Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 1026

mvp-comment-635-1 The fitness of the phrase ναπαίαις πτυχαῖς ¹

mvp-comment-636-1 ἐπὶ θητείᾳ, ² πλάνης ³

mvp-comment-637-1 σοῦ δ’ ⁴ σοῦ γ’ ⁵ σοῦ δ’ ⁶ δὲ ⁷ δέ γε ⁸ δέ γε ⁹ γε ¹⁰

mvp-comment-638-1 τί δ’ ἄλγος ¹¹ ἐν κακοῖς ¹² ἐν καιροῖς ¹³

mvp-comment-639-1 δεινόν γε ¹⁴

mvp-comment-639-2 σπαργάνων ¹⁵ σπαργάνων ¹⁶

mvp-comment-640-1 ὥστε ¹⁷

mvp-comment-640-2 ὃς εἶ ¹⁸

mvp-comment-641-1 πρὸς μητρός, ἢ πατρός; ¹⁹

mvp-comment-642-1 βοτήρ ²⁰

mvp-comment-643-1 εἰδεῖτ’ ²¹

mvp-comment-644-1 οὖν ²² εἴτε ²³

mvp-comment-644-2 ἐπ’ ἀγρῶν ²⁴

mvp-comment-645-1 ὁ καιρὸς ²⁵ ηὑρῆσθαι ²⁶

mvp-comment-646-1 Supply ἐννέπειν (αὐτόν), not ἐννέπει. The form οἶμαι ²⁷

mvp-comment-647-1 ἂν … ἂν ²⁸

mvp-comment-648-1 νοεῖς ²⁹

1029. mvp-comment-591-1 ἐπὶ θητείᾳ πλάνης ‘And going from place to place to work for hire.' For ἐπί, see Essay on Language $ 19. p. 27. Oedipus dwells on this point as indicating the possible lowness of his origin. Ср. 1062.

1030. mvp-comment-592-1 σοῦ δ This correction, which Elmsley made from conjecture, is found in Flor. Γ. δέ may express the opposition between the insignificant station of the ποιμήν and his importance to Oedipus. The reading of L. and most MSS. σοῦ γ'.. σωτήρ γε was, however, approved by Hermann, who quotes Heindorf on Plat. Euthyd. 277 A. Cp. also O. C. 387, 977, 1278, 1409.

1031. mvp-comment-593-1 Oedipus is touched with pity for his former self. Cp. Shak. Temp. 1.2, 'Miranda. Alack, for pity ! | I, not remembering how I cried out then, | Will cry it o'er again: it is a hint, | That wrings mine eyes to 't.' The question is suggested to Oedipus by the word σωτήρ; i. e. From what pain that I was suffering in my misfortunes did you rescue me? but is introduced by the poet, as the Scholiast properly observes, in order to lead to the mention of the personal mark (compare the scar of Ulysses in the Odyssey) by which the conviction of the truth is brought home to Jocasta. In his eagerness to delve to the root the mystery of his birth, Oedipus is wholly unconscious of the effect which the successive answers have upon the mind of the queen-the horror of whose discovery is the chief interest of this part of the play, and who may be supposed to remain immoveable until her outbreak in l. 1056. The same explanation applies to l. 1037, which adds poignancy to the stroke.

1034. mvp-comment-594-1 ποδοῖν ἀκμάς Thy feet. ἀκμάς, like ἄρθρα supr., simply adds definiteness to πόδας: cp. ἄκρος.

1035. mvp-comment-595-1 ὄνειδος (τοῦτο) ἀνειλόμην Α cruel shame I got from my swaddling bands.' Cp. Pind. Nem. 7. 56, τυχεῖν δ᾽ ἕν᾿ ἀδύνατον εὐδαιμονίαν ἅπασαν ἀνελόμενον. The genitive is to be taken with the verb in the sense of derivation; only differing in being more metaphorical from the construction of El. 1139, 40, παμφλέκτου πυρὸς | ἀνειλόμην, ὡς εἰκός, ἄθλιον βάρος. Cp. supr. 1012. Eustath. 86. 16, 1097. 25 quotes καλόν γ᾽ ὄνειδος, which has been thought to be an error of memory, as these words occur in the Medea of Euripides, with whose style they are more in accordance. Eur. Med. 514.

1037. mvp-comment-596-1 Triclinius rightly says, ἀσύνετον καὶ ἀνακόλουθον πρὸς τὰ ἐπαγόμενα, τὸ νομίζειν ἐρωτᾶν τὸν Οἰδιπόδα, εἰ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἢ τῆς μητρὸς ὠνομάσθη. The words refer not to the preceding line, but to the cruel treatment of the child. Was it my mother's doing, or my father's?' See on 1031.

1042. mvp-comment-597-1 δήπου τις I am pretty sure that they called him one of Laius people.'

1044. mvp-comment-598-1 βοτήρ The word recals to the chorus and the spectators, though not to Oedipus, his saying in 836. 7, τοσοῦτόν ἐστί μοι τῆς ἐλπίδος, τὸν ἄνδρα τὸν βοτῆρα προσμεῖναι μόνον. Cp. also 1049 with 761.

1045. mvp-comment-599-1 ὥστ᾽ ἰδεῖν ἐμέ So that I may see him.

1050. mvp-comment-600-1 The very moment for full discovery is come. Essay on Language § 39. 1. a, p. 72.

1050. mvp-comment-600-2 τάδε Oedipus is now thinking only of the question of his birth, although his expression has a much wider import.

1051. mvp-comment-601-1 οὐδέν᾽ ἄλλον Sc. ἐννέπειν.

1053. mvp-comment-602-1 The chorus point to Jocasta, with what effect on her and the spectator may be imagined. But they have as yet no suspicion of the truth. merely conjecturing that Jocasta must know the history of the servant of Laius, and that he who is now over the flock (761) may have been the shepherd of former time.

1054. mvp-comment-603-1 Lady, do you remember the man whose coming we just now desired? Is he the man he speaks of? Cp. Τr. 417, τὴν αἰχμάλωτον, ἣν ἔπεμψας ἐς δόμους κάτοισθα δήπου; ib. 1191, οἶσθ᾽ οὖν τὸν Οἴτης Ζηνὸς ὕψιστον πάγον; 1219, τὴν Εὐρυτείαν οἶσθα δῆτα παρθένον; The indefinite ὅντινα marks Oedipus' uncertainty about the identity of the βοτήρ. Cp. Hdt. 4. 8, ἐς γῆν ταύτην, ἤντινα νῦν Σκύθαι νέμονται. Badham conjectures νοεῖς ἐκεῖνον ὄνθ᾽ ὃν ἀρτίως | μολεῖν ἐφιέμεσθα; τόνδ' οὗτος λέγει; The reading of LA. τόν θ' οὗτος λέγει, may be rendered, Do you remember the man whom we were just now sending for, and of whom he (the ἄγγελος) speaks? This, however, appears to be hardly the meaning required by the context, for the chorus has only expressed their belief that he is the same man, and has appealed to Jocasta to confirm this. A slight alteration, not altogether without MS. authority, gives τόνδ' οὗτος λέγει; as in the text.