Sophocles Ajax 139

mvp-comment-435-1 πάρει ¹ πέρι ²

mvp-comment-436-1 τοσοῦτον ³ οἶδα ⁴ παρὼν ⁵ καὶ παρὼν ἐτύγχανον ⁶

mvp-comment-437-1 συνέδρου καὶ τυρ. κύκλου ⁷

mvp-comment-437-2 750 Calchas is present at this council, as he is at that in the first book of the Iliad ( Il. 1. 69 ). He knew by inspiration that, if Ajax could be kept in his tent for that one day, all would be well. Leaving the circle of the chiefs, he went to Teucer, who was awaiting the result in the neighbourhood. They sat down apart ( cp. 780 ). The messenger was near them, and heard what Calchas said to Teucer.

mvp-comment-437-3 οἶος Ἀτρειδῶν δίχα ⁸

mvp-comment-438-1 φιλοφρόνως ⁹

mvp-comment-439-1 παντοίᾳ τέχνῃ ¹⁰

mvp-comment-440-1 εἶρξαι ¹¹

mvp-comment-440-2 ἦμαρ τοὐμφανὲς τὸ νῦν τόδε ¹²

mvp-comment-441-1 ὑπὸ σκηναῖσι ¹³

mvp-comment-441-2 μηδ’ ἀφέντ’ ἐᾶν ¹⁴

mvp-comment-442-1 ἐκεῖνον ¹⁵ Αἴαντα ¹⁶

mvp-comment-442-2 ποτέ ¹⁷

mvp-comment-443-1 ἐλᾷ ¹⁸

mvp-comment-443-2 τῇδε θἡμέρᾳ ¹⁹

mvp-comment-444-1 ὡς ἔφη λέγων ²⁰

mvp-comment-445-1 τὰ γὰρ περισσὰ ²¹ περισσὰ κανόνητα ς<*>ματα ²²

mvp-comment-445-2 It is not without reason, then, that the reading κἀνόνητα ²³ κἀνόητα ²⁴ σώματα ²⁵

mvp-comment-446-1 ὅστις ²⁶

mvp-comment-446-2 φύσιν βλαστὼν ²⁷

mvp-comment-446-3 φρονῇ ²⁸

mvp-comment-447-1 κεῖνος δ’ ²⁹

mvp-comment-447-2 καλῶς λέγοντος ³⁰

mvp-comment-448-1 αὐτὸν ἐννέπει ³¹

mvp-comment-449-1 σὺν θεῷ ³²

mvp-comment-450-1 ὁ μηδὲν ὢν ³³

mvp-comment-451-1 καὶ δίχα κείνων ³⁴

mvp-comment-452-1 ἐπισπάσειν κλέος ³⁵

mvp-comment-453-1 δίας Ἀθάνας ³⁶

mvp-comment-453-2 Other explanations are the following. (1) The poet meant to add something to the effect of

, but changed the form of the sentence. (2) stands for a gen. absol., . (3) The gen. depends on in 773, ‘a saying about her,’ like ( Ant. 11 ).

mvp-comment-453-3 The most attractive remedy is Mehlhorn's, δίαν Ἀθάναν ³⁷

mvp-comment-453-4 If, on the other hand, δίας Ἀθάνας ³⁸ δεύτερον ³⁹

mvp-comment-454-1 τοῖς ἄλλοισιν Ἀργείων ⁴⁰ πέλας ⁴¹

mvp-comment-454-2 καθ’ ἡμᾶς ⁴²

mvp-comment-454-3 οὔποτ’ ἐκρήξει μάχη ⁴³

mvp-comment-455-1 τοιοῖσδέ τοι ⁴⁴ τοῖς ⁴⁵ τοι ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-455-2 ἀστεργῆ ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-455-3 ἐκτήσατ’ ὀργήν ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-455-4 οὐ κατ’ ἄνθρωπον φρονῶν ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-456-1 ἔστι ⁵⁰ αὐτοῦ … σωτήριοι ⁵¹

mvp-comment-456-2 σὺν θεῷ ⁵²

mvp-comment-457-1 ὁ δ’ … Τεῦκρος ⁵³

mvp-comment-457-2 εὐθὺς ἐξ ἕδρας ⁵⁴ εὐθὺς ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-457-3 Teucer sends a messenger, instead of going himself, probably because he hopes that his mediation with the chiefs may do some good. What he dreads is simply that Ajax should leave the tent; and a message could prevent that. He has no cause to suspect that Ajax meditates suicide.

mvp-comment-458-1 ἐπιστολὰς ⁵⁶

mvp-comment-458-2 φυλάσσειν ⁵⁷

mvp-comment-458-3 ἀπεστερήμεθα ⁵⁸ ἀφυστερήμεθα ⁵⁹ εἰ δ’ ἄρ’ ὑστερήσαμεν ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-459-1 δαΐα ⁶¹

mvp-comment-459-2 γένος ⁶²

mvp-comment-459-3 θροεῖ ⁶³

mvp-comment-460-1 ξυρεῖ … ἐν χρῷ ⁶⁴ ἐν χρῷ ⁶⁵ χρῷ ⁶⁶

mvp-comment-460-2 μὴ χαίρειν τινά ⁶⁷

mvp-comment-460-3 787 f. Tecmessa, who, at the desire of Ajax (684), had withdrawn into the tent (692), now re-enters, with Eurysaces ( cp. 809 ).

mvp-comment-460-4 ἀτρύτων ⁶⁸

mvp-comment-461-1 πρᾶξιν ⁶⁹ βάξιν ⁷⁰ φέρων … πρᾶξιν ⁷¹

mvp-comment-462-1 ἄνθρωπε ⁷² ὀλώλαμεν ⁷³

mvp-comment-463-1 Αἴαντος ⁷⁴ πέρι ⁷⁵

mvp-comment-464-1 καὶ μὴν ⁷⁶ γ’ ⁷⁷ θυραῖος ⁷⁸

mvp-comment-464-2 ὠδίνειν τί φής ⁷⁹

mvp-comment-465-1 εἴργειν ⁸⁰

mvp-comment-465-2 ἐξεφίεται ⁸¹

mvp-comment-465-3 σκηνῆς ὕπαυλον ⁸²

mvp-comment-466-1 κἀπὶ τῷ ⁸³

mvp-comment-467-1 τήνδε δ’ ἔξοδον … φέρειν ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-467-2 Nor can we render: ‘He (Teucer) forebodes that this going-forth, which he announces, will be fatal to Ajax.’

could be said only of the messenger— not of the man who sends him. Paley's conjecture, , meets the point as to , but the change to the first person is too harsh. Bothe's ἐλπίζειν φέρει ⁸⁵ ἐλπίζει κυρεῖν ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-467-3 Could ὀλεθρίαν Αἴαντος ⁸⁷ Αἴαντος εἰς ὄλεθρον ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-468-1 τοῦ Θεστορείου μάντεως ⁸⁹

mvp-comment-468-2 ὅτ’ αὐτῷ … φέρει ⁹⁰ ὅτ’ ⁹¹ ὅτ’ ⁹² ὃς ⁹³

mvp-comment-468-3 If φέρει ⁹⁴ φέρει … θάνατον ἢ βίον ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-468-4 It is possible that

came, under the influence of in 799, from (the subject being Calchas): but we should not be warranted in altering the text. Wecklein and Blaydes, reading θροεῖ ⁹⁶

mvp-comment-469-1 οἲ )γώ ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-469-2 πρόστητ’ ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-469-3 ἀναγκαίας τύχης ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-470-1 οἱ μὲν ¹⁰⁰ οἱ δὲ … οἱ δέ ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-470-2 Τεῦκρον μολεῖν ¹⁰² σπεύσατε ¹⁰³

mvp-comment-470-3 ἑσπέρους … ἀντηλίους ¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-470-4 ἀγκῶνας ¹⁰⁵ ζητεῖτ’ ¹⁰⁶ μολεῖν ¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-471-1 φωτὸς ἠπατημένη ¹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-471-2 χάριτος ¹⁰⁹ ἐκβεβλημένη ¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-472-1 τί δράσω, τέκνον ¹¹¹

mvp-comment-472-2 ὅποιπερ ἂν σθένω ¹¹²

mvp-comment-473-1 ἐγκονῶμεν ¹¹³

mvp-comment-473-2 οὐχ ἕδρας ἀκμὴ ¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-473-3 As to the diction of the verse, three points claim notice. (1) The γε ¹¹⁵ ἄνδρα ¹¹⁶ σπεύδῃ ¹¹⁷ θέλοντας ¹¹⁸ θέλοντες ¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-474-1 ἕτοιμος ¹²⁰ ἔργου ¹²¹ ποδῶν ¹²²

mvp-comment-474-2 Tecmessa now leaves the scene by the entrance on the spectator's left, leading to the open country. The Messenger, with the servants of Ajax, goes out on the spectator's right, as being bound for the Greek camp.

mvp-comment-474-3 The Chorus leave the orchestra in two

, one by the on the right, the other by that on the left. The withdrawal of the Chorus from the orchestra during the course of a play was called : their return, . The other extant examples are:—(1) Aesch. Eum.: at v. 231: at v. 299. (2) Eur. Alc.: , Eur. Alc. 746 : , Eur. Alc. 872. (3) Helen. : , 385: , 515. (4) Ar. Eccl.: , Ar. Eccl. 310 : , Ar. Eccl. 478.

mvp-comment-474-4 A change of scene is now supposed to take place, from the ground in front of the tent of Ajax to a lonely spot on the sea-shore, with trees or bushes (

, 892). We do not know how this change was managed. (1) It may have been indicated merely by removing the hangings on the back-wall which represented the of Ajax. This is MA. üller's view ( Gr. Bühnenalterthümer, p. 162). (2) Wecklein supposes that a back-wall, representing the , was drawn back on right and left, disclosing the new scene.—We cannot assume the use of in the poet's time (cp. note at the beginning of the play). Had they been in use, the on the spectator's left could have turned, so as to represent a new locality ( ). The right-hand , indicating the region in which the whole action takes place ( ), would not have been changed.

mvp-comment-474-5 The only other Greek play in which a change of scene is certain is the Eumenides, where the action begins at the temple of the Delphian Apollo, and passes at v. 235 to that of Athena Polias at Athens. This may have been marked merely by substituting a statue of Athena for one of Apollo.

mvp-comment-474-6 815 Ajax is standing at the side of the scene on the spectator's right, near the underwood which screens him when he falls—so that his body is not at first visible to the Chorus when they return to the orchestra, but could be seen by Tecmessa, when she comes on the scene from the left. The point of the sword could probably be seen by the audience. Hesychius quotes Polemon, the sophist in Hadrian's age, as saying that the

was used . It was a short stage-sword, of which the blade ran back; otherwise called (Hesych., which some refer to ), or . Cp. Achilles Tatius 3. 20 .

mvp-comment-474-7 The antithesis to ὁ μὲν σφαγεὺς ¹²³ ἐκ δὲ τῶνδε ¹²⁴

mvp-comment-474-8 σφαγεὺς ¹²⁵

mvp-comment-474-9 τομώτατος ¹²⁶

748. mvp-comment-500-1 καὶ παρὼν ἐτύγχανον] 'For I was there to hear and see.' An expansion of παρών, the coordinate for the participial construction. See Essay on L. § 36. p. 68; also § 32. p. 55.

749. mvp-comment-501-1 Calchas, who alone knows the future, is not carried away by the rage which possesses the host, but simply warns Teucer in a friendly tone that the wrath of the gods is against Ajax for this one day. This attitude of the prophet is emphasized by the pleonastic iteration, ἐκ. κύκλου μεταστὰς οἷος .. δίχα, and by the periphrasis in l. 753. συνέδρου . . κύκλου] 'The circle of the lords who sate in council,' with the ἀγορά of the Achaeans gathered round.

751-752. mvp-comment-502-1 Join δεξιὰν θείς.

752. mvp-comment-503-1 παντοίᾳ τέχνῃ] 'By all manner of means:' to be joined with εἶρξαι.

753. mvp-comment-504-1 κατ᾿ ἡμαρ.. τόδε] 'For the day whose light is with us now and here,' i. e. to-day.

754. mvp-comment-505-1 ἀφέντα agrees with Τεύκρον, the subject of ἐᾶν.

756. mvp-comment-506-1 τῇδε θήμέρᾳ is more probable, because simpler, than τῇδ' ἔθ᾽ ἡμέρᾳ.

757. mvp-comment-507-1 ὡς ἔφη λέγων] · As his words declared.' The messenger is careful to make it clear that the assertion is the prophet's, and not his own. Cp. Creon in Ο. Τ. 110, ἐν τῇδ᾽ ἔφασκε γῇ. For this periphrasis, cp. Hdt. 1. 118, τῷ τε γὰρ πεποιημένῳ, ἔφη λέγων, ἐς τὸν παῖδα τοῦτον ἔκαμνον μεγάλως, κ.τ.λ. Abicht observes that it is commonly used, as here, in passing to direct speech from indirect.

758. mvp-comment-508-1 τὰ.. περισσὰ κἀνόνητα σώματα] 'Men grown too great to be of profit.' Cp. Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, 1. 2. 149, 50, 'Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed, | That he is grown so great?' Ib. I. 1. 77, 8, 'These growing feathers plucked from Caesar's wing, | Will make him fly an ordinary pitch.'

760. mvp-comment-509-1 ὅστις] · 'When any one.' Essay on L. § 22. p. 35, 2.

760-761. mvp-comment-510-1 ἀνθρώπου φύσιν | βλαστών] 'Being but of human mould.' An unusual cognate accusative, to be partly accounted for by the frequent use of φύσιν as an accusative of respect. See Essay on L. § 17. p. 25; and cp. especially Trach. 1062, γυνὴ δέ, θήλυς οὖσα κοὐκ ἀνδρὸς φύσιν.

762. mvp-comment-511-1 εὐθύς belongs in meaning to εὑρέθη in the following line.

763. mvp-comment-512-1 πατρός may be either (1) genitive of derivation, 'A foolish son of a wisely speaking father,' for which, cp. Ant. 38, ἐσθλῶν κακή: or (2) genitive absolute, 'Foolish, although his father advised him well.' The former (1) is nearer to the truth.

764. mvp-comment-513-1 αὐτὸν ἐννέπει] 'Charged him.' Cp. Ο. Τ. 350, ἐννέπω σέ, κ.τ.λ.

765. mvp-comment-514-1 μὲν .. δ΄] The 'paratactic' structure (Essay on L. § 36. p. 68) gives additional emphasis.

769. mvp-comment-515-1 ἐπισπάσειν] 'That I shall cull perforce,' as if plucking a branch from a tree. (Aesch. Pers. 475.) Cp. Shak. 1 Hen. IV. 1.3: 'Hot. By heaven, methinks it were an easy leap | To pluck bright honour from the pale-faced moon; | Or dive into the bottom of the deep, | Where fathom-line doth never touch the ground, | And pluck up drowned honour by the locks; | So he that doth redeem her thence might wear | Without corrival all her dignities.'

770. mvp-comment-516-1 τοσόνδ' .. μύθον] 'So high the vaunt he uttered.' Cp. supr. 386, μηδὲν μέγ' εἴπῃς: 422, 3, ἔπος | ἐξερέω μέγα.

771. mvp-comment-517-1 δίας ᾿Αθάνας] 'Regarding glorious Athena.' An extreme instance of the genitive of respect. Essay on L. § 9. p. 13, infr. 790, 792. The sentence is changed from δίας Αθάνας ότρυνούσης, or αὐδωμένης.

773. mvp-comment-518-1 ηὐδᾶτ'] For αὐδᾶν, ‘to command,' cp. O. C. 864, αὐδῶ σιωπᾶν, and for the middle v. (of unasked, spontaneous utterance), Phil. 130, οὗ δῆτα, τέκνον, ποικίλως αὐδωμένου. δεινὸν ἄρρητόν τ' ἔπος] ' A fearfully impious word.'

775. mvp-comment-519-1 καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς) 'In my part of the line; κατά, as in Hdt. 2. 121. § 4, ὡς δὲ κατὰ τοὺς φυλάσσοντας ἦν: Xen. Hell. 4. 2. 18, οἱ μὲν ᾿Αθηναῖοι κατὰ Λακεδαιμονίους ἐγένοντο. Hermann renders, 'Per me, quantum in me est,' which is rather = τὸ καθ' ἡμᾶς ( cp. Hdt. 7. 158). οὔποτ' ἐκρήξει] 'Shall never burst forth,' like a river breaking its banks. 'Postquam..duo acies manum aliquandiu conseruerunt, si alterutra subito in fugam se converterit, eleganter pugna ipsa, tanquam obicibus antea coërcita, in eam partem ἐκρήσσειν [ ἐκρῆξαι] dicatur.' Musgr. Cp. the Homeric πολέμοιο γέφυραι, in which the opposing armies are thought of as the sides of a torrent.

776. mvp-comment-520-1 The correction suggested by Hermann, τοι for τοῖς, although not quite necessary (for τοιοίσδε might = τοιοίσδε πεφυκόσιν), is extremely probable.

776-777. mvp-comment-521-1 ἀστεργῆ .. ὀργήν] • He hath won him the unenviable guerdon of the goddess' wrath.' ἀστεργῆ is more forcible when taken thus passively than if supposed to mean 'unloving,' which would add nothing to the notion of ὀργὴν. For ἐκτήσατο, of something bad, cp. especially Aesch. S. c. T. 1017 (of Polynices), ἄγος δὲ καὶ θανὼν κεκτήσεται.

779. mvp-comment-522-1 The genitive αὐτοῦ shows that σωτήριοι has nearly the force of a substantive.

780. mvp-comment-523-1 On this form of the senarius, generally marking some empressement, see above on l. 294. ἐξ ἔδρας] 'From where I sate,' viz. amongst the Achaeans who were looking on at the council.

781. mvp-comment-524-1 τάσδ' ἐπιστολάς] 'This charge,' viz. that implied in supr. 753-5. Teucer remains to watch over his brother's interests in the assembly.

782. mvp-comment-525-1 Τεύκρος]) The proper name is added after the article in further explanation. φυλάσσειν] The epexegetic infinitive is occasioned by the addition of Τεύκρος. εἰ δ᾽ ἀπεστερήμεθα] 'But if we are frustrated;' i. e. if the δαίμων of Ajax has prevented us from carrying out our intention. For ἀποστερεῖν of prevention, cp. Aesch. Suppl. 1063, Ζεὺς ἀποστεροίη γάμον. This meaning is more forcible, although less obvious, than that of Badham's ingenious conjecture, εἰ δ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὑστερήκαμεν.

783. mvp-comment-526-1 The idiomatic ἁνὴρ κεῖνος avoids the association of the name Alas with the ill-omened οὐκ ἔστιν.

784. mvp-comment-527-1 'O cruelly vexed Tecmessa, born to woe!' The exact association conveyed in Sata is difficult to seize. Perhaps from meaning 'hostile,' it comes to mean 'treated as an enemy,' and so 'cruelly afflicted' by the gods.

785. mvp-comment-528-1 'Come and see what news this man is telling.' Cp. Phil. 504, χρὴ δ᾽ ἐμὲ | σκοπεῖν ὅπως σου μηδὲν ἐξαμαρτήσω.

814. mvp-comment-529-1 καὶ ποδῶν is added to define ἔργου further. Exeunt Chorus severally by the two side doors. Cp. supr. 805.