Sophocles Oedipus at Colonus 100

mvp-comment-192-1 ῥεούσης ¹

mvp-comment-193-1 εἰ ³

mvp-comment-193-2 θεοσεβεστάτας ⁴

mvp-comment-194-1 μόνας ⁵

mvp-comment-194-2 τὸν κακούμενον ξένον ⁶

mvp-comment-194-3 These two examples are cited in Her. 9.27 ; in the spurious

ascribed to Lysias ( or. 2 §§ 4-16 ); and in that ascribed to Demosthenes ( or. 60 §§ 7, 8 ). Isocrates quotes them in the Panegyricus , as showing how the Athenians

διετέλεσαν τὴν πόλιν κοινὴν παρέχοντες καὶ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις ἀεὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐπαμύνουσαν

(§ 52) ; also in his Encomium Helenae § 31 ; and again in his Panathenaicus , where he remarks that Tragedy has made them familiar to all ( § 168

τίς οὐκ ἀκήκοε τῶν τραγῳδοδιδασκάλων Διονυσίοις

;). They figure, too, in the Platonic Menexenus , with the comment that Athens might justly be accused of too great compassion, and too much zeal for "the weaker cause":

ὡς ἀεὶ λίαν φιλοικτίρμων ἐστὶ καὶ τοῦ ἥττονος θεραπίς,

244 E . Cp. Her. 8.142

αἰεὶ καὶ τὸ πάλαι φαίνεσθε πολλοὺς ἐλευθερώσαντες ἀνθρώπων

. Andocides or. 3 § 28

τοὺς κρείττους φίλους ἀφιέντες ἀεὶ τοὺς ἥττους αἱρούμεθα

.

mvp-comment-195-1 σῴζειν ⁷

mvp-comment-195-2 οἵας τε ⁸

mvp-comment-196-1 κἄμοιγε ποῦ ⁹

mvp-comment-196-2 καί ¹⁰

mvp-comment-196-3 οἵτινες ¹¹

mvp-comment-197-1 As 276 shows, ἐξάραντες refers to his first seat, in the grove. They had induced him to leave that seat ( 174 ff. ), on a pledge that no one should remove him from the resting-place outside of the grove. Yet now they command him to quit Attica ( ἐλαύνετε : 226

).

mvp-comment-197-2 τάδε βάθρα ¹²

mvp-comment-198-1 οὐ γὰρ δὴ τό γε ¹³

mvp-comment-199-1 ἐπεὶ … ἔξοιδα ¹⁴

mvp-comment-200-1 πεπονθότ’ … δεδρακότα ¹⁵

mvp-comment-201-1 "Ye shrink from me as from a guilty man. And yet ( καίτοι ),— evil as were my acts (in themselves),— how have I shown an evil disposition (

), or incurred moral guilt? Before I struck my father, he had struck me ( : see O. T. 809 ). Even if I had been aware ( ) who he was, I might plead this in my defence: but, in fact, I did not know. Nor did I recognise my mother. They , on the other hand, had deliberately tried to kill their babe." — Note that the clause , which could not apply to the incest, limits the reference of to the parricide; while ( 273 ) refers to both stains.

mvp-comment-202-1 He has two distinct pleas, (1) provocation, and (2) ignorance. These could have been expressed by ἀντέδρων (1) παθὼν μέν , (2)

. But (2) is forestalled by the thought that, if he had known, (1) would have excused him. This hypothesis is then contrasted with the fact (273) ; and the fact on his side is next contrasted with the fact on the other (274) . Hence παθὼν μέν has no clause really answering to it; for νῦν δ’ answers to εἰ φρονῶν , and ὑφ’ ὧν δ’ to οὐδὲν εἰδώς . The impf. ( ἀντέδρων ) expresses the situation ("I was retaliating"): the aor. (273) , an act accomplished at a definite moment.

mvp-comment-203-1 ἱκόμην ἵν’ ἱκόμην ¹⁶

mvp-comment-204-1 ὑφ’ ὧν δ’ ἔπασχον ¹⁷

mvp-comment-204-2 ἔπασχον ¹⁸

mvp-comment-205-1 ὥσπερ με κἀνεστής ¹⁹

mvp-comment-206-1 θεοὺς … τοὺς θεοὺς ²¹

mvp-comment-207-1 μοίραις ποεῖσθε ²²

mvp-comment-207-2 ποεῖσθε ²³

mvp-comment-208-1 The place of του before φωτός (cp. Ai. 29

, Ph. 519

μὴ νῦν μέν τις εὐχερὴς παρῇς

) would be less awkward if φυγὴν and μήπω changed places: but the latter is reserved for the emphatic place at the beginning of the verse.

mvp-comment-209-1 μήπω ²⁴

mvp-comment-209-2 φωτὸς … βροτῶν ²⁵

mvp-comment-210-1 ξὺν οἷς ²⁶

mvp-comment-210-2 μὴ κάλυπτε ²⁷

mvp-comment-210-3 τὰς εὐδαίμονας ²⁸

mvp-comment-211-1 ἔλαβες ²⁹

mvp-comment-211-2 τὸν ἱκέτην ³⁰

mvp-comment-211-3 ἐχέγγυον ³¹

mvp-comment-212-1 ἐκφύλασσε ³²

mvp-comment-213-1 δυσπρόσοπτον ³³

mvp-comment-214-1 ἱερός ³⁴

mvp-comment-214-2 εὐσεβής ³⁵

mvp-comment-214-3 φέρων | ὄνησιν ³⁶

mvp-comment-215-1 ὁ κύριος … τις ³⁷

mvp-comment-216-1 τὰ δὲ μεταξὺ τούτου ³⁸

mvp-comment-216-2 τὰ ³⁹

263. mvp-comment-149-1 κάμοιγε.. ἐστίν ; Ay, and of all this what do I find? Hermann would continue the force of eἰ: 'since Athens has this reputation which in my case proves vain. But the sentence is too long to be so compact. For καί, cp. infr. 606, El. 883, καὶ τίνος, κ.τ.λ.; and for ποῦ, 8,9. Schol. καὶ ὁ Κυρηναῖος· οὕνεκεν οἰκτείρειν οἶδε μόνη πολέων· ἐν τῷ β΄ τῶν αἰτιῶν. See on O. T. 355: Essay on Language § 24. p. 41.

263. mvp-comment-149-2 οἵτινες βάθρων (1) When ye, after lifting me up from this resting-place, then drive me away from it. For the want of antecedent in a passage expressing strong feeling (οἵτινες = εἰ ὑμεῖς), see Essay on Language p. 72. The sacredness of the ground was a reason for protecting the suppliant who was found there. L. 276 shows that ἐξάραντες refers not with ἐλαύνετε to 226, but to 149-196. Those who removed a suppliant from the hearth, altar, or other consecrated place, were bound to succour him. Cp. O. T. 142, where the king is acceding to the prayer of the petitioners, ὑμεῖς μὲν βάθρων | ἵστασθε, τούσδ᾽ ἄραντες ἱκτῆρας κλάδους. Otherwise (2), if βάθρων is taken strictly of the seat, called ἕδρανα, supr. 176, Who after removing me' (from the sacred ground) then drive me from this resting-place, or (3), Who remove and drive me from this resting-place. For the plural βάθρων in the more general sense, cp. Eur. Erechth. fr. 362, l. 47 .

266. mvp-comment-150-1 For my actions have indeed been sufferings and not actions.' See Essay on Language § 30. p. 51. The words of Lear (3. 2) have often been compared, I am a man | More sinned against than sinning. What

268. mvp-comment-151-1 εἰ . . χρείη Were it fitting. Cp. Τr. 749, εἰ χρὴ μαθεῖν σε. Oedipus here shrinks from saying, he 265 270

268. mvp-comment-151-2 χρείη χρεῖ' ἡι L. (ει from η). utters afterwards under pressure from the chorus (521 ff.), and under provocation from Creon (985 ff.).

269. mvp-comment-152-1 τοῦτο Sc. ὅτι διὰ ταῦτα ἐκφοβεῖ με.

270. mvp-comment-153-1 φύσιν has a strong emphasis. Whatever my actions may have been, my nature was surely not wicked; cp. Αj. 472, μή τοι φύσιν γ᾽ ἄσπλαγχνος ἐκ κείνου γεγώς, i. e. That I was not really a coward, though the award of the arms to Ulysses proclaimed me such.

271. mvp-comment-154-1 φρονῶν i. e. With clear knowledge. See on O. T. 316. Seeing that first of all I was returning a wrong, so that even had I done it knowingly, I should not have been guilty. But as it was, I went all unwittingly on my path of woe, whereas those who planned my destruction knew well what they were doing. The imperfect tense in ἀπωλλύμην expresses an intention not carried into effect (as in διδόναι, κτείνειν, etc.). Cp. Thuc. 3. 57, οἵτινες Μήδων τε κρατησάντων ἀπωλλύμεθα. The words παθών .. ἀντέδρων refer to the parricide: but it is doubtful whether παθών means simply in self defence, or contains an allusion to his father's act in preparing the destruction of his infant. Similarly it is doubtful whether l. 274 applies to Creon and his sons, or again to his parents. There may seem to be a certain harshness in supposing Oedipus to speak thus of Laius, and the tone of 521 ff., 985 ff. is certainly different. Yet this is the most obvious interpretation of the present passage, and receives some confirmation from O. Τ. 718-719, 1454, ἵν' ἐξ ἐκείνων, οἵ μ᾿ ἀπωλλύτην, θάνω. The peace of Oedipus does not include forgiveness of those who have wronged him; nor is it imagined that the natural relations so broken can be restored. See Introduction, p. 279.

276. mvp-comment-155-1 The raising of the suppliant implied a promise of protection. Cp 284.

278. mvp-comment-156-1 Do not while you think to honour the Gods, in reality dishonour them,' i.e. by driving out the suppliant. Some editors have attempted, reading μοῖραν, as in the early recension, or μοίpas, which is found in two MSS, to render, Do not, while ye honour the Gods suppose them to be fates' (or 'a fate'). By no means,' etc. But this sharp distinction between God and Fate belongs to a much later age. Sophocles would no more have spoken irreverently of the μοίραι than of the other deities. And the interpretation has no meaning that is relevant to the context. For how would the rejection of Oedipus imply that the Gods were blind fates? Was it not rather based on a misinterpretation of their will? The conjectures μαυρούς (Nauck), μείους (Martin) are not more satisfactory. The best hitherto is Schndw.'s μοίρᾳ ἐμποιεῖσθε. With regard to the reading of the text, which has strong MS. authority, it may be noticed; (1) that there is no difference of meaning between μοίραις and μοίρᾳ, if this is supposed equivalent το ἐν μοίρᾳ. This poetical al dative plural occurs in Plat. Legg. 923 Β, τὸ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου κατατιθεὶς ἐν μοίραις ἐλάττοσι δικαίως. (2) Next, that the omission of ev, or the substitution of the instrumental dative (Essay on Language § 14 p. 20) is supported by the similar use of τιμαῖς (r mg. C²*. 275 280 278. μοί- = ἐν τιμῇ ἀγόμενος, in Ο. Τ. 909, κούδαμοῦ τιμαῖς Ἀπόλλων ἐμφανής. See note in loco. (3) This explanation of μοίραις requires μηδαμῶς to be taken separately from μή, and to have the force of an independent negative. This is very unusual, but may be defended, a. by the consideration that μή negatives the sentence as a whole, and a subordinate negative is therefore more easily admissible; b. that μηδαμῶς may be taken closely with μοίραις after ποιεῖσθε = ὥστε μηδαμῶς ἐν μοίραις εἶναι. c. In Plat. Legg. 11, 913 A, there is a parallel instance in a participial clause, μηδ' αὖ κινήσειε μηδὲ τὸ βραχύτατον ἐμὲ μηδαμῇ μηδαμῶς πείθων. Nor again let him move anything, however small, without any sort of consent from me. And in El. 336, καὶ μὴ δοκεῖν μὲν δρᾶν τι, πημαίνειν δὲ μή, although the force of μή is continued in the latter part of the line, the second μή has an independent force. Cp. also Eur Erechth. fr. 362. 1. 46, οὐδ᾽ ἀντ᾿ ἐλάας χρυσέας τε Γοργόνος | τρίαιναν ὀρθὴν στᾶσαν ἐν πόλεως βάθροις | Εύμολπος οὐδὲ Θρᾶξ ἀναστέψει λεὼς | στεφάνοισι, Παλλὰς δ᾽ οὐδαμοῦ τιμήσεται. The antithesis between the literal observance of the local sanctities and the higher obligations of justice and mercy is the point of this part of the play. Cp. Phil. 451. 2, ποῦ χρὴ τίθεσθαι ταῦτα, ποῦ δ᾽ αἰνεῖν, ὅταν | τὰ θεῖ᾽ ἐπαινῶν, τοὺς θεοὺς εὕρω κακούς; Ant. 924, τὴν δυσσέβειαν εὐσεβοῦσ᾽ ἐκτησάμην, for similar contrasts of expression. The use of μοῖρα for τιμή is in keeping with the language of the play. See Introduction, p. 270.

281. mvp-comment-157-1 φωτὸς ἀνοσίου βροτῶν Cp. Aj. 1358, τοιοίδε μέντοι φῶτες ἔμπληκτοι βροτῶν : Οd. 17. 587, οὐ γάρ που τινες ὧδε καταθνητῶν ἀνθρώπων | ἀνέρες ὑβρίζοντες ἀτάσθαλα μηχανόωνται: 23. 187, ἀνδρῶν δ᾽ οὐ κέν τις ζωὸς βροτός. Essay on Language $ 40. p. 75-

282. mvp-comment-158-1 ξὺν οἷς i. e. (1) ξὺν τοῖς θεοῖς. These words properly belong to ῥύου με κάκφύλασσε, but are also joined with the prohibitive sentence that is interposed. Cp. Od. 1. 74, 5, ἐκ τοῦ δὴ Ὀδυσῆα Ποσειδάων ἐνοσίχθων | οὔτι κατακτείνει, πλάζει δ᾽ ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης. ξὺν ols has also been taken (2) as referring to the nearest words, φωτὸς ἀνοσίου βροτῶν. But it is better to refer it to the principal word in the previous sentence. Both interpretations are acknowledged in the Scholia.

282. mvp-comment-158-2 κάλυπτε Cloud with disgrace. Cp. Pind. Nem. 10. 40, Ἄργεϊ μὴ κρύπτειν φάος ὀμμάτων : Aesch. Pers. 536, ἄστυ τὸ Σούσων ἠδ' Ἀγβατάνων πένθει δνοφερῷ κατέκρυψας : also the metaphorical use οἱ ἀφανίζειν. The abruptness of the expression is softened by the explanatory clause, esp. the dative ἔργοις, i. e. Do not obscure the brightness of Athens by the impious deeds to which you minister.

284. mvp-comment-159-1 But as you have received your suppliant under a pledge.' ἐχέγγυος generally means able to give a pledge, and so trustworthy. But for the passive use of a word generally active, see Essay on Language p. 99; and cp. σωτήριον, l. 487 ;

284. mvp-comment-159-2 πιστωθείς, l. 1039 .

285. mvp-comment-160-1 ἐκφύλασσε Guard me to the end.

286. mvp-comment-161-1 δυσπρόσοπτον Unsightly.

288-289. mvp-comment-162-1 ὁ κύριος τις Your sovereign, whoever he is. For the combination of definite and indefinite, see Essay on Language § 22. p. 36; and cp. O. T. 107, τοὺς αὐτοέντας. τινάς. Oedipus has heard the name of Theseus, supr. 69, but he speaks cautiously, as if he depended on the chorus for information. For the courteous form of expression, cp. Pind. Pyth. 4. 230, βασιλεύς, | ὅστις ἄρχει ναός.

290-291. mvp-comment-163-1 τὰ δὲ | μεταξύ τούτου 'In your actions between that moment and this; i e. Meanwhile.