193-396.
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193-396. First Episode. 193- 283. First Scene: Prometheus and the Coryphaeus. The scholiast says:
τὴν
ὑπόθεσιν (that is, the expo- sition of the events supposed to pre- cede the opening of the play)
βουλό-
μενος
διδάξαι,
τὸ
περίεργον (curiosity)
τοῦ
γυναικώδους
ήθους
προσέλαβεν (availed himself of, as a motive).
οὐκ
ἂν
γὰρ
ὁ
᾿Ὠκεανds (who enters later)
ἠξίωσεν
ἐρωτῆσαι
εἰδώς. The curiosity of the chorus is a natural conse- quence of their awakened sympathy. Still it is to be observed that Prome- theus on his part is moved to tell his story by the longing to unburden his heart to sympathizing friends (see 198). He needs only the request in order to comply at once. - The Pro- logue and this first scene of the first episode constitute the first act of the drama, which expounds the situation and prepares the way for the follow- ing dramatic development.
271.
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271.
καί
μοι
κτέ.: and so bewail my lot no more, presupposing the thought "your admonitions are unavailing." ·
δύρεσθε:
δύρομαι =
ὀδύρομαι belongs to tragic diction.
272.
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272.
πέδοι
βᾶσαι: i.e. so as to listen more conveniently to a long narra- tion. A motive is thus provided for the descent of the chorus from its
ear into the orchestra.
βούλεται
γὰρ
στῆσαι
τὸν
χορὸν
ὅπως
τὸ
στάσιμον
ᾄσῃ, Schol.
273.
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273.
διὰ
τέλους: cp. Soph. Ai. 685
διὰ
τέλους
εὔχου
τελεῖσθαι. For the resolution see on 76. It is rendered easier by the fact that the chief cae- sura falls in the fourth foot (see on 2).
275.
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275.
νῦν: said in reference to the thought which follows,
"to-morrow your turn may come." -
ταὐτά: ad- verbial, nearly =
κατὰ
κοινόν, impar- tially, for all alike. See on 398, and cp. Soph. Ai. 687
ταὐτὰ
τῇδέ
μοι
τάδε
τιμᾶτε. Properly it is the inner object (cognate accusative).
276.
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276.
πρὸς
ἄλλοτ᾽
ἄλλον: for the order, see on 762 and 19. - For the
thought cp. Archil. Frg. 9, 7
ἄλλοτε
δ᾽
ἄλλος
ἔχει
τόδε·
νῦν
μὲν
ἐς
ἡμέας
ἐτράπεθ᾽,
αἱματόεν
δ᾽
ἕλκος
ἀναστένομεν,
ἐξαῦτις
δ᾽
ἑτέρους
ἐπαμείψεται, Pind. Ol. ii. 60
ῥοαὶ
δ᾽
ἄλλοτ᾽
ἄλλαι
εὐθυμιᾶν
τε
μέτα
καὶ
πόνων
ἐς
ἄνδρας
ἔβαν.
277-283.
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277-283. The anapaests of the chorus accompany the action of the machinery by which Oceanus is brought on the scene. See on 114-127.
277.
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277. Cp. Soph. Phil. 1178
φίλα
μοι,
φίλα
ταῦτα
παρήγγειλας
ἑκόντι
τε
πράσ-
σειν, Homer Il. iv. 73
ώτρυνε
πάρος
μεμαυῖαν
᾿Αθήνην. –
ἐπεθώυξας : see on 73.
279.
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279.
καί: and so, accordingly.
282.
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282 f.
πελῶ: future of
πελάζω.
πόνους . . .
διὰ
παντὸς
ἀκοῦσαι: as promised in 272. Compliance with this request follows much later, 755 ff. and in the speech beginning at 823. Curiosity and expectation are thus maintained.
284-396.
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284-396. Second Scene of the First Episode. Oceanus, father of the Oceanids, enters (from the right), mounted upon a winged steed
(τετρασκελής
οἰωνός 395) like 285.
290 Pegasus. The scholiast understands a griffin, because of this word
οἰωνός, but
sea-gods, in older Greek art, are often seen riding on hippocamps or
sea-horses. The machine here used was the
αἰώρημα, a sort of crane with hanging ropes, by which persons could be swung aloft, moved through the air, and let down again. The scholiast remarks,
καιρὸν
δίδωσι
τῷ
χορῷ
καθήκασθαι
(καθιμᾶσθαι ?)
τῆς
μηχανῆς
᾿Ὠκεανὸς
ἐλθών·
ὑπερβολῇ
δὲ
ἐχρήσατο,
ὅπου
γε
Ὅμηρος
οὐκ
εἰσήγα-
γεν
᾿Ὠκεανὸν
εἰς
τὸν
σύλλογον
τῶν
θεῶν (on this cp. Il. xx. 7
οὔτε
τις
οὖν
Ποταμῶν
ἀπέην
νόσφ᾽
᾿Ὠκεανοῖο). The anapaests of Oceanus accompany the descent of the chorus from their chariot into the orchestra. - This scene and the second episode form the second act, the beginning of the action which leads to the catastrophe. See on 307 and 436.
284.
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284.
δολιχῆς : an epic word. The way is long because Oceanus comes from the depths of the sea. Cp. 300 f.
285.
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285.
διαμειψάμενος : cp. Sept. 334
δια-
μεῖψαι
ὁδόν, 856
δι᾽
᾿Αχέροντ᾽
ἀμείβεται
τὰν
ναύστολον
θεωρίδα. ‘Dicendum erat
κέλευθον
διαμείβεσθαι, pro quo
τέρμα
κελεύθου dixit ratione habita verbi
ἥκω' (Dindorf). Cp. Eur. Phoen. 163
εἴθε
δρόμον
νεφέλας
ποσὶν
ἐξανύσαιμι
δι᾽
αἰθέρος
πρὸς
ἐμὸν
ὁμογενέ-
τορα.
286.
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286.
πτερυγωκή: formed like
πο-
δώκης. Cp.
ὠκύπτερος.
287.
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287.
γνώμῃ : 'admirationis augen- dae causa non brutus, sed mente ac ratione praeditus esse fingitur' (Schütz). In Il. xviii. 419, the golden handmaids of Hephaestus are endowed with reason, speech, and power of action; in Od. viii. 556, the ships of the Phaeacians sail
τιτυσκό-
μεναι
φρεσί, and we are told that
αὐταὶ
ἴσασι
νοήματα
καὶ
φρένας
ἀνδρῶν. As these ships need neither helms- man nor rudder, so Oceanus's steed needs no bit, because of its own ac- cord it obeys the will
(γνώμη) of its rider.
