mvp-comment-668-1 καίτοι ¹

mvp-comment-668-2 ἐλθών ²

mvp-comment-669-1 ἐσωφρόνησας ³

mvp-comment-669-2 κλαυμάτων ⁴ πόδα ⁵

mvp-comment-670-1 Φιλοκτήτην λέγω ⁶ Φιλοκτήτης ⁷

mvp-comment-671-1 ἀμείψας ⁸

mvp-comment-671-2 πετρήρεις ⁹

mvp-comment-672-1 τίς αὖ ¹⁰

mvp-comment-672-2 ἄντροις ¹¹

mvp-comment-672-3 ἵσταται ¹²

mvp-comment-672-4 ἐκκαλεῖσθε ¹³ κεχρημένοι ¹⁴

mvp-comment-673-1 ὤμοι· κακὸν τὸ χρῆμα ¹⁵ χρῆμα ¹⁶

mvp-comment-673-2 μῶν τί μοι vέα … κακά ¹⁷ vέα ¹⁸ μέγα ¹⁹ τι ²⁰

mvp-comment-673-3 πέμποντες ²¹

mvp-comment-674-1 ἐκ λόγων ²²

mvp-comment-674-2 λόγοις ²³

mvp-comment-675-1 τοιοῦτος ²⁴ πιστός ²⁵

mvp-comment-675-2 πιστός ²⁶

mvp-comment-676-1 ἀλλ’ οὔ τι μὴν ²⁷ μὴ ²⁸

mvp-comment-677-1 παῦε ²⁹

mvp-comment-677-2 ἃν εἴπῃς γε ³⁰ γε ³¹ σὺ ³² γε ³³

mvp-comment-678-1 καὶ πέρα γ’, ἴσθ’, ἢ λέγω ³⁴ ἴσθ’ ³⁵ ἢ λέγω ³⁶

mvp-comment-679-1 ἀλλ’ ἤθελον μὲν ἄν ³⁷ πρὸς καιρὸν ³⁸ πέπαυμαι ³⁹ πάντα γὰρ ⁴⁰

mvp-comment-680-1 κτήσει ⁴¹

mvp-comment-681-1 ὅστις γ’ ⁴² ὅστις ⁴³ γε ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-681-2 ἀπεστέρηκας ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-682-1 ἐλθών ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-682-2 ἔχθιστος γεγώς ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-682-3 The force of this passage will not be fully appreciated unless we remember that N. is now completely identified, in Ph. 's mind, with the action of Odysseus. Ph. was ready to allow that N.'s better instincts had been warped by evil guidance ( 971 , 1014 ). But then he hoped that N. would restore the bow. Odysseus prevented this: N. made no direct reply to the last appeal (1066 f.), and carried off his prize.

mvp-comment-682-4 Pierson's conjecture αἴσχιστος ⁴⁸

1252-1257. mvp-comment-833-1 In the text this line is given to Neoptolemus, and follows a threat of personal violence from Odysseus. Some editors would omit it altogether. χειρί is opposed to φόβον, supra. Either therefore (1) a line is dropped after 1251 ( cp. O. T. 624); and the sense runs as follows: 'Ne. I tremble not before your intimidation. (Od. But I will compel you on the spot.) Ne. Neither do I yield to your compulsion to do this. Od. Then you, and not the Trojans, will be our adversary. Ne. Let come what will. Od. You see my hand upon the hilt. Ne. Nor will mine linger long, as you will see. Od. And yet I will leave you.' Or (2) 1252, 3 may be inverted, and ἔστω τὸ μέλλον given to Odysseus, together with the following words. Or (3) inverting 1252, 3 as before, we may read as follows: ΟΔ. ἔστω τὸ μέλλον. ΝΕ. χεῖρα .. ἐπιψαύουσαν. ΟΔ. ἀλλὰ .. τιμωρήσεται. It is hardly worth while to suggest a fourth alternative, (4) to leave the lines as they stand, and to suppose l. 1252 in Odysseus' mouth to mean, 'But, on the other hand, I do not credit you with force enough to effect your object.' That (1) is right appears from this, that Odysseus is in this case the aggressor throughout, and Neoptolemus stands wholly on the defensive. Cp. infr. 1300-4. The Scholiast on l. 1252 explains ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ πεισθήσομαι, whence Bothe conjectures πείσομαι. For the unintentional tautology in τὸ μέλλον.. κοὐ μέλλοντ᾽ ἔτι, see Essay on L. § 44. p. 83.

1257. mvp-comment-835-1 καίτοι . . ἐάσω] For καίτοι after a pause. cp. Ant. 904, καίτοι σ᾽ ἐγὼ ἐτίμησα: Trach. 719, καίτοι δέδοκται, κ.τ.λ. Odysseus is pursuing his own thoughts without appearing to notice the words of Neoptolemus. Odysseus exit, but is supposed still to lurk somewhere within hearing.

1263-1265. mvp-comment-836-1 The tone of these lines is that of one utterly broken by misery, and desirous only to be left alone. Cp. Αj. 787, 8, τί μ᾽ αὖ τάλαιναν, ἀρτίως πεπαυμένην | κακῶν ἀτρύτων, ἐξ ἕδρας ἀνίστατε;

1263. mvp-comment-837-1 τίς. βοῆς] 'What loud disturbance is again taking place before my cave?' For ἵσταται, ср. O. C. 1478, μαλ᾽ αὖθις ἀμφίσταται διαπρύσιος ὅτοβος: Aesch. Cho. 885, τίνα βοὴν ἵστης δόμοις; Eur. Iph. T. 1307, τις ἀμφὶ δῶμα θεᾶς τόδ᾽ ἴστησιν βοήν ;

1264. mvp-comment-838-1 ἐκκαλεῖσθε] Cp. Hdt. 8.79 (of Aristeides), στὰς ἐπὶ τὸ συνέδριον, ἐξεκαλέετο Θεμιστοκλέα.

1265. mvp-comment-839-1 ὤμοι... χρήμα] 'Ah! mischief is afoot.' Philoctetes, who had at first only heard the sound of his own name, now starts on seeing Neoptolemus approaching him with the bow. He at once concludes that some harm is intended him. μέγα] 'It is certain that some evil is meant, where Neoptolemus is employed. 'Is it a mighty evil?' this is all Philoctetes asks. 'Mala res, qua opus sit vobis. Dicit autem haec verba conspecto Neoptolemo. Nam quae precedent, nondum viso dicuntur. Hinc non interrogat, quod aliter expectari poterat, μῶν τί μοι νέον, sed μῶν τί μοι μέγα κακὸν πέμποντες πάρεστε.' Herm. The echo of κεχρημένοι in χρήμα is probably unintentional.

1266. mvp-comment-840-1 πέμποντες] 'Bringing.' Cp. supr. 19, 1161. Neoptolemus is followed by two of the crew. Philoctetes sees in them the emissaries of Odysseus.

1268. mvp-comment-841-1 δέδοικ᾽ ἔγωγε] 'I fear you, I.' Said in reply to θάρσει supra.

1268-1269. mvp-comment-842-1 ἐκ λόγων .. λόγοις] ‘I found harsh fortune following on fair speeches, through yielding to your words.' ἐκ λόγων. λόγοις] For this tautology, see Essay on L. § 44. p. 83.

1270. mvp-comment-843-1 οὔκουν.. πάλιν] 'Is there not a possibility of changing one's mind again?'

1272. mvp-comment-844-1 πιστός] 'Seemingly trustworthy.' τοῖς λόγοισι is to be resumed, and to this λάθρα is opposed.

1273. mvp-comment-845-1 ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τι μὴν νῦν. μήν, calling attention to a new fact, is exactly in point here. Cp. El. 817, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ τι μὴν ἔγωγε τοῦ λοίπου χρόνου ξύνοικος ἔσειμ'. Some MSS. have οὔ τι μή: cp. O. T. 870.

1275. mvp-comment-846-1 παῦε] This differs from παῦσαι, as in English, 'Stop that!' differs from 'Stop!' The two words are apt to be confused through itacism ( παῦε, παῦαι, παῦσαι).

1276. mvp-comment-847-1 πέρα] Sc. δεδόχθαι.

1279-1280. mvp-comment-848-1 εἰ δὲ μὴ.. πέπαυμαι] 'But, as my words are unacceptable, I have done.' For εἰ.. μή τι = εἴ τι μή, cp. El. 31, εἰ μή τι καιροῦ τυγχάνω, μεθάρμοσον. πρὸς καιρὸν λέγειν is, 'To speak to the point,' (1) really, (2) in the estimation of the person addressed, as here. Cp. πρὸς τρόπου, e.g. Plat. Rep. 5. 470 C.

1280. mvp-comment-849-1 γάρ] 'And rightly, for-.'

1281. mvp-comment-850-1 οὐ γὰρ. φρένα] 'For you will never win my heart to feel kindly towards you.' For examples of the repetition of γάρ, see Ellendt. Lex. Soph. s. v. γάρ, 7, d. and cp. 1158, 9. For κτήσει, Wakefield proposed θήσει (for which, cp. supr. 532), but for uses of κτᾶσθαι, cp. Aj. 1360, κτᾶσθαι φίλους: El. 1303, τὰς ἡδόνας ἐκτησάμην : Trach. 191, κτῴμην χάριν : ib. 470: infr. 1370, ἐξ ἐμοῦ κτήσει χάριν. The word expresses Philoctetes' sense of the value of his own friendship. Cp. supr. 478, and note.

1282-1283. mvp-comment-851-1 τὸν βίον .. ἀπεστέρηκας] Cp. supr. 931.

1283-1284. mvp-comment-852-1 νουθετεῖς ἐμὲ | ἐλθών] ‘You come and give me advice.' That he should come at all, after what he has done, is an offence. ἔχθιστος] αἴσχιστος, the conjecture of Pierson, has been accepted by recent editors. It certainly makes the antithesis more exact, and ἔχθιστος and αἴσχιστος are confounded in MSS. of Aj. 658, and elsewhere. But for inexact antithesis, see Essay on L. § 41. p. 78, €, and for ἐχθρός simply expressing abhorrence, cp. supr. 928, τέχνημ᾽ ἔχθιστον, and many other places in Sophocles. Translate, 'Most abhorred son of a father whom I most admired.' Cp. supr. 242, ὦ φιλτάτου παῖ πατρός.