561-886.
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561-886. Third Episode. Io and Prometheus. The myth of Io is connected with that of Prometheus by the person of Heracles, the libera- tor of Prometheus, who is descended from
paphus, the son of Zeus and Io (see on 774). The appearance of Io therefore prepares the way for the introduction of Heracles in the
Προ-
μηθεὺς
λυόμενος. But the immediate significance of this scene consists in the present relation of Zeus and Io. Io appears as innocent and yet perse- cuted; her sufferings, superficially considered, put Zeus in the worst possible light. Accordingly the in- dignation of Prometheus rises more and more, till at last, carried away by passion, he vaunts his secret in such terms that the interposition of Zeus becomes inevitable. So the transition to the catastrophe is pre- pared. The geographical part of this episode, with its description of marvels, like the scene of Heracles in the
Προμηθεὺς
λυόμενος (see below, Frg. VII. and VIII.), doubtless had a peculiar charm for the Athenians of the period. On the origin of the myth of Io, see Introd. p. 9, footnote. Io appears as a horned maiden (588, 674; so indi- cated by her mask). In early Greek art, especially in
vase-paintings, she has the figure of a cow outright. On the throne of the Amyclaean Apollo, a work of the sculptor Bathycles (about Ol. 60), Hera was represented as glaring at Io, 'who is already a cow' (Paus. iii. 18. 7). On an archaic
black-figured vase of the Munich collection (No. 573; see Panofka, Argos Panoptes, plate 5), Argus is seen, seated on the ground, a fero- cious figure with long hair and beard, and a huge eye in his shaggy breast; he holds in his hand a long cord, attached to the horns of a cow. Near by stands Hermes, grasping the cord near the horns with his left hand, and about to draw his sword with his right. Argus's dog
stands at bay in front of his master. Through the influence of this trag- edy, Io came later to be depicted in art as a maiden with horns. So, for instance, on a
red-figured vase of the Berlin Museum (Panofka, l.c., plate 3). The stinging gadfly' of the legend (cp. Suppl. 306
BΑ.
τί
οὖν
ἔτευξεν
ἄλλο
δυσπότμῳ
βοΐ;
ΧΟ.
βοη-
λάτην
μύωπα
κινητήριον, Verg. Georg. iii. 147 cui nomen asilo Ro- manum est, oestrum Graii vertere vocantes), which is mentioned in Io's narrative, 675 be- low, had also to be omitted in the scenic representation. The difficulty was met by a figurative conception of
οἶστρος; the maddening sting was interpreted as the reminiscence of the crafty eye of Argos (567). — On account of the unusual manner of Io's entrance and exit, the anapaests which commonly accompany the ar- rival and departure of a personage are here and at 877 given to the actor, not to the chorus. So above, at the entrance of the chorus (120 ff.).
695.
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695.
πρᾶξιν: plight,
τὸ
πεπραγέναι. Cp. Soph. Trach. 151
τὴν
αὑτοῦ
σκοπῶν
πρᾶξιν, 293
ἀνδρὸς
εὐτυχῆ
κλύουσα
πρᾶ-
ξιν
τήνδε,
Αί. 790
ἥκει
φέρων
Αἴαντος
ἡμῖν
πρᾶξιν
ἣν
ἤλγησ᾽
ἐγώ.
696.
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696.
πρώ: mature, too soon. Cp. Soph. Trach. 630
δέδοικα
γὰρ
μὴ
πρὸ
λέγοις
ἂν
τὸν
πόθον
τὸν
ἐξ
ἐμοῦ,
πρὶν
εἰδέναι
τἀκεῖθεν
εἰ
ποθούμεθα, Plat. Par- men. 135 c
πρὼ
γὰρ,
πρὶν
γυμνασθῆναι,
ὁρίζεσθαι
ἐπιχειρεῖς
καλόν
τε
τί
καὶ
δίκαιον
καὶ
ἀγαθόν. -
πλέα
τις: for
τὶς with an adjective, see H. 702 a.
698.
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698.
λέγ᾽,
ἐκδίδασκε : cp. 608, and see note on 56.
701.
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701.
κούφως: with light labor (sc. "on my part"), since it fell to Io (635) to meet their desire. –
ἐχρήζετε : cp. 632 f.
702.
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702.
τὸν
ἀμφ᾽
ἑαυτῆς
ἀθλον : =
ἀμφ᾽
ἑαυτῆς
τὸν
ἑαυτῆς
ἆθλον
ἐξηγουμένης. An attributive of the subject or ob- ject is often modified by the intrusion of a preposition which would natu- rally accompany the predicate. This is most frequent with the prepositions
ἐξ,
ἀπό,
παρά. Cp. Cho. 507
τὸν
ἐκ
βυθοῦ
κλωστῆρα
σῴζοντες
λίνου =
τὸν
ἐν
βυθῷ
κλωστῆρα
λίνου (i.e. net)
σφ-
ζοντες
ἐκ
βυθοῦ, also Ag. 538
κῆρυξ
᾿Ἀχαιῶν
χαῖρε
τῶν
ἀπὸ
στρατοῦ. Krü- ger I. § 50, 8, 10
(cp.
H. 788 a). But it occurs also with other prepositions; thus
εὐσεβεῖν
τὰ
πρὸς
θεούς, Soph. Phil. 1441
