Heracles and Heroic Disaster by Katherine Elizabeth Lu A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Classical Studies) in the University of Michigan 2013 Doctoral Committee: Professor Ruth Scodel, Chair Professor Sharon Herbert Professor Richard Janko Associate Professor Francesca Schironi © Katherine Elizabeth Lu 2013 For my parents, Calvin and Florence Lu, who first taught me the importance of the text ii Acknowledgements A project such as this relies on the efforts of many people. First and foremost, I thank my advisor, Ruth Scodel. Her wisdom and willingness to push the implications of my ideas have been invaluable. The insightful and incisive criticism she has offered has, for many years now, sharpened my thinking and writing. I owe a large debt of gratitude to Richard Janko. His meticulous reading and comments have greatly improved this study, from its origins to its completion. His love for the Greek world and excellent scholarship have inspired me throughout my graduate training. I thank Francesca Schironi, who asked crucial questions of my work and then pointed me in the right directions. And I am grateful to Sharon Herbert. Her good humor and expertise in Greek vase painting supported this work, each in its own way. Arthur Verhoogt provided wise and practical counsel at each stage in my graduate education; without him, I fear for the choices I would have made. Michelle Biggs made every day at the University of Michigan a little smoother. My years spent at Michigan were made pleasurable by the company of many fine classicists, historians, archaeologists: Evelyn Adkins, Emily Bembeneck, Matt Cohn, Alex Conison, Anne Reidmiller Cooper, Jenn Finn, Carolyn Gersh, Joe Groves, Tom Landvatter, Karen Laurence, Charlotte Maxwell-Jones, Matt Newman, and Jared Secord. The friendship of Sarah Barbrow and John Prensner, Shuen Chai, Katie Hampton, and Julie Park also sustained me in iii difficult times. They each helped bring this project to completion, for which I will always be grateful. My family has supported my work and enthusiasms for as long as I can remember. Peter J. Lu was the first to urge me to pursue a Ph.D. Stephen and Grace Lu have always been invested in my success and happiness, cheering each step along the way in all my endeavours. My parents, Calvin and Florence Lu, have given me all I could ask for – support to pursue what I love, acceptance when I fail, and encouragement to try again. It is to them that this work is dedicated. Finally, I offer gratitude to my fiancé David Hsu. His love, patience, and kindness have made all this possible. This research was supported by the Michael Jameson Fellowship at the American School for Classical Studies at Athens (2009-2010) and the Rackham Merit Fellowship at the University of Michigan (2010-2012). iv Table of Contents Dedication....................................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgements...................................................................................................................................iii List of Figures.............................................................................................................................................vi Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................................................1 Heracles and His Disasters......................................................................................................................2 The Literature.........................................................................................................................................10 A Few Words on Methodology.............................................................................................................16 A Prelude: Unproblematic Archaic Violence.....................................................................................22 Chapter 2: Heroic Violence and its Victims: The Ambivalence of Heroic Success..........................41 Stesichorus' Geryoneis............................................................................................................................45 Aristophanes' Frogs................................................................................................................................63 Apollonius' Argonautica.........................................................................................................................95 Pindar fr. 169a.......................................................................................................................................107 Chapter 3: Sophocles' Trachiniae: Heroic Competition and the Oikos...............................................113 Chapter 4: The Persistence of Heroic Aretē in Euripides' Heracles....................................................167 Part I: Aretē Questioned and Confirmed...........................................................................................171 Part II: The Failure of Aretē.................................................................................................................192 Part III: Restoration through Aretē....................................................................................................201 Chapter 5: Heroic Failure and Erotic Attachment in Apollonius' Argonautica...............................215 The Definition of a Hero......................................................................................................................216 The Danger of Erotic Attachment.....................................................................................................232 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................256 Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................261 v List of Figures Figure 3.1: Deianeira-Achelous-Heracles.............................................................................................115 Figure 3.2: Deianeira-Heracles..............................................................................................................116 Figure 3.3: Deianeira-Iole-Heracles......................................................................................................126 Figure 3.4: Deianeira-Iole-Heracles, Part II.........................................................................................129 Figure 3.5: Deianeira-Nessus-Heracles.................................................................................................133 Figure 3.6: Deianeira-Iole-Nessus-Heracles.........................................................................................141 vi Chapter 1: Introduction "Disaster" is not a word commonly associated with Heracles, the most popular and victorious hero of ancient Greece. Heracles plays a bewildering variety of roles in Greek culture, but his reputation rests primarily upon his civilizing mission: defeating monsters, punishing villains, imposing order upon the wild. These acts convey obvious benefits to the surrounding human community and earn Heracles a glorious reputation. Yet, despite the centrality of his identity as a culture hero, a persistent strain of mythological tradition documents how he exercises his superhuman skills to harm the innocent, wreaks havoc upon his own family, and lets erotic attachment undermine his heroic missions. These shameful disasters were a frequent subject of media ranging from monumental sculptures to pots to poetry throughout the Greek world, often in direct counterpoint to portrayals of his praiseworthy exploits. This study explores the treatment of Heracles' violence, lust, and mania in both visual images and literary texts from the sixth through third centuries B.C. These portrayals demonstrate how his tendency towards destructiveness becomes increasingly problematic as he is incorporated further into civic and social life as a positive exemplar. My analysis of Heracles' disasters suggests that this stubborn tradition indicates a recurring anxiety over the violence and excess so salient in his traditions. Heracles thus becomes an ideal figure through 1 which poets and painters could express doubts about the real costs of heroism, propose new definitions of excellence, and question the righteousness of Zeus himself. By tracing the shifting boundary between heroic benefaction and heroic disaster, my study clarifies the very definition of ancient Greek heroism, while illuminating its limits as well. Heracles and His Disasters I begin by proposing a few definitions that will govern this discussion. I define heroic success as victory in a competition that requires superior strength, technique, or tactics; these components encompass both βία (sheer physical dominance) and μῆτις (mental acuity). Triumph in these competitions must constitute some form of social good: in defeating threatening monsters and lawless humans, for example, a hero physically shields vulnerable people from fear and damage and protects the rule of nomos. He advances civilization and imposes order upon the earth. The hero who fights for the winning side in war acquires fame and precious trophies; furthermore, he helps his allies and hurts his enemies. Athletic competitions for