Looking back in anger: The dynamics of remembering and forgetting in the Sophoklean ‘polis’ Christopher Edward Webb Greek and Latin Department, University College London Thesis submitted for partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy January 16th 2017 I, Christopher Edward Webb, confirm that the work presented in this thesis is my own. Where information has been derived from other sources, I confirm that this has been indicated in the thesis. 2 Acknowledgments My appreciation first goes to my supervisors in the UCL Greek and Latin department, Prof. Chris Carey and Prof. Miriam Leonard, for their support in writing this thesis; the successful conclusion of which is largely down to their inspiration and guidance. Thanks also go to Prof. Stephen Colvin and Dr. Dimitra Kokkini for their invaluable suggestions and advice in various stages of this project. I have found a great deal of motivation in the outstanding learning environment that UCL has provided. Faculty-wide the affection for, and knowledge of, the field is both striking and stimulating. My gratitude also goes to the UCL Graduate School who funded my language training I am indebted to the Birkbeck faculty of History, Classics and Archaeology, and thank Dr. Christy Constantakopoulou and Prof. Catharine Edwards for their support and encouragement over the years. I am also grateful to Dr. Matthew Hiscock and Dr. Clare Foster for their stimulating classes in the final steps of my BA and MA respectively. Their passion for tragedy and epic inspired me to drive towards my own goals with enthusiasm and admiration for the subject. The academic training I received at Birkbeck from foundation level through to MA, well prepared me for the rigours of doctoral research. My gratitude also goes to the Institute of Classical Studies library staff that afforded me unparalleled research material, assistance, and sanctuary far from the madding crowds of other libraries. My appreciation goes to my wife Angelica, my raison d'être. If it were not for her love and companionship, this project would have been infinitely more difficult to finish. I thank my friends Owain Morris, Dr. Simona Perna, Jayne Hilton, Dr. Pilar Sanchez Beltran, Joanne Dorrity, and George Gubb for their love, support and encouragement through difficult times, and for providing me with friendship and sustenance, whether by discussing the finer points of Greek or 3 through the value of a shared cioccolata calda. My brother Simon, and sister Sarah, have ensured my feet stayed firmly on the ground throughout this endeavour. Although tragedy is a subject far from their own respective interests, they have provided much-needed perspective as I gazed upon a seemingly insurmountable object. The completion of this project is in no small part down to the support of my stepfather, Les. Words seem inadequate to express my appreciation to him. His unwavering support is something I constantly relied upon when life was especially hard. I have learnt a great deal about the strength and value of family through his example. Having studied tragedy in such depth, one should perhaps be wary about following one’s father in his footsteps. However, it would be difficult to overstate my gratitude to my father, John, who has supported me throughout. Having taken his own Ph.D. (Chemistry) from the University of London, my father has always been there for me, constantly encouraging. It is with respect and love that I thank him for all he has done. 4 With my own precious memories of love, family, and happiness, I am very proud to dedicate this thesis to my mother. Galia Harrison 1949-2011 J'ai tendu des cordes de clocher à clocher; Des guirlandes de fenêtre à fenêtre; Des chaînes d'or d'étoile à étoile, Et je danse. Rimbaud. Fragments du Feuillet XII. 5 Abstract The objective of this thesis is to understand better the role that memory plays in Sophoklean tragedy. My approach interrogates the way memory shapes and underscores the dramatic narrative, taking into account both the personal and public perspective. The focus is on the representation of the πόλις and the inter-personal relationships found in the Antigone, the Elektra, and the Oidipous at Kolonos. The research project suggests that the driver behind characters’ resentment, anger, and duty can usefully be explored by an examination based in memory. For example, it reveals the way control of memory emerges as the basis for the attack and defence of and in the tragic πόλις and family. However, we also find positive actions in the persistence of recollection. Commemoration and ritual, the provision of gifts, memorialisation, and the refusal to forget one’s family all combine to recall those who are dead or absent. These underlying themes play a fundamental role in defining character and plot in Sophokles. I first put forward a definition of memory before examining the conflicts and gaps within the scholarship, using this as a foundation to examine the tragic πόλεις. An examination of how the different πόλεις, and the individuals who inhabit them, embrace or reject both remembering and forgetting, forms the nucleus of this thesis. History and drama connect through examples of burial regulation and post- mortem control. In both settings, we find attempts to regulate the past, present, and future. Through a reconsideration of the role memory plays in Sophokles, I suggest a distinct way of reading tragedy and an original contribution to the field. 6 Table of Contents Acknowledgments .............................................................................. 3 Abstract .............................................................................................. 6 Abbreviations ..................................................................................... 9 Notes ............................................................................................... 10 1 Introduction ................................................................................... 11 1.1 Definition of memory .................................................................. 16 1.2 Control after conflict ................................................................... 27 1.3 Remembering through memorial ................................................ 35 1.4 Tragedy and the πόλις ............................................................... 43 2 The πόλις and the dead ................................................................ 52 2.1 Membership of the city in the Antigone ...................................... 61 2.2.1 The pain and division of the house ......................................... 81 2.3 Prophecy and punishment ......................................................... 95 2.4 The cost of memory for Antigone ............................................. 100 2.5 Conclusion ............................................................................... 110 3 πένθος ἄλαστον: Non-forgetting in the Elektra ........................... 112 3.1 The tomb of Agamemnon: The trophy of Klytaimnestra ........... 114 3.2 Communicating with the dead .................................................. 141 3.3 The intransigence and isolation of Elektra ............................... 147 3.4 The shadow of Orestes ............................................................ 168 7 3.4.1 Political conflict ..................................................................... 177 3.5 Conclusion ............................................................................... 184 4 The Oidipous at Kolonos in its historical context ......................... 186 4.1. The creation of the Oidipous at Kolonos ................................. 189 4.1.1 Oidipous and his mythopoetic background ........................... 193 4.2 Kolonos and topography .......................................................... 201 4.3 Resentment in Athens .............................................................. 225 4.4 Hero without a cult? ................................................................. 237 4.5 Conclusion ............................................................................... 254 5. Looking back in anger ................................................................ 256 Bibliography ................................................................................... 264 8 Abbreviations AJP The American Journal of Philology. The Johns Hopkins University Press. BICS Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies. John Wiley and Sons. CQ Classical Quarterly. Classical Association of Great Britain. FGrHist Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker. Jacoby, F. (1923). Berlin–Leiden. JHS Journal of Hellenic Studies. The Hellenic Society, Cambridge University Press. IG Inscriptiones Graecae. (1873). Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften. LSJ A Greek English Lexicon. Liddell, H., Scott, R. and Mackenzie, R. (1949 rev. 1990). Oxford. SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum. (1923). Leiden and Amsterdam. Brill Press. TLG Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. University of California. GHI A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions. Meiggs, R. and Lewis, D. (1988). Oxford University Press. TrGF Tragicorum Graecorum Fragmenta. Vol.4, Radt, S (ed) (1999). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. 9 Notes i. All dates are BCE unless signified. ii. I transliterate Greek names and places, however, some Latinised forms (Ajax, Attica, and Ithaca etc) remain for style and familiarity. iii. Greek text (Sophokles) is from the Oxford Classical Text: Sophoclis Fabulae. Translations follow those by Lloyd-Jones,