Sophocles Philoctetes 88

Thomas Francklin (Translator)

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Philoctetes
No ;
Thersites ; ever talking, never heard.

Philoctetes. Sophocles. Thomas Francklin (Translator). London. 1758–1759.

Current edition Experimental

English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759) (OCR draft) (English) (English (Thomas Francklin, 1758–1759))

Provisional text from uncorrected OCR; expect errors.

Editions (2)
Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) — 88 focus
ἔφυν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐκ τέχνης πράσσειν κακῆς,
Greek (F. Storr, 1912) (OCR draft) Experimental (Greek (F. Storr, 1912)) — 135-217 focus
Translations (4)
English (Lewis Campbell, 1906) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Lewis Campbell, 1906)) — 88 focus
NEO
He too is now in trouble, having lost
420
Antilochus, the comfort of his age.
German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review) (OCR draft) Experimental (German (J. J. C. Donner, 1875; OCR review)) — 86 focus
Was immer ich nicht ohne Grauen hören kann,
Sohn Laertens, dieses hass' ich auch zu thun.
Denn nicht geschaffen bin ich, traun, für Hinterlist,
So wenig, als es (sagen sie) mein Vater war. 1
Ich bin bereit, ihn wegzuführen mit Gewalt,
90
Doch nie mit Arglist; denn mit Einem Fuße wird
Er uns, so Viele, nimmerdar bewältigen.
Zwar dir ein Helfer zog ich aus und möchte nicht
Verräther heißen; aber lieber wünsch' ich mir
Der edlen That Mißlingen, als unedlen Sieg.
95
English (Robert Potter, 1788) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Robert Potter, 1788)) — 88 focus
Neoptolemus
He too was dead. In one brief sentence hear
This truth, that never willingly doth war
Cut off the base, and never spares the brave.
English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904) (OCR draft) Experimental (English (Sir Richard Jebb, 1904)) — 135-215 focus

Commentary

Commentary (R. C. Jebb) (OCR draft) (Commentary (R. C. Jebb))

mvp-comment-245-1 Θερσίτης 1

mvp-comment-246-1 ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἵλετ’ 2 ὅπου μηδεὶς ἐῴη 3

mvp-comment-246-2 Sophocles here reproduces the two salient traits of the Homeric Thersites: (1) he is irrepressible: Il. 2. 212

Θερσίτης δ’ ἔτι μοῦνος ἀμετροεπὴς ἐκολῴα
, |
ὅς ῥ) ἔπεα φρεσὶν ᾗσιν ἄκοσμά τε πολλά τε ᾔδη
: (2) he disgusts those whom his bluster was intended to amuse or flatter; ib. 222
τῷ δ’ ἄρ’ Ἀχαιοὶ
|
ἐκπάγλως κοτέοντο
.— τοῦτον οἶσθ’ 4

mvp-comment-247-1 αὐτόν 5 αὐτός 6 νιν 7

mvp-comment-248-1 ἔμελλ’ 8

mvp-comment-248-2 ἐπεὶ οὐδέν 9

mvp-comment-248-3 περιστέλλουσιν 10

mvp-comment-249-1 τὰ πανοῦργα 11

mvp-comment-249-2 παλιντριβῆ 12

mvp-comment-249-3 ἀναστρέφοντες 13

mvp-comment-249-4 τὰ δὲ 14 τὰ χρήστ’ 15 ἀποστέλλους’ 16 προυσελοῦς’ 17

Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879) (OCR draft) (Commentary (Lewis Campbell, 1879)) focus

391-402;507-518. mvp-comment-280-1 The Chorus show their interest and support Neoptolemus by these strains, which are interwoven with the action, like those in O. T. 660 foll., 689 foll., О. С. 1447-1456, 1477-1485. They wish to assist their master by simulating hatred of the Atreidae and sympathy with Philoctetes. That both feelings are merely assumed, and that the Chorus really understand the situation, is obvious from the exaggerated strength of expression in 510, εἰ δὲ πικρούς, ἄναξ, ἔχθεις ᾿Ατρείδας. Their feigned excitement, to which the mixture of dochmiac and iambo-bacchic metre is well suited, was no doubt expressed with gestures accompanying the recitation, by the two half-choruses, of strophe and antistrophe severally.

438. mvp-comment-310-1 κατ' αὐτὸ τοῦτο] ‘In connection with this very point,' viz. Your observation that the bad survive.

439. mvp-comment-311-1 ἀναξίου .. φωτός] Sc. πέρι. For this genitive, see E. on L. § 8. p. 13, 3. ἀναξίου = οὐδενὸς ἀξίου.

440. mvp-comment-312-1 τί= πῶς : cp. Εl. 1424, πῶς κυρεῖτε, E. on L. § 22. p. 36.

441. mvp-comment-313-1 'Ay? Who may that be, if you can mean any one but Odysseus?' The syntax of the previous sentence is continued. E. on L. § 35. p. 60.

442. mvp-comment-314-1 οὐ τοῦτον εἶπον] In the spirit of ll. 64, 5, supr. Neoptolemus professes to be impatient of the very name of Odysseus. Cp. infr. 1400, 1.

442-444. mvp-comment-315-1 'I meant not him. But there was one Thersites, who would never be content with speaking once, where all cried, Silence.' This, like supr. 348, 9, is a strong instance of ironical indirectness of expression. For ὅπου μηδεὶς ἐψη, cp. esp. Plat. Symp. 175 Β, ἐπειδάν τις ὑμῖν μὴ ἐφεστήκῃ. Also Aj. 1184, κἂν μηδεὶς ἐᾷ, 'Though all say, You shall not.'

443. mvp-comment-316-1 ἂν εἴλετο is a singular instance of ἄν with the aor. ' of custom.' Cp. the curious use of the imperfect with ἄν, Ant. 260, κἂν ἐγίγνετο | πληγὴτελευτῶσ᾽, and note. Dobree conjectured ἀνείχετ'.