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.
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.
394.
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394.
ψαίρει: cp. Verg. Aen. v. 216 mox aëre lapsa (sc. columba) quieto radit iter liquidum, xi. 756 aethera verberat alis (sc. aquila). Here said of the move- ments of the animal's wings as he prepares for his flight. With this the stage machinery is set in motion.
397-435.
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397-435. First Stasimon. The ionic rhythms accord with the sor- rowful burden of the song, which calls to mind the words of Fr. v. Schlegel, 'Es geht ein allgemeines Weinen, so weit die stillen Sterne scheinen, durch alle Adern der Natur.'
397.
mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-284
397.
οὐλομένας: the epic form
οὐ-
λόμενος occurs here and there in lyric passages of tragedy.
ὀλόμενοs=per- ditus, accursed, baleful, unblest; it corresponds, as participle, to the exe cration
ὄλοιο, just as
ὀνήμενος (blessed) corresponds to the benediction
ὄναιο. On the genitive of relation see Krüger I. § 47, 21.
398.
mvp-aeschylus-tlg0085-tlg003-wecklein-allen1893-com-eng1-285
398 ff.
δακρυσίστακτα: adverbial. Cp. Eur. Or. 410
εὐπαίδευτα
δ᾽
ἀποτρέ-
πει
λέγειν, Phoen. 310
μόλις
φανεὶς
ἄελπτα
κἀδόκητα, 1739
ἀπαρθένευτ᾽
ἀλω-
μένη, Soph. Ant. 527
φιλάδελφα
κάτω
δάκρυ
λειβομένη,
Εl. 962
ἄλεκτρα
γηρά-
σκουσαν
ἀνυμέναιά
τε. –
ῥαδινόν:
λε-
πτόν,
ἰσχνόν,
εὐκίνητον,
ἁπαλόν,
εὐδιά-
σειστον, Hesych. The phrase
ῥαδινὸν
ῥέος (alliterative) is an imitation of the Homeric
τέρεν
δάκρυ, Il. iii. 142, xix. 323.
