5. ἐπεισόδιον δεύτερον, 513862, with κόμμος, 649-697. 7. ἐπεισόδιον τρίτον, 911-1085. 9. ἐπεισόδιον τέταρτον, 1110-1185. ΙΙ. ἔξοδος, 1223-1530. In reference to a Greek tragedy, we cannot properly speak of 'Acts'; but the πάροδος and the στάσιμα mark the conclusion of chapters in the action. The Oedipus Tyrannus falls into six such chapters. The parts named above are thus defined by Aristotle (Poet. 12): 1. πρόλογος = μέρος ὅλον τραγῳδίας τὸ πρὸ χοροῦ παρόδου, Gall that part of a tragedy which precedes the parodos' (or 'entrance' of the Chorus into the orchestra). 2. πάροδος = ἡ πρώτη λέξις ὅλου χοροῦ, “the first utterance of the whole Chorus.' 3. ἐπεισόδιον = μέρος ὅλον τραγῳδίας τὸ μεταξὺ ὅλων χορικών μελῶν, ‘all that part of a tragedy which comes between whole 'choric songs.' 4. στάσιμον = μέλος χοροῦ τὸ ἄνευ ἀναπαίστου καὶ τροχαίου, ‘a song of the Chorus without anapaests or trochaics. στάσιμον is ‘stationary': στάσιμον μέλος, a song by the Chorus at its station-after it has taken up its place in the orchestra-as distinguished from the πάροδος or entrance-song. 5. ἔξοδος = μέρος ὅλον τραγῳδίας μεθ ̓ ὃ οὐκ ἔστι χοροῦ μέλος, ‘all that part of a tragedy after which there is no song of the Chorus.' Verses 649-697 of the second ἐπεισόδιον form a short κομμός. The Chorus are pleading with Oedipus, lyric measures being mingled with iambic trimeters. Arist. (Poet. 12) defines the κομμός as θρήνος κοινὸς χοροῦ καὶ ἀπὸ σκηνῆς, i.e. a lamentation in which the Chorus (in the orchestra) took part with the actor on the stage. An example of the κoppós on a larger scale is Soph. El. 121-250. ΣΟΦΟΚΛΕΟΥΣ ΟΙΔΙΠΟΥΣ ΤΥΡΑΝΝΟΣ [Scene: Before the palace of Oedipus at Thebes. In front of the large central doors (Barinelos Oúpa) there is an altar; a smaller altar stands also near each of the two side-doors: see v. 16. Suppliants—old men, youths, and young children-are seated on the steps of the altars. They are dressed in white tunics (xɩTŵves) and cloaks (iμária),—their hair bound with white fillets. On the altars they have laid down olivebranches wreathed with fillets of wool. The PRIEST OF ZEUS, a venerable man, is alone standing, facing the central doors of the palace. These are now thrown open: followed by two attendants (πрóσтоλα), who place themselves on either side of the doors, OEDIPUS enters, in the robes of a king: for a moment he gazes silently on the groups at the altars, and then speaks.] ΟΙΔΙΠΟΥΣ. Ω ΤΕΚΝΑ, Κάδμου τοῦ πάλαι νέα τροφή, 1-77 Oedipus asks why they are suppliants. The Priest of Zeus, speaking for the rest, prays him to save them, with the gods' help, from the blight and the plague. Oedipus answers that he has already sent Creon to consult Apollo at Delphi, and will do whatever the god shall bid. 1 véa, last-born (not 'young,' for Téкva includes the old men, v. 17), added for contrast with Toû Táλal. Oedipus, who believes himself a Corinthian (774)—marks his respect for the ancient glories of the Theban house to whose throne he has been called: see esp. 258 f. τpoon=Opéμμara (abstract for concrete): Eur. Cycl. 189 ȧpvŵv τροφαί = ἄρνες ἐκτεθραμμέναι. Cadmus, as guardian genius of Thebes, is still popeús of all who are reared in the δῶμα Καδμείον (ν. 29). = 2 ἕδρας. The word ἕδρα 'posture,' here, as usu., sitting: when kneeling is meant, some qualification is added, as Eur. Ph. 293 γονυπετείς ἕδρας προσπίτνω ', 'I supplicate thee on my knees.' The suppliants are sitting on the steps (Báopa) of the altars, on which they have laid the κλádo: see 142: cp. 15 προσήμεθα, 20 θακεῖ : Aesch. Eum.40 (Orestes a suppliant in the ἱκτηρίοις κλάδοισιν ἐξεστεμμένοι ; πόλις δ' ὁμοῦ μὲν θυμιαμάτων γέμει, ὁμοῦ δὲ παιάνων τε καὶ στεναγμάτων ἁγὼ δικαιῶν μὴ παρ ̓ ἀγγέλων, τέκνα, ἄλλων ἀκούειν αὐτὸς ὧδ ̓ ἐλήλυθα, ὁ πᾶσι κλεινὸς Οἰδίπους καλούμενος. ἀλλ ̓, ὦ γεραιέ, φράζ ̓, ἐπεὶ πρέπων ἔφυς πρὸ τῶνδε φωνεῖν, τίνι τρόπῳ καθέστατε, Delphian temple) ἐπ' ὀμφαλῷ(on the omphalos) ἕδραν ἔχοντα προστρόπαιον...ἐλαίας θ ̓ ὑψιγέννητον κλά δον. θοάζετε prob. = θάσσετε, ‘sit, ἕδρας being cognate acc. In Eur. θοάζω (θεός) always='to hasten (transitive or intrans. ). But Empedocles and Aesch. clearly use Θοάζω as = θάσσω, the sound and form perh. suggesting the epic θαάσσω, θόωκος. See the word discussed at length in large edition, Appendix, Note 2. The 3 ἱκτηρίοις κλάδοισιν. suppliant carried a branch of olive or laurel (ίκετηρία), round which were twined festoons of wool (στέφη, στέμματα, which words can stand for the ἱκετηρία itself, infra 913, Π. Ι. 14). He laid his branch on the altar (Eur. Her. 124 βωμὸν καταστέψαντες), and left it there, if unsuccessful in his petition (Eur. Suppl. 259); if successful, he took it away (ib. 359, infra 143). ἱκτ. κλ. ἐξεστεμμένοι = ἱκτηρίους κλάδους ἐξεστεμμένους ἔχοντες : Xen. Anab. 4. 3. 28 διηγκυλωμένους τοὺς ἀκοντιστὰς καὶ ἐπιβεβλημένους τοὺς τοξότας, “the javelin-throwers with javelins grasped by the thong (ἀγκύλη), and the archers with arrows fitted to the string.' So 19 ἐξεστεμμένον absol., =provided with στέφη (i.e. with ἱκετηρίαι: see last note). 4 ὁμοῦ μέν ὁμοῦ δὲ, “reeks with incense, rings with prayers 5 10 for health and cries of woe.' The verbal contrast is merely between the fumes of incense burnt on the altars as a propitiatory offering, and the sounds-whether of invocations to the Healer, or of despair. 7 άλλων. Redundant, but serving to contrast ἀγγέλων and αὐτός, as if one said, 'from messengers,at second hand. ὧδε = δεῦρο, as often in Soph.: in Tr. 402 βλέφ ὧδε = βλέπε δεύρο. 8 ὁ πᾶσι κλεινὸς... καλούμενος. πᾶσι with κλεινός (cp. 4o and Ai. 440 ἄτιμος ̓Αργείοισιν ὧδ ̓ ἀπόλλυμαι) not with καλούμενος: “called Oedipus famous in the sight of all.' The tone is Homeric (Od. 9. 19 εἴμ' Οδυσεύς...καί μευ κλέος οὐρανὸν ἵκει, imitated by Verg. Aen. I. 378 sum pius Aeneas fama super aethera notus): Oedipus is a type, for the frank heroic age, of Arist.'s μεγαλόψυχος —ὁ μεγάλων αὑτὸν ἀξιῶν, ἄξιος ὤν. 9 ἔφυς, which is more than εἶ, refers, not to appearance (φυή), but to the natural claim (φύσις) of age and office combined. 10 πρὸ τῶνδε, in front of, and so on behalf of,' 'for' these = as their spokesman. τίνι τρόπῳ with καθέστατε only: δείσαντες ἢ στέρξαντες = εἴτε ἐδείσατέ τι, εἴτε ἐστέρξατε (not πότερον δείσαντες; ἢ στέρξαντες;), ‘in what mood are ye set here, whether it be one of fear or of desire?' δείσαντες ἢ στέρξαντες; ὡς θέλοντος ἂν ΙΕΡΕΥΣ. ἀλλ ̓, ὦ κρατύνων Οἰδίπους χώρας ἐμῆς, βωμοῖσι τοῖς σοῖς, οἱ μὲν οὐδέπω μακρὰν 11 στέρξαντες, having formed a desire' the aor. part., as Ai. 212 ἐπεί σε στέρξας ἀνέχει (Fis constant to the love which he hath formed for thee”) and El. 1 1oo καὶ τί βουληθεὶς πάρει; Cp. O. C. 1093 καὶ τὸν ἀγρευτὴν ̓Απόλλω | καὶ κασιγνήταν... στέργω διπλᾶς ἀρωγὰς | μου λεῖν, I desire': where, in such an invocation (ἰΖεῦ,...πόροις, κ.τ.λ.), στέργω surely cannot mean, I am content. Oed.asks: 'Does this supplication mean that some new dread has seized you (δείσαντες)? Or that ye have set your hearts (στέρξαντες) on some particular boon which Í can grant?'-Others render σTÉPξαντες having acquiesced. This admits of two views. (i) 'Are ye afraid of suffering? Or have ye already learned to bear suffering?' But this seems unmeaning. knows that the suffering has come, and he does not suppose that they are resigned to it (cp. v. 58). (ii) Prof. Kennedy connects ἢ στέρξαντες ὡς θέλοντος ἂν κ.τ.λ., i.. are ye come...in contentment, as believing that, &c.? But (a) it appears hardly consonant with the kingly courtesy of this opening speech for Oedipus to assume that their belief in his good-will would reconcile them to their present miseries. (6) We seem to require some direct and express intimation of the king's willingness to help. (c) The rhythm seems to favour the question at στέρξαντες. He 15 στέξαντες, explained as ' having endured,' may be rejected as a form unknown to Attic, and as giving no suitable sense. ὡς θέλοντος ἂν (to be connected with φράζε) implies the apodosis of a conditional sentence. Grammatically, this might be either (α) εἰ δυναίμην, θέλοιμι ἄν, or (6) εἰ ἠδυνάμην, ἤθελον ἄν: here, the sense fixes it to (α). ὡs, thus added to the gen. absol., expresses the supposition on which the agent acts. Cp. Xen. Mem. 2. 6. 32 ὡς οὐ προσοίσοντος (ἐμοῦ) τὰς χεῖρας,...δίδασκε : Id. Anab. I. 3. 6 ὡς ἐμοῦ ἰόντος ὅπη ἂν καὶ ὑμεῖς, οὕτω τὴν γνώμην ἔχετε: O. T. 145, 241: O. C. 1651: Ant. 1179: El. 316: Tr. 394: Ai. 281, 904: Med. 1311. 13 μὴ οὐ κατοικτείρων. Απ infinitive or participle which for any reason would regularly take μή, usually takes μὴ οὐ, if the principal verb of the sentence is negative. Here δυσάλγητος = οὐκ εὐάλγητος: Dem. F. L. § 123 (πόλεις) χαλεπαὶ λαβεῖν...μὴ οὐ χρόνῳ καὶ πολιορκίᾳ (sc. λαβόντι), where χαλεπαί= οὐ ῥᾴδιαι. μὴ οὐ κατοικτείρων is a participial protasis, = εἰ μὴ κατοικτείροιμι. 14 αλλά, ‘nay, or well, can begin a speech even where there is no evident opposition of ideas: e.g. Xen. Anab. 3. I. 35, 45: 3. 2. 33. 16 βωμοῖσι τοῖς σοῖς. The altars of the προστατήριοι θεοί in front πτέσθαι σθένοντες, οἱ δὲ σὺν γήρᾳ βαρεῖς, of the palace, including that of 17 σὺν γήρᾳ βαρεῖς = βαρεῖς ὡς γήρᾳ συνόντες. Ο. C. 1663 σὺν νόσοις | ἀλγεινός: Αi. Ιοιη ἐν γήρᾳ βαρύς: Verg. Aen. 6. 359 madida cum veste gravatum; ib.4.441 validam cum robore quercum; ib. 5.179 madidaque fluens in veste Menoetes. 18 ἐγὼ μὲν. The answering clause, οἱ δὲ ἄλλων θεῶν, must be supplied mentally. It is slightly different when μέν, used alone, emphasizes the personal pronoun, as in ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἶδα Xen. Cyr. 1. 4. 12. ᾐθέων, unmarried youths : Π. 18. 593 ήίθεοι καὶ παρθένοι: Eur. Ph. 944 Αίμονος γάμοι | σφαγὰς ἀπείργουσ ̓ οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἤθεος. ... 19 ἐξεστεμμένον, ' with wreathed branches': see on 3. 20 ἀγοραῖσι, local dative; cp. 1266, 1451: El. 174 ἔτι μέγας οὐρανῷ Ζεύς: ib. 244 ὁ μὲν θανὼν γα τε καὶ οὐδὲν ὤν (buried and extinct'): ib. 313 νῦν δ ̓ ἀγροῖσι τυγχάνει. So in prose of towns, as ̓Αθήνησι, Θήβησι: Ολυμπίασι καὶ Δελφοῖς, Thuc. I. 143. Thompson, Synt. § 124 B. Thebes was divided from N. to S. into two parts by the torrent 20 between the Strophia and the Dircè, was the upper town or Cadmeia: the E. part, between the Strophia and the Ismenus, was ή κάτω πόλις. The name Καδμεία was given especially to the S. eminence of the upper town, the acropolis. (1) One of the dyopai meant here was on a hill to the N. of the acropolis, and was the ἀγορὰ Καδμείας. (2) The other I was in the lower town. It was a Thessalian custom to have two άγοραί, - one, ἐλευθέρα, from which everything βάναυσον was excluded. πρός τε Παλλάδος ναοῖς. Not 'both at the two temples,' &c., as if this explained αγοραῖσι, but 'and,' &c., for the dyopal would have their own altars of the ȧyoραῖοι θεοί, as of Artemis (161). One of the διπλοί ναοί may be that οἱ Παλλὰς Ογκα, near the Ὀγκαία πύλη on the W. side of Thebes (πύλας | Ογκας ̓Αθάνας Aesch. Theb. 487, Ογκα Παλλάς ib. 501), whose statue and altar ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ Paus. mentions. The other temple may be that of Athene Kadμεία or of Athene Ισμηνία-both mentioned by the schol., but not by Paus. It was enough for Soph. that his Athenian hearers would think of the Erechtheum and the Parthenon - the shrines of the Polias and the Parthenos-above them on the acropolis. 21 ἐπ ̓ Ισμ. μ. σποδῷ, where Ismenus gives answer by fire.' 'The oracular ashes of Ismenus' = the altar in the temple of Apollo Ισμήνιος, where divination by burnt called Strophia. The W. part, offerings was practised. Cp. Her. |