cup (Fig. 2). In connection with the issue of meaning and interpretation, this stylistic detail deserves attention for showing that, with an artist who shows himself an innovator in terms of formal technique, innovation in the thematic field may also be expected. Painted vessels like the cup by the Sosias Painter are luxury ware, as will be discussed in greater detail in chapter 4. Here it will be enough to give a brief indication of the three main areas of use of pottery, particularly that from Athens. First, to furnish the symposium (symposion), the men’s evening entertainment, accompanied by wine drinking; secondly, for use in association with the honouring of the dead, as props for the celebration of the funeral or for interment as grave goods; and thirdly, to function as votive offerings in sanctuaries, in gratitude to the gods. In principle, each of these three possible uses must be reckoned with in the case of every vessel. In particular cases, a find-spot, the traces of use or even the subject-matter of representations can help to restrict the range of purposes that the vase painter had in mind at the time of the vessel’s making. But in every case we are dealing with prestige objects, whose use goes beyond the sphere of ordinary everyday business. In the case of vases like that by the Sosias © in this web service Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-89582-8 - Interpreting the Images of Greek Myths: An Introduction Klaus Junker Excerpt More information Achilles and Patroclus in the Trojan War 5 Painter, which can in all aspects lay claim to a special artistic status, such products will also have had a price, as luxury goods valued by those in ‘high society’ for their beauty, but also for the distinction which their ownership conferred.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Queerness in French Baroque Opera: the Relationship Between Achilles and Patroclus in Jean Baptiste Lully’S Achille Et Polyxène
    University of Northern Colorado Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC Master's Theses Student Research 5-7-2021 Queerness in French Baroque Opera: The Relationship Between Achilles and Patroclus in Jean Baptiste Lully’s Achille et Polyxène Jason Thompson [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digscholarship.unco.edu/theses Recommended Citation Thompson, Jason, "Queerness in French Baroque Opera: The Relationship Between Achilles and Patroclus in Jean Baptiste Lully’s Achille et Polyxène" (2021). Master's Theses. 210. https://digscholarship.unco.edu/theses/210 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship & Creative Works @ Digital UNC. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © 2021 JASON TRAVIS THOMPSON ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN COLORADO Greeley, Colorado The Graduate School QUEERNESS IN FRENCH BAROQUE OPERA: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACHILLES AND PATROCLUS IN JEAN-BAPTISTE LULLY’S ACHILLE ET POLYXÈNE A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Music Jason Travis Thompson College of Performing and Visual Arts School of Music Music History and Literature May 2021 This Thesis by: Jason Travis Thompson Entitled: Queerness in French Baroque Opera: The Relationship Between Achilles and Patroclus in Jean Baptiste Lully’s Achille et Polyxène has been approved as meeting the requirement for the Degree of Master of Music in the College of Performing and Visual Arts in the School of Music, Program of Music History and Literature.
    [Show full text]
  • Between Boys: Fantasy of Male Homosexuality in Boys' Love, Mary Renault, and Marguerite Yourcenar by Jui-An Chou Graduate Pr
    Between Boys: Fantasy of Male Homosexuality in Boys’ Love, Mary Renault, and Marguerite Yourcenar by Jui-an Chou Graduate Program in Literature Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Anne F. Garréta, Supervisor, Chair ___________________________ Robyn Wiegman, Co-Chair ___________________________ Rey Chow ___________________________ Anne Allison Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Literature in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 ABSTRACT Between Boys: Fantasy of Male Homosexuality in Boys’ Love, Mary Renault, and Marguerite Yourcenar by Jui-an Chou Graduate Program in Literature Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Anne F. Garréta, Supervisor, Chair ___________________________ Robyn Wiegman, Co-Chair ___________________________ Rey Chow ___________________________ Anne Allison An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate Program in Literature in the Graduate School of Duke University 2018 Copyright by Jui-an Chou 2018 Abstract “Between Boys: Fantasy of Male Homosexuality in Boys’ Love, Mary Renault, and Marguerite Yourcenar” examines an unexpected kinship between Boys’ Love, a Japanese male-on-male romance genre, and literary works by Mary Renault and Marguerite Yourcenar, two mid-twentieth century authors who wrote about male homosexuality. Following Eve Sedgwick, who proposed that a “rich tradition of cross- gender inventions of homosexuality” should be studied separately from gay and lesbian literature, this dissertation examines male homoerotic fictions authored by women. These fictions foreground a disjunction between authorial and textual identities in gender and sexuality, and they have often been accused of inauthenticity, appropriation, and exploitation.
    [Show full text]
  • Llt 121 Classical Mythology Lecture 36 Good Morning
    LLT 121 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY LECTURE 36 GOOD MORNING AND WELCOME TO LLT 121 CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY IN WHICH WE TAKE UP PROBABLY THE SECOND OLDEST STORY IN THE BOOK, THE SECOND OLDEST GREAT EPIC IN WESTERN LITERATURE, THE ILIAD OF HOMER. THE GILGAMESH EPIC OF THE VARIOUS MESOPOTAMIAN PEOPLE IS OLDER. THIS IS NUMBER TWO. IT TRIES HARDER. WHEN LAST WE LEFT OFF ACHILLES WAS STILL POUTING BY THE SIDE OF HIS SWIFT, BLACK SHIPS WITH HIS FRIEND PATROCLUS. YOU WILL REMEMBER THAT ACHILLES HAS ALREADY TURNED DOWN ONE OFFER FROM AGAMEMNON FOR A COMPLETE APOLOGY, BRISEIS BACK, VALUABLE PRIZES, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS. JUST COME BACK TO US ACHILLES. WE NEED YOU. ACHILLES SAYS I'VE GOT TWO POSSIBLE FATES. ONE, I CAN DIE IN BATTLE, WIN LOTS OF GLORY, AND BE FAMOUS FOREVER AFTER. OR B, I COULD LIVE TO A LONG, GREAT OLD AGE, BE REAL HAPPY AND LEAVE BEHIND NO ARITAE OR VIRTUE AND HAVE NO KLEOS OR FAME AFTER MY DEATH. I MIGHT SAY NUMBER TWO IS LOOKING BETTER. SO THE GREEKS GET THEIR BUTTS KICKED FOR ANOTHER THREE OR FOUR BOOKS. FINALLY, NESTOR THE 300 YEAR OLD GUY WHO TALKS JUST ABOUT FOREVER COMES UP WITH AN IDEA FOR PATROCLUS. PATROCLUS, I'M GOING TO TRY TO PERSUADE YOU TO PUT ON THE ARMOR OF ACHILLES AND GO INTO BATTLE. PATROCLUS FINALLY AGREES TO GET NESTOR TO SHUT UP AND ALSO MAYBE IT'S NOT EASY TO BE GILLIGAN, SCOTTIE PIPPIN, OR ED MCMAHON, THE NUMBER TWO BANANA. YOU WANT TO.STAND IN THE LIMELIGHT AND DO A FEW OF THOSE ON PUBLISHERS CLEARINGHOUSE SWEEPSTAKES COMMERCIALS OF YOUR OWN.
    [Show full text]
  • Homer the Iliad
    1 Homer The Iliad Translated by Ian Johnston Open access: http://johnstoniatexts.x10host.com/homer/iliadtofc.html 2010 [Selections] CONTENTS I THE QUARREL BY THE SHIPS 2 II AGAMEMNON'S DREAM AND THE CATALOGUE OF SHIPS 5 III PARIS, MENELAUS, AND HELEN 6 IV THE ARMIES CLASH 6 V DIOMEDES GOES TO BATTLE 6 VI HECTOR AND ANDROMACHE 6 VII HECTOR AND AJAX 6 VIII THE TROJANS HAVE SUCCESS 6 IX PEACE OFFERINGS TO ACHILLES 6 X A NIGHT RAID 10 XI THE ACHAEANS FACE DISASTER 10 XII THE FIGHT AT THE BARRICADE 11 XIII THE TROJANS ATTACK THE SHIPS 11 XIV ZEUS DECEIVED 11 XV THE BATTLE AT THE SHIPS 11 XVI PATROCLUS FIGHTS AND DIES 11 XVII THE FIGHT OVER PATROCLUS 12 XVIII THE ARMS OF ACHILLES 12 XIX ACHILLES AND AGAMEMNON 16 XX ACHILLES RETURNS TO BATTLE 16 XXI ACHILLES FIGHTS THE RIVER 17 XXII THE DEATH OF HECTOR 17 XXIII THE FUNERAL GAMES FOR PATROCLUS 20 XXIV ACHILLES AND PRIAM 20 I THE QUARREL BY THE SHIPS [The invocation to the Muse; Agamemnon insults Apollo; Apollo sends the plague onto the army; the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon; Calchas indicates what must be done to appease Apollo; Agamemnon takes Briseis from Achilles; Achilles prays to Thetis for revenge; Achilles meets Thetis; Chryseis is returned to her father; Thetis visits Zeus; the gods con-verse about the matter on Olympus; the banquet of the gods] 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.
    [Show full text]
  • Helen of Troy: She Was Not a Dumb Blonde
    HELEN OF TROY A HEROINE IN A MAN’S WORLD! Katerina Ladianou, Classics, OSU Helen is a beautiful woman, some say a Goddess, others say a whore because of her adulterous ways, and she is pursued relentlessly by suitors from all over the ancient world. Homer, Euripides, and Stesichorus all narrate her story, but Homer is the original source in his 2 epic poems, the Iliad and the Odyssey. The fairest woman in the world is Helen, the daughter of the King of Sparta Tyndareos and his wife Leda. Their other daughter Clytemnestra is married to Agamemnon. Such is the fame of the beauty of Helen that every young prince craves to marry her. Superhero Theseus abducts her first, but her brothers Castor and Pollux, [both Argonauts, who sailed to Colchis through the Hellespont with Jason on the Ship Argo to get the Golden Fleece], get her back home. So, when suitors from all over Greece assemble in Sparta to ask for her hand, her father Tyndareos, fearing another abduction makes them take an oath to defend whomever he chooses for her husband, and, moreover, that they collectively would punish anyone who tried to abduct Helen. Then Tyndareos chooses Menelaos and he makes him King of Sparta. In the meantime, Goddess Aphrodite sends an image of Helen to Paris of Troy who at the time is out in the fields shepherding his father’s goats; he falls madly in love with Helen, and the rest is history, for love is the strongest force in the whole world! In the Iliad, Paris, a prince of Troy, a city that has accumulated enormous wealth by controlling the flow of merchant shipping through the nearby Hellespont [in what is now NW Turkey; the Dardanelles], abducts Helen.
    [Show full text]
  • The Homeric Epics and the Chinese Book of Songs
    The Homeric Epics and the Chinese Book of Songs The Homeric Epics and the Chinese Book of Songs: Foundational Texts Compared Edited by Fritz-Heiner Mutschler The Homeric Epics and the Chinese Book of Songs: Foundational Texts Compared Edited by Fritz-Heiner Mutschler This book first published 2018 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2018 by Fritz-Heiner Mutschler and contributors All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book 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 copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-0400-X ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-0400-4 Contents Acknowledgments vii Conventions and Abbreviations ix Notes on Contributors xi Introduction 1 PART I. THE HISTORY OF THE TEXTS AND OF THEIR RECEPTION A. Coming into Being 1. The Formation of the Homeric Epics 15 Margalit FINKELBERG 2. The Formation of the Classic of Poetry 39 Martin KERN 3. Comparing the Comings into Being of Homeric Epic and the Shijing 73 Alexander BEECROFT B. “Philological” Reception 1. Homeric Scholarship in its Formative Stages 87 Barbara GRAZIOSI 2. Odes Scholarship in its Formative Stage 117 Achim MITTAG 3. The Beginning of Scholarship in Homeric Epic and the Odes: a Comparison 149 GAO Fengfeng / LIU Chun C. Cultural Role 1. Homer in Greek Culture from the Archaic to the Hellenistic Period 163 Glenn W.
    [Show full text]
  • Achilles in the Underworld: Iliad, Odyssey, and Aethiopis Anthony T
    EDWARDS, ANTHONY T., Achilles in the Underworld: "Iliad, Odyssey", and "Aethiopis" , Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies, 26:3 (1985:Autumn) p.215 Achilles in the Underworld: Iliad, Odyssey, and Aethiopis Anthony T. Edwards I HE ACTION of Arctinus' Aethiopis followed immediately upon T the Iliad in the cycle of epics narrating the war at Troy. Its central events were the combat between Achilles and the Ama­ zon queen Penthesilea, Achilles' murder of Thersites and subsequent purification, and Achilles' victory over the Ethiopian Memnon, lead­ ing to his own death at the hands of Apollo and Paris. In his outline of the Aethiopis, Proclus summarizes its penultimate episode as fol­ lows: "Thetis, arriving with the Muses and her sisters, mourns her son~ and after this, snatching (allap1Tauao-a) her son from his pyre, Thetis carries him away to the White Island (AevK7) "1iuo~)." Thetis removes, or 'translates', Achilles to a distant land-an equivalent to Elysium or the Isles of the Blessed - where he will enjoy eternally an existence similar to that of the gods.! Unlike the Aethiopis, the Iliad presents no alternative to Hades' realm, not even for its hero: Achil­ les, who has learned his fate from his mother (9.410-16),foresees his arrival there (23.243-48); and in numerous references elsewhere to Achilles' death, the Iliad never arouses any alternative expectation.2 1 For Proclus' summary see T. W. Allen, ed., Homeri Opera V (Oxford 1946) 105f, esp. 106.12-15. On the identity of the AEVKT, ~(J'o<; with Elysium and the Isles of the Blessed see E.
    [Show full text]
  • ' There's No Such Thing As Too Judgmental'
    Review Saturday 28 August 2021 – Issue № 188 ‘ There’s no such thing as too judgmental’ — Fran Lebowitz talks to Hadley Freeman ‘For so many years, books were a home for me. I wanted to write the kind Review of story with open arms, Saturday 28 August 2021 – Issue № 188 with room for everyone who might want to come in.’ — Madeline Miller, page 26 Contents The week in books ............................................................................................04 The books that made me by Chris Riddell ....................................................05 COVER STORY Fran Lebowitz talks to Hadley Freeman.........................06 Book of the week: Being You: A New Science of Consciousness by Anil Seth ................................................................................................10 Nonfi ction reviews The Story of Work: A New History of Humankind by Jan Lucassen and The Man Who Mistook His Job for His Life: How to Thrive at Work by Leaving Your Emotional Bagg age Behind by Naomi Shragai .................12 Crude Britannia: How Oil Shaped a Nation by James Marriott & Terry Macalister ....................................................13 Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall by Helena Merriman ............................................14 Strangers on a Pier: A Portrait of a Family by Tash Aw .................................15 Fiction reviews More Than I Love My Life by David Grossman ...............................................16 The Infernal Riddle of Thomas Peach by Jas
    [Show full text]
  • Troy Myth and Reality
    Part 1 Large print exhibition text Troy myth and reality Please do not remove from the exhibition This two-part guide provides all the exhibition text in large print. There are further resources available for blind and partially sighted people: Audio described tours for blind and partially sighted visitors, led by the exhibition curator and a trained audio describer will explore highlight objects from the exhibition. Tours are accompanied by a handling session. Booking is essential (£7.50 members and access companions go free) please contact: Email: [email protected] Telephone: 020 7323 8971 Thursday 12 December 2019 14.00–17.00 and Saturday 11 January 2020 14.00–17.00 1 There is also an object handling desk at the exhibition entrance that is open daily from 11.00 to 16.00. For any queries about access at the British Museum please email [email protected] 2 Sponsor’sThe Trojan statement War For more than a century BP has been providing energy to advance human progress. Today we are delighted to help you learn more about the city of Troy through extraordinary artefacts and works of art, inspired by the stories of the Trojan War. Explore the myth, archaeology and legacy of this legendary city. BP believes that access to arts and culture helps to build a more inspired and creative society. That’s why, through 23 years of partnership with the British Museum, we’ve helped nearly five million people gain a deeper understanding of world cultures with BP exhibitions, displays and performances. Our support for the arts forms part of our wider contribution to UK society and we hope you enjoy this exhibition.
    [Show full text]
  • Queer Friendship and Erotic Bonds a Dissertation Submitted in Partial Sa
    UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE Anarchic Intimacies: Queer Friendship and Erotic Bonds A Dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English by Laurence Hilary Dumortier March 2017 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Jennifer Doyle, Chairperson Dr. Steven Gould Axelrod Dr. George E. Haggerty Copyright by Laurence Hilary Dumortier 2017 The Dissertation of Laurence Hilary Dumortier is approved: Committee Chairperson University of California, Riverside Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the tremendous support and guidance of my dissertation committee, Jennifer Doyle, Steven Gould Axelrod and George E. Haggerty. Their advice, suggestions and encouragement have been invaluable. I also want to recognize how inspiring they have been to me as examples of brilliant scholarship, dedicated teaching, and personal integrity. I’m also grateful to Stephen Koch who granted me several lengthy personal interviews about his recollections of Peter Hujar and David Wojnarowicz, and who allowed me to study previously unpublished photographs and contact sheets from the Peter Hujar Archive. iv ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Anarchic Intimacies: Queer Friendship and Erotic Bonds by Laurence Hilary Dumortier Doctor of Philosophy, Graduate Program in English University of California, Riverside, March 2017 Dr. Jennifer Doyle, Chairperson What makes a friendship “queer”? The queerness of the friendships I will explore in this project is, in part related to, but not co-extensive with, the sexual orientation of its participants. In all of the pairings I examine, at least one, if not both, of the friends is non- heterosexual. However, what makes the “queerness” of each of these friendships is not only the orientation of its participants, but the relationship’s exceeding of the conventional boundaries and definitions of friendships.
    [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]
  • The Funeral of Patroclus, from Homer’S Iliad All As One, the Armies Cried out in Sorrow, and Achilles Led the Chant
    PICTURING THE STORY: NARRATIVE ARTS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL At Left: Mycenaean Krater, 1275 BCE-1225 BCE Made in Cyprus Terracotta, paint 18 1/2 in. (46.99 cm) R.T. Miller Fund, 51.203 At Right: Mycenaean Krater, 1275 BCE-1225 BCE Made in Cyprus Terracotta, paint 17 1/2 in. (44.45 cm) R.T. Miller Fund, 51.204 The Funeral of Patroclus, from Homer’s Iliad All as one, the armies cried out in sorrow, and Achilles led the chant. In the Iliad, the epic poem recounting the Trojan War, the Three times they drove their full-maned stallions round the Greek hero Achilles led his own mighty band of warriors, body, Myrmidon soldiers mourning, called the Myrmidons. When Achilles argued with the other And the sands grew wet; the armor of fighting men grew wet Greek leaders, he and his Myrmidons withdrew from battle. with tears, such bitter sorrow roused… Without Achilles, the Greek army suffered terrible losses. Patroclus, that terrible warrior who sent defeated Trojans headlong. Achilles’ beloved cousin and companion Patroclus borrowed Achilles’ armor, helmet and shield, so he could lead the After the Greeks had eaten, and constructed Patroclus’ Myrmidons back into battle for the Greeks. But Patroclus funeral pyre, was mistaken for Achilles himself, and killed by the Trojan hero Hector. The enraged Achilles re-entered the battle to … Achilles again called his Myrmidons, keen for battle: avenge Patroclus’ death, and then called his men together to mourn their loss. “Belt yourselves in bronze! Each driver yoke his team! Chariots harnessed!” Up they rose and strapped on armor “Charioteers in fast formation – friends to the death! and swung aboard the war chariots, drivers, fighters beside We must not release our horses from the chariots yet.
    [Show full text]