Sophocles Ajax 1

mvp-comment-1-1 Prologue. Athena confirms the surmise of Odysseus as to the guilt of Ajax; shows her favourite his afflicted foe; and points the moral.

mvp-comment-1-2 ἀεὶ μέν ¹ καὶ νῦν ²

mvp-comment-1-3 Λαρτίου ³

mvp-comment-2-1 πεῖράν τιν’ ἐχθρῶν ἁρπάσαι ⁴ ἐχθρῶν ⁵ ἁρπάσαι ⁶ θηρώ‐ ⁷ μενον ⁸

mvp-comment-2-2 Athena's words are illustrated by the action of Odysseus against Palamedes (Xen. Mem. 4. 2. 33),—by his capture of Helenus ( Ph. 606),—his designs on Philoctetes,—his theft of the Palladium ( Ov. Met. 13. 99 ),—and his nocturnal expedition with Diomedes ( Il. 10).

mvp-comment-3-1 σκηναῖς … ναυτικαῖς ⁹

mvp-comment-3-2 The Homeric

was a wooden hut ( Il. 24. 448 ff.). By , an Athenian in the poet's day would usually understand a tent of skins, such as was commonly used by soldiers (Xen. An. 1. 5. 10).

mvp-comment-4-1 τάξιν ἐσχάτην ¹⁰

mvp-comment-5-1 κυνηγετοῦντα ¹¹

mvp-comment-5-2 μετρούμενον ¹²

mvp-comment-6-1 νεοχάρακτα ¹³

mvp-comment-7-1 εἴτ’ ἔνδον εἴτ’ οὐκ ἔνδον ¹⁴

mvp-comment-7-2 ἐκφέρει ¹⁵

mvp-comment-8-1 κυνὸς Λακαίνης ¹⁶

mvp-comment-8-2 The use of the feminine gender by Sophocles here may be illustrated by Aristotle's remark,—

,— i.e., ‘of a finer intelligence’ ( ib. p. 608 a 27).—Cp. Shakesp. Midsummer-Night's Dream 4. 1. 124 , where Theseus says,

mvp-comment-8-3 εὔρινος ¹⁷

mvp-comment-9-1 τυγχάνει ¹⁸

mvp-comment-10-1 στάζων ἱδρῶτι ¹⁹

mvp-comment-11-1 παπταίνειν ²⁰ εἴσω ²¹

mvp-comment-12-1 ἔργον ²²

mvp-comment-12-2 ἐννέπειν δ’ ²³

mvp-comment-12-3 ὅτου χάριν ²⁴

mvp-comment-13-1 σπουδὴν ἔθου τήνδ’ ²⁵

mvp-comment-14-1 ὦ φθέγμ’ Ἀθάνας ²⁶

mvp-comment-14-2 φιλτάτης ἐμοὶ θεῶν ²⁷

mvp-comment-15-1 κἂν ἄποπτος ᾖς ὅμως ²⁸

mvp-comment-15-2 When Ajax comes forth, he, indeed, appears to see her (v. 91,

); while to Tecmessa she is invisible (301). But this, again, would not be inconsistent with Greek belief. In Il. 22. 277 Athena restores the spear to Achilles, yet is unseen by Hector. In Il. 1. 198 she appears to Achilles, but the others see her not.

mvp-comment-15-3 For

as=‘ out of sight,’ cp. El. 1488 (of Aegisthus) : Dionys. Hal. 2. 54 (‘in a place out of sight’). It may be added that we might suppose Athena to be invisible to Odysseus now, without necessarily excluding the idea that she becomes visible to him at a later moment in the dialogue. Thus in Eur. Hipp. 1391 the presence of Artemis is known to Hippolytus only by a divine fragrance, though to the spectators she is doubtless visible; but a little later he beholds her (1440).—See Appendix.

mvp-comment-16-1 ξυναρπάζω φρενί ²⁹

mvp-comment-17-1 κώδωνος … Τυρσηνικῆς ³⁰

mvp-comment-17-2 As to the gender of

, De Sens. 6 p. 446 b 22 has (bell). In Ar. Pax 1078 the words are said to mean a kind of hound. But (bell) is masc. with Thuc. , Strabo, Plutarch, Diodorus and Lucian.

mvp-comment-18-1 ἐπέγνως ³¹ εὖ ³²

mvp-comment-19-1 βάσιν κυκλοῦντ’ ³³

mvp-comment-19-2 τῷ σακεσφόρῳ ³⁴

mvp-comment-20-1 ἄσκοπον ³⁵

mvp-comment-20-2 ἔχει περάνας ³⁶

mvp-comment-20-3 εἴργασται ³⁷

mvp-comment-21-1 τρανές ³⁸

mvp-comment-21-2 ἀλώμεθα ³⁹

mvp-comment-22-1 )θελοντής ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-22-2 ὑπεζύγην ⁴¹

mvp-comment-23-1 κατηναρισμένας ⁴²

mvp-comment-23-2 ἐκ χειρὸς ⁴³

mvp-comment-23-3 αὐτοῖς ποιμνίων ἐπιστάταις ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-23-4 ἐπιστάταις ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-24-1 πᾶς τις ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-24-2 νέμει ⁴⁷ τρέπει ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-25-1 τις ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-25-2 ὀπτὴρ ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-26-1 πεδία ⁵¹

mvp-comment-26-2 νεορράντῳ ⁵² πηδῶντα ⁵³

mvp-comment-27-1 φράζει τε κἀδήλωσεν ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-28-1 κατ’ ἴχνος ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-28-2 σημαίνομαι ⁵⁶

mvp-comment-29-1 τὰ δ’ ἐκπέπληγμαι ⁵⁷

mvp-comment-29-2 ὅτου ⁵⁸ ὅπου ⁵⁹

mvp-comment-30-1 καιρὸν ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-30-2 τά τ’ οὖν ⁶¹

1-3. mvp-comment-1-1

2. mvp-comment-2-1 (1) 'In quest to snatch some exploit on a foe,' i.e. seeking to effect some surprise against a foe. Or, (2) 'Seeking to foil (or detect) some enemy's attempt.' The latter (2) is simpler, and πεῖρα is used of the attempt of Ajax, infr. 290, 1057; but the former (1) is on the whole more probable. For Athena does not profess to know the circumstances until l. 36. She asks for information, and only assumes, what is evident, that Odysseus is engaged in some hostile adventure. This aspect of his character appears in the tenth Iliad. Cp. infr. 18, ἐπέγνως εὖ μ᾿ ἐπ᾿ ἀνδρὶ δυσμενεῖ | βάσιν κυκλοῦντ᾽. ἁρπάσαι is to seize, i. e. 'to effect suddenly.' θηρώμενον introduces the image of the huntsman continued in l. 5, and combined with that of the hound in ll. 7, 8. ἁρπάσαι θηρώμενον is substituted for πειρώμενον, so as to convey the notion of surprise. ἁρπάσαι is an epexegetic infinitive, after which the accusative πεῖραν is to be resumed. The meaning of ἁρπάσαι in (2) supr. viz. 'to arrest' is less natural than that given in (1).

3. mvp-comment-3-1 σκηναῖς] The κλισίαι of the Homeric hero. Cp. infr. 192-3.

4. mvp-comment-4-1 ἔνθα. ἔχει] Il. 11. 7, 8; Eur. I. A. 292. This position of Ajax' tent enables him the more easily to steal forth unobserved at last, infr. 690 ff.

5. mvp-comment-5-1 κυνηγετοῦντα, which has no object, resumes θηρώμενον. μετρούμενον] 'Scanning attentively.' The middle voice marks the mental nature of the act; not measuring with a line, but scanning with the eye.

6. mvp-comment-6-1 νεοχάραχθ'] Ajax has but recently returned, dragging the cattle with him, infr. 296. Odysseus has tracked him so far, but the confused struggle at the tent-door has made it uncertain whether he is not gone forth again.

7-8. mvp-comment-7-1 εὖ δέ σ᾽ ἐκφέρει, κ.τ.λ.] Odysseus is like a huntsman who is led to the right point by the scent of a keen Spartan hound. The dog is introduced to complete the image. Cp. infr. 19, 32. Is εὔρινος (1) nom. or (2) gen.? εὔρις occurs in Aesch. Ag. 1093, and the authorities for εὔρινος are late. But the sentence is more balanced if the epithet is taken by hypallage with βάσις, and the abstract noun is somewhat abrupt by itself. Cp. the forms εὔτριχος, εὔθριξ· εὔζυγος, εὔζυξ.

10. mvp-comment-8-1 With χέρας supply not merely ἱδρῶτι, but some word such as φόνῳ or αἵματι, to be gathered from ξιφοκτόνους.

11. mvp-comment-9-1 εἴσω.. παπταίνειν] 'To strain thine eyes to look within.' παπταίνειν is to gaze anxiously or wistfully. οὐδὲν ἔργον with the inf. recurs infr. 852.

13. mvp-comment-10-1 σπουδὴν ἔθου τήνδ'] 'You are thus busily engaged.' Cp. O. T. 134, τήνδ᾽ ἔθεσθ᾽ ἐπιστροφήν.

14-15. mvp-comment-11-1 Odysseus has but a dim and distant vision of the goddess, though her voice is clearly heard by him. She is his special patron. Phil. 134, Νίκη τ' ᾿Αθάνα πολιάς, ἢ σώζει μ' ἀεί. He reflects how intimately familiar to him is the voice, which from such a distance thrills him as with a trumpet call.

15. mvp-comment-12-1 ὡς εὐμαθές σου, κ.τ.λ.] 'How clearly discernible is thy sound unto my ear.' Shak. Mids. N. D. 3. 2, 'Mine ear, I thank it, brought me to thy sound.' For the transition from the voice to the person, cp. O. C. 324, 5, ὦ δισσὰ πατρὸς καὶ κασιγνήτης ἐμοὶ | ἥδιστα προσφωνήμαθ', ὡς ὑμᾶς, κ.τ.λ.

16. mvp-comment-13-1 The present tense in ἀκούω.. ξυναρπάζω is general, not 'now,' but 'always,' hence the contingent supposition κἂν ..ᾖς, and the words καὶ νῦν in l. 18.

18. mvp-comment-14-1 ἐπέγνως εὖ μ'] 'You rightly apprehend that I-.' For ἐπέγνων in the sense of detecting or discovering, cp. Aesch. Ag. 1598 ἔργον οὐ καταίσιον: Thuc. 1. 132, § 5, ἵνα, ἦν ἐπιγνοὺς .. μεταγράψαι αἰτήσῃ, μὴ ἐπιγνῷ. ἐπί] 'With a design upon.' Cp. Eur. Hipp. 32, Ἱππολύτῳ δ᾽ ἔπι | .. ὠνόμαζεν ἱδρῦσθαι θεάν.

19. mvp-comment-15-1 βάσιν κυκλοῦντ'] 'Ranging to and fro,' like a questing hound. Cp. infr. 20, ἰχνεύω. In Ant. 226, κυκλῶν ἐμαυτόν is 'often turning round.'

21. mvp-comment-16-1 πρᾶγος ἄσκοπον] 'An amazing deed:' i.e. not only mysterious, but of inconceivable enormity. See E. on L. § 51. p. 96, and cp. El. 864, ἄσκοπος ὁ λώβα.

23. mvp-comment-17-1 ἀλώμεθα] 'We are bewildered.' Cp. the use of πλανᾶσθαι in Plato, Soph. 230 Β, ἅτε πλανωμένων τὰς δόξας ῥᾳδίως ἐξετάζουσιν: Hdt. 6. 37, πλανωμένων.. ἐν τοῖσι λόγοισι, τὸ θέλει τὸ ἔπος εἶναι.

25. mvp-comment-18-1 εὑρίσκομεν] A vivid present, like φράζει, infr. 31.

27. mvp-comment-19-1 ἐκ χειρός] 'By hand of man,'— not by wild beasts, or lightning, or other visitation of heaven. αὐτοῖς ποιμνίων ἐπιστάταις] 'Together with the guardians of the flock.' The death of the shepherds is again referred to, infr. 232. 360, and was a necessary incident of the slaughter. Cp. Il. 18. 529, of the ambush attacking the herd, κτεῖνον δ᾽ ἐπὶ μηλοβοτῆρας. And for the expression, cp. Plat. Legg. 10. 906 A, ἢ γεωργοῖς περὶ φυτῶν γένεσιν .. ἢ καὶ ποιμνίων ἐπιστάταις. Some have wrongly explained the words of the shepherd dogs, which are mentioned by Tecmessa, infr. 297, but are not likely to occur to Odysseus. The well-known idiom, αὐτοῖς ἀνδράσι, etc., seems to arise out of the dative of concomitant circumstances. See E. on L. § 11. p. 18c, and cp. O. T. 25, φθίνουσα .. κάλυξιν.

28. mvp-comment-20-1 τήνδ᾽.. αἰτίαν] 'This blame,' i.e. the blame of this deed. νέμει has weaker MS. authority than τρέπει, which is, however, too physical a word in this connection, even though the dative ἐκείνῳ for εἰς ἐκεῖνον οἱ ἐπ᾿ ἐκείνῳ ( cp. infr. 772), might be defended. νέμειν is a favourite word with Sophocles. τρέπει is due to a gloss. See Scholia.

29. mvp-comment-21-1 τις ὀπτήρ] 'A scout,' viz. one of the look-out men of the host, who naturally brings his information to Odysseus as the centre of intelligence. Cp. infr. 379, Phil. 1013.

30. mvp-comment-22-1 πηδῶντα πεδία] 'Bounding along the plain.' Accus. of the sphere of motion. E. on L. § 16. p. 23 c.

31. mvp-comment-23-1 φράζει τε κἀδήλωσεν] 'Gives intimation' (of the fact) 'and pointed out' (the direction).

32. mvp-comment-24-1 κατ᾽ ἴχνος ἄσσω] 'Dart upon the track' (thus shown). καὶ τὰ μὲν σημαίνομαι] 'And some indication I find.' The word is used of dogs in hunting; Opp. Cyn. 1. 454, μυξωτῆρσι.. σημήναντο.

33. mvp-comment-25-1 κοὐκ ἔχω μαθεῖν ὅπου] 'And cannot tell where he is,' i.e. (1) εἴτ᾿ ἔνδον εἴτ᾿ οὐκ ἔνδον (l. 7, supr.), 'whether he is in the tent or no.' Or (2) more generally (sc. ὁ αἴτιος), 'where is the object of my search?' i.e. whether in following Ajax I am really on the right track. Odysseus is describing his per-

33. mvp-comment-25-2 plexity before the coming of Athena, and in these words simply confesses that he is at fault. He is speaking of his own past impressions, and here and supr. 1. 23 does not at once realize what he has been told by Athena in ll. 7-10. As in O. T. 359, Trach. 184, the imperfect or gradual recognition of what has been said adds to the dramatic effect. Another reading is κοὐκ ἔχω μαθεῖν ὅτου, in which ὅτου, sc. τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι, also gives a fair sense, but is not, like οὐκ ἔχω μαθεῖν ὅπου, an idiom of Greek tragedy. Others supply τὰ ἴχνη at once with ὅτου and with τὰ μὲν .. τὰ δέ. But the reference of the articles in this context can hardly be so precise as to be equivalent to τὰ μὲν τῶν ἰχνῶν, κ.τ.λ., nor would ἐκπέπληγμαι be used in such a connection. The Scholia show that ὅπου was read, and that its interpretation was thought doubtful.

34. mvp-comment-26-1 καιρὸν = ἐς καιρόν] Cp. infr. 1316, 1168; or possibly an adverbial accusative, cp. Pind. Pyth. 1. 156, καιρὸν εἰ φθέγξαιο. Sο καιρῷ = ἐν καιρῷ, O. T. 1516.

34-35. mvp-comment-27-1 τὰ τ᾿ οὖν πάρος, κ.τ.λ.] 'My whole course whether past or to come is guided by thy will.' οὖν, as in in εἴτ᾽ οὖν, emphasizes the comprehensiveness of the expression. κυβερνῶμαι is passive, and πάντα adv. accus. Or (2) κυβερνῶμαι may be middle, 'I guide (i.e. suffer to be guided) all my actions by thy hand.' In this way of taking the words the force of the middle voice of κυβερνῶμαι is unusual, but that of the instrumental dative is more regular.