Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus 750

mvp-comment-467-1 βαιός ¹

mvp-comment-468-1 λοχίτας ²

mvp-comment-469-1 κῆρυξ ³ ἀπήνη ἦγε μία ⁴ ἀπήνη ⁵

mvp-comment-470-1 Cp. 118. οἰκεύς ⁶

mvp-comment-471-1 ἦ καὶ ⁷

mvp-comment-472-1 The poet has neglected clearness on a minor point. The οἰκεύς— sole survivor of the four attendants—had fled back to Thebes with the news that Laius had been slain by robbers (118-123). This news came before the trouble with the Sphinx began: 126-131. And the play supposes an interval of at least several days between the death of Laius and the election of Oedipus: see on 736. Hence κεῖθεν ἦλθε καὶ … εἶδε cannot mean that the οἰκεύς, on reaching Thebes, found Oedipus already reigning. Nor can we suggest that he may have fled from the scene of the slaughter before he was sure that Laius had been killed: that is excluded by 123 and 737. Therefore we must understand:— “when he had come thence, and [ afterwards] found that not only was Laius dead, but you were his successor.” (For the parataxis σέ τε … Λάϊόν τε see on 673.) I incline to suspect, however, that Sophocles was here thinking of the man as coming back to find Oedipus already on the throne, and had overlooked the inconsistency. The conjecture Λαΐου τε δώματα for Λάϊόν τ’ ὀλωλότα (Wolff) would remove the difficulty, but seems very improbable.

mvp-comment-473-1 χειρὸς θιγὼν ⁸

mvp-comment-474-1 ἀγρούς ⁹

mvp-comment-474-2 νομάς ¹⁰

mvp-comment-475-1 τοῦδ’ ἄποπτος ἄστεως ¹¹

mvp-comment-476-1 οἶ’ ¹² οἷα ¹³ ἄξιος ¹⁴

mvp-comment-477-1 φέρειν ¹⁵

mvp-comment-478-1 πάρεστιν ¹⁶

mvp-comment-479-1 δῑ ἅ ¹⁷

mvp-comment-480-1 κἀγὼ ¹⁸ που ¹⁹

mvp-comment-480-2 ἐν σοὶ ²⁰ ἐν ²¹

750. mvp-comment-438-1 βαιός With a scanty following. Cp. 179, ἀνάριθμος, and note. Essay on Language § 23. p. 39.

752. mvp-comment-439-1 ἐν δ᾽ αὐτοῖσιν ἦν κῆρυξ This is one of the circumstances which Oedipus identifies, infr. 1. 802.

753. mvp-comment-440-1 There was one vehicle, in which Laius rode. The reading μόνον is plausible, but untrue.

754. mvp-comment-441-1 τάδ᾽ ἤδη διαφανή It is quite clear now. Oedipus rushes at once to the extreme of fear, as he presently rises to the extreme of confidence again. In his excitement he is moved to and fro by the lightest breath.

755. mvp-comment-442-1 ὑμῖν Plural, because the rumour is the same of which the Theban elders had spoken, supr. 1. 292.

756. mvp-comment-443-1 οἰκεύς Probably = οἰκέτης, 'α household slave;' but according to Eustathius 1423-1424, = ὁ οἰκογενὴς οἰκέτης. The distinction would hold in the present case (1123), but is probably only a fancy of grammarians in order to account for the two forms.

761. mvp-comment-444-1 ἀγρούς Accusative of the place whither. ἐπί is added for variety with the second word, but is not necessary to the construction of ἀγρούς. See Essay on Language § 16. p. 22.

762. mvp-comment-445-1 τοῦδ᾽ ἄποπτος ἄστεως So as he might be furthest removed from sight of this city. For the genitive = from,' assisted by ἀπό in comp., see Essay on Language § 7. p. 11. ἄποπτος = away from sight of: away from seeing, rather than merely away from. Essay on Language § 23. p. 38. The urgency of the request (ἐξικέτευσε, see Essay on Language $ 55. 1, p. 101), though seeming to Jocasta to arise simply from affection for Laius, is to be accounted for by the οἰκεύς having recognized Oedipus as the murderer. This also helps to account for his expression of horror in 1146, οὐκ εἰς ὅλεθρον ;

763. mvp-comment-446-1 ὥς γ᾽ ἀνὴρ δοῦλος For a servant. The interpretation of the Scholiast (οἷον, τὸ αἴτημα οὐχ ὑπερέβαλεν δοῦλον) is equally consistent with of and ὥς γ'. The latter, however, is nearer to the MSS., and equally if not more suited to express the true meaning. Jocasta implies that his deserts towards her exceeded those of common service; thus unconsciously recalling the peculiar trust she had once reposed in him. Cp. 1. 1173, and see Arist. Poet. 1454. The readings ὃ δ' ἀνήρ, ὅδε γ᾽ ἀνήρ, also point to this: i.e. (1) ὥσγ', (2) ὅσγ', (3) ὅγ᾽, (4) ὅδ᾽, (5) ὅδε γ'. The way in which ἄξιοσ γάρ is written in L. (ἄξιο γάρ), shows how easily the might be lost.

766. mvp-comment-447-1 πάρεστιν 'You can have your wish: cp. O. C. 726: not He is already here, which would be inconsistent with the preceding lines and with ἴξεται following. The interpretation He is as good as here, i.e. he can be brought at once, is forced and unnecessary. The ambiguity is no objection to the reading.

767-768. mvp-comment-448-1 I fear that there are recent words of mine, too freely spoken, which make me wish to see him.' This refers to the curse. Cp infr. ll. 819-820. Others explain, I fear I have already said too plainly why I wish to see him, referring to supr. 703. But the form of expression δέδοικ᾿ ἐμαυτόν, κ.τ.λ. agrees better with the former interpretation.

770. mvp-comment-449-1 κἀγώ '1, too,' as well as yourself. The mixture of vehemence and affection in the character of Jocasta appears here and in ll. 697, 861, 2.

770. mvp-comment-449-2 τὰ γ᾽ ἐν σοὶ δυσφόρως ἔχοντ' Thy troubles. τὰ ἐν σοί, like τὰ ἐν πόλει, What is contained within the sphere of thy interests.' 771. And you shall not be denied, when I am in such a depth of suspense.' The idea of motion, which is almost lost in βεβῶτος, is revived in the construction with s. For the plural of ἐλπίς expressing uncertain presage, cp. 487, πέτομαι δ ἐλπίσιν. And for es τοσοῦτον with the genitive, cp. O. C. 748, ἐς τοσοῦτον αἰκίας πεσεῖν. Cp. infr. 914, ὑψοῦ γὰρ αἴρει θυμὸν Οἰδίπους ἄγαν.