EXILE in HOMERIC EPIC by Timothy Peter John Perry a Thesis
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
EXILE IN HOMERIC EPIC by Timothy Peter John Perry A thesis in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Classics University of Toronto © Copyright by Timothy Perry 2010 Exile in Homeric Epic Timothy Peter John Perry Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Classics University of Toronto 2010 ABSTRACT This dissertation examines exile in Homeric epic and in particular the relationship between exile as a narrative motif and the thematic significance of exile in specific contexts. The Homeric exile motif is defined and found to include four stock elements involving the causes of exile, the role of compulsion in exile, the permanence of exile, and the possible outcomes of exile. The more thematic issues surrounding exile are also considered, especially in the light of ancient and modern theoretical discussions of exile. Three examples of exile in the Iliad and the Odyssey are then analyzed. In each case, close attention is paid to the way in which the exile narrative fits into the immediate context and is thematically relevant to it. The exile narrative delivered by Phoenix to Achilles in Iliad 9 is interpreted as an attempt to dissuade Achilles from carrying out his threat to abandon the expedition against Troy. More precisely, it is argued that Phoenix uses the parallels between his own exile and the situation facing Achilles to suggest that in abandoning the expedition Achilles would become something close to an exile himself, thereby compromising his heroic standing. It is argued that the ghost of the unburied Patroclus uses his exile narrative to Achilles in Iliad 23 to present his experience of death as a parallel to his experience of exile in life and does so in order to persuade Achilles to ii provide him with ‘hospitality’ in the form of burial, just as Achilles’ family provided Patroclus with hospitality as an exile. Finally, the false exile narrative delivered by Odysseus to Athena (disguised as a shepherd) in Odyssey 13 is interpreted as a reaction to Odysseus’ uncertainty as to whether or not he has reached Ithaca. It is argued that Odysseus uses his exile narrative to contrast the possibility that he is finally home with the possibility that he is still a nameless wanderer. The exile motif is found to be flexible enough to be adapted to the thematic requirements of the contexts in which these three exile narratives occur. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This thesis could not have been written without the help of a large number of people. I gladly take the opportunity to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor Professor Jonathan Burgess, without whose enthusiasm and insight at every stage the completion of this project would have been impossible. Professors Martin Revermann and Victoria Wohl, as members of my committee, improved the thesis in innumerable ways, big and small, and have constantly challenged me to push my thinking in profitable new directions. I also thank Professor Erwin Cook, my external examiner, for his careful reading of the final draft and his many interesting and useful comments. I must also thank the many friends with whom I shared life as a graduate student. Special thanks go to Vicki Ciocani, Jody Cundy, Carl Hope, George Kovacs, Kathryn Mattison, Laura Mawhinney, Cillian O’Hogan, Lee Sawchuk, Eirene Seiradaki, and Donald Sells, whose capacity to encourage and distract at just the right moments has proved indispensable. To the former residents of Manning House I also owe a great debt of gratitude, especially for the many conversations, by turns stimulating and ridiculous. My parents, my brother George, and my sister Diana have been a constant source of guidance and inspiration throughout my doctoral studies, and their support (although form afar) has made all the difference. Finally, it is impossible adequately to express all that I owe to Mariapia Pietropaolo, who has made an incalculable contribution to this project from its earliest stages to its final completion. Her encouragement and patience have been both unwavering and boundless. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Exile in Homeric Epic 1 The Exile Motif 2 The Causes of Exile – Homicide and Dispute 6 Compulsion 10 Permanence 18 Dependence – Integration and Wandering 19 Theoretical Perspectives 29 Exile and Home 30 Exile and Identity 37 The Ambiguity of Exile 40 Methodology 44 CHAPTER ONE – PHOENIX Introduction 46 Achilles and Heroism 48 Phoenix and Achilles in Exile 53 Levels of Narrative 61 The Home of Achilles 64 Achilles’ Response to Phoenix 68 Conclusion 71 CHAPTER TWO – PATROCLUS Introduction 73 Achilles’ Forgetfulness 75 Patroclus’ Appeal to Emotion 76 Patroclus’ Death as Exile 82 Achilles as a Dead-Man-Walking 89 Levels of Narrative 96 Achilles’ Response to Patroclus 100 Conclusion 102 CHAPTER THREE – ODYSSEUS Introduction 104 All ‘Cretans’ are Liars 104 Odysseus’ Uncertain νόστος 107 Odysseus’ Exile Narrative as a Soliloquy 113 Odysseus’ Claim to Exilic Status 126 Levels of Narrative 133 Athena’s Response to Odysseus 138 Conclusion 143 v CONCLUSION 144 APPENDIX A – Cases of Exile in the Iliad and the Odyssey 152 APPENDIX B – The Liminal Status of the Unburied Dead 154 BIBLIOGRAPHY 158 vi INTRODUCTION Exile in Homeric Epic Exile, as Seneca so succinctly puts it, is simply a loci commutatio, a ‘change of place’ (ad Helviam 6.1).1 Seneca is well aware, however, that his definition runs the risk of ‘narrowing the force’ (angustare…vim, ad Helviam 6.1) of exile, for this change of place at times turns out to be surprisingly complex. Both the simplicity and complexity of exile are on full display in Homeric epic. Sometimes exile is indeed nothing more than a simple explanation for an individual’s change of place. On a number of occasions, however, exile is given a greater significance – a significance that goes beyond the purely spatial – and becomes something more: a powerful tool of persuasion (or dissuasion), a metaphor, or even a temptation. Despite exile’s potential for complexity – not to mention its versatility – it is a theme that has been largely ignored in the scholarship on Homeric epic. Perhaps this is because none of the major protagonists of the Iliad and the Odyssey – Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector, Odysseus, Telemachus etc. – is an exile. And yet, exile is never far away in Homeric epic. In the Iliad, Achilles in particular seems to be surrounded by exiles and, significantly, to attract tales of exile; three exiles in the house of Achilles’ father Peleus – Phoenix, Patroclus, and the more minor figure Epeigeus – are members of the contingent led by Achilles at Troy, and Phoenix and Patroclus both relate their experiences of exile to Achilles in the course of the poem. Moreover, in a famous simile 1 For all quotations from ancient authors I have used the most recent OCT edition, unless otherwise noted. All translations are my own. 1 2 the Trojan king Priam is compared to an exile when he enters Achilles’ hut seeking the return of the body of his son Hector. In the Odyssey, Odysseus himself falsely claims to be an exile at one point and Telemachus is accompanied by the exile Theoclymenus when he returns to Ithaca from the mainland. And these are only the most prominent examples of exile in the Iliad and the Odyssey – there is, in addition, a number of more minor cases of exile in each poem. The thematic significance of three of the most important instances of exile in Homeric epic – the exile narratives of Phoenix, Patroclus, and Odysseus – will be analyzed in detail in the later chapters of this dissertation. First, however, it will be necessary in this introductory chapter to provide a foundation for such an analysis by clarifying what is meant by exile in Homeric epic and by discussing some of the broader conceptual issues surrounding exile, especially as they relate to the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Exile Motif Our first task, then, is to ascertain exactly what is meant by exile, for as Forsdyke points out, “exile has many forms.”2 On the one hand, it can be defined in terms of its cause, which allows for distinctions to be made between, for example, “political exile, religious exile, judicial exile, economic exile.” On the other hand, it can be defined in terms of its result, in which case it ranges from exile in a strict sense as “physical separation from the place where one previously lived” to “‘internal exile,’ in which an individual or group is removed from the immediate surroundings but not expelled from the country altogether,” 2 Forsdyke (2005) 7; the quotations in this paragraph are all from Forsdyke’s discussion of the types of exile at Forsdyke (2005) 7-8. 3 and even “‘inner exile’ as a way of describing the alienation of a writer or artist from his native community.” Fortunately, the causes and results of exile in the Iliad and the Odyssey are not hard to identify, though they may be complicated. This is because exile in Homeric epic takes the form of a distinct motif – a fixed and recurring narrative sequence. Many critics have noted the existence of the exile motif in Homeric epic. Janko, for example, describes exile as a “traditional topos,”3 and both he and Richardson refer to it as a “common motif.”4 In a similar vein, Hoekstra speaks of exile as “a frequent theme in Homer.”5 This list of passing references could easily be extended. Somewhat surprisingly, however, no real attempt has been made to provide a comprehensive analysis of the structure of the motif. The few, brief studies that focus on Homeric exile seem to take its status as a motif for granted and make little effort to describe it or define its parameters.