Sophocles Philoctetes 1456

mvp-comment-775-1 οὗ ¹

mvp-comment-775-2 πολλάκι ²

mvp-comment-775-3 ἐνδόμυχον ³

mvp-comment-775-4 πληγαῖσι ⁴

mvp-comment-775-5 1459 This Ἑρμαῖον ὄρος ⁵

mvp-comment-775-6 The only rival claim is that of Mount Skopia, near Cape Murzephlo (the N.W. promontory), which has greatly the advantage of Plaka in height. But two points are in favour of Plaka. (1) It was a fitting place for the beacon; for it is in a direct line between Ida and Athos; it is the nearest point to the Troad; and it runs out far into the sea. (2) The cave of Philoctetes commanded a view of the volcano Mosychlus (v. 800), and his cries were re-echoed from Mount Hermaeum. The two hills were therefore at no very great distance from each other. But there is no reason to suppose that a volcano ever existed near Cape Murzephlo, while there is some ground for thinking that one may have existed on the eastern coast (cp. Appendix on v. 800). See Tozer, Islands of the Aegean, pp. 273 f. (1890).

mvp-comment-775-7 Hermaeum occurs elsewhere also as the ancient name of a promontory,— e.g., in Sardinia (=C. Marrargiu, on the W. coast), and on the European shore of the Bosporus (=Rumili Hissar).

mvp-comment-775-8 The MSS. give the accent Ἕρμαιον ⁶ Ἑρμαῖον ⁷

1456. mvp-comment-965-1 οὗ refers either generally to the whole region described in the preceding lines, or to the last word only, the 'jutting foreland' being no other than the ἀκτή of l. 1, in which the cave was situated.

1456-1457. mvp-comment-966-1 'My head withdrawn into the deepest nook was (notwithstanding) wetted by the lashing wind.' νότος is here the south-east. See Introduction.