Sophocles, Antigone, 138

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Creon

Yea, this, my son, should be thy heart’s fixed 640 law,—in_all things to obey thy father’s will, 'Tis for this that men pray to see dutiful children grow up around them in their homes,—that such may requite their father’s foe with evil, and honour, as their father doth, his friend. But he who begets unprofitable children—what shall we say that he hath sown, but — troubles for himself, and much triumph for his foes? Then do not thou, my son, at pleasure’s beck, dethrone thy reason for a woman’s sake; knowing that this is 650 a joy that soon grows cold in clasping arms,—an evil woman to share thy bed and thy home. For what wound could strike deeper than a false friend? Nay, with loathing, and as if she were thine enemy, let this girl go to find a husband in the house of Hades. For since I have taken her, alone of all the city, in open disobedience, I will not make myself a liar to my people—I will slay her. So let her appeal as she will to the majesty of kindred blood. If I am to nurture mine own kindred in 660 naughtiness, needs must I bear with it in aliens. He who does his duty in his own household will be found righteous in the State also. But if any one transgresses, and does violence to the laws, or thinks to dictate to his rulers, such an one can win no praise from me. No, whomsoever the city may appoint, that man must be obeyed, in little things and great, in just things and unjust; and I should feel sure that one who thus obeys would be a good ruler no less than a good subject, and 670 in the storm of spears would stand his ground where he was set, loyal and dauntless at his comrade’s side.

But disobedience is the worst of evils. This it is that ruins cities; this makes homes desolate; by this, the ranks of allies are broken into headlong rout; but, of the lives whose course is fair, the greater part owes safety to obedience. Therefore we must support the cause of order, and in no wise suffer a woman to worst us. Better to fall from power, if must, by a man’s 680 hand; then we should not be called weaker than a woman.

Antigone. Sophocles. Cambridge, UK. 1904.

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by Tufts University.

Current edition Experimental

English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Sir Richard Jebb1, 1904))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (12)

Greek (L. Benloew, 1858) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (L. Benloew, 1858)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μὲν,

Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 138 focus

ἑπτὰ λοχαγοὶ γὰρ ἐφ᾽ ἑπτὰ πύλαις

Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μὲν,

Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μέν·

Greek (A. Colonna, 1978) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Colonna, 1978)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μέν,

Greek (A. Dain, 1955) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. Dain, 1955)) — 138.mvp-line-138 focus

εἶχε δ’ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μέν,

Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. D. Dawe, 1979)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ †ἄλλα τὰ δ᾽ ἄλλα

Greek (G. Hermann, 1830) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (G. Hermann, 1830)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλᾳ μὲν ἄλ-

Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (R. C. Jebb, 1906)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μέν, 5

Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (A. C. Pearson, 1924)) — 138.mvp-line-138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μέν,

Antigone (OCR draft) Experimental (Antigone) — 138 focus

εἶχε δʼ ἄλλᾳ τὰ μέν,

Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (K. Reinhardt, 1949)) — 138 focus

εἶχε δ᾽ ἄλλαι τὰ μέν,

Translations (10)

German (A. Boeckh, 1884) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (A. Boeckh, 1884)) — 138 focus

KREON

Du bist verhafst mir, du sowie dein Ehebett.
560

Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (J. A. Bolufer, 1921)) — 138 focus

CREONTE

Así, hijo mío, conviene que lo tomes a pechos para posponerlo todo a la opinión de tu padre. Por esto, pues, desean los hombres engendrar y tener en casa hijos obedientes, para que rechacen con ofensa a los enemigos y honren al amigo lo mismo que a su padre. Quien cria cría hijos que no le reporten ningún provecho, ¿qué podrás decir de él sino que engendró molestias para si sí y risa abundante para sus enemigos? Nunca jamás, ¡oh hijo!, te rinda el placer de manera que abdiques de tu razón por culpa de una mujer, sabiendo qué frío resulta el abrazo cuando tienes en casa por esposa a una mujer mala. ¿Pues què qué plaga puede resultar mayor que una mala compañera? Despreciándola, pues, como a una perversa, deja que esa muchacha se case con otro en el infierno. Porque cuando a ella cogi cogí yo públicamente, a ella sola entre todos los ciudadanos, desobedeciendo mis órdenes, no he de quedar como un farsante ante la ciudad, sino que la mataré, aunque implore a Júpiter, protector de la familia; porque si a los deudos, por el parentesco, les he de tolerar sus rebeldías, con mayor razón a los que no sean de la familia; porque el hombre que sea cuidadoso en los asuntos domésticos, será también justo en los asuntos de la ciudad; pero quien atropellándolo todo, o quebranta las leyes o piensa mandar de los que gobiernan, ése no es posible que obtenga mi alabanza; porque a quien la ciudad coloca en el trono, a ése hay que obedecer en las cosas pequeñas, en las justas y en las que no sean ni pequeñas ni justas. Y un hombre tal no puedo dudar yo que es el que gobierna bien y quiere ser bien gobernado; ése, en el tumulto de la batalla, permanecerá firme en su lugar, como fiel y valiente defensor. No hay mayor mal que la anarquia anarquía: ella arruina las ciudades, ella introduce la discordia en las familias, ella rompe y pone en fuga al ejército del aliado; pero la obediencia salva las más veces la vida de los que cumplen con su deber. Así hay que defender el orden y la disciplina, y no dejarse nunca dominar por una mujer. Mejor es, si es preciso, caer ante un hombre; que así nunca podrán decir que somos inferiores a una hembra.

Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806) (OCR draft) Experimental (Latin (F. H. Bothe, 1806)) — 138 focus

Creon

Scilicet hoc animo te esse par est, cedant ut omnia patris voluntati. Propterea enim cupit vir quiviscumque liberos suscipere sibi subditos et educere domi, ut et paternos inimicos ulciscantur male, amicosque eodem, quo pater, prosequantur honore; qui vero cumque liberos genuit inutiles, quid illum dicas aliud, quam sibi compedes, genuisse, multumque inimicis risum? Ne nunc ergo, nate, voluptate victus, mulierisque cupidine, sanam mentem abiicias, et hoc tene, frigere amplexum pravae mulieris, quam quis domi consortem tori habeat. Quod enim peius esse possit ulcus, quam malus amicus? Quare tamquam malivolam despuens, puellam illam sine apud Orcum, cui voluerit, nubere: ego enim, postquam illam manifesto deprehendi unam ex omni civitate edicto meo parere recusantem, haud sane committam,ut me falsi arguant cives, sed illam occidam. Proinde Iovem imploret cognationis praesidem! nam qui mihi genere coniuncti sunt, si eos mihi immorigeros esse patiar, similes profecto habebo extrarios. Quicumque enim familiam probe regit, is et in administranda civitate iustus videbitur: quicumque vero inobediens vel leges violat, vel imperare magistratibus cogitat, non est ut is laudem a me consequatur. Scilicet quem Civitas summae rerum praefecerit , ei parere oportet tenues, pariter in iustis iniustisque rebus, et qui sic animatus sit, hunc virum nullus dubiiem, quin recte imperare possit, aliusque subiectus imperio iussa rite exsequi velit, et belli in procella, jussus, mansurus sit, iustum se praebens fortemque adiutorem. Licentia enim maius haud aliud est malum: haec quippe civitates perdit, haec subvertit domos, haec socios in fugam coniicit: atque iis, qui recti in acie steterunt, saluti plerumque fuit obedientia. Sic vindicare oportet reges, neque omnino feminae cedendum: satius est enim, siquidem de statu deiici necesse est, a viro vinci, nec mulieribus ignaviores esse dicamur.

English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 138 focus

CR

That, O my son! should be thy constant mind,

In all to bend thee to thy father’s will.
640

Therefore men pray to have around their hearths

Obedient offspring, to requite their foes

With harm, and honour whom their father loves;

But he whose issue proves unprofitable,

Begets what else but sorrow to himself
645

And store of laughter to his enemies?

Make not, my son, a shipwreck of thy wit

For a woman. Thine own heart may teach thee this;—

There’s but cold comfort in a wicked wife

Yoked to the home inseparably. What wound
650

Can be more deadly than a harmful friend?

Then spurn her like an enemy, and send her

To wed some shadow in the world below!

For since of all the city I have found

Her only recusant, caught in the act,
655

I will not break my word before the State.

I will take her life. At this let her invoke

The god of kindred blood! For if at home

I foster rebels, how much more abroad?

Whoso is just in ruling his own house,
660

Lives rightly in the commonwealth no less:

But he that wantonly defies the law,

Or thinks to dictate to authority,

Shall have no praise from me. What power soe’er

The city hath ordained, must be obeyed
665

In little things and great things, right or wrong.

The man who so obeys, I have good hope

Will govern and be governed as he ought,

And in the storm of battle at my side

Will stand a faithful and a trusty comrade.
670

But what more fatal than the lapse of rule?

This ruins cities, this lays houses waste,

This joins with the assault of war to break

Full numbered armies into hopeless rout;

And in the unbroken host ’tis nought but rule
675

That keeps those many bodies from defeat,

I must be zealous to defend the law,

And not go down before a woman’s will.

Else, if I fall, ’twere best a man should strike me;

Lest one should say, ‘a woman worsted him.’
680

German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 141 focus

Denn Sieben, um sieben Thore gestellt,

Mann wider den Mann, sie ließen dem Zeus,

Dem Verleiher des Siegs, die gediegene Wehr.¹

Nur das schreckliche Paar, von dem Einen gezeugt

Mit demselben Gemahl, die wider sich selbst
145

Mit siegendem Speer einstürmten, umfing

Des gemeinsamen Todes Verhängniß.

Zweite Gegenstrophe.

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759)) — 138 focus

Haemon

Thtit thou shouldst listen to him ; so to thee

Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889) (OCR draft) Experimental (Spanish (A. G. Garbin, 1889)) — 138 focus

CREONTE

El Orco se encargará de romper esos lazos.

German (F. Hölderlin, 1804) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (F. Hölderlin, 1804)) — 138 focus

CHOR

Mein König, billig ist es, wenn er an der Zeit spricht,

Zu lernen, aber du von dem auch. Denn

Mit zweien Stimmen wurde recht gesprochen.

English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 138 focus

Chorus
872

To act with piety denotes a soul

English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb2, 1904)) — 162-330 focus

Enter Creon, with two attendants.

Creon

My fellow citizens! First, the gods, after tossing the fate of our city on wild waves, have once more righted it. Second, I have ordered you through my messengers to come here

apart from all the rest, because I knew, first of all, how constant was your reverence for the power of the throne of Laius; how, again, you were reverent, when Oedipus was guiding our city; and lastly, how, when he was dead, you still maintained loyal thoughts towards his children.
165

Since, then, these latter have fallen in one day by a twofold doom—each striking, each struck, both with the stain of a brother’s murder—I now possess all the power and the throne according to my kinship with the dead.
170

Now, it is impossible to know fully any man’s character, will, or judgment, until he has been proved by the test of rule and law-giving. For if anyone who directs the entire city does not cling to the best and wisest plans,
175

but because of some fear keeps his lips locked, then, in my judgment, he is and has long been the most cowardly traitor. And if any man thinks a friend more important than his fatherland, that man, I say, is of no account. Zeus, god who sees all things always, be my witness—
180

I would not be silent if I saw ruin, instead of safety, marching upon the citizens. Nor would I ever make a man who is hostile to my country a friend to myself, because I know this, that our country is the ship that bears us safe, and that only when
185

we sail her on a straight course can we make true friends. Such are the rules by which I strengthen this city. Akin to these is the edict which I have now published to the citizenry concerning the sons of Oedipus: Eteocles, who fell fighting
190

in behalf of our city and who excelled all in battle, they shall entomb and heap up every sacred offering that descends to the noblest of the dead below. But as for his brother, Polyneices, I mean, who on his return from exile wanted to burn to the ground
195

the city of his fathers and his race’s gods, and wanted to feed on kindred blood and lead the remnant into slavery—it has been proclaimed to the city that no one shall give him funeral honors or lamentation,
200

but all must leave him unburied and a sight of shame, with his body there for birds and dogs to eat. This is my will, and never will I allow the traitor to stand in honor before the just. But whoever has good will to Thebes ,
205

he shall be honored by me in death as in life.
210

211

Chorus

That is your will, Creon, towards this city’s enemy and its friend. And the power is yours, I believe, to make use of every law whatsoever, both concerning the dead and all us who live.

Creon

See, then, that you be guardians of my commands.
215

Chorus

Lay the weight of this task on some younger man.

Creon

That is not what I meant—the guards for the corpse are already in place.

Chorus

Then what is this other command that you would give?

Creon

That you not give way to the breakers of my commands.

Chorus

There is no one so foolish as to crave death.
220

Creon

I assure you, that is the wage for disobedience. Yet by just the hope of it, money has many times corrupted men.

Enter Guard.

Guard

My king, I will not say that I arrive breathless because of speed, or from the action of a swift foot.

For often I brought myself to a stop because of my thoughts, and wheeled round in my path to return. My mind was telling me many things: Fool, why do you go to where your arrival will mean your punishment? Idiot, are you dallying again? If Creon learns it from another, must you not suffer for it?
225

So debating, I made my way unhurriedly, slow, and thus a short road was made long. At last, however, the view prevailed that I should come here—to you. Even if my report brings no good, still will I tell you,
230

since I come with a good grip on one hope, that I can suffer nothing except what is my fate.
235

237

Creon

And what is it that so disheartens you?

Guard

I want to tell you first about myself—I did not do the deed, nor did I see the doer,

so it would be wrong that I should come to any harm.
240

Creon

Like a bowman you aim well at your target from a distance, and all around you hedge yourself off well from the deed. It is clear that you have some unheard-of thing to tell.

Guard

That I do, for terrible news imposes great hesitation.

Creon

Then tell it, will you, and so unburdened go away?

Guard

Well, here it is. The corpse—some one has just given it burial and disappeared after sprinkling thirsty dust on the flesh and performing the other rites that piety demands.
245

Creon

What are you saying? What man dared do this?

Guard

I do not know. For there was no scar of a pickax to be seen there,

no earth thrown up by a mattock. The ground was hard and dry, unbroken, not rolled over by wheels. The doer was someone who left no trace. When the first day-watchman showed it to us, a discomforting amazement fell on us all.
250

The dead man was veiled from us—not shut within a tomb, but a light cover of dust was on him, as if put there by the hand of one who shunned a curse. And no sign was visible that any beast of prey or any dog had approached or torn him. Then evil words flew thick and loud among us,
255

guard accusing guard. It would even have come to blows in the end, nor was there anyone there to prevent it: every man was the culprit, and no one was plainly guilty, while all disclaimed knowledge of the act. We were ready to take red-hot iron in our hands,
260

to walk through fire and to swear oaths by the gods that we had neither done the deed, nor shared knowledge of the planning or the doing. At last, when our investigating got us nowhere, someone spoke up and made us all bend our faces
265

in fear towards the earth. For we did not know how we could argue with him, nor yet prosper, if we did what he said. His argument was that the deed must be reported to you and not hidden. This view prevailed, and so it was that
270

the lot doomed miserable me to win this prize. So here I stand, as unwelcome to you as I am unwilling, I well know. For no man delights in the bearer of bad news.
275

278

Chorus

My king, my thoughts have long been deliberating whether this deed is somehow the work of gods?

Creon

Quiet, before your words truly fill me with rage, so that you not be found at the same time foolish as well as old. You say what is intolerable when you claim that the gods have concern for that corpse. Was it in high esteem for his benefactions
280

that they sought to hide him, when he had come to burn their columned shrines, their sacred treasures and their land, and scatter its laws to the winds? Or do you see the gods honoring the wicked? It cannot be. No! From the very first
285

certain men of the city were chafing at this edict and muttering against me, tossing their heads in secret, and they did not keep their necks duly under the yoke in submission to me. By those men, I am certain, they were led astray and bribed to do this deed.
290

Nothing so evil as money ever grew to be current among men. This destroys cities, this drives men from their homes, this trains and warps honest minds to set themselves to works of shame,
295

this teaches people to practise villainies, and to know every act of unholiness. But all the men who did this job for hire have made sure that, sooner or later, they shall suffer the punishment. Now, as Zeus still has my reverence, know this well—
300

I tell you on my oath. If you do not find the very hand that made this burial, and reveal him before my eyes, mere death shall not suffice for you, not before, hung up alive, you have made this outrage plain,
305

so that hereafter you may thieve with better knowledge of where your money should be received from, and learn that it is best not to be fond of money-making from any and every source. For you will find that ill-gotten gains bring more men to ruin than to safety.
310

315

Guard

Will you allow me to speak? Or shall I just turn and go?
315

Creon

Do you not know even now how much your voice sickens me?

Guard

Is the pain in your ears, or in your soul?

Creon

And why would you define the seat of my pain?

Guard

He who did it hurts your heart, but I, your ears.

Creon

God! How plain it is that you are a born babbler.
320

Guard

Perhaps, but never the author of this action.

Creon

Yes, and what is more, you sold your life for silver.

Guard

Ah! It is truly sad when the judge judges wrong .

Creon

Expound on judgment as you will. But, if you fail to

show me the perpetrators of these crimes, you will avow that money basely earned wreaks sorrows. Exit Creon.
325

Guard

Well, may the man be found! That would be best. But, whether he be caught or not—for fortune must decide that—I assure you that you will not see me come here again.

Saved just now beyond hope and belief, I owe the gods great thanks. Exit the Guard.
330

Commentary

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

mvp-comment-87-1 ἐκ...πολέμων τῶν νῦν ¹ ἐκ ² νῦν ³

mvp-comment-87-2 θέσθαι ⁴ θέσθε ⁵ παννυχίοις ⁶

mvp-comment-87-3 ὁ Θήβας ⁷ ἐλελίχθων ⁸

mvp-comment-87-4 Βάκχιος ⁹

mvp-comment-87-5 ἄρχοι ¹⁰

mvp-comment-88-1 ἀλλὰ … γάρ ¹¹ Κρέων ¹²

mvp-comment-88-2 Μενοικέως ¹³

mvp-comment-88-3 νεοχμὸς νεαραῖσι ¹⁴

mvp-comment-88-4 their equivalents. See Appendix I prefer the first of these views. An anapaest or spondee, meaning ‘ruler,’ has probably dropped out before νεοχμός ¹⁵ κρείων ¹⁶ ἄρχων ¹⁷ ταγός ¹⁸

mvp-comment-88-5 θεῶν … συντυχίαις ¹⁹ ἐπί ²⁰

mvp-comment-89-1 μῆτιν ἐρέσσων ²¹

mvp-comment-89-2 σύγκλητον ²²

mvp-comment-89-3 προὔθετο ²³ λέσχην ²⁴

mvp-comment-89-4 not the meeting, but the discussion which is to take place there: thus the poet's phrase, true to Attic usage, corresponds with

γνώμας προθεῖναι

rather than with

ἐκκλησίαν προθεῖναι

. Herod. uses

λέσχη

of a public discussion (9. 71): cp. O. C. 167 . The midd. προὔθετο ²⁵

mvp-comment-89-5 κοινῷ κ. πέμψας ²⁶

mvp-comment-91-1 There is a general dramatic analogy between this speech and that of Oedipus in O. T. 216 —275. In each case a Theban king addresses Theban elders, announcing a stern decree, adopted in reliance on his own wisdom, and promulgated with haughty consciousness of power; the elders receive the decree with a submissive deference under which we can perceive traces of misgiving; and as the drama proceeds, the elders become spectators of calamities occasioned by the decree, while its author turns to them for comfort.

mvp-comment-91-2 τὰ μὲν δὴ πόλεος . . ὑμᾶς δ’ ²⁷

mvp-comment-91-3 πόλεος ²⁸ πολλῷ σάλῳ σείσαντες ²⁹

mvp-comment-91-4 The image of the State as a ship dates in Greek literature from Alcaeus (whom Horace copied, Carm. 1. 14 ), fr. 18. The ship of Alcaeus is labouring in the trough of a wild sea,—water is coming in,—the sail is torn,—the anchor will not hold:

νᾶϊ φορήμεθα σὺν μελαίνᾳ | χείμωνι μοχθεῦντες μεγάλῳ μάλα, κ.τ.λ.

It is only through Heracleides Alleg. Homer. 5 that we know the meaning of Alcaeus to have been figurative and political. Aesch. often uses the image ( Aesch. Th. 2 , Aesch. Th. 62 , Aesch. Th. 208 etc.). Creon returns to it at 189. It is peculiarly well suited to his point,—the unity of the public interest.

mvp-comment-91-5 ὤρθωσαν ³⁰

mvp-comment-92-1 ἐκ πάντων ³¹ δίχα ³²

mvp-comment-92-2 ἔστειλ’ ἱκέσθαι ³³ τοῦτο μέν ³⁴

mvp-comment-92-3 σέβοντας ³⁵

mvp-comment-92-4 θρόνων . . κράτη ³⁶

mvp-comment-93-1 ἡνίκ’ Οἰδίπους ³⁷ κείνων ³⁸ κείνων παῖδας ³⁹ ἡνίκ’ . . ὤρθου πόλιν ⁴⁰ ἐπεὶ διώλετο ⁴¹ τοῦτο μέν . . τοῦτ’ αὖθις ⁴²

mvp-comment-93-2 καί ⁴³ καί ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-93-3 ἐμπέδοις φρονήμασιν ⁴⁵ ἐμπέδους ⁴⁶ ἐμπέδοις ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-94-1 ὅτε ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-94-2 πρὸς διπλῆς μ. ⁴⁹ διπλῆς . . μίαν ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-94-3 παίσαντες . . πληγέντες ⁵¹

mvp-comment-94-4 αὐτόχειρι … μιάσματι ⁵²

mvp-comment-95-1 ἐγὼ . . δή ⁵³

mvp-comment-95-2 κράτη ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-95-3 γένους κατ’ ἀγχιστεῖα τῶν ὀλ. ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-96-1 ἀμήχανον δέ ⁵⁶ δέ ⁵⁷ δέ ⁵⁸

mvp-comment-96-2 Demosthenes, in his speech on the Embassy (343 B.C.), quotes this passage (vv. 175—190) as illustrating maxims

mvp-comment-96-3 which Aeschines had violated, though, accustomed as he had been to play tritagonists' parts, he ought to have known them by heart (or. 19 § 247).

mvp-comment-97-1 ψυχήν ⁵⁹ φρόνημα ⁶⁰ γνώμην ⁶¹

mvp-comment-98-1 ἀρχαῖς ⁶² νόμοισιν ⁶³

mvp-comment-98-2 ἐντριβής ⁶⁴

mvp-comment-98-3 φανῇ ⁶⁵

mvp-comment-99-1 ἐμοὶ γάρ ⁶⁶ γάρ ⁶⁷ πᾶσαν … πόλιν ⁶⁸

mvp-comment-99-2 μὴ … ἅπτεται ⁶⁹ ὅστις μὴ ἅπτεται ⁷⁰

mvp-comment-99-3 ἐκ φ. του ⁷¹

mvp-comment-99-4 ἐγκλῄσας ἔχει ⁷²

mvp-comment-99-5 νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι ⁷³

mvp-comment-100-1 μείζον’ ⁷⁴ ἀντὶ τῆς...πάτρας ⁷⁵ ἤ ⁷⁶ μεῖζον ⁷⁷

mvp-comment-100-2 οὐδαμοῦ λέγω ⁷⁸

mvp-comment-101-1 ἐγὼ γάρ ⁷⁹ γάρ ⁸⁰ τοῦτο γιγνώσκων ⁸¹ ἴστω ⁸²

mvp-comment-102-1 οὔτ’ ἂν σιωπήσαιμι ⁸³

mvp-comment-103-1 στείχουσαν ἀστοῖς ⁸⁴ ὁμοῦ ⁸⁵

mvp-comment-103-2 ἀντὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ⁸⁶ τῆς ⁸⁷

mvp-comment-104-1 ἄνδρα δυσμενῆ χθονός ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-104-2 ἐμαυτῷ ⁸⁹ φίλον ⁹⁰ θείμην ⁹¹

mvp-comment-105-1 ἡ σῴζουσα ⁹²

mvp-comment-105-2 ταύτης ⁹³ ὀρθῆς ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-105-3 τοὺς φίλους ποιούμεθα ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-105-4

εὐτυχούσῃ πολλῷ μᾶλλον διασῴζεται

. ‘Pericles Thucydidis 11. 60 Sophoclem videtur respexisse, vel eum Sophocles,’ is Dobree's remark ( Adv. 2. 37 ); but there is no adequate ground for such a view. The verbal coincidence of

ὀρθῆς

with

ὀρθουμένην

may well have been accidental. What is really common to poet and historian is the general sentiment of Periclean Athens. For another example of this, cp. O. C. 116 n.

mvp-comment-106-1 νόμοισι ⁹⁶

mvp-comment-106-2 αὔξω ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-107-1 ἀδελφὰ τῶνδε ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-107-2 τῶν ἀπ’ Οἰδίπου ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-108-1 δορί ¹⁰⁰ δόρει ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-109-1 τὰ πάντ’ ἐφαγνίσαι ¹⁰² ἐπί ¹⁰³ ἐφαγνίσαι ¹⁰⁴ ἀφαγνίσαι ¹⁰⁵ ἀπό ¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-110-1 τοῖς ἀρίστοις ¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-110-2 ἔρχεται κάτω ¹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-111-1 L has Πολυνείκην ¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-111-2 λέγω ¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-112-1 γτ=ν πατρῴαν . . καὶ θεοὺς . . πρῆσαι ¹¹¹

mvp-comment-112-2 θ. τοὺς ἐγγενεῖς ¹¹²

mvp-comment-112-3 κατελθών ¹¹³

mvp-comment-112-4 γ)θέλησε μέν … ἠθέλ. δέ ¹¹⁴ ἠθέλησε μὲν ¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-112-5 πρῆσαι ¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-112-6 κατ’ ἄκρας ¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-112-7 αἵματος κ. πάσασθαι ¹¹⁸

mvp-comment-112-8 τοὺς δὲ … ἄγειν ¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-113-1 The traditional ἐκκεκηρῦχθαι τάφῳ ¹²⁰ ἐκκεκήρυκται τάφῳ ¹²¹ ἐκκεκηρῦχθαι λέγω ¹²² τάφῳ ¹²³ κτερίζειν ¹²⁴ τάφῳ ¹²⁵ κτερίζειν ¹²⁶ μήτε ¹²⁷ κωκῦσαι ¹²⁸ τάφῳ ¹²⁹ λέγω ¹³⁰ τάφῳ ¹³¹ ἐκκεκ ¹³²

mvp-comment-114-1 ἐᾶν δ ¹³³ ἄθαπτον, αἰκισθέντ’ ἰδεῖν ¹³⁴ δέμας καὶ πρὸς οἰωνῶν καὶ πρὸς κυνῶν ἐδεστόν ¹³⁵ αἰκισθέντ ¹³⁶ αἰκισθέντ ¹³⁷ ἐδεστόν ¹³⁸ αἰκισθέν τ’, δέμας ¹³⁹

mvp-comment-114-2 δέμας ¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-114-3 ἰδεῖν ¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-115-1 φρόνημα ¹⁴²

mvp-comment-115-2 ἔκ γ’ ἐμοῦ ¹⁴³

mvp-comment-116-1 The MSS. have τιμὴν προέξουσ’ ..τῶν ἐνδ. ¹⁴⁴ τιμήν ¹⁴⁵ τιμῆ ¹⁴⁶ προσέξους ¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-117-1 τιμήσεται ¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-118-1 I print Dindorf's κἀς ¹⁴⁹ καὶ ¹⁵⁰ σοὶ ταῦτ’ ἀρέσκει ¹⁵¹ Κρέον ¹⁵² ταὔτ ¹⁵³ ταῦτ’ ¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-119-1 In παντί πού γ’ ¹⁵⁵ σοί γ’ … που ¹⁵⁶ ἔνεστι ¹⁵⁷ χὡπόσοι ζῶμεν ¹⁵⁸ πέρι ¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-120-1 ὡς ἂν … ἦτε ¹⁶⁰ πῶς ἂν … εἶτε ¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-120-2 σκοποί ¹⁶²

mvp-comment-120-3 νυν ¹⁶³ νῦν ¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-120-4 τῶν εἰρ ¹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-121-1 πρόθες τοῦτο ¹⁶⁶ βαστάζειν ¹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-121-2 τοῦ νεκροῦ γ’ ¹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-122-1 τί δῆτ’ ἂν … ἐπεντέλλοις ¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-122-2 The reading ἄλλῳ ¹⁷⁰ τοῦτο ¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-122-3 ἐπιχωρεῖν ¹⁷²

mvp-comment-122-4 ἀπιστοῦσιν ¹⁷³

mvp-comment-122-5 τάδε, ¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-123-1 ὃς ¹⁷⁵ ἐρᾷ ¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-123-2 καὶ μὴν ¹⁷⁷ γε ¹⁷⁸ μισθός ¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-123-3 requital of disobedience is that.’ For

καὶ μήν

so used, cp. O. T. 836 , 1004 f., El. 556 .

mvp-comment-123-4 τὸ κέρδος ¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-123-5 διώλεσεν ¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-124-1 ἐρῶ μὲν οὐχ ¹⁸²

mvp-comment-124-2 ὅπως ¹⁸³

mvp-comment-124-3 τάχους ὕπο ¹⁸⁴ τάχους ¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-125-1 ἐξάρας ¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-125-2 φροντίδων ¹⁸⁷ ἐπιστάσεις ¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-125-3 ὁδοῖς ¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-125-4 κυκλῶν ¹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-126-1 ψυχὴ γὰρ ηὔδα ¹⁹¹ πολλὰ ¹⁹² μυθουμένη ¹⁹³

mvp-comment-127-1 τάλας … τλήμων ¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-127-2 μένεις ¹⁹⁵ μενεῖς ¹⁹⁶ αὖ ¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-127-3 πῶς … οὐκ ¹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-127-4 ἀλγυνεῖ ¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-128-1 ἑλίσσων ²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-128-2 ἤνυτον ²⁰¹

mvp-comment-128-3 σχολῇ βραδύς ²⁰²

mvp-comment-129-1 τέλος γε μέντοι ²⁰³

mvp-comment-129-2 ἐνίκησεν ²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-129-3

ἐκλιπεῖν τὴν πόλιν

. That

μολεῖν

should not be regarded as the subject to

ἐνίκησε

, is shown by such an example as Her. 8.9

ἐνίκα τὴν ἡμέρην ἐκείνην αὐτοῦ μείναντάς τε καὶ αὐλισθέντας μετέπειτα νύκτα μέσην παρέντας πορεύεσθαι

, where the length of the interval excludes such a view. The personal constr. occurs below, 274; cp. Thuc. 2.12

ἦν...Περικλέους γνώμη...νενικηκυῖα

mvp-comment-130-1 σοί ²⁰⁵ μολεῖν ²⁰⁶ σοί ²⁰⁷ φράσων ²⁰⁸ φράσω δ ²⁰⁹ κεἰ ²¹⁰ κεἴ σοι ²¹¹ σοί. ²¹²

mvp-comment-130-2 τὸ μηδέν ²¹³

mvp-comment-131-1 τῆς ἐλπίδος ²¹⁴

mvp-comment-131-2 δεδραγμένος ²¹⁵ πεφραγμένος ²¹⁶ πεπραγμένος ²¹⁷

mvp-comment-131-3 τὸ μὴ παθεῖν ἄν ²¹⁸

mvp-comment-131-4

πάθοιμι ἄν

, depending on

ἐλπίδος...δεδρ

. as=

ἐλπίζων

: for the art. with infin., cp. 78 n.

mvp-comment-131-5 τὸ μόρσιμον ²¹⁹

mvp-comment-132-1 ἀνθ’ οὗ ²²⁰

mvp-comment-132-2 τὸ γὰρ | πρᾶγμ’ ²²¹ γάρ ²²²

mvp-comment-133-1 εὖ γε στοχάζει ²²³ στοχάζει ²²⁴ ἀποφράγνυσαι ²²⁵ στοχάζομαι ²²⁶

mvp-comment-133-2 κἀποφράγνυσαι ²²⁷

mvp-comment-133-3 τὸ πρᾶγμα ²²⁸

mvp-comment-134-1 δηλοῖς δ’ ὥς τι ς. ²²⁹

mvp-comment-135-1 τὰ δεινά ²³⁰ γάρ ²³¹

mvp-comment-135-2 ποτ ²³²

mvp-comment-135-3 ἀπαλλαχθείς ²³³

mvp-comment-136-1 καὶ δή ²³⁴

mvp-comment-136-2 θάψας ²³⁵ κἀπί ²³⁶

mvp-comment-136-3 διψίαν ²³⁷

mvp-comment-136-4 κἀφαγιστεύσας ²³⁸ ἃ χρή ²³⁹

mvp-comment-137-1 ἀνδρῶν ²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-137-2 οὔτε του γενῇδος … οὐ δικέλλης ²⁴¹ οὔτε … οὐ ²⁴² γενῄς ²⁴³ γενῄς ²⁴⁴ δίκελλα ²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-137-3 δικ. ἐκβολή ²⁴⁶ ἐκβ. ²⁴⁷ στύφλος ²⁴⁸ χέρσος ²⁴⁹ ἀρρώξ ²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-137-4 ἐπημαξευμένη ²⁵¹ ἐπ‐ ²⁵² ἐφ‐ ²⁵³

mvp-comment-137-5 ἀλλ’ ὁ ἐργάτης ἄσημός τις ἦν ²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-138-1 It is still the early morning of the day on which the drama opens. The Argives having fled in the night, Creon had published his edict shortly before dawn. Antigone had done her deed in the short interval between the publication of the edict and the beginning of the watch over the corpse. ὁ πρῶτος ἡμεροσκόπος ²⁵⁵ ἡμεροσκ. ²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-138-2 δείκνυσι … παρῆν ²⁵⁷

mvp-comment-138-3 δυσχερές ²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-139-1 ὁ μὲν ²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-139-2 τυμβήρης μὲν οὔ ²⁶⁰ τυμβ. ²⁶¹ λεπτὴ δ’ … ἐπῆν ²⁶²

mvp-comment-139-3 ἄγος φεύγοντος ὥς ²⁶³ ἄγος ²⁶⁴

mvp-comment-140-1 θηρός ²⁶⁵

mvp-comment-140-2 του ²⁶⁶ θηρός ²⁶⁷

mvp-comment-140-3 οὐ σπάσαντος ²⁶⁸ οὐ ²⁶⁹ σπάσαντος ²⁷⁰ σπάσαντος οὐδ’ ἐλθόντος ²⁷¹

mvp-comment-141-1 λόγοι δ’ … φύλακα ²⁷² λόγοι κακοὶ ἐρρόθουν ²⁷³ ἐρρόθουν ²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-141-2

γλώσσης ῥόθος

, of an unintelligible jargon.

mvp-comment-141-3 ἐλέγχων ²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-141-4 κἂν ἐγίγνετο ²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-141-5 τελευτῶς ²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-141-6 ὁ κωλύσων ²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-142-1 ἦν … οὑξειργ. ²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-142-2 ἐναργής ²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-142-3 ἀλλ’ ²⁸¹

mvp-comment-142-4 ἕφευγε μὴ εἰδέναι ²⁸²

mvp-comment-142-5 μὴ ²⁸³ εἰδέναι ²⁸⁴

mvp-comment-143-1 μύδρους ²⁸⁵

mvp-comment-143-2 a red-hot mass of metal, and that the custom was symbolical of an older use of the

μύδρος

in ordeals by fire. This would explain how the Alexandrian poets of the 3rd cent. B.C. (Lycophron, Callimachus) came to use the word

μύδρος

, in defiance of its etymology, as simply ‘a lump’ (or even ‘a stone’). They supposed that the

μύδροι

had been cold masses.

mvp-comment-144-1 πῦρ διέρπειν ²⁸⁶

mvp-comment-144-2 θεοὺς ὁρκ. ²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-144-3 τὸ μήτε δρ ²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-144-4 μήτ’ είργασμένῳ ²⁹⁰ μηδ ²⁹¹

mvp-comment-145-1 πλέον ²⁹²

mvp-comment-145-2 λέγει ²⁹³

mvp-comment-145-3 τις εἷς ²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-146-1 προὔτρεψεν ²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-146-2 οὐ γὰρ εἴχομεν ²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-146-3 As ἀντιφωνεῖν ²⁹⁷ δρῶντες ²⁹⁸ ὅπως δρῶντες ²⁹⁹ εἴχομεν ³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-147-1 σοί ³⁰¹

mvp-comment-147-2 ταῦτ’ ἐνίκα ³⁰²

mvp-comment-147-3 πάλος ³⁰³ καθαιρεῖ ³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-147-4 τἀγαθόν ³⁰⁵ —ἄκων οὐχ ἑκοῦσιν ³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-148-1 ἐμοί ³⁰⁷ βουλεύει ³⁰⁸ μή ³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-148-2 τι ³¹⁰

mvp-comment-148-3 θεήλατον, ³¹¹

mvp-comment-148-4 ἡ ξύννοια ³¹²

mvp-comment-148-5 πάλαι ³¹³

mvp-comment-149-1 πρὶν ὀργῆς καί με μεστῶσαι ³¹⁴ καί ³¹⁵ πρίν ³¹⁶ μεστῶσαι ³¹⁷ καί ³¹⁸ με ³¹⁹

mvp-comment-149-2 κἀμέ ³²⁰

mvp-comment-149-3 μεστῶσαι ³²¹

mvp-comment-150-1 πότερον ³²² ἔκρυπτον ³²³

mvp-comment-150-2 ἀμφικίονας ναούς ³²⁴

mvp-comment-150-3 κἀναθήματα ³²⁵

mvp-comment-150-4 Her. 1.50 ; Thuc. 6.46 ; Isae. or. 7 § 41.) The wealth of Delphi in

ἀναθήματα

is already proverbial in Il. 9.404 ; at Thebes the

Ἰσμήνιον

( O. T. 21 ) also seems to have been rich in them. After

ἀνάθημα

the gen. denotes either

ὁ ἀναθείς

(as more oft.), or, as here, the divine owner.

mvp-comment-150-5 γῆν ἐκείνων ³²⁶ πυρώσων ³²⁷

mvp-comment-150-6 νόμους διασκεδῶν ³²⁸

mvp-comment-150-7 διασκεδῶν ³²⁹

mvp-comment-151-1 τοὺς κακοὺς τιμῶντας … θεούς; ³³⁰

mvp-comment-152-1 ταῦτα ³³¹ μόλις φέροντες ³³² καὶ πάλαι ³³³

mvp-comment-152-2 πόλεως ἄνδρες ³³⁴

mvp-comment-152-3 ἐρρόθουν ³³⁵

mvp-comment-152-4 ἐμοί ³³⁶

mvp-comment-152-5 κάρα σείοντες ³³⁷

mvp-comment-152-6 ὑπὸ ζυγῷ ³³⁸

mvp-comment-152-7 λόφον ³³⁹

mvp-comment-152-8 δικαίως ³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-152-9 equal poise’ ( New Crat. 371).—

ὡς = ὥστε

( O. T. 84 ): στέργειν ³⁴¹

mvp-comment-153-1 τῶνδε ³⁴² ἐκ ³⁴³

mvp-comment-153-2 τούτους, ³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-153-3 εἰργάσθαι ³⁴⁵ ἐξεπίσταμαι ³⁴⁶ παρηγμένους ³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-154-1 νόμισμ’ ³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-154-2 ἔβλαστε ³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-154-3 πορθεῖ ³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-154-4 τόδ’ ³⁵¹ ἄνδρας ³⁵²

mvp-comment-155-1 τόδ’ ἐκδ. καὶ παραλλάσσει ³⁵³ ἵστασθαι ³⁵⁴ καὶ παραλλάσσει ³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-155-2 ἵστασθαι πρός τι ³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-156-1 πανουργίας … ἔχειν ³⁵⁷

mvp-comment-156-2 εἰδέναι ³⁵⁸ παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβ. ³⁵⁹ παντὸς ἔργ ³⁶⁰ πανουργίας ³⁶¹

mvp-comment-157-1 ἤνυσαν ³⁶²

mvp-comment-157-2 χρόνῳ ποτέ ³⁶³ δοῦναι δίκην ³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-157-3 ἐξέπραξαν ὡς ³⁶⁵

mvp-comment-158-1 Ζεύς ³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-158-2 ὅρκιος ³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-158-3 τὸν αὐτόχειρα ³⁶⁸ τάφου = ταφῆς ³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-159-1 μοῦνος ³⁷⁰ πρὶν ἂν . . δηλώσητε ³⁷¹ κρεμαστοί ³⁷² ζῶντες κρεμαστοί ³⁷³

mvp-comment-159-2 δηλώσηθ’ ³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-159-3 ὕβριν ³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-160-1 ἵν’ … ἁρπάζητε ³⁷⁶

mvp-comment-160-2 τὸ κέρδος ³⁷⁷ ἔνθεν οἰστέον ³⁷⁸

mvp-comment-160-3 μάθηθ’ ³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-160-4 ἐξ ἅπαντος ³⁸⁰ τὸ κερδαίνειν ³⁸¹

mvp-comment-160-5

πιεῖν

. In O. C. 807

ἑξ ἅπαντος εὖ λέγει

=speaks well on any theme (starting from anything).

mvp-comment-161-1 τι ³⁸²

mvp-comment-161-2 δέ ³⁸³ δώσεις ³⁸⁴

mvp-comment-161-3 οὕτως ³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-161-4 ἴω ³⁸⁶

mvp-comment-161-5 καὶ νῦν ὡς ³⁸⁷ ἀνιαρῶς ³⁸⁸ ι— ³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-162-1 ἐν ³⁹⁰ ὠσίν ³⁹¹

mvp-comment-162-2 ἐπί ³⁹²

mvp-comment-163-1 τί δὲ ³⁹³ τί δαὶ ³⁹⁴

mvp-comment-163-2 ῥυθμίζεις ³⁹⁵ ὅπου ³⁹⁶ ὅπου ³⁹⁷

mvp-comment-164-1 τὰς φρένας...τὰ δ’ ὦτ’ ³⁹⁸ σε ³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-164-2 οἴμ’ ὡς ⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-164-3 λάλημα ⁴⁰¹ ἄλημα ⁴⁰² ἄλημα ⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-164-4 δῆλον, ⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-165-1 ‘At any rate (

οὖν

—babbler or not) I certainly have not done this deed.’ εἰμί ⁴⁰⁵ οὔκουν … γε ⁴⁰⁶

mvp-comment-166-1 ‘Yes, (you have done it,) and that, too, at the cost of betraying,’ etc. The particle γε ⁴⁰⁷ καὶ ταῦτα ⁴⁰⁸ προδούς ⁴⁰⁹

mvp-comment-167-1 ἦ δεινόν ⁴¹⁰ καὶ ⁴¹¹ γε ⁴¹²

mvp-comment-168-1 κόμψευε . . τὴν δόξαν ⁴¹³

mvp-comment-168-2 τὴν δόξαν ⁴¹⁴

mvp-comment-168-3

κληδόν’

(the

κληδών

of which you speak), not merely, ‘the word

δόξα

.’ If the v. l.

τὸ δόξαν

(see cr. n.) was intended to mean the latter, it should have been

τὸ δόξα.

mvp-comment-168-4 νυν ⁴¹⁵ νῦν ⁴¹⁶ ταῦτα … τοὺς δρῶντας = τοὺς ταῦτα δρῶντας ⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-169-1 δειλά ⁴¹⁸

mvp-comment-169-2 δεινά ⁴¹⁹ ν ⁴²⁰

mvp-comment-170-1 ἀλλ’ ⁴²¹ εὑρεθείη ⁴²² καὶ ⁴²³

mvp-comment-171-1 καὶ ⁴²⁴ γάρ ⁴²⁵

mvp-comment-171-2 γνώμης ⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-173-1 πολλὰ … κοὐδέν ⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-173-2 καί ⁴²⁸

mvp-comment-173-3 τὰ δεινά ⁴²⁹

mvp-comment-174-1 τοῦτο ⁴³⁰ πέραν ⁴³¹ πέρα ⁴³²

mvp-comment-175-1 χειμερίῳ νότῳ ⁴³³

mvp-comment-176-1 περιβρ … ὑπ’ οἴδμασιν ⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-177-1 ὑπερτάταν ⁴³⁵

mvp-comment-178-1 ἀκαμάταν ⁴³⁶

mvp-comment-178-2 ἀποτρύεται ⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-179-1 ἰλλομένων ἀρότρων, ⁴³⁸ ἀρότων ⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-179-2 ἔτος εἰς ἔτος ⁴⁴⁰ εἰς ⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-180-1 ἱππείῳ γένει ⁴⁴²

mvp-comment-180-2 πολεύων ⁴⁴³ τοῦτο ⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-181-1 Man's conquests over the animal world are here taken in two groups. First, those of which the primary aim is to kill or to capture. Here the means is netting (

ἀμφιβαλὼν σπείραισι δικτυοκλώστοις

), in its threefold sporting use, as applied to fowling (

ὀρνίθων

), hunting (

θηρῶν

), and fishing (

πόντου φύσιν

). Secondly, those conquests which aim at reducing wild animals to man's service. These are effected by

μηχαναί

(349),— arts of taming and training. And their result is aptly expressed by the word

mvp-comment-181-2

κρατεῖ

: here, man is not merely the slayer or captor; he becomes the master of docile toilers. The horse and the bull are types.

mvp-comment-181-3 Thus, in this ode, the scale of achievement ever ascends: man (1) conquers inanimate nature: (2) makes animals his captives: (3) trains them to be his servants: (4) develops his own social and intellectual life.

mvp-comment-181-4 κουφονόων ⁴⁴⁵

mvp-comment-181-5 ἀμφιβαλὼν ⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-182-1 πόντου … εἰναλίαν φύσιν ⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-183-1 περιφραδής ⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-184-1 μηχαναῖς ⁴⁴⁹ ἀγραύλου ⁴⁵⁰ ὀρεσσιβάτα ⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-185-1 λασιαύχενά θ’ ⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-186-1 ὀχμάζεται ⁴⁵³ ἀμφὶ λόφον ζυγῶν ⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-186-2 Rhod. 1. 743

κυρίως ἐστὶν ὀχμάσαι τὸ ἵππον ὑπὸ χαλινὸν ἀγαγεῖν ἢ ὑπὸ ζυγόν

. The midd. voice does not occur elsewhere; but this cannot be regarded as an objection, when we remember how many rare middle forms occur in the dramatists. Thus

προσορωμένα

in O. C. 244 is a solitary example of that verb in the midd., and if the license could be taken with so common a word, much more might it be allowed with a comparatively rare one. Blaydes writes

ὀχμάζει ὑπ’ ἀμφίλοφον ζυγόν

: but the Ms.

ἕξεται

indicates that the verb, whatever it was, was of the midd. form.

ὀχμάζεται

was published by G. Schöne in 1833, and by Franz in 1846: they appear to have made the conjecture independently. Donaldson (1848) printed

ὁχμάζεται ἀμφὶ λόφον ζυγῶν

, and seems to ascribe

ζυγῶν

to Franz and Schöne; though Franz, at least, proposed

ἀμφὶ λόφον ζυγῷ. ζυγῶν

has been revived (seemingly without knowledge of a predecessor) by H. Schütz (1886). Sophocles would write

ΑΜΦΙΛΟΦΟΝΖΥΓΟΝ

, and thus

ζυγῶν

changes no letter. Aesch. used the fut.

ζυγώσω

(fr. 110), and Soph. has the verbal

ζυγωτῶν

( El. 702 ). To

ἀμφιλόφῳ ζυγῷ

it may be objected that, being clear, it was not likely to become -

ον ‐όν

: but, when

ἀμφίλοφον

had once been written,

ζυγῶν

(or

ζυγῷ

) would easily become

ζυγόν

. As to the schol. on

ἀμφίλοφον,—ἀντὶ τοῦ, περιβαλὼν αὐτῷ ζυγὸν περὶ τὸν λόφον, ὑπάγει

,—it cannot fairly be urged for

ζυγῶν

(or for any partic.), since it may be merely a paraphrase of

ἀμφίλοφον

.—Schütz's ἐφέζεται ⁴⁵⁵

mvp-comment-187-1 φθέγμα ⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-187-2 beginnings of speech...Speech is the development, through imitation, of a capacity of man—the capacity of making a noise.’ This is quite compatible with

ἐδιδάξατο.

mvp-comment-187-3 ἀνεμόεν φρόνημα ⁴⁵⁷

mvp-comment-188-1 ἀστυνόμους ὀργάς ⁴⁵⁸

mvp-comment-189-1 ἐδιδάξατο ⁴⁵⁹

mvp-comment-190-1 πάγων ⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-190-2 ἐναίθρεια ⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-190-3 βέλη ⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-191-1 παντοπόρος ⁴⁶⁴

mvp-comment-191-2

οὐδὲν … τὸ μέλλον = οὐδὲν ὃ μέλλει

(

ἔσεσθαι

), nothing that is to be (cp. the absolute

τὸ μέλλον, τὰ μέλλοντα

). So Plat. Lach. 197 A

ἔγωγε ἀνδρεῖα καλῶ οὔτε θηρία οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδὲν τὸ τὰ δεινὰ ὑπὸ ἀγνοίας μὴ φοβούμενον = οὐδὲν ὃ μὴ φοβεῖται

. This negative form is as correct as (though actually rarer than) the positive

πᾶν τὸ καλῶς ἔχον

( Plat. Rep. 381A ) for

πᾶν ὃ καλῶς ἔχει

. Donaldson took

τὸ μέλλον

adverbially: ‘in regard to the future, he comes to nothing without resources.’ Cp. 728 ,

μηδὲν τὸ μὴ δίκαιον

, where

μηδέν

is subst., not adv.

mvp-comment-192-1 μόνον ⁴⁶⁵ μόνου ⁴⁶⁶ φεῦξιν — ἐπάξεται ⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-193-1 ἀμηχάνων ⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-193-2 φυγάς ⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-193-3 ξυμπέφρασται ⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-194-1 The ode closes with a more direct reference to the incident which suggested its theme. The daring ingenuity shown by the unknown breaker of Creon's edict is an instance of the subtlety which leads to ruin. The implied contrast with Creon—

ὑψίπολις

by his care for the laws—is effective in view of the destined

περιπέτεια

mvp-comment-194-2 σοφόν τι … ἔχων ⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-194-3 τὸ μηχανόεν τ ⁴⁷²

mvp-comment-195-1 τοτὲ μὲν … ἄλλοτ’ ⁴⁷³

mvp-comment-195-2 ἐπ’ ⁴⁷⁴

mvp-comment-196-1 γεραίρων ⁴⁷⁵

mvp-comment-196-2 5. 67

ἐτίμων τὸν Ἄδρηστον καὶ δὴ πρὸς τὰ πάθεα αὐτοῦ τραγικοῖσι χοροῖσι ἐγέραιρον

. Ar. Th. 960

γένος Ὀλυμπίων θεῶν | μέλπε καὶ γέραιρε φωνῇ

mvp-comment-197-1 θεῶν τ’ ἔνορκον δίκαν ⁴⁷⁶

mvp-comment-198-1 ὑψίπολις ⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-198-2 ἄπολις ⁴⁷⁸

mvp-comment-198-3 τὸ μὴ καλόν ⁴⁷⁹ τόλμας χάριν ⁴⁸⁰

mvp-comment-199-1 παρέστιος ⁴⁸¹

mvp-comment-199-2 ἴσον φρονῶν ⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-200-1 ἔρδει ⁴⁸³ ἔρδοι ⁴⁸⁴

mvp-comment-202-1 The choral ode has closed with an allusion to the unknown man ( ὅς ⁴⁸⁵ ἀμφινοῶ ⁴⁸⁶ ἐς ⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-202-2 δαιμόνιον τέρας ⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-203-1 πῶς εἰδὼς ⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-203-2 ἀντιλογήσω ⁴⁹⁰

mvp-comment-204-1 ὦ δύστηνος ⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-204-2 δ. πατρός ⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-204-3 Οἰδιπόδα— ⁴⁹³

mvp-comment-205-1 τί ποτ’ ⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-205-2 οὐ δή που ⁴⁹⁵

mvp-comment-205-3 ἀπιστοῦσαν ⁴⁹⁶

mvp-comment-205-4 ἄγουσι ⁴⁹⁷

mvp-comment-205-5 colloquialism, it would be nearly as bad as, ‘Have they taken you up?’

mvp-comment-205-6 καὶ ⁴⁹⁸ ἀπιστοῦσαν ⁴⁹⁹ καθελόντες ⁵⁰⁰

mvp-comment-206-1 Second

ἐπεισόδιον

. Antigone, brought before Creon, avows and justifies her deed. Creon declares that she shall die. Ismene, when led in (531), associates herself with the act, but is not permitted by her sister to claim any part in it. Creon orders that both sisters shall be kept prisoners.

mvp-comment-206-2 ἐκείνη ⁵⁰¹

mvp-comment-206-3 τοὔργον ἡ ’ξειργ ⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-207-1 ἐς δέον ⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-208-1 ξύμμετρος ⁵⁰⁴

mvp-comment-209-1 ἀπώμοτον ⁵⁰⁵

mvp-comment-210-1 ψεύδει ⁵⁰⁶

mvp-comment-210-2 ἡ ’πίνοια ⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-211-1 ἐξηύχουν ἄν ⁵⁰⁸ σχολῇ ἥξειν ποτὲ δεῦρο ⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-211-2 σχολῇ ⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-212-1 ταῖς σαῖς ἀπειλαῖς ⁵¹¹

mvp-comment-212-2 ἐχειμάσθην ⁵¹²

mvp-comment-213-1 ἡ...ἐκτὸς ⁵¹³ ἐκτός ⁵¹⁴

mvp-comment-214-1 οὐδὲν ἔοικε μῆκος ⁵¹⁵ α+λλῃ ἡδονῇ ⁵¹⁶ οὐδέν ⁵¹⁷ μῆκος ⁵¹⁸ ἔοικε ⁵¹⁹

mvp-comment-215-1 δῑ ὅρκων … ἀπώμοτος ⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-216-1 καθῃρέθη ⁵²¹

mvp-comment-216-2 τάφον κοσμοῦσα ⁵²²

mvp-comment-216-3 ἐπάλλετο ⁵²³ ἕρμαιον ⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-217-1 κρῖνε ⁵²⁵

mvp-comment-217-2 δίκαιός εἰμι ⁵²⁶

mvp-comment-217-3 ἀπηλλάχθαι ⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-218-1 Observe the order of the words as marking his amazement. For the double interrog. cp. Il. 21.150

τίς πόθεν ει<*>=ς ἀνδρῶν

; Ph. 243

τίνι | στόλῳ προσέσχες τήνδε γῆν, πόθεν πλέων;

mvp-comment-218-2 πάντ’ ἐπίστασαι ⁵²⁸

mvp-comment-219-1 ἦ καὶ ⁵²⁹

mvp-comment-219-2 ὀρθῶς ⁵³⁰

mvp-comment-219-3 mean to say? (Not, merely, ‘truly,’ i.e. in accordance with the fact: cp. 99 n.)

mvp-comment-220-1 τὸν νεκρόν ⁵³¹

mvp-comment-221-1 ἆρ’ ἔνδηλα ⁵³²

mvp-comment-222-1 ὁρᾶται...ᾑρέθη ⁵³³

mvp-comment-222-2 ἐπίληπτος ⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-223-1 ἥκομεν ⁵³⁶

mvp-comment-224-1 τὰ δείν’ ἐκεῖν’ ⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-224-2 τὸν | νέκυν ⁵³⁸

mvp-comment-225-1 καθήμεθ’ ⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-225-2 ἄκρων ἐκ πάγων ⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-225-3

ἐξ Οὐλύμποιο ἀπὸ ῥίου

. Here,

ἀπὸ ῥίου

goes with

εἰσεῖδε

: but

ἐξ Οὐλύμποιο

, however much

εἰσεῖδε

may have influenced it, at least cannot be disjoined from

στᾶσ’

. (2) Eur. Phoen. 1009

ἀλλ’ εἶμι καὶ στὰς ἐξ ἐπάλξεων ἄκρων | σφάξας ἐμαυτὸν σηκὸν εἰς μελαμβαθῆ | δράκοντος, ἔνθ’ ὁ μάντις ἐξηγήσατο, | ἐλευθερώσω γαῖαν

. It is impossible to sever

στάς

from

ἐξ ἐπ.

, even if we partly explain

ἐξ

σφάξας

. (3) ib. 1224

Ἐτεοκλέης δ’ ὑπῆρξ’ ἀπ’ ὀρθίου σταθεὶς | πύργου κελεύσας σῖγα κηρῦξαι στρατῷ

. The position of

σταθείς

forbids us to sever it from

ἀπ’ ὀρθ. π.

, even though

ὑπῆρξε

κελεύσας

is used to explain

ἀπό

. (4) Eur. Tro. 522

ἀνὰ δ’ ἐβόασεν λεὼς | Τρῳάδος ἀπὸ πέτρας σταθείς

. A similar case. In all these passages, a picture is presented, and we have to glance from a remoter to a nearer object. The mental eye is required to measure the space between Hera on the peak of Olympus, and Poseidon on the plain of Troy; between Megareus on the walls of Thebes, and the cavern into which his corpse is to fall. And, in each case,

ἐκ

ἀπό

denotes the quarter in which the remoter object is to be looked for. This, which might be called the ‘surveying’ use, is distinct from that in which the prep. has a pregnant force, as being directly suggestive of motion (

οἱ ἐκ Σικελίας ἥξουσι

); but it springs from the same mental tendency,—viz., to take a rapid glance over the dividing interval. Cp.

ἵστασθαι πρός τινος

(‘on his side’). So here: in the foreground of the picture is the corpse, which they have just laid bare. Now look to the hillocks behind it; in that quarter you will see the guards at their post.—I have not cited Od. 21.419

τόν ῥ’ ἐπὶ πήχει ἑλὼν ἕλκεν νευρὴν γλυφίδας τε | αὐτόθεν ἐκ δίφροιο καθήμενος

, because there

ἐκ δίφροιο

goes with

ἕλκεν

, not with

καθήμενος

(he drew the bow, just from the chair, where he sat).

mvp-comment-225-4 ὑπήνεμοι ⁵⁴¹

mvp-comment-226-1 βάλῃ ⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-227-1 ἐγερτί ⁵⁴³

mvp-comment-227-2 κινῶν ⁵⁴⁴

mvp-comment-227-3 ἐπιρρόθοις κακοῖσιν ⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-227-4 the adj. expressing the loud, continuous noise of tongues. The

ἐπι

- does not mean ‘bandied to and fro’: see Tr. 263

πολλὰ μὲν λόγοις | ἐπερρόθησε

. In fr. 521

ἐπίρροθα δώματα

=‘open to reproach.’ Elsewhere (as with Aesch.)

ἐπίρροθος

= ‘helper’ (

ἐπιρροθέω

, to come with shouts to the rescue). Cp.

ἐρρόθουν

259 n., Aesch. 290.

mvp-comment-228-1 ἀκηδήσοι ⁵⁴⁶ ἀφειδήσοι ⁵⁴⁷

mvp-comment-229-1 The incident of the storm was a dramatic necessity, to account for Antigone reaching the corpse unobserved. A powerful picture is compressed into seven lines. (Cp. O. C. 1315 ff. for a like instance of self-restraint in description.)

mvp-comment-230-1 κατέστη ⁵⁴⁸

mvp-comment-230-2 χθονὸς ⁵⁴⁹

mvp-comment-231-1 τυφώς ⁵⁵⁰ σκηπτός ⁵⁵¹

mvp-comment-231-2 οὐράνιον ἄχος ⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-232-1 πίμπλησι ⁵⁵³ αἰκίζων ⁵⁵⁴

mvp-comment-232-2 ἐν δ’ ἐμεστ ⁵⁵⁵

mvp-comment-233-1 μύσαντες ⁵⁵⁶

mvp-comment-233-2 νόσον ⁵⁵⁷

mvp-comment-233-3 ἐν χρ. μακρ ⁵⁵⁸

mvp-comment-234-1 πικρᾶς ⁵⁵⁹

mvp-comment-235-1 εὐνῆς...λέχος ⁵⁶⁰

mvp-comment-236-1 οὕτω δέ ⁵⁶¹

mvp-comment-236-2 ψιλόν ⁵⁶²

mvp-comment-237-1 γόοισιν ἐξῴμωξεν ⁵⁶³

mvp-comment-237-2 ἐκ δ’ … ἠρᾶτο ⁵⁶⁴

mvp-comment-237-3 διψίαν ⁵⁶⁵

mvp-comment-238-1 φέρει κόνιν ⁵⁶⁶

mvp-comment-239-1 The πρόχους ⁵⁶⁷

mvp-comment-239-2 εὐκρότητος ⁵⁶⁸

mvp-comment-239-3 ἄρδην ⁵⁶⁹

mvp-comment-240-1 χοαῖσι ⁵⁷⁰

mvp-comment-240-2 τρισπόνδ. ⁵⁷¹ στέφει ⁵⁷²

mvp-comment-241-1 ἱέμεσθα ⁵⁷³

mvp-comment-241-2 σὺν δὲ … θηρώμεθ’ ⁵⁷⁴

mvp-comment-242-1 ἠλέγχομεν ⁵⁷⁵

mvp-comment-242-2 ἄπαρνος … οὐδενός ⁵⁷⁶

mvp-comment-242-3 καθίστατο ⁵⁷⁷

mvp-comment-243-1 ἅμ’ ⁵⁷⁸

mvp-comment-244-1 φίλους ⁵⁷⁹

mvp-comment-245-1 πάντα ταῦθ’ ⁵⁸⁰ λαβεῖν ⁵⁸¹

mvp-comment-246-1 σὲ δή, ⁵⁸²

mvp-comment-247-1 φὴς δεδρακέναι, ἢ καταρνεῖ μὴ δεδρ ⁵⁸³ καταρνεῖ ⁵⁸⁴

mvp-comment-248-1 καὶ......κοὐκ ⁵⁸⁵

mvp-comment-248-2 τὸ μή ⁵⁸⁶

mvp-comment-249-1 σὺ μέν ⁵⁸⁷ κομίζοις ἂν ς ⁵⁸⁸

mvp-comment-249-2 ἔξω ⁵⁸⁹ β. αἰτίας ⁵⁹⁰ ἐλεύθερον ⁵⁹¹

mvp-comment-250-1 μῆκος ⁵⁹²

mvp-comment-251-1 ᾔδησθα ⁵⁹³ ᾔδης τὰ ⁵⁹⁴ σθα ⁵⁹⁵

mvp-comment-251-2 κηρυχθέντα ⁵⁹⁶

mvp-comment-252-1 ᾔδη ⁵⁹⁷

mvp-comment-252-2 τί δ’ οὐκ ἔμελλον ⁵⁹⁸

mvp-comment-252-3 ἐμφανῆ ⁵⁹⁹ ἐκφανῆ ⁶⁰⁰

mvp-comment-253-1 καὶ δῆτ’ ⁶⁰¹

mvp-comment-254-1 Ζεύς ⁶⁰²

mvp-comment-255-1 τῶν κάτω θεῶν ⁶⁰³ ξύνοικος ⁶⁰⁴ τοιούσδ’ … ὥρισεν ⁶⁰⁵ οἳ τούσδ’ … ὥρισαν ⁶⁰⁶ τάδε ⁶⁰⁷

mvp-comment-256-1 ἄγραπτα … νόμιμα ⁶⁰⁸

mvp-comment-256-2 quotes vv. 456 f.) Cp. O.T. 865 ff.

νόμοι... | ὑψίποδες, οὐρανίαν | δἰ αἰθέρα τεκνωθέντες

, with notes there. Thuc. 2.37 (

νόμοι

)

ὅσοι ἄγραφοι ὄντες αἰσχύνην ὁμολογουμένην φέρουσι

. When ‘the unwritten laws’ are thus called

νόμοι

, the latter word is used figuratively. νόμιμα ⁶⁰⁹

mvp-comment-256-3 ἀσφαλῆ ⁶¹⁰

mvp-comment-256-4 θνητὸν ὄντ’ ⁶¹¹

mvp-comment-256-5 ὑπερδραμεῖν ⁶¹²

mvp-comment-257-1 νῦν γε κἀχθές ⁶¹³

mvp-comment-257-2 ζῇ ⁶¹⁴

mvp-comment-257-3 ’φάνη ⁶¹⁵

mvp-comment-258-1 τούτων ⁶¹⁶ τὴν δίκην ⁶¹⁷ τούτων ⁶¹⁸

mvp-comment-258-2 shows that, like

ταῦτα

just before, it refers to the

νόμιμα

: we cannot, therefore, render, ‘the penalty of such an act’ ( sc.

τοῦ ὑπερδραμεῖν

mvp-comment-258-3 ἐν θεοῖσι ⁶¹⁹

mvp-comment-259-1 δώσειν ⁶²⁰

mvp-comment-259-2 θανουμένη γάρ ⁶²¹

mvp-comment-259-3 τί δ’ οὔ ⁶²²

mvp-comment-260-1 κεἰ μὴ σὺ προὐκήρυξας ⁶²³

mvp-comment-260-2 τοῦ χρόνου ⁶²⁴

mvp-comment-260-3 αὔτ’ ⁶²⁵

mvp-comment-261-1 φέρει ⁶²⁶

mvp-comment-262-1 Kvičala and Wecklein reject these four verses, despairing of the difficulties found in vv. 466, 467, which have been variously amended; see Appendix. The alleged difficulties are, (1)

παρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλγος

: (2) the mention of the mother only: (3) the position of

θανόντ’

, which might suggest the sense, ‘slain by my mother’: (4)

ηἰσχόμην

(as L has it). Before dealing with these points, I would call attention to a trait which the impugners of these verses have overlooked, and which speaks strongly for the genuineness of the passage as a whole, corrupt though it be in certain words. That trait is the clause τοῖσδε δ’ οὐκ ἀλγύνομαι ⁶²⁷

mvp-comment-263-1 ἄλγος ⁶²⁸ παρ’ οὐδέν ⁶²⁹

mvp-comment-263-2 adv.: ‘is a pain in no appreciable degree,’ is a pain not worth a thought: as he might have said,

οὐδαμοῦ ἄλγος ἐστί

. The normal use of

παρ’ οὐδέν

, ‘of no account,’ is either ( a) with the verb

εἶναι

, as O. T. 982

ταῦθ’ ὅτῳ | παρ’ οὐδέν ἐστι

, or ( b) with a verb meaning ‘to esteem,’ as above, v. 34,

τὸ πρᾶγμ’ ἄγειν | οὐχ ὡς παρ’ οὐδέν

. The only peculiarity here is that, instead of a word in the general sense, ‘ is esteemed’ (

ἄγεται

), we have a virtual equivalent, tinged with the special thought of the moment, viz., ‘ is a pain.’ Exactly so in El. 1327 we have

πότερα παρ’ οὐδὲν τοῦ βίου κήδεσθ’ ἔτι

, instead of

πότερα παρ’ οὐδὲν τὸν βίον ἄγετε

. Thus the suspicions as to the genuineness of

παρ’ οὐδὲν ἄλγος

are illusory.

mvp-comment-263-3 ἀλλ’ ἄν ⁶³⁰

mvp-comment-264-1 ἄθαπτον ἠνσχόμην νέκυν ⁶³¹ ηἰσχόμην ⁶³² ἠνσχόμην ⁶³³

mvp-comment-264-2 In my first edition I placed in the text the emendation of Semitelos (1887) ᾔσχυναν κύνες ⁶³⁴

mvp-comment-264-3 Other emendations will be found in the Appendix. Most of them assume that we must have

ἠνεσχόμην

(or

ἀνεσχόμην

), and therefore alter the words

θανόντ’ ἄθαπτον

and

νέκυν

in various ways, —usu. omitting

νέκυν

. The verses produced by these processes are wretched, while, from a palaeographical point of view, they are pure conjectures, which do not attempt to account for the tradition in L.—Two points remain. (1) τὸν ἐξ ἐμῆς | μητρός ⁶³⁵

mvp-comment-264-4 or

μιᾶς

(Meineke). (2) τὸν ἐξ ἐμ. | μητρος θανόντ’ ⁶³⁶

mvp-comment-265-1 σχεδόν τι ⁶³⁷

mvp-comment-265-2 μώρῳ μωρίαν ⁶³⁸

mvp-comment-265-3 ὀφλισκάνω ⁶³⁹

mvp-comment-266-1 These two verses give a moment of stillness before the storm breaks forth. So at O. T. 404 four verses of the chorus divide the angry speech of Oedipus from the retort of Teiresias.

mvp-comment-266-2 τὸ γέννημα τῆς παιδός ⁶⁴⁰ δηλοῖ ⁶⁴¹ ὠμόν ⁶⁴² ἐξ ὠμοῦ πατρός ⁶⁴³ γέννημα ⁶⁴⁴

mvp-comment-267-1 εἴκειν … κακοῖς ⁶⁴⁵

mvp-comment-268-1 ἀλλ’ ἴσθι τοι ⁶⁴⁶

mvp-comment-268-2 πίπτειν ⁶⁴⁷

mvp-comment-269-1 ὀπτὸν … περισκελῆ ⁶⁴⁸

mvp-comment-269-2 περισκελής ⁶⁴⁹

mvp-comment-269-3 ἐκ πυρός ⁶⁵⁰

mvp-comment-270-1 θραυσθέντα καὶ ῥαγέντα ⁶⁵¹

mvp-comment-271-1 χαλινῷ δ’ ⁶⁵² σμικρῷ ⁶⁵³

mvp-comment-271-2 καταρτυθέντας ⁶⁵⁴

mvp-comment-272-1 Suspicion has fallen on ἐκπέλει ⁶⁵⁵

mvp-comment-272-2 ὅστις ⁶⁵⁶

mvp-comment-272-3 τῶν πέλας ⁶⁵⁷

mvp-comment-273-1 αὕτη δ’ ⁶⁵⁸ ὑβρίζειν μὲν … ὕβρις δ’ ⁶⁵⁹ ἐξηπίστατο ⁶⁶⁰ τότ’ ⁶⁶¹

mvp-comment-273-2 τούτοις ⁶⁶²

mvp-comment-273-3 δεδρακυῖαν γελᾶν ⁶⁶³

mvp-comment-274-1 νῦν ⁶⁶⁴

mvp-comment-274-2 εἰ ταῦτα … κράτη ⁶⁶⁵ κράτη ⁶⁶⁶ κείσεται ⁶⁶⁷ πείσεται ⁶⁶⁸ ἀνατί ⁶⁶⁹ ταῦτα ⁶⁷⁰

mvp-comment-275-1 ἀδελφῆς ⁶⁷¹

mvp-comment-275-2 εἴθ’ ὁμαιμονεστέρα ⁶⁷²

mvp-comment-275-3 Hyperbole is congenial to Creon's excitement; cp. 1040 . But the addition,

τοῦ παντὸς Ζ. ἑρκείου

, ill suits this, while, on the other hand, it agrees well with the nom.

ὁμαιμονεστέρα

. On the whole, then, I incline to prefer the nom.; but the point is a nice one, and the gen. is quite tenable.

mvp-comment-275-4 κυρεῖ ⁶⁷³

mvp-comment-276-1 τοῦ παντὸς Ζηνὸς ἑρκείου ⁶⁷⁴

mvp-comment-277-1 ἀλύξετον ⁶⁷⁵ μόρου ⁶⁷⁶

mvp-comment-278-1 καὶ γὰρ οὖν ⁶⁷⁷

mvp-comment-278-2 ἐπαιτιῶμαι κείνην ⁶⁷⁸ βουλεῦσαι ἴσον τοῦδε τάφου ⁶⁷⁹ ἴσον ⁶⁸⁰

mvp-comment-278-3 βουλεῦσαι ⁶⁸¹

mvp-comment-279-1 καί νιν καλεῖτ’ ⁶⁸²

mvp-comment-280-1 λυσσῶσαν … οὐδ’ ἐπ ⁶⁸³

mvp-comment-280-2 ἐπήβολον ⁶⁸⁴

mvp-comment-281-1 ὁ θυμὸς τῶν … τεχνωμένων ⁶⁸⁵ φιλεῖ κλοπεὺς ᾑρῆσθαι ⁶⁸⁶ πρόσθεν ⁶⁸⁷ κλοπεύς ⁶⁸⁸ ᾑρῆσθαι κλοπεύς ⁶⁸⁹

mvp-comment-281-2 τεχνωμένων ⁶⁹⁰

mvp-comment-282-1 γε μέντοι ⁶⁹¹

mvp-comment-282-2 Ismene's guilty terror is contrasted with Antigone's impudent hardihood,—as Creon deems it. μισῶ … ὅταν ⁶⁹²

mvp-comment-282-3 ἔπειτα ⁶⁹³

mvp-comment-282-4 καλλύνειν ⁶⁹⁴

mvp-comment-283-1 θέλεις τι μεῖζον ⁶⁹⁵

mvp-comment-283-2 ἑλών ⁶⁹⁶

mvp-comment-283-3 ἐγὼ μὲν οὐδέν ⁶⁹⁷

mvp-comment-283-4 ἅπαντ’ ἔχω ⁶⁹⁸

mvp-comment-284-1 ἀρεστὸν οὐδέν ⁶⁹⁹

mvp-comment-284-2 μηδ’ ἀρεσθείη ⁷⁰⁰ ἀρεσθείην ⁷⁰¹ ἀρέστ’ εἴη ⁷⁰²

mvp-comment-285-1 τἀμά ⁷⁰³

mvp-comment-285-2 ἔφυ ⁷⁰⁴

mvp-comment-286-1 καίτοι ⁷⁰⁵ κλέος … εὐκλεέστερον ⁷⁰⁶

mvp-comment-287-1 ἐν τάφῳ τιθεῖσα ⁷⁰⁷ τούτοις πᾶσι λέγοιτο ἄν ⁷⁰⁸ τοῦτο ἁνδάνειν ⁷⁰⁹ ἐγκλῄοι ⁷¹⁰

mvp-comment-288-1 ἀλλ’ ἡ τυραννίς ⁷¹¹

mvp-comment-289-1 μούνη ⁷¹²

mvp-comment-289-2 τοῦτο … ὁρᾷς ⁷¹³

mvp-comment-289-3 ὑπίλλουσιν ⁷¹⁴

mvp-comment-290-1 σὺ δ’ οὐκ ἐπαιδεῖ ⁷¹⁶

mvp-comment-291-1 ὅμαιμος ⁷¹⁷

mvp-comment-291-2 ἐκ μιᾶς τε ⁷¹⁸ τε ⁷¹⁹

mvp-comment-292-1 πῶς δῆτ’ ⁷²⁰

mvp-comment-292-2 ἐκείνῳ ⁷²¹

mvp-comment-292-3 χάριν ⁷²² τιμᾷς ⁷²³ ὁ κατθανὼν νέκυς ⁷²⁴

mvp-comment-293-1 εἴ τοι ⁷²⁵ σφε ⁷²⁶

mvp-comment-293-2 ἐξ ἴσου ⁷²⁷

mvp-comment-294-1 οὐ γάρ τι δοῦλος ⁷²⁸

mvp-comment-294-2 cannot complain, for Polyneices was not his slave—his natural inferior—but his brother, and had the same claim on me that he had. Creon insists on the difference between the loyal man and the disloyal. Antigone dwells on the fact that both men had the same claim on her natural piety, and (519) on her sense of religious duty.

mvp-comment-295-1 πορθῶν δέ ⁷²⁹

mvp-comment-295-2 ὁ δ’ ⁷³⁰ ὕπερ ⁷³¹

mvp-comment-296-1 τούτους ⁷³² ἴσους ⁷³³ ἴσους ⁷³⁴ ὅμως ⁷³⁵ ἴσους ⁷³⁶ τούτους ⁷³⁷ ἴσους ⁷³⁸

mvp-comment-297-1 The MS. λαχεῖν ἴσος ⁷³⁹ ἴσους ⁷⁴⁰

mvp-comment-298-1 κάτωθεν ⁷⁴¹ κάτω ’στὶν ⁷⁴²

mvp-comment-298-2 εὐαγῆ ⁷⁴³

mvp-comment-299-1 οὔτοι συνέχθειν ⁷⁴⁴

mvp-comment-300-1 νυ^ν ⁷⁴⁵

mvp-comment-301-1 καὶ μὴν ⁷⁴⁶

mvp-comment-301-2 εἰβομένη ⁷⁴⁷ κάτω ⁷⁴⁸

mvp-comment-301-3 with

εἴβειν

, for Homer never says

κατὰ δάκρυα λείβειν

. Nothing is more natural than that

εἰβομένη

should have become

λειβομένη

in the MSS., the latter word being much the commoner.

mvp-comment-301-4 κάτω ⁷⁴⁹

mvp-comment-302-1 νεφέλη δ’ ὀφρύων ὕπερ ⁷⁵⁰

mvp-comment-302-2 αἱματόεν ⁷⁵¹

mvp-comment-302-3 ῥέθος ⁷⁵²

mvp-comment-302-4 αἰσχύνει ⁷⁵³

mvp-comment-303-1 σὺ δ’ ⁷⁵⁴ ὑφειμένη ⁷⁵⁵

mvp-comment-303-2 ἔχιδνα ⁷⁵⁶

mvp-comment-303-3

ἡ ἔχιδνα ἐν τῇ συνουσίᾳ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποκόπτει. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὰ τέκνα, ὥσπερ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ πατρὸς μετερχόμενα, τὴν γαστέρα τῆς μητρὸς διαρρήγνυσιν

. (Cp. Shaksp. Per. 1. 1. 64

I am no viper, yet I feed On mother's flesh.

)

mvp-comment-304-1 λήθουσά μ’ ἐξέπινες ⁷⁵⁷

mvp-comment-305-1 ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις ⁷⁵⁸

mvp-comment-305-2 ἐπαναστάσεις ⁷⁵⁹ θρόνων ⁷⁶⁰

mvp-comment-306-1 τὸ μὴ ⁷⁶¹

mvp-comment-307-1 ὁμορροθεῖ ⁷⁶²

mvp-comment-308-1 τῆς αἰτίας ⁷⁶³ ξυμμετίσχω ⁷⁶⁴ φέρω ⁷⁶⁵

mvp-comment-309-1 ἀλλ’ οὐκ ἐάσει σ’ ⁷⁶⁶

mvp-comment-309-2 ’κοινωσάμην ⁷⁶⁷

mvp-comment-310-1 ξύμπλουν ⁷⁶⁸

mvp-comment-311-1 Cp. Ph. 1293

ὡς θεοὶ ξυνίστορες.

mvp-comment-311-2 λόγοις ⁷⁶⁹

mvp-comment-312-1 μή μ’ ἀτιμάσῃς ⁷⁷⁰ τὸ μὴ οὐ ⁷⁷¹ ἁγνίσαι τὸν θ ⁷⁷²

mvp-comment-313-1 μή μοι ⁷⁷³ κοινά ⁷⁷⁴

mvp-comment-313-2 μηδ’ ἃ μὴ ’θιγες ⁷⁷⁵ ἅ ⁷⁷⁶ ἅ ⁷⁷⁷

mvp-comment-314-1 ποιοῦ σεαυτῆς ⁷⁷⁸

mvp-comment-314-2 ἀρκέσω ⁷⁸⁰

mvp-comment-315-1 σοῦ λελειμμένῃ ⁷⁸¹

mvp-comment-315-2 φίλος ⁷⁸²

mvp-comment-316-1 κηδεμών ⁷⁸³

mvp-comment-317-1 ἀλγοῦσα μὲν δῆτ’ ⁷⁸⁴ δῆτα ⁷⁸⁵

mvp-comment-317-2 ἐν σοί ⁷⁸⁶

mvp-comment-317-3 Heath's εἰ γελῶ γ’ ⁷⁸⁷

mvp-comment-318-1 ἀλλὰ νῦν ⁷⁸⁸

mvp-comment-319-1 κἀμπλάκω ⁷⁸⁹

mvp-comment-319-2 fate? i.e. to be dissociated from it: delib. aor. subj., which can be used, not only in asking what one is to do, but also in expressions of despair as to what one must suffer ( Tr. 973

τί πάθω

;). For

ἀμπλακεῖν

cp. 910 , 1234.

mvp-comment-320-1 εἵλου ⁷⁹⁰

mvp-comment-320-2 ζῆν ⁷⁹¹

mvp-comment-321-1 ἐπ’ ἀρρήτοις … τοῖς ἐμ. λ. ⁷⁹²

mvp-comment-322-1 σὺ μὲν τοῖς ⁷⁹³

mvp-comment-323-1 καὶ μήν ⁷⁹⁴

mvp-comment-324-1 θάρσει ⁷⁹⁵

mvp-comment-324-2 ἡ ἐμὴ ψυχή ⁷⁹⁶

mvp-comment-324-3 πάλαι ⁷⁹⁷

mvp-comment-324-4 ὥστε τοῖς θ. ὠφελεῖν ⁷⁹⁸

mvp-comment-325-1 L gives τὼ παῖδε φημὶ ⁷⁹⁹

mvp-comment-325-2 τὼ παῖδε … τὴν μὲν … τὴν δέ ⁸⁰⁰

mvp-comment-325-3 ἀρτίως ⁸⁰¹

mvp-comment-326-1 The apology is for her sister as well as for herself: even such prudence ( cp. 68

νοῦν

) as may have been inborn forsakes the unfortunate under the stress of their misfortunes.

mvp-comment-326-2 βλάστῃ ⁸⁰²

mvp-comment-326-3 τοῖς κ. πράσσουσιν ⁸⁰³

mvp-comment-326-4 ἐξίσταται ⁸⁰⁴

mvp-comment-327-1 σοὶ γοῦν ⁸⁰⁵

mvp-comment-327-2 κακοῖς ⁸⁰⁶

mvp-comment-328-1 τῆσδ’ ἄτερ ⁸⁰⁷ μόνῃ ⁸⁰⁸

mvp-comment-328-2 βιώσιμον ⁸⁰⁹ τί ⁸¹⁰

mvp-comment-329-1 ἀλλὰ … μέντοι ⁸¹¹

mvp-comment-329-2 ἥδε μὴ λέγε ⁸¹²

mvp-comment-330-1 νυμφεῖα ⁸¹³

mvp-comment-331-1 ἀρώσιμοι ⁸¹⁴

mvp-comment-332-1 οὐχ ὥς γ’ ⁸¹⁵ ἡρμοσμένα ἦν ⁸¹⁶

mvp-comment-333-1 υἱέσι ⁸¹⁷ υἱάσιν ⁸¹⁸

mvp-comment-333-2

υἷα, υἷε, υἷες, υἷας

: cp. Monro Hom. Gr. § 107.—The dat. of interest goes with κακὰς γυναῖκας ⁸¹⁹ στυγῶ ⁸²⁰

mvp-comment-334-1 It is not of much moment that L, like the later MSS., gives this verse to Ismene. Errors as to the persons occur not seldom in L (see, e.g., cr. n. to O. C. 837 , and cp. ib. 1737 ); and here a mistake would have been peculiarly easy, as the dialogue from v. 561 onwards has been between Creon and Ismene. To me it seems certain that the verse is Antigone's, and that one of the finest touches in the play is effaced by giving it to Ismene. The taunt,

κακὰς γυναῖκας υἱέσι

, moves Antigone to break the silence which she has kept since v. 560: in all this scene she has not spoken to Creon, nor does she now address him: she is thinking of Haemon,—of the dishonour to him implied in the charge of having made such a choice, —

ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοῖον ἄγει θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὁμοῖον

. How little does his father know the heart which was in sympathy with her own. This solitary reference to her love heightens in a wonderful degree our sense of her unselfish devotion to a sacred duty. If Ismene speaks this verse, then

τὸ σὸν λέχος

in 573 must be, ‘the marriage of which you talk’ (like El. 1110

οὐκ οἶδα τὴν σὴν κλῄδον

'), which certainly is not its natural sense.

mvp-comment-334-2 Αἷμον ⁸²¹

mvp-comment-335-1 ἄγαν γε λυπεῖς ⁸²²

mvp-comment-336-1 The MSS. give this verse to Ismene; but Boeckh is clearly right in giving it to the Chorus. Ismene asked this question in 568, and Creon answered: she rejoined to this answer (570), and Creon replied still more bitterly. She could not now ask her former question over again. But there is no unfitness in the question being repeated by a new intercessor, since to ask it thus is a form of mild remonstrance.

mvp-comment-337-1 ἐμοί ⁸²³ ἔφυ ⁸²⁴

mvp-comment-338-1 This verse clearly belongs to the Chorus, to whom L assigns it. The first words of the next verse show this. Hermann objected that in similar situations the Chorus usually has two verses. It is true that this is usually the case. But O. T. 1312 is enough to show that there was no rigid rule; why, indeed, should there be? And, here, surely,

πλέον ἥμισυ παντός.

mvp-comment-338-2 δεδογμένα ⁸²⁵

mvp-comment-339-1 καὶ σοί γε κἀμοί ⁸²⁶

mvp-comment-339-2 μὴ τριβάς ⁸²⁷

mvp-comment-339-3 νιν ⁸²⁸

mvp-comment-340-1 ἐκ δὲ τοῦδε ⁸²⁹ γυναικας ⁸³⁰ ἀνειμένας ⁸³¹

mvp-comment-341-1 χοἱ θρασεῖς ⁸³² πέλας ⁸³³ εἰσορῶσι ⁸³⁴

mvp-comment-343-1 κακῶν ἄγευστος ⁸³⁵

mvp-comment-344-1 σεισθῇ θεόθεν ⁸³⁶

mvp-comment-344-2 ἄτας οὐδὲν ἐλλείπει ⁸³⁷ ἐλλείπει ⁸³⁸

mvp-comment-344-3 γενεᾶς ἐπὶ πλῆθος ⁸³⁹ γενεᾶς ⁸⁴⁰

mvp-comment-345-1 ὅμοιον ⁸⁴¹

mvp-comment-345-2 ποντίαις ⁸⁴² πνοαῖς ⁸⁴³ ὅταν οἶδμα ⁸⁴⁴ ποντίαις δυσπν. Θρ. πνοαῖς ⁸⁴⁵ ἐπιδράμῃ ἔρεβος ὕφαλον ⁸⁴⁶ Θρῄσσαισιν ⁸⁴⁷

mvp-comment-346-1 κελαινὰν θῖνα ⁸⁴⁸

mvp-comment-346-2 δυσάνεμοι ⁸⁴⁹ δυσάνεμον ⁸⁵⁰

mvp-comment-346-3 στόνῳ βρ.· ⁸⁵¹

mvp-comment-346-4 ἀντιπλῆγες ⁸⁵² ἀκταί ⁸⁵³

mvp-comment-347-1 ἀρχαῖα ⁸⁵⁴

mvp-comment-347-2 ὁρῶμαι ⁸⁵⁵ οἴκων ⁸⁵⁶ φθι^τῶν ⁸⁵⁷

mvp-comment-348-1 ἀπαλλάσσει ⁸⁵⁸

mvp-comment-348-2 γενεὰν γένος ⁸⁵⁹ ἔχει ⁸⁶⁰

mvp-comment-348-3 λύσιν ⁸⁶¹

mvp-comment-349-1 νῦν γὰρ ἐσχάτας ⁸⁶² ὃ τέτατο ⁸⁶³ ἐτέτατο ⁸⁶⁴ κατ’ αὖ ⁸⁶⁵ ὑπέρ ⁸⁶⁶ ὅπερ ⁸⁶⁷ ὃ τέτατο ⁸⁶⁸ νιν ⁸⁶⁹ φάος ⁸⁷⁰ ἐσχάτη ῥίζα ⁸⁷¹ φάος ⁸⁷² νιν ⁸⁷³ φάος ⁸⁷⁴ θάλος ⁸⁷⁵ τέτατο ⁸⁷⁶ ῥίζας ⁸⁷⁷

mvp-comment-350-1 κατ’ αὖ … ἀμᾷ, ⁸⁷⁸ κοπίς ⁸⁷⁹ κόνις ⁸⁸⁰ κόνις ⁸⁸¹

mvp-comment-350-2 (1) If κόνις ⁸⁸² καταμᾷ ⁸⁸³

mvp-comment-350-3 (2) If we read κοπίς ⁸⁸⁴

mvp-comment-350-4 It has further been urged against

κοπίς

that the word is too homely. This may be so; but we lack proof.

κοπίς

seems to have been a large curved knife, known to the Greeks chiefly as ( a) a butcher's or cook's implement, ( b) an oriental military weapon. It does not follow, however, that the effect here would be like that of ‘chopper,’ or of ‘scimitar,’ in English. The dignity of a word may be protected by its simplicity; and

κοπίς

is merely ‘that which cuts.’ Pindar was not afraid of homeliness when he described a chorus-master as a

κρατήρ

, or an inspiring thought as an

ἀκόνα

(cp. O. C. 1052 n.). Nicander could say, of the scorpion,

τοίη οἱ κέντροιο κοπίς

( Ther. 780 ). If

κοπίς

be right, the change to

κόνις

may have been caused, not by a misreading of letters, but by mere inadvertence,—the copyist having the word

κόνις

in his thoughts at the moment: it has already occurred frequently ( 247 , 256 , 409 , 429 ).—See Appendix.

mvp-comment-351-1 λόγου … ἄνοια ⁸⁸⁵ φρενῶν ἐρινύς ⁸⁸⁶

mvp-comment-352-1 τεάν ⁸⁸⁷

mvp-comment-352-2 δύνα^σιν ⁸⁸⁸

mvp-comment-352-3 κατάσχοι ⁸⁸⁹

mvp-comment-353-1 The MS. παντογήρως ⁸⁹⁰ παντοθήρας ⁸⁹¹ παντόθηρος ⁸⁹² πάντ’ ἀγρεύων ⁸⁹³

mvp-comment-354-1 The MS. οὔτ’ ἀκάματοι θεῶν ⁸⁹⁴

mvp-comment-354-2

οὐδὲν ἕρπει

. Far the best emendation is οὔτε θεῶν ἄκματοι ⁸⁹⁵ θεῶν ⁸⁹⁶ θεῶν μῆνες ⁸⁹⁷ θεῶν ⁸⁹⁸ οὔτε ⁸⁹⁹

mvp-comment-354-3 ἄκματοι ⁹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-355-1 I doubt whether the dat. χρόνῳ ⁹⁰¹

mvp-comment-355-2 μαρμαρόεσσαν ⁹⁰²

mvp-comment-356-1 τό τ’ ἔπειτα ⁹⁰³ τὸ μέλλον ⁹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-356-2 καὶ τὸ πρίν ⁹⁰⁸ ἐπαρκέσει ⁹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-357-1 πάμπολύ γ’ ⁹¹⁰

mvp-comment-357-2 ἕρπει ⁹¹¹ ἕρπειν ⁹¹² ἕρπει ⁹¹³

mvp-comment-357-3 πάμπολις ⁹¹⁴

mvp-comment-358-1 ἁ γὰρ δή ⁹¹⁵ γάρ ⁹¹⁶ πολύπλαγκτος ⁹¹⁷

mvp-comment-358-2 oft tossed up and down, ploughing a sea of vain deceits.’—

πολύπλαγκτος

might also be act., ‘causing men to err greatly’; but this is less fitting here.

mvp-comment-359-1 πολλοῖς μὲν ὄνασις ⁹¹⁸

mvp-comment-360-1 ἀπάτα … ἐρώτων ⁹¹⁹

mvp-comment-360-2 κουφονόων ⁹²⁰

mvp-comment-361-1 The

ἀπάτη

, or final frustration of his desires, ἕρπει ⁹²¹ οὐδὲν εἰδότι ⁹²²

mvp-comment-362-1 πρὶν … προσαύσῃ ⁹²³

mvp-comment-362-2 προσαύσῃ ⁹²⁴

mvp-comment-362-3 πόδα ⁹²⁵ προσαύσῃ ⁹²⁶

mvp-comment-363-1 σοφίᾳ ⁹²⁷

mvp-comment-363-2 ἔκ του ⁹²⁸

mvp-comment-363-3 πεφάνται ⁹²⁹

mvp-comment-364-1 τὸ κακὸν δοκεῖν ποτ’ ⁹³⁰ ποτέ ⁹³¹

mvp-comment-364-2 1676 Among them he a spirit of phrenzy sent, Who hurt their minds. Cp.

βλαψίφρων, φρενοβλαβής

. Il. 19.137

ἀλλ’ ἐπεὶ ἀασάμην, καί μευ φρένας ἐξέλετο Ζεύς

. Theognis 403

σπεύδει ἀνήρ, κέρδος διζήμενος, ὅν τινα δαίμων | πρόφρων εἰς μεγάλην ἀμπλακίην παράγει, | καί οἱ ἔθηκη δοκεῖν, ἃ μὲν ᾖ κακά, ταῦτ’ ἀγάθ’ εἶναι, | εὐμαρέως, ἃ δ’ ἂν ᾖ χρήσιμα, ταῦτα κακά

. Lycurgus in Leocr. § 92

οἱ γὰρ θεοὶ οὐδὲν πρότερον ποιοῦσιν ἢ τῶν πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν διάνοιαν παράγουσι· καί μοι δοκοῦσι τῶν ἀρχαίων τινὲς ποιητῶν ὥσπερ χρησμοὺς γράψαντες τοῖς ἐπιγιγνομένοις ταῦτα τὰ ἰαμβεῖα καταλιπεῖν· ὅταν γὰρ ὀργὴ δαιμόνων βλάπτῃ τινά, | τοῦτ’ αὐτὸ πρῶτον, ἐξαφαιρεῖται φρενῶν | τὸν νοῦν τὸν ἐσθλόν, εἰς δὲ τὴν χείρω τρέπει | γνώμην, ἵν’ εἰδῇ μηδἐν ὧν ἁμαρτάνει

. The schol. on our verse quotes an unknown poet's lines,

ὅταν δ’ ὁ δαίμων ἀνδρὶ πορσύνῃ κακά, | τὸν νοῦν ἔβλαψε πρῶτον, ᾧ βουλευεται

. (‘Quem Iuppiter vult perdere, dementat prius.’ See n. in Appendix.)— The epic ἔμμεν ⁹³²

mvp-comment-365-1 ὀλίγιστον ⁹³³ ὀλιγοστόν ⁹³⁴ πράσσει … ἐκτὸς ἄτας ⁹³⁵ ἄτας ⁹³⁶

mvp-comment-366-1 μήν ⁹³⁷

mvp-comment-366-2 νέατον ⁹³⁸

mvp-comment-366-3 to a person,

νέατος

could not be said of a sole survivor unless he was also the latest-born.

γέννημ’

: cp. 471 n.

mvp-comment-366-4 ἀχνύμενος ⁹³⁹ μόρον ⁹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-367-1 In the MS. reading (see cr. n.)

νύμφης

is a gloss on τάλιδος ⁹⁴¹ τῆς μελλογάμου ⁹⁴² τῆς μελλογάμου ⁹⁴³ τάλιδος ⁹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-368-1 ἀπάτας ⁹⁴⁵ λεχέων ⁹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-370-1 μάντεων ὑπέρτερον ⁹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-371-1 τελείαν ⁹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-371-2 ψῆφο<*> ⁹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-371-3 ἆρα μή ⁹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-371-4 τῆς μελλονύμφου ⁹⁵¹

mvp-comment-371-5 λυσσαίνων ⁹⁵² σοὶ μέν ⁹⁵³ θυμαίνων ⁹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-372-1 σοὶ μέν ⁹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-372-2 πανταχῇ δρῶντες ⁹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-373-1 σός ⁹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-373-2 γνώμας ἔχων χρηστάς ⁹⁵⁸ ἀπορθοῖς ⁹⁵⁹ μοι ⁹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-374-1 ἀξιώσεται ⁹⁶² ἀξ. μείζων φέρεσθαι ⁹⁶³ ἀξίως ἔσται ⁹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-374-2 σοῦ καλῶς ἡγουμ. ⁹⁶⁵ μείζων ⁹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-375-1 γάρ ⁹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-375-2 διὰ στέρνων ἔχειν ⁹⁶⁸ διά ⁹⁶⁹ ἔχειν ⁹⁷⁰ οὕτω ⁹⁷¹ ἔχειν ⁹⁷²

mvp-comment-376-1 (One ought to think thus),—that is, ὄπισθεν ἑστάναι πατρ. γνώμης ⁹⁷³ πάντα ⁹⁷⁴ ἑστάναι ⁹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-377-1 ὡς ⁹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-377-2 ἀνταμύνωνται ⁹⁷⁷ κακοῖς ⁹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-378-1 ἄλλο ⁹⁷⁹ φῦσαι ⁹⁸⁰ πλήν ⁹⁸¹ ἄλλο ⁹⁸² εἴποις ⁹⁸³

mvp-comment-378-2 πόνους ⁹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-378-3 γέλων ⁹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-379-1 τὰς φρένας γ’ ⁹⁸⁶ γε ⁹⁸⁷ φρένας σύ γ’ ἡδονῇ ⁹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-379-2 φρένας … ἐκβάλῃς ⁹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-379-3 ὑφ’ ἡδονῆς ⁹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-380-1 ψυχρόν ⁹⁹¹

mvp-comment-380-2 παραγκάλισμα ⁹⁹²

mvp-comment-381-1 δόμοις ⁹⁹³

mvp-comment-381-2 ἕλκος ⁹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-381-3 φίλος ⁹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-382-1 πτύσας ⁹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-382-2 ὠσεί τε δυσμενῆ ⁹⁹⁷ τε ⁹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-383-1 νυμφεύειν ⁹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-384-1 ἀπιστήσασαν ¹⁰⁰⁰ ψευδῆ ¹⁰⁰¹

mvp-comment-385-1 κτενῶ ¹⁰⁰²

mvp-comment-385-2 πρὸς ταῦτ ¹⁰⁰³

mvp-comment-385-3 ἐφυμνείτω ¹⁰⁰⁴

mvp-comment-385-4 Δία ξύναιμον ¹⁰⁰⁵

mvp-comment-386-1 τά γ’ ἐγγ. φύσει ¹⁰⁰⁶

mvp-comment-386-2 ἄκοσμα ¹⁰⁰⁷

mvp-comment-386-3 θρέψω ¹⁰⁰⁸

mvp-comment-386-4 κάρτα τοὺς ἔξω γ. ¹⁰⁰⁹

mvp-comment-387-1 Seidler transposes vv. 663—667, placing them after 671. The object is to bring vv. 668—671 into immediate connection with 662. In this there is one slight grammatical gain; since, as the vv. stand in the MSS.,

τοῦτον ...τὸν ἄνδρα

(668) means, ‘the man who acts thus’ (viz., as described in vv. 666 f.). But the order given in the MSS. is right. The transposition obliterates one of the finest touches in the speech. Creon demands that the obedience of the citizens to the ruler shall be absolute (666 f.). And then he supplements this demand with a remark on the dignity of such obedience. The man who so obeys gives the best proof that he could also rule (668 ff.). Seidler destroys the point of vv. 668 ff. by placing them after 662.

mvp-comment-387-2 The connection of thought in the whole passage—which is slightly obscured by compression—may be most clearly shown by taking the verses in small consecutive groups. (1) 659 f. If I tolerate disloyalty

mvp-comment-387-3 in my own relatives, I shall encourage it in other citizens. (2) 661 f. For (

γάρ

) only a man who is firm (

χρηστός

) where his own relatives are concerned will be found to uphold justice in the State (i.e. will have the authority necessary for doing so). (3) 663 f. Now, I recognise disloyalty in any one who breaks the law and defies the government, as Antigone has done. (4) 666 f. Instead of so doing, the citizen is bound to obey the government in everything. (5) 668—671. There is nothing slavish in that; on the contrary, it shows that the citizen is not only a good subject, but would, if required, be a good ruler;—as he would also be a good soldier.—Then comes the general censure on unruliness (672—676). And then the conclusion:—I must vindicate my authority, and punish Antigone (677 —680).

mvp-comment-388-1 ὑπερβάς ¹⁰¹⁰

mvp-comment-388-2 τοὐπιτάσσειν ¹⁰¹¹

mvp-comment-388-3 νοεῖ ¹⁰¹²

mvp-comment-389-1 στήσειε ¹⁰¹³

mvp-comment-389-2 καὶ τἀναντία ¹⁰¹⁴

mvp-comment-390-1 τοῦτον … τὸν ἄνδρα ¹⁰¹⁵

mvp-comment-390-2 καλῶς...εὖ ¹⁰¹⁶

mvp-comment-390-3 ἄν ¹⁰¹⁷ ἄρχειν ¹⁰¹⁸ θέλειν ¹⁰¹⁹

mvp-comment-391-1 δορὸς … χειμῶνι ¹⁰²⁰

mvp-comment-391-2 προστεταγμένον ¹⁰²¹

mvp-comment-391-3 παραστάτην ¹⁰²²

mvp-comment-392-1 πόλεις ὄλλυσιν, ἥδ’ ¹⁰²³ πόλεις τ’ … ἥδ’ ¹⁰²⁴

mvp-comment-393-1 συμμάχου ¹⁰²⁵ συμμάχηι ¹⁰²⁶ σὺν μάχῃ ¹⁰²⁷

mvp-comment-393-2 τροπὰς καταρρήγνυσι ¹⁰²⁸

mvp-comment-393-3 τῶν δ’ ὀρθουμένων ¹⁰²⁹ τὰ πολλὰ σώματα ¹⁰³⁰

mvp-comment-393-4 ἡ πειθαρχία ¹⁰³¹

mvp-comment-394-1 ἀμυντέ’ ¹⁰³²

mvp-comment-394-2 τοῖς κοσμουμένοις ¹⁰³³ τοῖς κ. ¹⁰³⁵

mvp-comment-395-1 κοὔτοι … ἡσσητέα ¹⁰³⁶

mvp-comment-396-1 δεῖ ¹⁰³⁷ ἐκπεσεῖν ¹⁰³⁸

mvp-comment-396-2 thrust out: oft. of dethronement (

ἐκπ. τυραννίδος, ἀρχῆς, κράτους

, Aesch. ), or of exile (

χθονός

, O. C. 766 ).

mvp-comment-396-3 κοὐκ ἂν...καλοίμεθ’ ἄν ¹⁰³⁹

Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus

149. mvp-comment-92-1 ἀντιχαρεῖσα Exchanging looks of joy. Cp. χαίρειν γέλωτι, Χen. Cyr. 8.1.33.

149. mvp-comment-92-2 Θήβη, as in Pindar, is the personification of Θήβαι, for which it is used consistently throughout this play. Cp. Od. 7. 80, εὐρυάγυιαν Ἀθήνην.

150. mvp-comment-93-1 ἐκ μὲν δὴ πολέμων .. λησμοσύvav Turning from the present wars, appoint ye forgetfulness of them. For the pleonastic use of ἐκ, see Essay on Language § 19. p. 27. The reading θέσθαι, which has good MS. authority and preserves the metrical correspondence with l. 137, is retained by some editors as an infinitive for imperative. Cp. infr. 1142, μολεῖν. For the expression, cp. Eur. Phoen. 1584,5, ὡς ὥρα τάφου | μνήμην τίθεσθαι.

153. mvp-comment-94-1 παννυχίοις Cp. Ο. Τ. 1090: Aesch. Ag. 23, 24. καὶ χορῶν κατάστασιν | πολλῶν ἐν Ἄργει τῆσδε συμφορᾶς χάριν.

153. mvp-comment-94-2 ὁ Θήβας δ'. . ἄρχοι And let Bacchus, Thebe's God. who shakes the earth (with revelry), lead on the dance. Schol. ὁ Θήβας Βακχεῖος, ὁ Θηβαγενὴς Διόνυσος, ὁ τῆς Θήβης πολίτης, ὁ ἐλελίχθων, ἄρχοι τῆς χορείας. See Essay on Language § 9. p. 11.

156. mvp-comment-95-1 The metre requires either the addition of one (or three) anapaests or the omission of νεοχμός. Dindorf's supposition that νεοχμός νεαραῖσι has grown in some way out of νεοχμοῖσι is in itself probable enough, but the omission of some word like *ἄρχων after βασιλεύς is equally so. The spectator is thus reminded that Creon is young in power.

157-158. mvp-comment-96-1 νεαραῖσι .. συντυχίαις In consequence of the recent god-sent fortune. These words are to be joined with the whole sentence, though chiefly with ἐρέσσων. Creon's accession, his coming, and the counsel which he brings, all follow closely on the events of the war. The question is, what is that counsel?

159. mvp-comment-97-1 τίνα δή This is preferable to τινὰ δή, which Aldus printed from Ven. 467 (V3).

159. mvp-comment-97-2 On ἐρέσσων = Moving, Advancing. see Essay on Language p. 87, and cp. Aj. 251, τοίας ἐρέσσουσιν ἀπειλάς.

160-161. mvp-comment-98-1 ὅτι. προὔθετο That he hath appointed. ὅτι gives the reason of the question.

160. mvp-comment-99-1 σύγκλητον Specially convened. The word is used, after the analogy of the σύγκλητος ἐκκλησία at Athens, for an assembly specially summoned by the στρατηγός. λέσχη is less formal than βουλή. Cp. Ο. C. 166.

161. mvp-comment-100-1 προὔθετο The middle voice implies that Creon had summoned the elders of his own motion. So καλέσσατο of Achilles in Il. 1. 54.

162. mvp-comment-101-1 κοινῷ κηρύγματι πέμψας Having cited us by a message sent to us all.

162. mvp-comment-101-2 κοινῷ = Inclusive. πέμψας] i. e. στείλας πομποῖσιν, as Creon expresses himself in ll. 164-165. 162-210. Creon's first error is not mere self-will, but an excessive zeal for the honour of the state, to which all private feelings must give way (183-184, 187-190). His spirit of self-assertion is however already felt, esp. in ll. 173, 191, 207-10. And the unconsciousness of one young in power is shown in the self-inculpating words in ll. 175-177. He characteristically dwells on the virtue of loyalty (165-169, 209-210) and the crime of rebellion (199-202): and his passionate nature is betrayed by the exaggerated expression in l. 208. Cp. O. T. 216 ff. and note. The frequent occurrence of the Ist personal pronoun is a significant feature of both these speeches.

162. mvp-comment-101-3 τὰ μὲν δὴ πόλεος As for the state. This form of expression suits the introduction of a subject before the form of sentence is determined. πόλιν, rather than τὰ πόλεος, is the object of σείσαντες and ὤρθωσαν.

162. mvp-comment-101-4 ἀσφαλῶς Unharmed, = ἄνεν τοῦ σφαλῆναι,

163. mvp-comment-102-1 ὥρθωσαν Have righted the vessel of the state.

165-166. mvp-comment-103-1 τὰ Λαΐου. κράτη Knowing that you ever duly reverenced the enthroned authority of Laius. Λαΐου is governed by θρόνων κράτη taken as one word, θρόνων being added to supplement κράτη. σέβοντας and μένοντας, infr. 166, 169, are imperfects = ὅτι ἐσέβετε .. ἐμένετε,

167. mvp-comment-104-1 ὤρθου Kept on a safe course: i. e. Governed prosperously. The word recalls the happiness of the first period of Oedipus' rule. Cp. Plat. Men. P. 99 C, ᾗ οἱ πολιτικοὶ ἄνδρες χρώμενοι τὰς πόλεις ὀρθοῦσιν : Phaedr. 244 B. 168-169. ἀμφὶ .. φρονήμασιν]. Ye still remained loyal to their issue with unshaken minds. ἀμφί, Surrounding, as ready to defend. The apodosis is made to suit the latter protasis, ἐπεὶ διώλετο, and that of the former protasis, ἡνίκ' . . πόλιν (viz. ἐκείνῳ ὁμοίως πειθομένους οι the like), is thus absorbed.

167. mvp-comment-104-2 κείνων . . παῖδας i. e. Sons of Oedipus and grandsons of Laius.

172. mvp-comment-105-1 αὐτόχειρι Fratricidal. See Essay on Language p. 91.

174. mvp-comment-106-1 γένους κατ᾿ ἀγχιστεῖα By privilege of being nearest in kindred (ὡς ἀγχιστεύων) to the dead. Cp. πρωτεία, etc.

175. mvp-comment-107-1 παντὸς ἀνδρός Of any man, and therefore of me.

176. mvp-comment-108-1 ψυχήν. . φρόνημα.. γνώμην As observed in the Essay on Language pp. 91-3, the opposition between these words is chiefly formal. So far as there is any difference between them, ψυχήν is mind, or nature, φρόνημα, spirit, or way of thinking, (cp. infr. 207), and γνώμην, judgment or meaning.

176-177. mvp-comment-109-1 πρὶν ἂν ἀρχαῖς.. φανῇ “Until he be seen in his true colours through being tried in office and administration.' According to the saying of Bias, ἀρχὴ τὸν ἄνδρα δείξει (Arist. Eth. Nic. 5. 1. 16). There is an allusion to the detection of spurious coin through wear. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 390-392, κακοῦ δὲ χαλκοῦ τρόπον | τρίβῳτε καὶ προσβολαῖς | μελαμπαγὴς πέλει | δικαιωθείς (where Herm. says, 'Vereor autem ne non de lapide Lydio loquatur poeta, sed aes adulterinum dicat, quod usu tritum amisso falso splendore cognoscitur'): Hdt. 7. 10, ὥσπερ τὸν χρυσὸν τὸν ἀκήρατον, αὐτὸν μὲν ἐπ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ οὐ διαγινώσκομεν, ἐπεὰν δὲ

178. mvp-comment-110-1 ἐμοὶ γάρ The connection is not strictly logical. γάρ explains not the difficulty of discerning the difference between rulers, but the essential point on which the difference turns. In setting forth this, Creon also declares the spirit of his own policy. He is feeling his way with the elders, of whose submission he is not perfectly sure, and beats about the bush before coming to the point with them. Hence he repeats the same thought in different words.

178-183. mvp-comment-111-1 The sentiment of these lines is closely parallel to Plat. Legg. 9. 856 B, ὃς ἂν ἄγων εἰς ἀρχὴν ἄνθρωπον δουλῶται μὲν τοὺς νόμους, ἑταιρείας δὲ τὴν πόλιν ὑπήκοον ποιῇ, καὶ βιαίως δὲ πᾶν τοῦτο πράττων καὶ στάσιν ἐγείρων παρανομῇ· τοῦτον δὴ διανοεῖσθαι δεῖ πάντων πολεμιώτατον ὅλῃ τῇ πόλει, τὸν δὲ κοινωνοῦντα μὲν τῶν τοιούτων μηδενί, τῶν μεγίστων δὲ μετέχοντα ἀρχῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει, λεληθότα τε ταῦτα αὐτὸν ἢ μὴ λεληθότα, δειλίᾳ δ᾽ ὑπὲρ πατρίδος αὑτοῦ μὴ τιμωρούμενον, δεῖ δεύτερον ἡγεῖσθαι τὸν τοιοῦτον πολίτην κακῇ.

180. mvp-comment-112-1 ἐγκλείσας Locked up. Cp. Shakespeare, Richard II, 1. 3,

Within my mouth you have engaoled my tongue, | Doubly portcullised with my teeth and lips.

Infr. 505, εἰ μὴ γλῶσσαν ἐγκλείσαι φόβος.

182. mvp-comment-113-1 μείζον᾽.. ἀντί Essay on Language § 19. p. 27. Cp. Od. 7. 216, στυγερῇ ἐπὶ γαστέρι κύντερον.

183. mvp-comment-114-1 οὐδαμοῦ λέγω Plat. Gorg. 456 C, οὐδαμοῦ ἂν φανῆναι, supr. 32. 184 ff. Having shown what makes the good and bad ruler, Creon declares his own intentions, first generally, and then (192 ff.) with reference to Eteocles and Polynices. γάρ implies that his opinion will be proved by his acts. In both statements (178-183, 184-190) the stress is laid on the duty of renouncing friendship with the public enemy (182-183, 187-188), which is the ground of the present edict, Polynices being presumably Creon's private friend: supr. 174.

186. mvp-comment-115-1 στείχουσαν ἀστοῖς Menacing my people. Cp. supr. l. 10: Aesch. Prom. 1089-1090, τοιάδ᾽ ἐπ᾿ ἐμοὶ ῥιπὴ Διόθεν, | τεύχουσα φόβον, στείχει φανερῶς. For the dative, Essay on Language § 12. p. 18.

187. mvp-comment-116-1 δυσμενή χθονός Who is my country's foe. The genitive avoids the awkwardness of two datives, χθονί and ἐμαυτῷ, coming close together.

189-190. mvp-comment-117-1 She it is who preserves us, and we make friends only while she carries us in the course of public safety; i. e. The friendship that is made against the interest of the state is hollow and insecure. Cp. Thuc. 2. 60: (Pericles loq.) ἐγὼ γὰρ ἡγοῦμαι πόλιν πλείω ξύμπασαν ὀρθουμένην ὠφελεῖν τοὺς ἰδιώτας, ἢ καθ᾿ ἕκαστον τῶν πολιτῶν εὐπραγοῦσαν, ἀθρόαν δὲ σφαλλομένην, κ.τ.λ.: Zaleuc. ap. Stob. (Mullach, p. 543), πόλις γὰρ εὖ ἀγομένη μεγίστη ὄρθωσίς ἐστι, καὶ ἐν τούτῳ πάντα ἔνι, καὶ τούτου σωζομένου πάντα σώζεται καὶ τούτου φθειρομένου πάντα διαφθείρεται: Shakespeare. King John, 3. 1, Pand.

All form is formless, order orderless, | Save what is opposite to England's love.

On the change of pronouns (ἥδε.. ταύτης), see Essay on Language § 22. p. 32. The article in τοὺς φίλους points the reference to ll. 182-183.

191. mvp-comment-118-1 τοιοίσδε νόμοισι By such principles as these. Cp. infr. 908, τίνος νόμου δὴ ταῦτα πρὸς χάριν λέγω;

192. mvp-comment-119-1 ἀδελφὰ τῶνδε i. e. In full accord with them. Cp. Plat. Rep. 4. 421 C, ἆρ᾽ οὖν .. καὶ τὸ τούτου ἀδελφὸν δύξω σοι μετρίως λέγειν; Lys. 2. 64, ἀδελφὰ τὰ βουλεύματα τοῖς ἔργοις : Ο. C. 1262, ἀδελφὰ . . τούτοισιν.

193. mvp-comment-120-1 τῶν ἀπ᾿ Οιδίπου For the pleo- 190 195 200 nastic use of the preposition, see above 150, 182, and notes.

195. mvp-comment-121-1 πάντ᾿ ἀριστεύσας δορί After proving himself in all ways the bravest in the war. For the aor., cp. Hdt. 9. 74, alib.

196. mvp-comment-122-1 τὰ πάντ᾽ ἐφαγνίσαι ‘Το add all sacred offerings.'

199. mvp-comment-123-1 θεοὺς τοὺς ἐγγενεῖς The gods of his race; i. e. Those honoured by the Cadmeans. The gods of the race also include the ancestors of the race. Infr. 938, θεοὶ προγενεῖς.

201. mvp-comment-124-1 πρῆσαι κατάκρας The city (γῆν = πόλιν) is thought of as the main object of the verb.

201. mvp-comment-124-2 ἠθέλησε δ' The correspondence of clauses (with μέν and δέ) is not perfect, the antithesis being due to afterthought.

201. mvp-comment-124-3 αἵματος .. πάσασθαι ‘Το repast him with blood of his own kin.' The expression suits the Epic colouring of the whole speech.

202. mvp-comment-125-1 τοὺς δέ The rest; i. e. Those not slain, as implied in the opposition το αἵματος κοινοῦ πάσασθαι. 203.

202. mvp-comment-125-2 ἐκκεκήρυκται Musgrave's correction has been generally adopted, lopted, and is probably right. The impersonal verb gives absoluteness to the expression. Wolff construes the inf. with λέγω in 198 (deleting the comma after τοῦδε), and Wecklein reads λέγω for τάφῳ. The slight corruption is probably due to a reminiscence of supr. 27.

205. mvp-comment-126-1 δέμας is accusative of limitation, and ἄθαπτον and ἐδεστόν are masculine. To leave him unburied, to have his flesh consumed by birds and dogs.

206. mvp-comment-127-1 αἰκισθέντ᾿ ἰδεῖν A spectacle of indignity. Lit. Outraged to behold. The infinitive is added after the participle, which is masculine.

207. mvp-comment-128-1 Cp. 176, ψυχήν τε καὶ φρόνημα καὶ γνώμην.

209-210. mvp-comment-129-1 θανών | καὶ ζῶν In death as well as in life. The first word is the more emphatic. Essay on Language p. 78.

211-212. mvp-comment-130-1 For the construction of the accusatives τὸν .. δύσνουν. . τὸν εὐμενῆ, after σοὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἀρέσκει as = οὕτω τάσσεις, or the like, cр. О. С. 1120, τέκν᾽ εἰ φανέντ᾽ ἄελπτα μηκύνω λόγον, and see Essay on Language § 16. p. 22. No emendation is necessary.

213. mvp-comment-131-1 παντί πού γ᾽ ἔνεστί σοι γε has been thought a useless insertion, and Dindorf reads πάντι που πάρεστί σοι. But δέ γε is not unsuitable to the connection, introducing the second premiss of an implied argument. The words of the chorus express the barest acquiescence in the will of the ruler. Cp. infr. 509, σοὶ δ᾽ ὑπίλλουσι στόμα. They hide their disapproval, and that is all. Cp. Richard III, 4. 2, 21, Buck. Your grace may do your pleasure.

215. mvp-comment-132-1 ὡς ἂν.. εἰρημένων Sc. οὕτω πράσσετε. The subjunctive with ὡς ἄν follows the implied imperative. Act, then, so as to see my words obeyed. Cp. Ο. Τ. 325, ὡς οὖν μηδ᾽ ἐγὼ ταὐτὸν πάθω : Plat. Phaedo 59 Ε, παραγγέλλουσιν, ὅπως ἂν τῇδε τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τελευτήσῃ. The ellipse is idiomatic. It is not to be supposed either that Creon hesitates, or that the elders interrupt him.

218. mvp-comment-133-1 τί.. ἔτι 'What means then this charge further given by you to another?' τοῦτο, cogn. acc. = σκοποὶ εἶναι τῶν εἰρημένων : τί, suppl. predic. = With what meaning?' To what effect? ἄλλῳ = to another than the appointed guards. ἄλλο gives a poorer sense, What then is this other thing which you enjoin besides?

220. mvp-comment-134-1 ὃς .. ἐρᾷ As to be in love with death. For the irregular correlative (οὕτω .. ὅς), see Essay on Language § 22. p. 36. There is a confusion of οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἐρᾷ and οὐκ ἔστιν οὕτω μῶρος ὥστε ἐρᾶν.

222. mvp-comment-135-1 The emphatic position of ἄνδρας at the beginning of the line shows that the word is intended to mark Creon's unconsciousness of the real source of danger. So infr. 1. 248. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 1110: O. T. 928, al. So ὑπ᾿ ἐλπίδων shows how incapable he is of divining the motive of Antigone.

223-330. mvp-comment-136-1 The half-comic or rustic character of the watchman in this play is an extension of the common character of the messenger, whose natural rudeness of speech and thought brings into greater prominence the horror or pathos of the events he describes. The grotesqueness disappears when he speaks of the action of Antigone in 407-440. The employment of this artifice by Sophocles arises from the same motive to which Shakespeare gave a far wider range in such creations as the gravediggers in Hamlet, and the rural fellow in Antony and Cleopatra. The Messenger in the Trachiniae, the Corinthian in the Oedipus Tyrannus, Menelaus in the Ajax, the pretended Shipmaster in the Philoctetes, afford the same sort of contrast to the more tragic personages: and the superstition of the Coloniatae may be compared with the cowardice of the Phrygian slave in the Orestes of Euripides.

223-330. mvp-comment-136-2 The vulgarity of the common-place Athenian of the fifth century в.с. takes the form of misplaced subtlety of wit. Cp. Shak. Hamlet, 5. 1 ,

We must speak by the card, or equivocation will undo us. The age is grown so picked, that the toe of the peasant comes so near the heel of the courtier, he galls his kibe.

223-224. mvp-comment-137-1 I am out of breath, but not with speed. It is not that I ran nimbly hither. Aristotle, Rhet. 3. 14. § 10, quotes 223 thus, Ἄναξ, ἐρῶ μὲν οὐχ ὅπως σπουδῆς ὕπο.., adding, as if from the reply of Creon, τί φροιμιάζῃ; But it is as unsafe to follow his authority in this line, as it would be to substitute τί φροιμιάζῃ for εὖ γε στοχάζει in l. 241. It is evident that he is quoting from memory: and, although it is curious that the Scholiast uses the same word in his explanation, οὐ τοῦτο λέγω, ὅτι μετὰ σπουδῆς ἀσθμαίνων πρὸς σὲ πορεύομαι, yet this does not amount to a proof that this is the right reading. σπουδῆς may be the word which would be more naturally used in prose, but it is less pointed than τάχους in this connection. κοῦφον ἐξάρας πόδα is added in explanation of τάχους ὕπο. ἐξάρας, having set forth from the point of departure, like αἴρειν στόλον.

225. mvp-comment-138-1 For I had many stoppages by reason of thoughts, i. e. My thoughts cried halt to me (ἐπέστησάν με) again and again. Cp. Αj. 869, κοὐδεὶς ἐφίσταταί με συμμαθεῖν τόπος. The genitive φροντίδων is part causal, My thoughts checked me,' and part final, I stopped to think.

226. mvp-comment-139-1 ὁδοῖς As I came. Essay on Language § 14. p. 20. Ср. О. С. 553, ὁδοῖς ἐν ταῖσδ᾽ ἀκούων. Hearing of you on your coming hither.

227. mvp-comment-140-1 This mockery of dialectic is curiously significant of the earlier stage of rhetoric.

229. mvp-comment-141-1 κεἰ has the authority of the oldest MS. The reading of Par. A, καὶ .. ἀνδρός, has a certain liveliness, but is perhaps too abrupt.

231. mvp-comment-142-1 τοιαῦθ᾽ ἑλίσσων Turning round and round such thoughts as these. Cp. Plat. Phil. 19 (of the boyish dialectician), πάντα κινεῖ λόγον ἄσμενος, τότε μὲν ἐπὶ θάτερα κυκλῶν καὶ συμφορῶν εἰς ἕν, τότε δὲ πάλιν ἀνειλίττων καὶ διαμερίζων.

231. mvp-comment-142-2 σπουδῇ βραδύς The reading of L, σχολῇ βραδύς, Slowly because I stopped, is not pointed enough, and it seems probable that an oxymoron is intended in this as in the following line. The correction adopted by the Scholiast, σχολῇ ταχύς, secures this in rather an awkward way. That of Seyffert, which is here adopted (for the collocation of words, cp. the proverb σπεῦδε βραδέως), appears far more probable.

234. mvp-comment-143-1 This line was well explained by Dindorf in 1860: Dicturus erat σοὶ φράσοντα, sed propter verba interposita, κεί τὸ μηδὲν ἐξερῶ, mutata orationis forma infert φράσω δ ὅμως cum δε particula, ut Oed. T. 302, πόλιν μέν, εἰ καὶ μὴ βλέπεις, φρονεῖς δ' ὅμως | οἷᾳ νόσῳ σύνεστιν.' Essay on Language § 35. p. 59.

234. mvp-comment-143-2 τὸ μηδέν ῾Α vain report,' because the doer of the deed was still unknown.

235. mvp-comment-144-1 τῆς has the emphatic force of an antecedent: This hope, that ... δεδραγμένος] This reading is implied in the second scholium on the passage, ἀντειλημμένος τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐλήλυθα, and appears in the text of E and V³. (whence Aldus had it), and as a marginal reading of Aug. b. and of V¹. Clinging fast by the hope, is a natural and forcible expression, well suited to the style of the Φύλαξ : whereas ἐλπίδος πεφραγμένος or πεφαργμένοs, whether in the sense of Shut out from hope,' or Fortified by the hope, is not really admissible.

236. mvp-comment-145-1 That I cannot suffer anything but what is fated for me. Cp. Aesch. S. c. Τ. 263, πείσομαι τὸ μόρσιμον.

238. mvp-comment-146-1 τὸ γάρ For the light ending, cp infr. 327, 409, Ο. Τ. 553-554. τὸ δὲ | πάθημ᾽ ὁποῖον φῇς παθεῖν δίδασκέ με, ib. 995-996, 1056-1057.

239. mvp-comment-147-1 ὅστις ἦν ὁ δρῶν i. e. τὸν δρῶντα, ὅστις ἦν, The unknown doer of the deed.

241-242. mvp-comment-148-1 (1) You aim carefully, and fence the business off from yourself all round. Some editors read τί φροιμιάζει; from Ar. Rhet. 3. 14, § 10, quoted above. But though the Scholiast of the Rhetoric says τὸ δὲ τί φροιμιάζῃ τοῦ Κρέοντός ἐστι λέγοντος, it is much more probable that the words are a separate quotation from Eur. I. T. 1162. See Cope's edition of Ar. Rhet. vol. 3. p. 175. Others explain the text (2), You lay the ground carefully and hedge your approaches closely round, as if in preparing a stance to watch for game. According to Pollux, 5, 36, στοχασμός, στοχάς, and στόχος, were terms used in describing the setting of a hunting-net: καλεῖται δ᾽ αὐτῶν (τῶν ἀρκύων) ἡ στάσις, στοιχισμός, στοίχος, στόχος, στοχὰς καὶ στοχασμός· στοχὰς δὲ καλεῖται καὶ χειροποιητά τινα οἰκοδομήματα ἐκ λίθων, ἢ ὕλης ὑπὲρ τὴν γῆν ἀναστήματα, κατὰ χρείαν τῆς τῶν δικτύων ἐξ ἴσου στάσεως, εἴ τι κοῖλον εἴη περὶ τὸ ἀρκύστατον.

243. mvp-comment-149-1 τὰ δεινὰ .. πολύν The reply, as often elsewhere, refers to the first part of the previous speech. Cp. O. Т. 361. The frigid tautology belongs to the character of the Φύλαξ.

244. mvp-comment-150-1 εἰτ᾿ ἀπαλλαχθεὶς ἄπει And be off with you. The Scholiast acutely remarks that these impatient words are intended to hold out the hope of impunity, which is withdrawn again in the angry threats of ll. 305, foll.

246. mvp-comment-151-1 Some one has buried the corpse and has disappeared, after not only sprinkling dry dust upon the flesh, but adding all due rites. This last refers to the libation. Cp. supr. 196-197: infr. 430-431. The surprise was increased by observing the completeness of the act. There is a stress on the participles. Essay on Language p. 75 β, 94, 4.

248. mvp-comment-152-1 τίς ἀνδρῶν Cp. supra 222, and note.

249. mvp-comment-153-1 οὔτε .. ἐκβολή No dint of pick-axe, nor earth turned up with hoe.'

250. mvp-comment-154-1 στύφλος .. καὶ χέρσος Hard and bare. χέρσος γῆ is untilled land, and so here, Undisturbed by implements of husbandry. Cp. infr. 773, 1197.

251. mvp-comment-155-1 ἀρρώξ .. τροχοῖσιν Unbroken, and with no mark of wheels. ἐπημαξευμένη τροχοῖσιν] Lit. Carted over with wheels.' Essay on Language p. 88, note.

252. mvp-comment-156-1 ἀλλ'.. ἦν But whoever did it was one who left no trace.

253. mvp-comment-157-1 ὁ πρῶτος .. ἡμεροσκόπος Our first look-out-man for the day. ἡμεροσκόπος in Xen. Hell. 1. 1. 2, is a watchman who stands at his post at daybreak. Cp. ἡμεροφύλαξ, ib. 7. 2. 6, 7. Antigone's act preceded the setting of this watch.

254. mvp-comment-158-1 θαῦμα δυσχερές Α sight of wonder and dismay.

255. mvp-comment-159-1 τυμβήρης.. κόνις Not covered with a mound, but sprinkled with dust as by one avoiding pollution. Hor. Od. 1. 28,

Debita jura vicesque superbae | Te maneant ipsum: precibus ibus non linquar inultis | Teque piacula nulla resolvent. | Quamquam festinas, non est mora longa, licebit | Injecto ter pulvere curras.

For the gen., cp. Tr. 768.

255. mvp-comment-159-2 τυμβήρης For this use of the adjective, see Essay on Language § 23. p. 38.

258. mvp-comment-160-1 οὐ σπάσαντος Cp. Aesch. Prom. 451, οὔτε.. δόμους.. οὐ ξυλουργίαν.

259. mvp-comment-161-1 ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν Sc. τοῖς φύλαξιν. Words of abuse were loudly bandied to and fro. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 200, στάσις δ᾽ ἐν ἀλλήλοισιν ὠροθύνετο, sc.

259. mvp-comment-161-2 τοῖς δαίμοσιν.

260. mvp-comment-162-1 φύλαξ ἐλέγχων φύλακα On the nominative out of construction in the clause in apposition, see Essay on Language § 33. p. 57. § 15. p. 21.

260. mvp-comment-162-2 κἂν ἐγίγνετο And it was threatening to come to blows at last. The combination of the imperfect with av here is peculiar, having a force intermediate between ἐγίγνετο and ἐγένετο ἄv; i. e. it was coming to this, that we should have come to blows.

262-263. mvp-comment-163-1 The subtlety of the Φύλαξ deserts him in attempting to express his meaning. The perpetrator was every one and no one of us all every one in vague suspicion, and no one evidently: he escaped being known.' τις gives the indefiniteness required by the sense, = πως.

263. mvp-comment-164-1 ἀλλ᾽ ἔφευγε *μὴ εἰδέναι (1) But he (the perpetrator) always escaped, so that we could not know him. Böckh and Donaldson read as in the text, interpreting (2) Every man' (πᾶς implied in οὐδείς, the affirmative elicited from the negative) defended himself by pleading ignorance of the matter. For φεύγειν, * to urge a defensive plea,' cp. Aesch. Suppl. 390, and for the plea, μὴ εἰδέναι, Plat. Legg. 11. 936 E. But the plea of ignorance, although suitable in l. 266, is too special for this place, wherethe non-appearance of the criminal alone is in question. The meaning given above (1) is the same as that required by Hermann (see below), but is more simply expressed by the epexegesis, and the imperfect tense expresses the frustration of continued search. This interpretation involves a rare use of φεύγω, which is, however, analogous to a meaning of ἐκφεύγω that is not uncommon. Cp. Ο. Τ. 111, ἐκφεύγει δὲ τἀμελούμενον : Plat. Phil. 17, τὰ δὲ μέσα αὐτοὺς ἐκφεύγει. Other emendations are ἔφυγε τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι (Porson), explained by Erfurdt to mean amoliens a se accusationem scire sese negaverat ; ἔφυγε τῷ μὴ εἰδέναι (Herm. 1839), effugit, eo quod nesciebamus; ἔφευγε πᾶς τὸ μή, every man pled Not guilty. (Dind.). 264-265. There are few traces of anything corresponding to the trial by ordeal in ancient times. Brunck quotes Virg. Aen. 11. 787,

Et medium freti pietate per ignem | Cultores multa premimus vestigia prima.

It seems to have existed in different places as a popular belief, but nowhere to have received positive legal sanction. For a trace of trial by combat' (in Scythia), see Hdt. 4. 180. Cp. also Ar. Lys. 133.

269. mvp-comment-165-1

His verbis et sequentibus significatur terror quem Creontis auctoritas custodibus incutit.

(Dind.).

269. mvp-comment-165-2 λέγει, κ.τ.λ. The sense is interrupted by the relative clause, but resumed in the words ἦν δ᾽ ὁ μῦθος in l. 272. For τις εἷς, cp. Thuc. 6. 61, καί τινα μίαν νύκτα, κ.τ.λ. The emphatic use of little words shows the common mind; cp. infr. 404, ὃν σὺ τὸν νέκυν, κ.τ.λ. Wolff and Weckl. join els with what follows: but the antithesis of eἷς πάντας is too pointless here. Cp. Plat. Rep. 6. 496 D, εἰς πᾶσιν ἀγρίοις ἀντέχειν.

274-275. mvp-comment-166-1 κἀμὲ.. λαβεῖν And the lot devotes me, wretched man, to be the recipient of this piece of luck. καθαιρεῖ is used much as in ἡ καθαιροῦσα ψῆφος, not by an extension of the technical sense, but with the same general mean- ing of Fastening upon, Bringing down, Overtaking and subduing.

279. mvp-comment-167-1 *1 This is Nauck's emendation for ἡ. It involves a very slight change, and is extremely probable. Reflection suggests the fear that' (not 'the question whether') this may be some visitation from the gods. The conscience of the elders, which was stifled at first, begins to awaken in the presence of the mysterious fact. For the pause after the 2nd iambus, here and supr. 269, cp. Aj. 340, 342, 719, 791, 803, 988, 1050, 1077, 1140, 1332.

280. mvp-comment-168-1 Cease, ere you have quite filled me with wrath. καί, which is combined with πρίν, according to the common idiom (πρὶν καὶ..), is slightly displaced so as to emphasize the phrase ἐμὲ μεστῶσαι. The language is made clearer by the emendation καί με, but the emphatic ἐμέ is more suitable in the mouth of Creon. Cp. Phil. 1042.

281. mvp-comment-169-1 ἄνους τε καὶ γέρων Cp. О. С. 930-931, καί σ᾽ ὁ πληθύων χρόνος | γέρονθ' ὁμοῦ τίθησι καὶ τοῦ νοῦ κενόν. See Essay on Language § 41. p. 78. 285-286. Who came to burn their pillared shrines and offerings, and to break in pieces their land and laws. It seems more likely that the ἀναθήματα are joined in one expression with ναούς than with γῆν and νόμους, which are in a different category.

289-290. mvp-comment-170-1 ἀλλὰ ταῦτα.. ἐμοί But this explains the murmurs I have long been hearing from men in the city against me;' i. e. Those murmurs have become explicit in this act. Οη ταῦτα, see Essay on Language § 17. p. 25; and for the dative ἐμοί, at me, ib. § 12. p. 18. μόλις φέροντες, which some have connected with ταῦτα (ταῦτα μόλις φέροντες, 'Bearing my edict ill'), seems to be used absolutely, sc. τὸ ἐμὸν ζυγόν, with an allusion to the metaphor in what follows. Cp. Thuc. 5. 80, θυμῷ ἔφερον, sc. τὸν πόλεμον ἢ τὰ πράγματα.

291. mvp-comment-171-1 'Covertly shaking the head,' like an animal preparing to throw off the yoke.

292. mvp-comment-172-1 δικαίως Rightly; i. e. As I had a right to expect that they should.

292. mvp-comment-172-2 ὡς στέργειν ἐμέ So as to accept my sway. To this it has been objected that στέργω implies affectionate allegiance. But this notion, although inherent in the etymology of the word, is dropped in use. Cp. Phil. 538, ἐγὼ δ' ἀνάγκῃ προὔμαθον στέργειν κακά : Aesch. Prom. 11, τὴν Δίος τυραννίδα | στέργειν. What hope was there that Prometheus would be made loyal by loyal torments? The other interpretation, So that I should be content (cp. Phil. 458, τούτους ἐγὼ τοὺς ἄνδρας οὐ στέρξω ποτέ), would give but feeble expression to the self-will of Creon. The substitution for these words of εὐλόφως φέρειν from the citation of Eustathius, with the further change of νῶτον for λόφον, is rightly rejected by Dind., who points out that Eustathius, probably quoting from memory, has confused this passage with one of Lycophron.

293. mvp-comment-173-1 ἐκ τῶνδε By these malcontents. Supr. 290.

293. mvp-comment-173-2 τούτους (1) These guards. Infr. ll. 304 ff., supr. 260 ff.: or (2) simply τοὺς εἰργασμένους. The whole of this picture of discontent is the creation of Creon's anger from the hesitation of the chorus when told to see to the execution of the decree. Supr. 215 ff.

294. mvp-comment-174-1 There is a stress on μισθοῖσιν, preparing for what follows.

296. mvp-comment-175-1 νόμισμα, usually = Current coin, is here used in the more general sense which includes this. No such pestilent usance as money is, ever sprang up amongst mankind.

298. mvp-comment-176-1 The object of ἐκδιδάσκει, SC.

298. mvp-comment-176-2 χρηστοὺς αἰσχρά, is absorbed in the expansion of the sentence.

299. mvp-comment-177-1 πρὸς .. ἵστασθαι Το address themselves to shameful enterprizes.' Cp. Thuc. 6. 34. § 7, τῶν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα καὶ αἱ γνῶμαι ἵστανται.

300. mvp-comment-178-1 πανουργίας The plural of the abstract noun gives the concrete notion.

300. mvp-comment-178-2 πανουργίας ἔχειν, like θήραν ἔχειν, Αj. 564: ὕβριν ἔχειν, Od. 1. 368, etc.

301. mvp-comment-179-1 παντὸς ἔργου δυσσέβειαν The impiety of every deed; i. e. Every kind of impiety in action. Cp. O.T. 864-865, εὔσεπτον ἁγνείαν λόγων | ἔργων τε πάντων.

303. mvp-comment-180-1 He implies, This cannot be their first act of disloyalty.' The unity of time is not to be pressed in the Antigone: see below, 11. 1064 ff. Else this suspicion of inveterate disaffection, against one who has reigned only for a few hours, would be too extravagant. The elders were selected for their loyalty. supr. 165 ff.

308-311. mvp-comment-181-1 οὐχ ὑμὶν ῞Αιδης.. ἁρπάζητε] Death shall not alone suffice for you, but first you shall be hung up alive to show the heinousness of this offence, that for the future, in your wrongful gettings, you may know better where to look for gain. See Essay on Language § 37. p. 64. There is a confusion of two constructions: (1) οὐχ ὑμὶν ῞Αιδης ἀρκέσει, τo which μοῦνος is added for emphasis, i. e. οὐ θανεῖσθε μόνον: and (2) οὐ θανεῖσθε πρίν, κ.τ.λ. Cp. 1064 ff., and see Aj. 106 ff., θανεῖν γὰρ αὐτὸν οὐτί πω θέλω, κ.τ.λ. The Φύλαξ is to take this message to his fellows.

313-314. mvp-comment-182-1 The sentence is redundant, either the article or ἢ σεσωσμένους being unnecessary. Weckl. reads σεσωμένους. For the article, cp. Eur. Phoen. 606, τοῦ μέρους ἔχων τὸ πλεῖον,

315. mvp-comment-183-1 εἰπεῖν τι δέ (v. rr.) is unmeaning. τι as in θέλεις τι μεῖζον, infr. 497.

316. mvp-comment-184-1 καὶ νῦν with λέγεις.

317. mvp-comment-185-1 δάκνει; (1) Act. impersonal. Is the smart in your ears or in your mind? Cp Hdt. 7. 16. Or (2) 2nd pers. pass. Are you stung? (2) agrees better with τὴν ἐμὴν λ. in the following line.

318. mvp-comment-186-1 τί δαί; though not found elsewhere in Sophocles or Aeschylus, may be admitted on the authority uthority of of the MS, where it is so obviously in keeping. Cp. ὦ τἂν in Ο. Τ. 1145, Phil. 1387.

318. mvp-comment-186-2 ῥυθμίζεις .. ὅπου; Do you scan the whereabouts of my annoyance?

320. mvp-comment-187-1 λάλημα The reading is doubtful between ἄλημα, A clever rogue, and λάλημα, Α prating fellow. ἄλημα is better known, and was read by the Scholiast, but λάλημα is sufficiently supported by Eur. Andromache 937, τούσδε Σειρήνων λόγους, | σοφῶν, πανούργων, ποικίλων λαλημάτων. And this word τίνεσθαι. fits more closely to the context of the present passage. 'Fie, tis too clear you are a born chatterbox. Then it is clear that I never did this deed. 323. What a pity that one who is opinionated should have a false opinion. For the subjunctive δοκῇ, cp. О. Т. 316, 317.

324. mvp-comment-188-1 κόμψευε . . δόξαν 'Ay do, refine now on the word "opinion."" This does not seem to be one of the cases where viv with the imperative mood should be changed to vuv, as there is a sufficient reason for the emphatic particle.

325. mvp-comment-189-1 ἐξερεῖτε You shall tell the world. Cp. Pind. Pyth. 2. 22, Ιξίονα φαντὶ ταῦτα βροτοῖς λέγειν ἐν πτερόεντι τροχῷ .. τὸν εὐεργέταν ἀγαναῖς ἀμοιβαῖς 332 ff. The chorus, in their first stasimon, express, in a veiled manner, their emotions at what has occurred. Not being able to say what they really think, that Creon's rash edict has already recoiled on his own family, they descant on the wonderful range of human enterprize, adding that where boldness and resource are combined with justice, they confer glory, but only bring ruin where they are subservient to wrong. The elders do not decide who in the present instance is the transgressor. The ode consists of two strophes and antistrophes, in which glyconic rhythms are mixed with lyrical dactyls, iambi, and trochees, in different proportions, the scheme being as follows:- ICC CC CI CICIC α'. } Iamb. Dact. Troch. Glycon. The two long syllables at the beginning of l. 8 of a form the transition from the dactyls to the trochees. There is a sensible change to a lighter and less simple movement at the beginning of β'. The resolved trochees in B' 5 mark a climax of feeling.

332-383. mvp-comment-190-1 Most wonderful of wondrous things is man, Who traverses the surging brine, And wearies mighty earth with yearly furrow. His craft ensnares the finny produce of the seas And taketh captive beast and bird. He compasseth a way to master the monster of the wilds, And brings under his yoke the horse with flowing mane And the never-wearied mountain bull. Selftaught in speech and thought and civil ways, And in providing shelter from the cold and rain, There is no end to his devices. Nothing but death ever finds him unprepared. Even diseases, not to be avoided, are escaped by him. Inventive beyond hope, he moveth now to evil, and again to good. When weaving with his wit the law of justice and piety He is exalted in the city, but outcast when he harbours wickedness for deeds of crime. May I never live with such an one, and may he never share my counsels. 332. Aesch. Cho. 585, πολλὰ μὲν γὰ τρέφει δεινὰ δειμάτων ἄχη,.. ἀλλ᾽ ὑπέρτολμον ἀνδρὸς φρόνημα τίς λέγοι; Troch. Iamb. Troch.

332-383. mvp-comment-190-2 δεινά = ' wonderful,' or mighty, is in transition from the earlier sense of fearful to the later sense of clever. Cp.

332-383. mvp-comment-190-3 ὀλοόφρων.

334. mvp-comment-191-1 τοῦτο This creature, man. The neuter continues the abstract notion from οὐδὲν .. δεινότερον, and is thus more impressive than the masculine would have been.

334. mvp-comment-191-2 πέραν Το the other side of.' Quite over. For the alliteration, which assists the emphasis, cp. El. 210.

335. mvp-comment-192-1 χειμερίῳ νότῳ Impelled by the stormy south-wind. Dative of cause. Essay on Language § 14. p. 21. 335-336. Traversing half-buried in the seething surge. For ὑπό with the dative in this sense, cp. О. С. 673, χλωραῖς ὑπὸ βάσσαις. Essay on Language § 19. p. 27.

336. mvp-comment-193-1 περιβρύχιος is probably active = Surging round, and contains an allusion to βρύχω, for which, cp. Aesch. Prom. 1082, βρυχία δ᾽ ἠχὼ παραμυκᾶται βροντής.

338. mvp-comment-194-1 ὑπερτάταν Supreme, as eldest and mother ofall. Solon, Fr. 36. 3, μεγίστη δαιμόνων Ὀλυμπίων | Γῆ. Cр. О. Т. 660, where the primacy for the occasion is similarly given to the sun. Schneidewin remarks that the assonance ἄφθιτον, ἀκαμάταν ἀποτρύεται, .. ἀρότρων helps to express the persistent industry of man. This ode is full of assonance and alliteration, and of correspondences such as ἀνεμόεν, μαχανόεν-παντόπορος, ἄπορος -ὑψίπολις, ἄπολις.

339. mvp-comment-195-1 ἀποτρύεται Wears out for his use (mid.) the still-unwearied Earth. The present implies that the process is never-ending. Even in the common operations of husbandry the old religion finds a ground for awe. The dactyls suit the thought of the continuous round of human labour, as those of the antistrophe express the movement of the steed. The two long syllables, ἱππει-, οὐρει-, at once check the flow of rhythm (as with a renewed feeling of wonder), and by their weight give impetus to the concluding trochees. Cp. Eur. Phoen. 1039-1040, 1063.4.

340. mvp-comment-196-1 ἰλλομένων ἀρότρων As the ploughs keep turning year after year. The force of ἴλλω is limited motion. Thus the shuttle might be said ἴλλεσθαι, because when it reaches either end of the loom it is driven back again. Precisely in the same way the ploughs are said ἴλλεσθαι, “To keep moving to and fro within certain bounds.' ἔτος εἰς ἔτος] i. e. δι' ἔτους εἰς ἔτος, "Through one year into the next,' the first ἔτος being the accusative of duration.

340. mvp-comment-196-2 ἱππείῳ γένει πολεύων Breaking the glebe by the strength of mules. πολεύειν = πολεῖν in Hes. Op. 460, ἔαρι πολεῖν· θέρεος δὲ νεωμένη οὔ σ᾽ ἀπατή- The masc. is more probable than the neuter, both because τοῦτο is re- σει. mote, and because ἀνήρ follows in the antistrophe.

340. mvp-comment-196-3 ἱππείῳ γένει i. e. Prole equarum. Schol. ταῖς ἡμιόνοις.

αἱ γάρ τε βοῶν προφερέστεραί εἰσιν ἐλκέμεναι νείοιο βαθείης πηκτὸν ἄροτρον.

Hom. Il. 10.352. Donaldson also compares Simon. Fr. 13 (Bergk.), χαίρετ' ἀελλοπόδων θύγατρες ἵππων.

343. mvp-comment-197-1 *κουφονόων Light-thoughted. This is Brunck's certain emendation, anticipated by the corrector of R. (Cp. v. rr. on l. 617.) Donaldson well says that as wings express the light-mindedness of light-mindedness is here made an epithet of the winged birds. But the word may further suggest the unsuspicious nature ('Despising the earth where cares abound') which makes them an easy prey. Cp. Plat. Tim. 91 D, τὸ δὲ τῶν ὀρνέων φῦλον . . ἐκ τῶν ἀκάκων ἀνδρῶν, κούφων δέ, κ.τ.λ.

345. mvp-comment-198-1 πόντου τ᾽ εἰναλίαν φύσιν The brood of ocean teeming in the seas. For φύσιν, see Essay on Language § 51. p. 96.

346. mvp-comment-199-1 σπείραισι δικτυοκλώστοις With meshy toils,' is to be joined with ἀμφιβαλὼν ἄγει. Nets (δίκτυα) were used in hunting and fowling, as well as in fishing. For ἄγειν in the sense of making captive, cp. Il. 9. 594, τέκνα δέ τ᾽ ἄλλοι ἄγουσι βαθυζώνους τε γυναῖκας.

346. mvp-comment-199-2 ἄγει suits well with the image of a captive enemy, which is kept up in the words φύλον and ἔθνη.

348. mvp-comment-200-1 περιφραδής By his excellent wit. The 1st strophe exhibits the boldness, the Ist antistrophe the cunning, of primitive man. The 2nd strophe and antistrophe describe the higher functions of civilized life. 349 ff. He not only subdues the animals, but makes them his servants.' In correcting this line, the dactylic metre is to be retained, which is hardly done in the conjj. ἀμφιλόφῳ ζυγῷ or ἀμφὶ λόφον ζυγοῖ. The words ἀμφίλοφον ζυγόν are sound both in meaning and rhythm. Brunck's conj. ὑπάξεται, supplying the preposition required by the Scholia, would be unexceptionable, if such a potential use of the future in an affirmative sentence could be defended. Blaydes' ὑπήγαγεν would be convincing if closer to the MSS. In favour of ἐπάξεται it may be urged that the repetition of the same word is in the manner of the ode, and that the figurative expression, he shall bring to his aid,' agrees with ἄγει, supr. 343. But besides the questionable future, the construction of the 2nd accus., sc. ἐπ᾿ ἀμφ. ζυγόν, is in this case dubious. ὑφέλκεται. . ζυγόν, compels to serve him in the yoke, may be suggested, although the verb ὑφέλκειν is not used elsewhere precisely in the sense required. Else qy. ἐφέλκεται?

352. mvp-comment-201-1 ἀκμῆτα is preferable to ἀδμῆτα, as the rarer word and as introducing a new and apposite idea. 353 ff. There is a natural progress in the thought. First, navigation and agriculture were mentioned as the arts of subduing the crude forces of nature; then the capture and domestication of animals. Now we come to the humanities and arts of life (the domestication of man himself), and lastly, in ἀντ. β', to moral or political good and evil.

354. mvp-comment-202-1 ἀνεμόεν φρόνημα Windswift thought; i. e. Thought which is viewless, free and nimble as the wind. Sophocles knew that the soul had been identified with the air. Cp. Plat. Phaedo, 96 Β, πότερον τὸ αἷμά ἐστιν ᾧ φρονοῦμεν, ἢ ὁ ἀήρ. ἢ τὸ πῦρ, κ.τ.λ. Schneidewin well compares Hom. Il. 15. 80, foll., ὡς δ᾽ ὅτ᾽ ἂν ἀΐξῃ νόος ἀνέρος, ὅς τ᾽ ἐπὶ πολλὴν | γαῖαν ἐληλουθὼς φρεσὶ πευκαλίμῃσι νοήσῃ | · ἔνθ εἴην ἢ ἔνθα, μενοινήπολλὰ | ὡς κραιπνῶς μεμανία διέπτατο πότνια Ἥρη. Wieseler's conj.

354. mvp-comment-202-2 κατ᾿ ἀν. φρ., adopted by Wolff, is surely unnecessary. Why should not man teach himself to think as well as to count? (See Plat. Rep. 7, p. 522.)

355-356. mvp-comment-203-1 ἀστυνόμους | ὀργάς is well explained by Seyffert, Urbium incolendarum studia. The disposition to inhabit cities. This seems more probable than The tempers of civic life. ἀστυνόμος ὀργή is the social impulse which draws men together to become inhabitants of the same town. comparison of Ar. Pol. 6. 8. 4, (ἑτέρα δ᾽ ἐπιμέλεια ταύτης ἐχομένη καὶ σύνεγγυς ἡ τῶν περὶ τὸ ἄστυ δημοσίων καὶ ἰδίων, ὅπως εὐκοσμία ῃ, καὶ τῶν πιπτόντων οἰκοδομημάτων καὶ ὁδῶν σωτηρία καὶ διόρθωσις, καὶ τῶν ὁρίων τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὅπως ἀνεγκλήτως ἔχωσι, καὶ ὅσα τούτοις ἄλλα τῆς ἐπιμελείας ὁμοιότροπα, καλοῦσι δ' ἀστυνομίαν οἱ πλεῖστοι τὴν τοιαύτην ἀρχήν), suggests the conjecture ἀστυνόμους ἀρχάς (already made by Valckenaer), Administrative rule. V reads ὁρμάς, ср. О. Т. 337. Qy. ἀρετάς? Ср. 366. 355, foll. And to avoid the cleareyed influence of comfortless frosts, and the pelting of the pitiless rain.' διαίθρεια, sc. βέλη.

356. mvp-comment-204-1 ἐδιδάξατο He taught himself. For the directly reflexive middle, see Essay on Language § 31. p. 52. The origin of the arts was a favourite problem of the Sophists. Cp. Plato, Prot. 320 D, foll. It is here assumed that they were selftaught without Prometheus or other superhuman aid.

357. mvp-comment-205-1 Musgr. would read either διαίθρεια, or αἴθρεια with φρουρῶν for παρειρῶν in l. 367. G. Wolff reads αἴθρεια and πληρῶν. But the repetition of in ll. 3, 4, and 6 suits the composition of the strophe better than the introduction of the bacchius and cretic in l. 3. διαίθρεια, serene, while keeping up the alliteration, suits the context better than ὑπαίθρεια or ἐναίθρεια, in the open air. Join *διαίθρεια βέλη as well as δύσομβρα βέλη.

360. mvp-comment-206-1 παντοπόρος· ἄπορος This punctuation is justified by the corresponding line of the antistrophe, which cannot be pointed otherwise. παντοπόρος, sc. ὤν, is added, like περιφραδής ἀνήρ, supr. 347, to express the admiration excited by the preceding statements.

360-361. mvp-comment-207-1 οὐδὲν . . τὸ μέλλον] Cp. l. 728, μηδὲν τὸ μὴ δίκαιον. Essay on Language § 22. p. 36.

362. mvp-comment-208-1 οὐκ ἐπάξεται He shall not win. For a similar metaphorical use of ἐπάγεσθαι, where, however, the reading has also been questioned, cp. Thuc. 3.10, τὴν τῶν ξυμμάχων δούλωσιν ἐπαγομένους.

364. mvp-comment-209-1 νόσων δ᾽ ἀμηχάνων φυγὰς | ξυμπέφρασται He hath gathered to him by his thought a remedy for many an unavoidable disease. ξυμ- marks that the healing art is a collective monument of human skill. πέφρασται recalls the notion of περιφραδής, supr. 347. For the oxymoron, cp. supr. 340, ἀκαμάταν ἀποτρύεται.

365-366. mvp-comment-210-1 His power of artful contrivance is a miracle of unimaginable skill, wherewith he followeth one while an evil purpose, at other times a good one.' τέχνας is added as genitive of respect to complete the notion of τὸ μηχανόεν. ὑπὲρ ἐλπίδα, beyond what could have been hoped for, or expected before the event. τι marks the indefiniteness of σοφόν as the predicate. It is in agreement with σοφόν, but has the effect of a particle or adverb (πως).

366. mvp-comment-211-1 κακόν, . . ἐπ᾿ ἐσθλόν Cp. О. Т. 761, ἀγρούς σφε πέμψαι κἀπὶ ποιμνίων νομάς.

367. mvp-comment-212-1 νόμους παρείρων χθονός When he knits therewith, sc. τῷ μηχανόεντι τῆς τέχνης καὶ σοφῷ, the laws of his land and the oath-observing righteousness of heaven. It is objected to παρείρων that it elsewhere means Inserting incidentally, or by the way, and that such a meaning is unsuitable here. But, as Seyffert has already shown, the word (which is a rare one) may quite well mean Weaving in,' like gold-leaf, for instance, into a chaplet of flowers. Cp. Plat. Legg. 605 D, καὶ τὸν τοῦ Κύρου δασμὸν ὃν ὑπέσχετο Πέρσαις εἰς τὸν νόμον ἐνέδει. Conjectural emendations are γεραίρων, περαίνων, γὰρ αἴρων, τ᾿ ἀείρων, πληρῶν (see v. rr., and note on 357).

370. mvp-comment-213-1 ὑψίπολις For this compound, cp. ἡδύπολις, ὀρθόπολις, μεγιστόπολις, δικαιόπολις. The construction is elliptical, sc. ὑψίπολις ὧν or ἐστί.

370. mvp-comment-213-2 ἄπολις . . χάριν] He is outcast from the state, who harbours evil for the indulgence of crime. Cp. supr. l. 30, πρὸς χάριν βορâs: Plat. Phaedr. 241, χάριν πλησμονῆς. This is better than joining τόλμας χάριν with ἄπολις = He is an outcast for his boldness.

375. mvp-comment-214-1 ἴσον φρονῶν i. e. Of the same party in the state. For the expression, cp. Il. 15.50, ἶσον ἐμοὶ φρονέουσα.

376-378. mvp-comment-215-1 ἐς δαιμόνιον τέρας .. Ἀντιγόνην] I stand in doubt at this strange marvel, how to gainsay what I know, and say that this is not the maid Antigone. The resumption is suitable to the chorus' perturbed state of feeling. Seyffert's ἐς δαιμόνιον τέρας ἀμφινοῶν τότε, referring to the previous scene (1. 278), is without the directness and simplicity of these short anapaestic passages, in which the chorus announce the entrance of a new person on the stage. Cp. 526 ff., 626 ff.

378. mvp-comment-216-1 οὐκ εἶναι, not μὴ εἶναι, because the entrance of Antigone is a patent fact.

382. mvp-comment-217-1 *ἀπάγουσι Sc. εἰς κρίσιν.

385. mvp-comment-218-1 εἵλομεν The v. r. εἴδομεν is supported by infr. 404, 406, 423, and εἴλομεν, the reading of L, etc., may have been occasioned by καθελόντες in the nearer context. But see v. rr. on 655.

386. mvp-comment-219-1 ἐς δέον Cp. Ο. Τ. 1416, εἰς δέον πάρεστι. εἰς μέσον, which Seyffert has restored from L, although having the authority of the chief MS, is more like a MS. conjecture than eἰς δέον. The same may be said of ἐξέβην, as compared with προὔβην. Seyffert reads ξύμμετρ᾽ ἐξέβην τύχῃ.

388. mvp-comment-220-1 οὐδέν ἐστ᾿ ἀπώμοτον This γνώμη first occurs in the fragment of Archilochus about the eclipse (76 Bergk), χρημάτων ἄελπτον οὐδέν ἐστιν οὐδ᾽ ἀπώμοτον. Cp. Pind. Ol. 13. 83, παρ' ὅρκον καὶ παρ' ἐλπίδα κούφαν.

389. mvp-comment-221-1 ψεύδει .. γνώμην 'For second thoughts bely one's resolutions.' ου 390. ἄv belongs grammatically to the verb ἐξηύχουν, but in meaning rather modifies the infinitive.

391. mvp-comment-222-1 ταῖς .. τότε When my soul was shaken with the tempest of your former threatenings.᾿ ἀπειλαῖς is dative of the occasion or accompaniment, assisted by attraction. Essay on Language § 11. p. 18, с. Ср. 1. 691.

392. mvp-comment-223-1 ἐκτὸς καὶ παρ᾿ ἐλπίδας i. e.

392. mvp-comment-223-2 ἐκτὸς ἐλπίδος (supr. 1. 330) καὶ παρ᾿ ἐλπίδας.

393. mvp-comment-224-1 ἔοικεν.. μήκος οὐδέν Sc. οὐδὲν ἔοικε μήκος, i. e. εἰς τὸ μέγεθος, as the Scholiast says.

395. mvp-comment-225-1 καθευρέθη is not to be rejected because of the rarity of the compound. See Essay on Language p. 90. But the conjecture of Nauck, καθῃρέθη, is favoured by καθελόντες in l. 383.

398. mvp-comment-226-1 ὡς θέλεις In arresting Antigone the watchman has done not his own will but Creon's. Infr. 438. 399,

400. mvp-comment-227-1 ἐγὼ δ'. κακῶν But I have a full right to be "away and clear" from this bad business.

401. mvp-comment-228-1 This maiden! where, and how, did you arrest her?' The emphatic order of words expresses the profound astonishment of Creon. Essay on Language § 41. p. 77.

403. mvp-comment-229-1 λέγεις ὀρθῶς Do you say it with a clear mind? i. e. Have you your wits when you say this? CСр. О. Т. 528, ἐξ ὀμμάτων δ᾽ ὀρθῶν τε καὶ ὀρθῆς φρενός | κατηγορεῖτο τοὐπίκλημα τοῦτό μου;

404. mvp-comment-230-1 ὃν σὺ τόν The collocation of antecedent and relative is peculiar, and perhaps characteristic of the rustic emphasis of the Φύλαξ. See notes on supr. 238, 269, and cp. infr. 409.

406. mvp-comment-231-1 And how was she discovered, caught, and taken ?"

407. mvp-comment-232-1 τοιοῦτον (1) As you say: she was seen (1. 423), surprised (1.432), and caught (1.433). Or (2) As follows,' = τοιόνδε.

409-410. mvp-comment-233-1 τὸν | νέκυν Α remarkable instance of synapheia. Cp. 1. 238. Essay on Language § 21. p. 33. Supr. 238.

410. mvp-comment-234-1 μυδῶν Dank: referring rather to the state of the corpse (cp. 412) than to the remains of the libation, which would be soon dried by the sun.

410. mvp-comment-234-2 εὐ Carefully. For the order, see Essay on Language p. 78, and cp. О. Т. 308, μαθόντες εὖ.

411. mvp-comment-235-1 We sat just below the top of the rising ground, in the lee of the wind, so escaping the incidence of the odour from the dead. Supposing the corpse to be exposed on a slope of the high ground, surrounded by hillocks, they would select a point of observation on the lee-side of one of these hillocks, and to the windward of the corpse, which they would have full in view.

411. mvp-comment-235-2 ἐκ = On this side of and looking from. Essay on Language § 19. p. 27. Infr. 1110, εἰς ἐπόψιον τόπον : 1197, πεδίον ἐπ᾿ ἄκρον. πικρᾶς] ι in erasure of v? by recent hand Vat.

412. mvp-comment-236-1 This line is not necessarily connected with the preceding: i.e. They may be supposed to select a spot, (1) out of the wind, (2) out of the way of the smell. But the explanation above given (411 note) is more probable. In either case the point is that in attending to their watch they were mightily careful of their own comfort.

412. mvp-comment-236-2 βάλῃ Changed by Stephanusto βάλοι, because of the past time and the optative following. But the subj. is more vivid.

413-414. mvp-comment-237-1 Rousing each his fellow with noisy altercation, reviling him who should take this labour easily. εἴ τις, κ.τ.λ. depends on the verbal notion implied in κακοῖσιν = κακῶς λέγοντες.

413-414. mvp-comment-237-2 ἀφειδεῖν, ‘Το be unsparing, and so To be negligent, To treat lightly, To act without circumspection. For an approach to this meaning, cp. Thuc. 4.26 § 7. Bonitz conj. ἀκηδήσοι.

415-417. mvp-comment-238-1 This lasted till the sun had reached his station in mid-sky with unclouded splendour, and the heat was glowing.' Cp. the Homeric ὄφρα μὲν ἠέλιος μέσον οὐρανὸν ἀμφιβεβήκει.

417. mvp-comment-239-1 When suddenly from the earth the Storm-god raised a squall, that saddened all the sky, and filled the plain, tearing the tresses of the orchard groves, and the wide heaven was choked withal.' The chief discomfort of such a visitation would be the cloud of dust, forcing men to close their eyes, and wrapping even near objects from sight. The watchman is explaining why they lost sight of the corpse. The poet also provides a motive for the act by which Antigone is betrayed. She fears that the corpse, lying in an exposed situation, may have been disturbed by the violence of the wind.

418. mvp-comment-240-1 οὐράνιον ἄχος may mean either (1) A trouble from the sky, or (2) A trouble reaching to the sky. The latter is best, as the word χθονός indicates that the whirlwind seemed to rise out of the ground.

420. mvp-comment-241-1 ἐν δ' See Essay on Language p. 26. § 18, a.

421. mvp-comment-242-1 μύσαντες .. νόσον Closing lips and eyes, we endured the Divine visitation.

422. mvp-comment-243-1 ἐν χρόνῳ μακρῷ After lasting a long while: giving time for Antigone to come out of her concealment, with the libation ready. 423, foll. κἀνακωκύει] ‘And raises a shrill wailing cry, like the voice of the despairing bird. For the descriptive genitive, see Essay on Language § 9. p. 12.

422. mvp-comment-243-2 πικρᾶς Embittered, 'Full of bitterness: the quality of the object is transferred to the subject: i.e. πικρᾶς, ἅτε πασχούσης πικρά. Also the bitterness of anger is joined to that of grief. Cp. the Latin dolor. For the genitive, cp. Trach. 768, ὥστε τέκτονοs. And for the omission of ὡs, which is supplied in the following clause, cp. supr. 114, λευκῆς χιόνος πτέρυγι στεγανός. G. Wolff reads ὅ. δ. φθόγγον ὥς, ὅταν κ. But this yields a less probable rhythm.

424-425. mvp-comment-244-1 As when it sees robbed of its young ones the desolated couch of its nest. For the pleonasm, see Essay on Language § 40. p. 75.

426. mvp-comment-245-1 οὕτω δέ The apodosis is resumed, as so often happens after a comparison. Essay on Language p. 75. Cp. Aesch. Cho. 252.

427. mvp-comment-246-1 γόοισιν Essay on Language p. 75.

427. mvp-comment-246-2 ἐκ δ᾽.. ἠρᾶτο Essay on Language § 18. p. 27.

430. mvp-comment-247-1 ἄρδην.. στέφει Slightly condensed from ἄρδην ἔχουσα στέφει. στέφει, She decorates, Honours. Metaphorical, as in Od. 8. 170, ἀλλὰ θεὸς μορφὴν ἔπεσι στέφει. Cp. καταστέφειν in Eur. Phoen. 1632, and Sophron ap. Athen. 479 B. She leaves out no jot of the ceremony: ὡς οὐδὲν ὑφιεμένη τῷ κρηύγματι.

431. mvp-comment-248-1 Od. 11. 26, ἀμφ᾿ αὐτῷ δὲ χοὰς χέομεν πᾶσιν νεκύεσσι, | πρῶτα μελικρήτῳ, μετέπειτα δὲ ἡδέϊ οἴνῳ, | τὸ τρίτον αὐθ᾽ ὕδατι.

432. mvp-comment-249-1 σὺν δέ νιν | θηρώμεθ' For this tmesis, see Essay on Language § 18. p. 26. συν as in συλλαμβάνω.

435. mvp-comment-250-1 Cp. Hdt. 3. 66, ἔξαρνος ἦν μὴ μὲν ἀποκτεῖναι Σμέρδιν: 3. 99, ἄπαρνός ἐστι μὴ μὲν νοσέειν.

436. mvp-comment-251-1 ἀλλ᾽.. ἅμα ἀλλά is to be explained as pointing the antithesis after the negative. Her attitude was not that of denial, but one to me at least pleasant and painful as well. The adverb modifies a word which is to be supplied from καθίστατο. ἡδέως ἐμοί, i. e. ὥστε ἐμὲ ἥδεσθαι, Essay on Language § 24. p. 40. There is a certain point in this which is lost in the emendation of Dindorf, ἅμ᾽ ἡδέως, in which, however, the repetition of ἅμα may be defended from Plat. Gorg. 497 Α, ἅμα διψῶν τε ἕκαστος ἡμῶν πέπαυται καὶ ἅμα ἡδόμενος διὰ τοῦ πίνειν. Schneidewin quotes also Gorg. 496 C, ὧν ἅμα τε ἀπαλλάττεται ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἅμα ἔχει, which is not really parallel.

439-440. mvp-comment-252-1 ἀλλὰ .. σωτηρίας (1) But all these things are to me by nature less important to obtain than my own safety. λαβεῖν epexegetic, like ἔχειν in Ο. Τ. 592, τυραννὶς ἡδίων ἔχειν. Cp. inf. 638, μείζων φέρεσθαι: Εl. 1015-1016, προνοίας οὐδὲν ἀνθρώποις ἔφυ | κέρδος λαβεῖν ἄμειvov. Or, possibly, (2) It is in my nature to take less account of all this than of my own safety. For the meaning thus given to ἐμοὶ πέφυκ cp. Εl. 860, πᾶσι θνατοῖς ἔφυ μύρος. And for λαβεῖν = To weigh or estimate, cp. Thuc. 2. 42, § 5, τὴν δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων τιμωρίαν ποθεινοτέραν αὐτῶν λαβόντες.

441. mvp-comment-253-1 For σὲ δή, sc. λέγω, cp. Aesch. Prom. 944, σὲ τὸν σοφιστήν, κ.τ.λ.: Soph. El. 1445, σε τοι, σὲ κρίνω, κ.τ.λ.: Eur. Hel. 546. And for ἐς πέδον κάρα νεύειν, cp. supr. 269.

441. mvp-comment-253-2 Creon misinterprets the action of Antigone. She fixes her eyes upon the ground, not from fear or shame, but because she is out of sympathy with all present, and her thoughts are in the other world. The hidden fire flashes out in ll. 450, foll., which are certainly not spoken with averted eyes. Cp. Ο. Τ. 1121.

442. mvp-comment-254-1 καταρνεῖ The unusual compound, introduced, perhaps, partly for the sake of metre, has also a special sense of blame. Cp. καταμελέω, καταξιόω, καταπειλέω, καταπροδίδωμι, καταργυρόω, κατασπείρω, κατασχολάζω.

445. mvp-comment-255-1 Free and exempt from grievous imputation.

446. mvp-comment-256-1 μήκος Adverbial, cp. O. С. 92, κέρδη μὲν οἰκήσαντα τοῖς δεδεγμένοις.

446. mvp-comment-256-2 'Tell us, no long tale, but briefly, knew you of the edict that forbade this deed? I knew; 'twas plain enough. How could I fail to know? And were you, then, so hardy as to transgress our law? That edict came not to me from the mouth of Zeus, nor from the Right, whose throne is with the Gods below. They also have appointed unto men a law. Methought your edict could not so prevail, as that a mortal should overleap the silent irrefragable ordinances of heaven. Their life is not of to-day or yesterday. They are eternal. None knoweth of a time when they began. I feared not so the mind of any man, as to incur before the Gods the penalty of that law. I knew, forsooth, without your edict, that I was to die. And if I am to die before the time, I count it gain. For he must surely gain by death who lives, as I do, midst abounding woes. And so for me to meet this doom is a grief I reck not of. If I had borne to leave unburied the corpse, fallen in carnage, of my mother's son, that had been a grief to me, but this is no grief. And if I seem to you to be now doing foolishly, it comes to this;-I am condemned of folly by a fool.'

447. mvp-comment-257-1 τὰ κηρυχθέντα The proclamation made. Cobet's conjecture ᾔδησθα κηρυχθέντα (Νov. Lect. 1858. p. 215), while restoring the recognised Attic form, is unobjectionable in point of syntax. But the use of the article in pointing to his own decree is characteristic of Creon, and if ἠείδης is retained in the Iliad, 22. 280, why not ᾔδης in Tragedy?

449. mvp-comment-258-1 καὶ δῆτα And then. Cp. Plat. Theaet. 142 C, καὶ δῆτα προπέμψας αὐτόν, ἀπιὼν πάλιν, κ.τ.λ.

449. mvp-comment-258-2 τούσδε . . νόμους These laws, i. e. The laws whose majesty is vested in me. For this use of the demonstrative, see Essay on Language § 22. p. 34.

450. mvp-comment-259-1 I obeyed no decree of yesterday, but the eternal law. That cannot be annulled by any enactment of a mere man. It may be that I shall die for what I have done. But it needed not your proclamation to tell me that I must die. And to die before the term appointed me is to lose so much of sorrow.

451. mvp-comment-260-1 For the mythological fancy, cp. О. С. 1381-1382, εἴπερ ἐστὶν ἡ παλαίφατος | Δίκη ξύνεδρος Ζηνὸς ἀρχαίοις νόμοις.

452. mvp-comment-261-1 This line is rightly explained by the Scholiast and Donaldson, Ἡ δίκη, φησί, καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ὥρισαν ὥστε θάπτεσθαι τοὺς νεκρούς.. θέλει δὲ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς φύσεως δίκαιον ἤγημαι θάπτειν τὸν ἀδελφόν. (Schol.) She replies, that she did not consider his proclamations as emanating from Zeus, the supreme God, or from that justice which regulated the rights of the dead, who, she says, have established these laws, namely, the laws of sepulture, which do not need any enactment, but have their ὅροι set up in the human heart. (Donaldson.) The iteration of τούσδε, in contrasting the law which she obeyed with the edict of Creon, is dramatically appropriate, and there is no difficulty in the vague use of the demonstrative. See Essay on Language § 22. p. 34. Cp. Od. 10. 326, τάδε φάρμακα.

454. mvp-comment-262-1 ἄγραπτα κἀσφαλῆ Unwritten and sure. Ср. О. Т. 865 ff., and note. ἀσφαλῆ is not only Never failing to apply, but also Never failing to vindicate their authority. Cp. II. 456 ff.

455. mvp-comment-263-1 θνητὸν ὄντα Sc. σέ, understood from τὰ σὰ κηρύγματα. That a mortal man should run beyond the silent irrefragable ordinances of the Gods. Cp. Eur. Ion 973, καὶ πῶς τὰ κρείσσω θνητός οὖσ᾽ ὑπερδράμω; Ο.Τ. 476-482

456. mvp-comment-264-1 νῦν .. κἀχθές To-day or yes- terday. The particle γε, ay, serves to connect the sentences, and τε is unnecessary, as appears from the similar expression, χθὲς καὶ πρώην, in Plat. Legg. 3. 677 D.

456. mvp-comment-264-2 ἀεί ποτε means Everlastingly, without any clear distinction of past or future. πότε gives the effect of indefiniteness or infinity.

457. mvp-comment-265-1 ζῇ Are in force. Cр. О. Т. 481, ἀεὶ ζῶντα περιποτᾶται.

457. mvp-comment-265-2 ἐξ ὅτου 'φάνη Since when they came into being. Cp. Tr. 1, λόγος ..

457. mvp-comment-265-3 ἀρχαῖος φανείς.

458-459. mvp-comment-266-1 τούτων.. τὴν δίκην The penalty to be exacted in vindication of these. The Gods might be said δίκην ἐπιτιθέναι τῶν παραβαθέντων νόμων, although the word in the genitive after δίκη more frequently signifies the offence for which punishment is awarded. Cp. infr. 1074, τούτων σε λωβητῆρες ὑστεροφθόροι, κ.τ.λ.

458-459. mvp-comment-266-2 ἀνδρός Of a mere man. Cp. O. C. 567, ἔξοιδ᾽ ἀνὴρ ὤν. 461 ff. Shak. Julius Caesar, 3. 1, 'Bru. That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time | And drawing days out, that men stand upon. | Cass. Why, he that cuts off twenty years of life | Cuts off so many years of fearing death. | Bru. Grant that, and then is death a benefit: | So are we Caesar's friends, that have abridged His time of fearing death.'

458-459. mvp-comment-266-3 τοῦ χρόνου, sc. ἐν ᾧ μ᾿ ἐχρῆν θανεῖν.

462. mvp-comment-267-1 κέρδος αὔτ᾽ ἐγὼ λέγω αὔτ᾽, i. e. αὐτό, although not necessary to the construction, as appears from Plat. Apol. 40 Ε., κέρδος ἔγωγε λέγω, is better here than αὖτe, which weakens κέρδος.

463. mvp-comment-268-1 ὡς ἐγώ Supr. ll. 4-6.

466. mvp-comment-269-1 παρ᾿ οὐδὲν ἄλγος Is a grief of no account. Cp. supr. 35.

466. mvp-comment-269-2 ἐμῆς Meineke conj. ἐκ μιᾶs, Seyffert ὁμῆς, unnecessarily. The emphatic use of ἐμós is frequent in Sophocles.

467. mvp-comment-270-1 ἄθαπτον *ἠνσχόμην ἠνσχόμην (1) may be defended by the analogy of the syncopated ἀνσχήσεσθαι, ἄνσχεο, in Epic Greek. Otherwise (2) νέκυν may be cancelled as a gloss, and ἄθαπτον *ὄντ᾿ ἠνεσχόμην read, according to the conj. of Prof. E. L. Lushington. Or (3) ἐσχόμην may be read in the sense of ἠνεσχόμην. Ε. on L. § 55, 4. p. 101. But this is doubtful.

470. mvp-comment-271-1 μώρῳ i.e. One whose judgment is self-condemned, because opposed to the eternal laws. The word is not prompted by mere petulance, but is uttered with profound conviction.

471. mvp-comment-272-1 'The maiden's lineage declares itself in the fierce vein that comes to her from her fierce sire.' Phil. 1045-1046.

472. mvp-comment-273-1 ἐπίσταται Sc. ἡ παῖς.

473. mvp-comment-274-1 σκληρά Unbending, and so Stubborn, Obstinate.

473. mvp-comment-274-2 The self-will of Creon appears with increasing distinctness. (1) He asserts his confidence in the use of power to suppress insubordination. (2) He speaks of his ward, whom he does not care to name, as in the place of a slave (479): (3) he implies that to cede an inch of authority is to give the sovereignty to another (485). (4) He throws the tie of kindred to the winds. The first words of his speech are ominous of his own doom. See Introduction.

475. mvp-comment-275-1 ὀπτὸν .. περισκελή Baked to exceeding hardness. Cp. Aj. 649, καὶ περισκελεῖς φρένες.

476. mvp-comment-276-1 θραυσθέντα καὶ ῥαγέντα Broken and shattered. The strongest word is put first in the Greek. Essay on Language § 41. p.77.

477. mvp-comment-277-1 σμικρῷ has a strong emphasis. Ibid.

478. mvp-comment-278-1 ἐκπέλει Hesych. ἐκπέλει, ἔξεστι. Hdt. uses ἐκγίνεσθαι in a similar sense. See Essay on Language § 55. p. 101.

479. mvp-comment-279-1 δοῦλος Creon shows his coarsely tyrannical spirit by boasting of his absolute power over his orphan relative.

481. mvp-comment-280-1 Cp. Hdt. 3. 83, νόμους οὐκ ὑπερβαίνουσα τοὺς Περσέων.

484. mvp-comment-281-1 Cp. Eur. I. Α. 952 ff., ἢ Σίπυλος ἔσται πόλις, ὅρισμα βαρβάρων, κ.τ.λ.

485. mvp-comment-282-1 If this authority is to be allowed to rest with her unchallenged. By an exaggeration of feeling like that in l. 208, he thinks that to pardon disobedience is to yield authority to the offender. For κείσεται, cp. El. 361, σοὶ δὲ πλουσία | τράπεζα κείσθω: ἀνάκειμαι in Hdt. 1.97, γνοὺς ὁ Δηϊόκης ἐς ἑωυτὸν πᾶν ἀνακείμενον.

485. mvp-comment-282-2 κράτη, as in l. 173, ἐγὼ κράτη δὴ πάντα καὶ θρόνους ἔχω.

486. mvp-comment-283-1 ὁμαιμονεστέρα is the more rational and stronger reading: although in weighing a hyperbolical expression of this kind, that is perhaps hardly a sufficient argument, and may be urged on the other side as accounting for the alteration of the MS.

487. mvp-comment-284-1 τοῦ παντὸς.. Ζηνὸς ἐρκείου i.e. Our whole family, the presiding numen being put for the thing held sacred.

489. mvp-comment-285-1 μόρου For the genitive with ἀλύξετον, cp. Phil. 1044, τῆς νόσου πεφευγέναι.

489. mvp-comment-285-2 ἴσον is probably to be construed both with ἐπαιτιῶμαι and βουλεύσαι (‘I accuse equally of plotting equally'), and τοῦδε τάφου is partly gen. after ἐπαιτιῶμαι, partly after ἴσον.

491. mvp-comment-286-1 ἀρτίως Viz. after l. 331, when Ismene knew that the deed was done, and, alone of those in the palace, knew also by whom.

493-494. mvp-comment-287-1 And it commonly happens that the spirit of those who are plotting some utter wickedness in secret is convicted of its occulted guilt before the act.

493. mvp-comment-288-1 ᾑρῆσθαι κλοπεύς Το be arrested in some stealthy enterprise. The perfect tense marks that the detection is completed before the purpose is carried into effect. Cp. πεπραγμένα .. ἡμαρτημένα, in O. T. 621.

495. mvp-comment-289-1 Yet I hate it equally when one who is caught in actual mischief tries to make a virtue of the offence.

495. mvp-comment-289-2 ἐν κακοῖσι = In trouble, i. e. In crime, and not merely, like Ismene, in the consciousness of crime. Cp. Fr. 843, αἰδὼς γὰρ ἐν κακοῖσιν οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ.

496. mvp-comment-290-1 καλλύνειν Creon affects to regard Antigone's appeal to the higher law as a piece of hypocrisy. Cp. Fr. 845

496. mvp-comment-290-2 κλέπτων δ᾽ ὅταν τις ἐμφανῶς ἐφευρεθῇ, | σιγᾶν ἀνάγκη, κἂν καλὸν φέρῃ στόμα.

497. mvp-comment-291-1 Cp. Eur. Phoen. 1211.

500. mvp-comment-292-1 μηδ' ἀρεσθείη Sc. μηδὲν τῶν σῶν λόγων.

501. mvp-comment-293-1 ἔφυ Are by nature, and so cannot fail to be.

505. mvp-comment-294-1 λέγοιτ' ἄν For the passive, see Essay on Language § 31. P. 54 *ἐγκλείσαι] Cp. supr. 1. 180. Dindorf's correction (with εί for ῄ) is retained in preference to ἐγκλείοι. The future optative is clearly wrong.

506-507. mvp-comment-295-1 These two lines have been considered spurious. But their scornful tone may be compared with supr. 469-470.

509. mvp-comment-296-1 ὑπίλλουσι ἴλλειν (cp. supr. 340) is To move within bounds, or To limit motion. So here, 'They move their lips under your restraint; i. e. They curb their speech under your will.

510. mvp-comment-297-1 τῶνδε .. φρονεῖς; If you hold a course divergent from theirs. Cp. supr. 375, μήτ᾽ ἴσον φρονῶν.

512. mvp-comment-298-1 καταντίον In opposition to him.

514. mvp-comment-299-1 Why then do you honour a service which involves impiety to him? Honour, i. e. By zealously performing it.

515. mvp-comment-300-1 ὁ κατθανών νέκυς Eteocles.

516. mvp-comment-301-1 i. e. If you honour the impious one equally with him.

517. mvp-comment-302-1 For the omission of the participle, see Essay on Language § 23. p. 38.

519. mvp-comment-303-1 τοὺς νόμους τούτους Cp. supr. 452.

519. mvp-comment-303-2 ἴσους, the reading of the corrector of L, rather injures the line by dividing the emphasis, which rests entirely on ὅμως. Essay on Language § 41. p. 76 (4).

520. mvp-comment-304-1 ἴσος Of equal right. ἴσos has the construction of ἄξιος or δίκαιος. Essay on Language § 36. p. 64.

521. mvp-comment-305-1 Who can tell if this be not esteemed pious in the under-world? τάδε, this, which you count impious, the burial of Polynices. Schol., τίς οἶδεν εἰ καθ' Ἅιδου ἀλλήλοις διαλλάσσοντες ἡγοῦνται εὐσεβῆ τάδε. τίς οἶδεν εἰ, like Haud scio an in Latin, suggests an affirmative as possible, as in the lines τίς οἶδεν εἰ τὸ ζῆν μὲν ἐστι κατθανεῖν | τὸ κατθανεῖν δὲ ζῆν; κάτωθεν, see v. rr., is possibly right.

522-523. mvp-comment-306-1 Creon means that Eteocles must still hate Polynices after death. To which Antigone rejoins, in the line which expresses what is deepest in her, If it be so, his hatred is no rule for me. Creon sees that further argument is useless, and breaks off impatiently with an abrupt sentence of death.

524-525. mvp-comment-307-1 Go, then, to your grave, and there, if you must love them, love the dead below! κείνους, sc. τοὺς κάτω, with particular reference to Polynices.

526-530. mvp-comment-308-1 Here comes Ismene forth, shedding sisterly tears; from clouds above her brow, that moisten her fair cheek, doing disgrace unto her flushed countenance. Cp. Sh Shakespeare, Midsummer Night's Dream, 1. 1, Lys. Why is your cheek so pale? | How chance the roses there do fade so fast? | Herm. Belike, for want of rain, which I could well | Beteem them from the tempest of mine eyes. Ant. and Cleo. 3. 2. 52. Il. 17. 591, ἄχεος νεφέλη: Eur. Hipp. 173, ὀφρύων νέφος: Aesch. Prom. 144-145, ὀμίχλα .. πλήρης δακρύων.

527. mvp-comment-309-1 δάκρυ᾽ εἰβομένη is the Triclinian reading for δάκρυα λειβόμενα. δάκρυ λειβομένη has been conjectured. But the construction, with φιλάδελφα adverbial, is less simple and therefore less pathetic. δάκρυα εἰβομένη is read in M³.

529. mvp-comment-310-1 ῥέθος Eur. Η. F. 1204, πάρες ἀπ᾿ ὀμμάτων | πέπλον . . ῥέθος ἀελίῳ δεῖξον.

531. mvp-comment-311-1 ὡς ἔχιδν᾽ ὑφειμένη Having slid in secretly like a snake; i.e. Like a serpent lurking. For the feeling associated with ὑφίημι, cp. Ο. Τ. 387, ὑφεὶς μάγον τοιόνδε μηχανορράφον.

532. mvp-comment-312-1 ἐξέπινες Cp. Tr. 1055-1056, ῥοφεῖ ξυνοικοῦν· ἐκ δὲ χλωρὸν αἷμά μου | πέπωκεν ἤδη.

533. mvp-comment-313-1 ἄτα κἀπαναστάσεις Abstract for concrete. See Essay on Language p. 94.

533. mvp-comment-313-2 θρόνων, obj. gen. Ib. § 9. p. 12.

536. mvp-comment-314-1 εἴπερ ἥδ᾽ ὁμορροθεῖ The Scholiast has noticed the apparent absurdity of Ismene's adding this condition to her avowal; and Schneidewin alters the line το δέδρακα τοὔργον, εἴπερ ἥδ᾽· ὁμορροθῶ. But the inconsistency is touchingly significant of the irresolute character of Ismene, and of the ascendancy of Antigone's stern nature over hers.

537. mvp-comment-315-1 τῆς αἰτίας is directly governed by ξυμμετίσχω, the notion of participation being silently continued in καὶ φέρω. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 331, πάντων μετασχὼν καὶ τετολμηκὼς ἐμοί.

539. mvp-comment-316-1 οὔτ᾽ ἐγὼ 'κοινωσάμην Supr. 69.

541. mvp-comment-317-1 ξύμπλουν Essay on Language p. 94.

542. mvp-comment-318-1 Antigone's offering to the dead was made in solitude, and without the presence of the sun.

545. mvp-comment-319-1 ἁγνίσαι τιμῆσαι Schol. Ismene means, Though I shrank from the deed, let me share the glory of it by accepting the consequences.

546. mvp-comment-320-1 ἅ = ταῦτα ὧν. Essay on Language § 35. P. 59. μή, ibid. § 29. p. 48.

548. mvp-comment-321-1 τίς βίος i. e. πῶς ὁ βίος; See Essay on Language § 22. p. 36.

549. mvp-comment-322-1 'Ask Creon. He has your care and duty;' i.e. Creon is more to you than your brother is.

551. mvp-comment-323-1 εἰ γέλωτ᾽ ἔν σοι γελῶ Schneidewin's explanation of this line, It is painful to me to be mocking you, my sister, is out of harmony with the tone of Antigone, although it is true that in this line her bitterness is somewhat softened. Either δή, κεἰ must be read, or εἰ explained as = κεἰ. I have grief enough, I assure you, though I laugh a bitter laugh at thee. Cp. 728, εἰ δ' ἐγὼ νέος = Though I am young: Eur. Or. 484, εἰ δὲ δυστυχεῖ, τιμητέος. See Essay on Language § 28. p. 47.

552. mvp-comment-324-1 ἀλλὰ νῦν Essay on Language § 26. p. 43. Par. E suggests ἐπωφελοῖμ᾽.

554. mvp-comment-325-1 κἀμπλάκω i. e. ἢ σώσω ἐμαυτὴν καὶ ἀμπλάκω.

556. mvp-comment-326-1 ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ . . λόγοις But not without my saying what I said, was this choice made. Ismene would clear herself from the imputation of merely shrinking from the attempt through cowardice, or without laying before her sister the grounds of her own conduct, as she had done supr. 49 ff. She also wishes to remind Antigone of ll. 78, 99, which acquit her of indifference towards the dead. But Antigone only recalls the argument against opposing those in power. Wolff compares Eur. Ion 228, ἐπὶ δ' ἀσφάκτοις μήλοις μὴ πάριτε.

557. mvp-comment-327-1 Your counsel seemed wise to these' (Creon, etc., τοῖς ἐνθάδε), but mine to those (Polynices and the powers below, τοῖς ἐκεῖ). The form of the sentence is accommodated to the latter part of it. If the first part were fully expressed it would be ἐδόκεις ἄν. G. Wolff and Wecklein prefer the reading σὺ μὲν σοί. But the opposition of τοῖς μὲν, τοῖς δέ, is more pointed.

558. mvp-comment-328-1 (1) Ismene reiterates, still feebly, what she had asserted in 536-537. Or (2) 'We are both in equal error,'-you against the state, and I against the dead. The first (1) is best. In either case, Antigone rejoins, You need not trouble yourself to make confessions. You are safe.

559-560. mvp-comment-329-1 ἡ δ᾽ ἐμὴ.. ὠφελεῖν My soul has long been with the dead, to do them service. In these words Antigone may be supposed to say, either (1) From the moment when my resolution was taken, my life has been with the dead, devoted in sacrifice to their aid; cp. supr. 72 and note: or (2) I have long been dead to all the joys of life, and am therefore a fit sacrifice to the service of the dead. So Wecklein. Cp. Shak. Merch. of V. 4. 1, I am a tainted wether of the flock, etc. But the former meaning (1) is alone consistent with the betrothal of Antigone to Haemon.

562. mvp-comment-330-1 τὴν δ᾽.. ἔφυ We learn from this line, and from supr. 499-501, that there had never been much sympathy between Antigone and Creon.

563-564. mvp-comment-331-1 The unfortunate never retain even the reason that was born with them, but lose it in distraction. Ismene intends her excuse to cover Antigone.

564. mvp-comment-332-1 Creon echoes κακῶς πράσσουσιν. You lost your wits when you chose to share the guilt of the wicked. Cp. 536 ff., 558.

566. mvp-comment-333-1 Why, what life that deserves the name could be mine in loneliness apart from her?

567. mvp-comment-334-1 Say not "this maiden." She is no longer here. The word ἥδε remains in the nominative. This often happens when a word is quoted with the article; which, however, is elsewhere omitted in similar cases, as for instance when the word so quoted is the predicate of a sentence. Cp. Plato, Theaet. 164 Β, τὸ δέ γε οὐχ ὁρᾷ οὐκ ἐπίσταταί ἐστιν, εἴπερ καὶ τὸ ὁρᾷ ἐπίσταται, where ἐπίσταται is equally out of construction with ἥδε in this line.

568. mvp-comment-335-1 νυμφεῖα Essay on Language p. 94.

569. mvp-comment-336-1 Ср. О. Т. 1211, 1497-1498, foll.

570. mvp-comment-337-1 Not as their hearts were plighted. Literally, Not in such a way as harmony had been prepared between him and her. Cp. Pind. Pyth. 9.13, ξυνὸν ἁρμόζοισα θεῷ τε γάμον κούρᾳ θ' Ὑψέος εὐρυβία.

571. mvp-comment-338-1 The plural generalizes the expression.

571. mvp-comment-338-2 υἱέσι Dative of the person interested.

572. mvp-comment-339-1 *AN. The MSS. have ΙΣ. But Böckh has given strong reasons for following Aldus in assigning the line to Antigone. The last speech of Creon might well move her to break silence, which she does naturally by resenting the words not for herself, but for Haemon. There is also greater bitterness in this line than in any speech of Ismene. Then, granting that τὸ σὸν λέχος, addressed to Ismene, might mean The marriage you prate of, the words express a much deeper feeling as addressed to Antigone. Outwardly a mere expression of impatience, they convey the only touch of natural feeling which Creon betrays. 574 and 576 are then most naturally given to the chorus. The act of Creon in sacrificing his son's happiness is more solemnly marked when his words are addressed to the coryphaeus. While adhering to this view I am bound to add that some of the best critics prefer the other arrangement of the persons.

577. mvp-comment-340-1 καὶ σοί γε κάμοί Sc. δεδογ μένα: i. e. σὺ μὲν οὕτω δοκεῖς, ἐμοὶ δὲ δέδοκται. We are agreed so far.

577. mvp-comment-340-2 τριβάς Sc. ποιείσθε. Essay on Language §39. p. 74.

578. mvp-comment-341-1 'Henceforth these must be really women, and not left at large;' i. e. They must be treated as women. Cp. l. 484. This reading, although defaced in L, may well be defended against such would-be improvements as εὖ δὲ τάσδε χρὴ | γυναῖκας εἶλαι (Dind.), and εὖ δετὰς δὲ χρὴ | γυναῖκας εἶναι (Seyffert), which are to be condemned, amongst other reasons, for destroying the singleness of the emphasis. Creon, as usual, covers his self-will under the appearance of principle. Cp. Plat. Legg. 1.637, ταχὺ γάρ σου λάβοιτ᾽ ἄν τις τῶν παρ' ἡμῶν ἀμυνόμενος, δεικνὺς τὴν τῶν γυναικῶν παρ' ὑμῖν ἄνεσιν : Ar. Pol. 2. 6. The words indicate that Antigone's going beyond the gate, supr. 18, 19, was an exceptional freedom, consequent on the war. Thus Sophocles is contented with a hint, where Euripides thinks an explanation necessary: Phoen. 89-91.

582. mvp-comment-342-1 The fate of Antigone is sealed, and the chorus moralize over the power of fate and of Zeus, as shown in the continued calamities of the race of Labdacus, and the infatuation ('quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ') of Antigone. The spectator is left free to apply the same reflections to the case of Creon.

582. mvp-comment-342-2 'Calamity is like a storm that stirs the lowest depths and sounds afar. The race once touched is never free. Each generation as it rises is struck down.

582. mvp-comment-342-3 'The house of Labdacus has sorrow upon sorrow. Amidst the ruined grove one root was springing, only to be swept under by the cruel dues of Hades in a frenzy of infatuation.

582. mvp-comment-342-4 Who can restrain the power of Zeus? Unchecked by sleep or age he ever dwells in the light of Olympus. This was and shall be now and evermore, a truth that spareth not the lives of men, whom hope deceives, giving comfort indeed, but also inspiring passionate folly, till disappointment comes, before the man hath seen that he is treading on fire. Wise was he who said that evil seemeth good to one whom God is drawing to perdition. Few are the days of his exemption from that dark lot.

582. mvp-comment-342-5 The 1st strophe opens solemnly with three dactylo-epitritic or Doric lines, which are followed by iambic and trochaic rhythms. The 2nd strophe is logaoedic, with syncope of thesis in ll. 3, 5, 7, 11 a'. β'. ILCCICcl alcl- LullLCClcclcla 10101010 51-1 CLL下CICLI トCICICI CCICCICLI 1101007ID トトー CCCII 100II

582. mvp-comment-342-6 οἶσι .. αἰών Whose life is free from taste of misery. Blessed, because of the rarity of their lot, and because of the unsparing persistence of calamity when it comes to any. For κακῶν ἄγευστος, cp. Ο. Τ. 969, ἄψαυστος ἔγχους.

583. mvp-comment-343-1 θεόθεν The adverb of place supports the metaphor of a storm coming from a certain quarter. Cp. Aesch. Prom. 1089, ῥιπὴ Διόθεν.

583-584. mvp-comment-344-1 ἄτας | οὐδὲν ἐλλείπει Cp. l. 2, ff.

585. mvp-comment-345-1 ἔρπον The real subject of this is πᾶσα ἄτη (or τὸ πᾶν ἄτης) implied in the preceding words, the positive being educed from the negative. Calamity stints not, but goes on till it fulfils the number of the race.

586-589. mvp-comment-346-1 ὅμοιον.. πνοαῖς Like as when the billow courses over the darkening deep before fell Thracian blasts from the Euxine sea. Some interpreters make ἔρεβος subj, and οἶδμα obj. of ἐπιδράμῃ, when the darkening wave courses over the main. But οἶδμα elsewhere in Sophocles is not the expanse (aequor) but the swelling of the sea, and ἔρεβος ὕφαλον can hardly be anything else than the nether darkness of the deep. For the accumulation of adjectives, see Essay on Language § 23. p. 37. Seyffert reads ὡς προποντίδος. 589 ff. It rolls from depths below the black tempestuous drift. 591. And the cliffs, returning the shock, groaningly resound.'

586-589. mvp-comment-346-2 δυσάνεμον A sign of tempest, 'Associated with bad winds, because only seen when the wind has been blowing hard on shore. Ventorum vehementiorum comitem.' Musgr. 593, foll. From of old I see with pain' (ὁρῶμαι, ethical middle, Essay on Language § 31. p. 52) 'the calamities of the house of Labdacus accumulating on the calamities of those that are gone; nor does one generation free another, but some god casts them down; nor is there hope of redemption.'

586-589. mvp-comment-346-3 ἀρχαῖα has the stress as suppl. predicate. Essay on Language § 23. p. 38.

595. mvp-comment-347-1 The reading of this line has been much questioned, but the meaning is clear, although it is uncertain what word (whether φθιτῶν or some other) has been supplanted by the unmetrical φθιμένων: which may be due to a reminiscence of Aesch. Cho. 403. 4, παρὰ τῶν πρότερον φθιμένων ἄτην | ἑτέραν ἐπάγουσαν ἐπ᾿ ἄτῃ.

596. mvp-comment-348-1 γενεὰν γένος There is no distinction of meaning (such as One generation, .. 'The whole race'). Cp. O. C. 27, 28, ἐξοικήσιμος .. οἰκητός.

596. mvp-comment-348-2 ἐρείπει Sc. γενεὰν ἑκάστην. Cp. infra 601, κατ᾽ αὖ νιν, κ.τ.λ.

597. mvp-comment-349-1 οὐδ᾽ ἔχει Nor does the case admit of. Cp. Ο. C. 545, ἔχει δέ μοι ..

597. mvp-comment-349-2 πρὸς δίκας τι.

600. mvp-comment-350-1 ῥίζας Ἀντὶ τοῦ, ὅπερ ἔβλαστεν ἄνω τῆς ῥίζης, Schol. The root, for the plant.

600. mvp-comment-350-2 *ἐτέτατο The Scholiast notes the asyndeton (λείπει ἄρθρον τὸ ὅ): which is expressive and allows viv to be referred to ῥίζας, to which it naturally belongs. And in the reading ῥίζας δ τέτατο, the order of words is questionable. For ἐτέτατο φάος, cp. Phil. 831, αἴγλαν, ἃ τέταται τανῦν. The light is the grace and nobleness of Antigone, and her bright hopes. The conj. θάλος, for which, cp. Pind. Οl. 2. 45, Ἀδραστιδᾶν θάλος, is uncalled for.

601. mvp-comment-351-1 κατ' was rightly restored by Triclinius for κατ' (ⅰ.e. καὶ εἶτα), which had been introduced to avoid the asvndeton. (Schol. ἐάν στίξωμεν κᾷτ᾽ αὖ νιν, οὐδὲν λείπει τῷ λόγῳ.)

602-603. mvp-comment-352-1 ἀμᾷ θερίζει καὶ ἐκκόπτει. ἢ καλύπτει, Schol. The latter is right.

602-603. mvp-comment-352-2 Ας καταμᾶσθαι κόνιν is ‘Το cover oneself with dust,' so, by a poetical inversion, the dust may be said καταμᾶν, To cover, or Sweep out of sight. Essay on Language § 42. р. 80, β.

603. mvp-comment-353-1 λόγου τ᾽ ἄνοια καὶ φρενῶν Ἐριvús The reasoning of Antigone in 450 ff. seems wild to the chorus, and her conduct shows her to them as possessed with a fatal frenzy. It may be thought strange that κόνις should be retained against a reading which has been so generally ap- proved as κόπις, first suggested by Jortin. But see Essay on Language pp. 92, 93. The grotesque image of Death, or Hades, armed with a bloody chopper or cleaver, however agreeable to the manner of Euripides, or some other poets, has no parallel in the language of Sophocles. And the transition from this concrete imagery to the spirits of fury and madness is, to say the least, awkwardly abrupt. The words λόγου τ᾽ ἄνοια καὶ φρενῶν Ἐρινύς are most natural if they are added to expand an obscure allusion to the deed which had brought Antigone into danger. And the words φοινία θεῶν τῶν νερτέρων .. κόνις, The deadly dust sacred to the gods below, convey such an allusion not more obscurely than do the words in Tr. 836 ff., δεινοτάτῳ μὲν ὕδρας προστετακὼς φάσματι, κ.τ.λ., express the condition of Heracles in the poisoned robe. Triclinius was therefore not absurd in saying εἰκότως δὲ τὸ κόνις τέθειται. διότι γὰρ ἐκάλυψεν Ἀντιγόνη ἀδελφὸν Πολυνείκην κόνει, διὰ τοῦτο τεθνήξεσθαι ἔμελλε.

604. mvp-comment-354-1 This is suggested by the position of Antigone, whose offence brings swift retribution; but is felt by the spectator to be more applicable to that of Creon.

604-605. mvp-comment-355-1 τίς .. κατάσχοι Essay on Language §36. p. 62. Ср. O. T. 937, and esp. Pind. Οl. 11. 20, 1, ἐμφυὲς οὔτ᾽ αἴθων ἀλώπηξ | οὐδ᾽ ἐρίβρομοι λέοντες διαλλάξαιντο ἦθος.

606. mvp-comment-356-1 Not slumber that brings age to all things.' Cp. Hom. Il. 14. 242, where Sleep says, ἄλλον μέν κεν ἔγωγε θεῶν αἰειγενετάων | ῥεῖα κατευνήσαιμι, καὶ ἂν ποταμοῖο ῥέεθρα | Ὠκεανοῦ, ὅσπερ γένεσις πάντεσσι τέτυκται | Ζηνὸς δ' οὐκ ἂν ἔγωγε Κρονίονος ἆσσον ἱκοίμην, οὐδὲ κατευνήσαιμ᾽, ὅτε μὴ αὐτός γε κελεύοι. For αἱρεῖ, cp. Il. 24.5, οὐδέ μιν ὕπνος ἥρει πανδαμάτωρ: Od. 9. 372, κὰδ δέ μιν ὕπνος ἥρει πανδαμάτωρ. The conjecture of Bamberger, παντοθήρας, is plausible. But for the closeness of the association between Age and Sleep, cp. O. T. 870-871, οὐδὲ λάθα κατακοιμάσει .. οὐδὲ γηράσκει.

607-608. mvp-comment-357-1 The reading adopted involves the simplest change which avoids a breach of metrical rules. Others suppose, the loss of a syllable after θεῶν, reading ἄκοποι for ἀκάματοι, with ἕρπει in the fourth line of the antistrophe. For θεῶν added as a sort of epithet = Divine, cp. supra 454, 369: Ο. Τ. 647 : Αj. 711, θεῶν.. πάνθυτα θέσμια : Phil. 198: also Tr. 1191, Ζηνός. The indefiniteness of this use obviates the objection of Schneidewin, that the months of the Gods are opposed to Zeus, who is generally the orderer of time, as in Hom. Il. 2. 134, Διὸς μεγάλου ἐνιαυτοί. There is possibly, however, in θεῶν some allusion to the heavenly bodies, who, as Plato says, are the ὄργανα χρόνου.

608. mvp-comment-358-1 ἀγήρῳ δὲ χρόνῳ δυνάστας With power whose duration is untouched by age. For the personification of χρόνος, see Essay on Language pp. 81, 82. The reading ἀγήρως seems to be of some antiquity, and is embodied in one of the Scholia.

610. mvp-comment-359-1 αἴγλαν Cp. Hom. Il. 1. 532, ἀπ᾿ αἰγλήεντος Ὀλύμπου. The conception of Olympus is here more Homeric than elsewhere in Sophocles. See on O. T. 867, О. С. 1655.

611-612. mvp-comment-360-1 τό τ᾽ ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ μέλλον καὶ τὸ πρίν] Cp. Thuc. 2. 64, § 8.

613. mvp-comment-361-1 The reading οὐδὲν *ἕρπων is to some extent confirmed by the Scholium ση πάμπολις, ὁ κατὰ πᾶσαν πόλιν ἕρπων νόμος, and is the most probable of the emendations of this passage. It has been supposed that οὐδὲν ἔρπει, and also ἐκτὸς ἄτας, have crept in from below; but this stasimon is peculiarly full of verbal echoes. See Essay on Language § 44. p. 76. This principle' (the sovereignty of Zeus) will last the coming time, and the time to come, as well as the time past, never swerving, as it moves onwards, from calamity to the life of mortals in all their cities. Lit. Coming to the life of mortals (a law of every city) in no respect out of the way of calamity. οὐδέν, adverbial.

613. mvp-comment-361-2 βιότῳ, dat. of reference (Essay on Language § 12. p. 18). πάμπολις, universal, i.e. law not of any one state, but embracing all. For ἕρπων ἐκτὸς ἅτας θνατῶν βιότῳ, cp. infra l. 1318: ἐμᾶς.. ἐξ αἰτίας (= ἐκτὸς αἰτίας ἐμοί): Ο. C. 1575, ἐν καθαρῷ βῆναι .. τῷ ξένῳ: Essay on Language § 42. p. 79.

615. mvp-comment-362-1 πολύπλαγκτος There is no clear instance of an active use of πολύπλαγκτος, for in Hom. Il. 13. 308, έξ ἀνέμοιο πολυπλάγκτοιο ἰωῆς, The fartravelled wind, is a probable enough meaning. Cp. Shakespeare's Empty, vast, and wandering air. So here Widely roving' is better than Muchdeceiving.' Cp. infr. 785-786.

617. mvp-comment-363-1 ἀπάτα . . ἐρώτων ἐρώτων is not genitive of object, but of cause: not Disappointment of desire, but De ception through desire. To many, hope is but the deceitfulness of winged desire.

618. mvp-comment-364-1 εἰδότι δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἕρπει And it comes to him all at unaware, i. e. The event or calamity comes. For the vague subject, cp. supra 597, οὐδ᾽ ἔχει λύσιν, and note. This is better than Nothing befals him while he is aware. 619. Till his foot be scorched in the hot blaze.' For the insertion of τις in the second clause, cp. Aj. 964, τἀγαθὸν χεροῖν | ἔχοντες οὐκ ἴσασι πρίν τις ἐκ βάλῃ : Τr. 2, 3, ὡς οὐκ ἂν αἰῶν᾽ ἐκμάθοις βροτῶν, πρὶν ἂν θάνῃ τις. Seidler's conj. προσαύρῃ is less good than the reading of L.

620. mvp-comment-365-1 σοφίᾳ Dative of manner. Essay on Language § 14. p. 20, 2.

625. mvp-comment-366-1 πράσσει, SC. ὁ τοιοῦτος, supr. l. 619, τις, l. 623 , τῷδ'. Cp. Aesch. ap. Plat. Rep. 2, p. 380 Α, θεὸς μὲν αἰτίαν φύει βροτοῖς | ὅταν κακῶσαι δῶμα παμπήδην θέλει.

625. mvp-comment-366-2 ὀλιγοστόν ὀλίγιστον has been read, and is possibly the Ist hand of L; see v. rr. But ὀλιγοστός χρόνος may mean a time that is one of few, i. e. one that comes rarely or seldom. πολλοστός in Legg. 10. 896 B, is not small, but many times removed, and has the force of a superlative, as it has also in Phileb. 44 E, where it means minutest.

626-627. mvp-comment-367-1 See Essay on Language § 40. p. 75.

628. mvp-comment-368-1 νύμφης had probably been written over μελλογάμου or τάλιδος as a gloss. The words τῆς μελλογάμου νύμφης are omitted in VM¹. This whole expression may have been a gloss on τάλιδος, or on τῆς μελλονύμφου φου infr. 633.

629. mvp-comment-369-1 μόρον Ε. on L. § 16. p. 23.

630. mvp-comment-370-1 ἀπάτας (1) Gen. of cause; or (2) with ὑπερ. Cp. Eur. Hipp. 260.

631. mvp-comment-371-1 μαντέων ὑπέρτερον Better than a seer could tell us. Creon thus vents his impatience at the anticipation of the chorus, and also indicates his scorn of prophecy. Cp. infr. 1034 ff.

632. mvp-comment-372-1 τελείαν ψήφον The fixed, irreversible, decree. Creon means by his first words to exclude hope.

632. mvp-comment-372-2 ἆρα μή Can it be that.., expressing doubt mingled with surprise.

633. mvp-comment-373-1 τῆς μελλονύμφου Objective genitive. Essay on Language § 9. p. 12.

633. mvp-comment-373-2 λυσσαίνων · Madly raging; as if opposition to a father could only be accounted for by madness. The word is ἅπαξ λεγόμενον, and is for this reason preferable to the weaker θυμαίνων.

634. mvp-comment-374-1 σοὶ μέν i.e. Whatever we may be to others.

635-765. mvp-comment-375-1 Haemon professes obedience to his father, but with the implied condition that his father commands what is right. Not heeding this, Creon welcomes his general profession, and enlarges on the blessings that follow from obedience in public and private. He urges Haemon to renounce Antigone. Haemon replies by repeating the praise of her which he has heard in the city (Ar. Rhet. 3. 17, ἕτερον χρὴ λέγοντα ποιεῖν.. ὡς Σοφοκλῆς τὸν Αἴμονα ὑπὲρ τῆς Ἀντιγόνης πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ὡς λεγόντων ἑτέρων), and begs his father not to be deaf to all opinions but his own. Creon is impatient at this, and, after an altercation, in which both speakers become exasperated, Creon orders Antigone to be brought for immediate execution, and Haemon breaks away in sullen anger. This episode interposes a necessary pause between the condemnation of Antigone and its results, i. e, between the two chief crises of the action, and assists the main impression by bringing the light of natural affection and common opinion to bear on the situation.

635-636. mvp-comment-376-1 σύ μοι γνώμας ἔχων | χρηστὰς ἀπορθοῖς Sc. ἐμέ. You, having good advice for me, direct me. μοι is in construction with the nearer word.

637. mvp-comment-377-1 No marriage can, if I think rightly, be a more valued prize to me. ἀξίως ἔσται has been changed to ἀξιώσεται. But ἀξιοῦσθαι μείζων φέρεσθαι, To be deemed of more importance to obtain, is an awkward and unauthorized expression and, for the position and emphatic use of the adverb, which is the only difficulty, see Essay on Language § 24. pp. 37, 38, and cp. the adverbial use of ἄξιος in El. 1260 ff., τίς .. ἀξίαν μεταβάλοιτ᾽ ἂν .. σιγὰν λόγων ;

638. mvp-comment-378-1 For μείζων, = τιμιώτερος, cp. Ο. Τ. 776, ἀστῶν μέγιστος τῶν ἐκεῖ.

638. mvp-comment-378-2 φέρεσθαι is in the middle voice.

638. mvp-comment-378-3 σοῦ καλῶς ἡγουμένου Than you and your good guidance. The condition is assumed to be inseparable from the subject, as in Plat. Rep. 1. 335 A, τὸν μὲν φίλον ἀγαθὸν ὄντα εὖ ποιεῖν, τὸν δὲ ἐχθρὸν κακὸν ὄντα βλάπτειν.

639. mvp-comment-379-1 οὕτω .. διὰ στέρνων ἔχειν Το be thoroughly imbued with this.

640. mvp-comment-380-1 'In all things to follow your father's judgment.' The image is that of taking up a position behind a leader: i. e. Not to break rank, but to follow in good order. Cp. Plat. Protag. 315 B, (the disciples of Protagoras) εὖ πως καὶ ἐν κόσμῳ . . ἀεὶ εἰς τὸ ὄπισθεν καθίσταντο κάλλιστα.

643. mvp-comment-381-1 τὸν ἐχθρόν 'Their father's enemy.'

646. mvp-comment-382-1 τί .. ἄλλο is governed by the general verbal notion, without distinctly anticipating φῦσαι.

648. mvp-comment-383-1 τὰς φρένας γ᾽ ὑφ᾽ ἡδονῆς The reading of Vat. is retained, not as clearly right, but as more probable than later corrections. γε may be supposed to give a strong emphasis to φρένας. Do not lose your wits, whatever you do. And this is rather confirmed by the way in which Haemon echoes the word in l. 683.

650-651. mvp-comment-384-1 ψυχρὸν παραγκάλισμα . . ἐν δόμοις 'Small comfort comes of such a union, of having a bad wife to share one's couch at home.'

653. mvp-comment-385-1 πτύσας Rejecting with abhorrence. Here and in l. 1232, πτύειν seems to imply a gesture of dislike or loathing, directed towards a person or thing. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 1192, ἐν μέρει δ' ἀπέπτυσαν | εὐνὰς ἀδελφοῦ.

653. mvp-comment-385-2 ὡσεί τε Αn Epic or Ionic form. See Introd. p. 456.

654. mvp-comment-386-1 The construction is rather μέθες τήνδε τινὶ νυμφεύειν, Leave her for some one to wed, than μέθες τήνδε νυμφεύειν τινί, Leave her to wed some one.

657. mvp-comment-387-1 ψευδή .. πόλει I certainly will not break my word to the state.

658. mvp-comment-388-1 ἀλλὰ κτενῶ The abruptness of the pause helps the incisiveness of Creon's language.

659-660. mvp-comment-389-1 εἰ γὰρ .. γένους For if I fail to bring up orderly those born akin to me, most surely I shall fail with those remote. Creon turns Antigone's nearness of kindred to him into a reason for severity. If he cannot control his kinswoman, how much less can he control the state! Authority begins at home.

659. mvp-comment-390-1 For ἐγγενή φύσει, see Essay on Language § 40. p. 69, and p. 82, B.

661. mvp-comment-391-1 τοῖς .. οἰκείοισιν Neuter. Creon characteristically relies on commonplace maxims.

663. mvp-comment-392-1 The transgressor who either violates the laws. The alternative is thought of after the sentence is begun. νόμους is in two constructions, (1) with ὑπερβάς, (2) with βιάζεται.

664. mvp-comment-393-1 τοὐπιτάσσειν Cp. supr. 485, and note.

664. mvp-comment-393-2 τοῖς κρατύνουσιν νοεῖ The reading of L here is rather more uncommon than the alternative reading, which may notwithstanding be right.

666. mvp-comment-394-1 For the optative, in a perfectly general supposition, see Essay on Language §36. p. 61.

666. mvp-comment-394-2 κλύειν Το obey.

667. mvp-comment-395-1 τἀναντία τὰ μεγαλὰ καὶ ἄδικα.

668-671. mvp-comment-396-1 And of this man (the man who obeys the ruler) I would have no fear but that he would rule nobly, and be a good and willing subject, and if posted near me in the storm of battle, would stand firmly as a staunch and trusty comrade. For the vague reference of the pronoun, see Essay on Language § 22. p. 34. And for δορός .. χειμῶνι, ib.

673. mvp-comment-397-1 αὕτη .. τίθησιν The anacoluthon (for which see Essay on Language p. 65) has been avoided in two ways, (1) by omission of τε, (2) by reading ἠδ' for ἥδ'. This Homericism is defended by comparing ὥσει τε in l. 653. There is slight MS. authority for both these changes (see v. rr.). But strong reasons are required for the introduction of a particle not used elsewhere by Sophocles, and after the regularly balanced τε.. ἠδέ, the asyndeton in the next line would be too abrupt. If any change were necessary, the omission of τ' would be preferable, but the lines are more expressive as they are.

674. mvp-comment-398-1 σὺν μάχῃ δορός Bothe conjectured συμμάχου δορός, The rout of the leagued war. But the reading of the MS. has a more vivid meaning. This, aiding the conflict of the spear, breaks down (the vanquished) into shapeless rout: i. e. Disorder helps with battle to make utter rout. For μάχῃ δορός, see Essay on Language p. 75, and for the accusative τροπάς, ib. § 17. p. 25, etc.

675. mvp-comment-399-1 τῶν δ᾽ ὀρθουμένων Of those who are not routed, but are successful. Opposed to οἱ ἡσσώμενοι implied in τροπάς. Cp. El. 742, ὠρθοῦθ' ὁ τλήμων ὀρθὸς ἐξ ὀρθῶν δίφρων.

677. mvp-comment-400-1 οὕτως.. κοσμουμένοις 'Thus one ought to support one's own decrees.' Thus, viz. as I am doing. For this use of the passive participle, see Essay on Language § 17. p. 25, с. Some would explain the words as masculine, One must defend the cause of the orderly subject. Cp. Thuc. 8. 24, ἐκοσμοῦντο ἐχυρώτερον. But such an immediate application of the γνώμη is less in character than the arbitrary assertion of authority. Cp. Hdt. 1. 100, τὰ δὲ δὴ ἄλλα ἐκεκοσμέατό οἱ.

Sophocles Antigone 138

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KREON

Du bist verhafst mir, du sowie dein Ehebett.
560

Haemon

Thtit thou shouldst listen to him ; so to thee

CREONTE

El Orco se encargará de romper esos lazos.

CHOR

Mein König, billig ist es, wenn er an der Zeit spricht,

Zu lernen, aber du von dem auch. Denn

Mit zweien Stimmen wurde recht gesprochen.

Chorus
872

To act with piety denotes a soul

Chorus

That is your will, Creon, towards this city’s enemy and its friend. And the power is yours, I believe, to make use of every law whatsoever, both concerning the dead and all us who live.

Creon

See, then, that you be guardians of my commands.
215

Chorus

Lay the weight of this task on some younger man.

Creon

That is not what I meant—the guards for the corpse are already in place.

Chorus

Then what is this other command that you would give?

Creon

That you not give way to the breakers of my commands.

Chorus

There is no one so foolish as to crave death.
220

Creon

I assure you, that is the wage for disobedience. Yet by just the hope of it, money has many times corrupted men.

Creon

And what is it that so disheartens you?

Guard

I want to tell you first about myself—I did not do the deed, nor did I see the doer,

so it would be wrong that I should come to any harm.
240

Creon

Like a bowman you aim well at your target from a distance, and all around you hedge yourself off well from the deed. It is clear that you have some unheard-of thing to tell.

Guard

That I do, for terrible news imposes great hesitation.

Creon

Then tell it, will you, and so unburdened go away?

Guard

Well, here it is. The corpse—some one has just given it burial and disappeared after sprinkling thirsty dust on the flesh and performing the other rites that piety demands.
245

Creon

What are you saying? What man dared do this?

Chorus

My king, my thoughts have long been deliberating whether this deed is somehow the work of gods?

Guard

Will you allow me to speak? Or shall I just turn and go?
315

Creon

Do you not know even now how much your voice sickens me?

Guard

Is the pain in your ears, or in your soul?

Creon

And why would you define the seat of my pain?

Guard

He who did it hurts your heart, but I, your ears.

Creon

God! How plain it is that you are a born babbler.
320

Guard

Perhaps, but never the author of this action.

Creon

Yes, and what is more, you sold your life for silver.

Guard

Ah! It is truly sad when the judge judges wrong .

Creon

Expound on judgment as you will. But, if you fail to

show me the perpetrators of these crimes, you will avow that money basely earned wreaks sorrows. Exit Creon.
325

Guard

Well, may the man be found! That would be best. But, whether he be caught or not—for fortune must decide that—I assure you that you will not see me come here again.

Saved just now beyond hope and belief, I owe the gods great thanks. Exit the Guard.
330

Commentary

Stable identifiers

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Current edition Experimental

KREON Du bist verhafst mir, du sowie dein Ehebett. 560

Haemon Thtit thou shouldst listen to him ; so to thee

CREONTE El Orco se encargará de romper esos lazos.

CHOR Mein König, billig ist es, wenn er an der Zeit spricht, Zu lernen, aber du von dem auch. Denn Mit zweien Stimmen wurde recht gesprochen.

Chorus 872 To act with piety denotes a soul

Chorus That is your will, Creon, towards this city’s enemy and its friend. And the power is yours, I believe, to make use of every law whatsoever, both concerning the dead and all us who live.

Creon See, then, that you be guardians of my commands. 215

Chorus Lay the weight of this task on some younger man.

Creon That is not what I meant—the guards for the corpse are already in place.

Chorus Then what is this other command that you would give?

Creon That you not give way to the breakers of my commands.

Chorus There is no one so foolish as to crave death. 220

Creon I assure you, that is the wage for disobedience. Yet by just the hope of it, money has many times corrupted men.

Creon And what is it that so disheartens you?

Guard I want to tell you first about myself—I did not do the deed, nor did I see the doer, so it would be wrong that I should come to any harm. 240

Creon Like a bowman you aim well at your target from a distance, and all around you hedge yourself off well from the deed. It is clear that you have some unheard-of thing to tell.

Guard That I do, for terrible news imposes great hesitation.

Creon Then tell it, will you, and so unburdened go away?

Guard Well, here it is. The corpse—some one has just given it burial and disappeared after sprinkling thirsty dust on the flesh and performing the other rites that piety demands. 245

Creon What are you saying? What man dared do this?

Chorus My king, my thoughts have long been deliberating whether this deed is somehow the work of gods?

Guard Will you allow me to speak? Or shall I just turn and go? 315

Creon Do you not know even now how much your voice sickens me?

Guard Is the pain in your ears, or in your soul?

Creon And why would you define the seat of my pain?

Guard He who did it hurts your heart, but I, your ears.

Creon God! How plain it is that you are a born babbler. 320

Guard Perhaps, but never the author of this action.

Creon Yes, and what is more, you sold your life for silver.

Guard Ah! It is truly sad when the judge judges wrong .

Creon Expound on judgment as you will. But, if you fail to show me the perpetrators of these crimes, you will avow that money basely earned wreaks sorrows. Exit Creon. 325

Guard Well, may the man be found! That would be best. But, whether he be caught or not—for fortune must decide that—I assure you that you will not see me come here again. Saved just now beyond hope and belief, I owe the gods great thanks. Exit the Guard. 330

Commentary

Stable identifiers

KREON

Du bist verhafst mir, du sowie dein Ehebett.
560

Haemon

Thtit thou shouldst listen to him ; so to thee

CREONTE

El Orco se encargará de romper esos lazos.

CHOR

Mein König, billig ist es, wenn er an der Zeit spricht,

Zu lernen, aber du von dem auch. Denn

Mit zweien Stimmen wurde recht gesprochen.

Chorus
872

To act with piety denotes a soul

Chorus

That is your will, Creon, towards this city’s enemy and its friend. And the power is yours, I believe, to make use of every law whatsoever, both concerning the dead and all us who live.

Creon

See, then, that you be guardians of my commands.
215

Chorus

Lay the weight of this task on some younger man.

Creon

That is not what I meant—the guards for the corpse are already in place.

Chorus

Then what is this other command that you would give?

Creon

That you not give way to the breakers of my commands.

Chorus

There is no one so foolish as to crave death.
220

Creon

I assure you, that is the wage for disobedience. Yet by just the hope of it, money has many times corrupted men.

Creon

And what is it that so disheartens you?

Guard

I want to tell you first about myself—I did not do the deed, nor did I see the doer,

so it would be wrong that I should come to any harm.
240

Creon

Like a bowman you aim well at your target from a distance, and all around you hedge yourself off well from the deed. It is clear that you have some unheard-of thing to tell.

Guard

That I do, for terrible news imposes great hesitation.

Creon

Then tell it, will you, and so unburdened go away?

Guard

Well, here it is. The corpse—some one has just given it burial and disappeared after sprinkling thirsty dust on the flesh and performing the other rites that piety demands.
245

Creon

What are you saying? What man dared do this?

Chorus

My king, my thoughts have long been deliberating whether this deed is somehow the work of gods?

Guard

Will you allow me to speak? Or shall I just turn and go?
315

Creon

Do you not know even now how much your voice sickens me?

Guard

Is the pain in your ears, or in your soul?

Creon

And why would you define the seat of my pain?

Guard

He who did it hurts your heart, but I, your ears.

Creon

God! How plain it is that you are a born babbler.
320

Guard

Perhaps, but never the author of this action.

Creon

Yes, and what is more, you sold your life for silver.

Guard

Ah! It is truly sad when the judge judges wrong .

Creon

Expound on judgment as you will. But, if you fail to

show me the perpetrators of these crimes, you will avow that money basely earned wreaks sorrows. Exit Creon.
325

Guard

Well, may the man be found! That would be best. But, whether he be caught or not—for fortune must decide that—I assure you that you will not see me come here again.

Saved just now beyond hope and belief, I owe the gods great thanks. Exit the Guard.
330