Heracleidae by Euripides

Iolaus, an older gentleman, has taken it upon himself to protect the children of Heracles, who has been killed.  He has wandered from country to country seeking refuge for himself and the two boys and a girl, who are being pursued by the Argives.   He arrives before the altar of Zeus in Marathon, believing that here at last he will be able to find refuge and protection.

At first, it appears that Demophon, the King of Marathon, will allow him to stay, but shortly Corpeus, a representative of the Argives, arrives demanding that the refugees be surrendered to him.  When Demophon refuses, Corpeus leaves, but returns with an army of Argives.  Eurystheus, King of the Argives, is demanding that a young woman of noble birth be sacrificed to appease him and buy the safety of Heracles’ offspring.  Iolaus offers himself, but Eurystheus would gain nothing by the death of “one so old,” so this is not acceptable.

Macaria, daughter of Heracles, offers herself in order for her brothers to live.  I’m not clear on why it happens, but a battle erupts in spite of her sacrifice.  Alcmena, grandmother to the children arrives on the scene. Iolaus decides that he must join the battle even though he is elderly.  The Argives lose, and it is reported that Iolaus was as a young man again while he fought.

Eurystheus is brought, bound before Alcmena.  She wants him killed and says she will do it herself if no one else will.  Eurystheus defends his actions in trying to kill the children of Heracles.  Even though he is actually related to them, he felt he had to kill them because they would hate him for killing their father.  He claims to have been afflicted with this determination by Hera.  Eventually, he is taken away to be killed.

Observations:

*Euripides once again exhibits his notion that the only noble thing a woman can do is to die sacrificially.  This seems to be an on-going theme for him.  …here I offer my life freely and without constraint, and for my brothers and myself I undertake to die.  For I, by loving not my life too well, have found a treasure very fair, a glorious means to leave it.

*The difficulty of accepting one’s declining strength as one ages is demonstrated in Iolaus’ desire to fight.  In his case, something miraculous happens, and he actually becomes young and strong again.  …he is a hero whom the gods delight to honour…he hath passed from age to youth once more.  Fantasy!  Reverse aging only happens in fiction.

*I know the temper and nature of these citizens; they would rather die, for honour ranks before mere life with men of worth.  Marathon is described elsewhere in the play as a “free city.”  Here hast thou found men and a free city, that feared not thee.  I suppose this means that it was a democracy, although it had a king.  The founding fathers of the United States had probably read this and other early Greek works espousing the idea that freedom was worth personal sacrifice.  I just wish that in Euripides’ works it was the men, and not so frequently the women, who were ready to put their lives on the line.

Alcestis by Euripides

At the rate I am going there is no way I will get through all of the Great Book Series before I expire.  I am seriously considering skipping over the rest of the works of Euripides.  I don’t like his attitude toward women.  In two of his prior works, he has expressed that it would be great if men could procreate without involving women.  In Alcestis, he apparently concedes the necessity of women to bring about off-spring, but I’m not so sure that he isn’t pleased with the notion of them dying shortly after they accomplish this function.

Admetus has been doomed to die unless he can get someone to take his place and go to Hades for him.  No one steps forward to do this.  He is miffed at his parents.  They are old anyway….shouldn’t they be willing to die for him?  He says this in so many words to his elderly father.

His dear precious wife, mother of his children, is the only one who loves him enough to die for him.  A considerable part of the play is taken up with her taking leave of her husband and children and bemoaning her fate.  She extracts a promise from Admetus that he will not remarry, because she is concerned about how a stepmother would treat her children.  He promises to remain true to her even after she is gone.  He will have an image of her made and hold that in his arms.

Shortly after she actually dies, Hercules arrives on the scene.  He is on his way to accomplish one of his Herculean tasks, and he is looking for lodging from his friend Admetus.  Admetus doesn’t want to be inhospitable, so he doesn’t let on to Hercules that his wife his just died.  Hercules eventually figures out that everyone is in mourning, and that he is being a bit too jovial for the occasion.

Hercules manages to ambush Death and return Alcestis to her home.  However, she is not allowed to speak for three days, and he presents her to Admetus veiled and without explaining who she really is.  Admetus repeatedly refuses to take this woman into his home lest he be disloyal to his recently deceased wife.  Eventually he figures out that it is his wife, and he is overjoyed.

Observations:

What a wimp!  I thought men were supposed to protect their wives.  He seems to think it is just fine if she dies for him.

Euripides apparently likes women either dead or unable to speak.

His real point apparently is stated in the closing paragraph:  Many are the shapes that fortune takes, and oft the gods bring things to pass beyond our expectation.  That which we deemed so sure is not fulfilled, while for that we never thought should be, God finds out a way.

Hippolytus by Euripides

Aphrodite, also known as Cypris, is no fan of Hippolytus.  As goddess of love, she is not pleased with Hippolytus, who carefully avoids romantic entanglements and has dedicated himself to the goddess Artemis, who is a virgin.

Hippolytus is the son of Theseus, who is married to Phaedra, but she is not his mother.  Aphrodite causes Phaedra to fall in love with her stepson.  Phaedra is horrified by the feelings she cannot control.  She is an honorable woman and wants to be faithful to her husband.  She is so ill with these conflicting emotions that she stops eating, and her attendants fear for her life.

Phaedra’s nurse, who is her confidante, eventually convinces Phaedra to tell her why she is pining away.  Unfortunately, Phaedra’s nurse tells Hippolytus.  Her intentions are to help her mistress, but Hippolytus reacts with anger.  Now that her secret is out, Phaedra is really distraught.

Just prior to her husband’s return from a journey, Phaedra kills herself leaving a note that accuses Hippolytus of violating her.  Theseus believes what Phaedra has said in the note rather than Hippolytus’ declarations that he is innocent and he banishes Hippolytus. 

Theseus has been given the gift of three wishes to be granted by the god Poseidon.  He wishes for the death of Hippolytus, and so it happens, that while Hippolytus is traveling along a shoreline, a massive wave engulfs him.  His horses run wild, and he is dragged.  He is returned to Theseus, and as he is dying continues to insist that he is innocent of Phaedra’s charges.

Artemis appears to Theseus as Hippolytus is dying and explains what has transpired.  Artemis lays the blame on Aphrodite.  Theseus begs forgiveness from Hippolytus and Hippolytus forgives him just before he dies.

Interesting quotes:

…I put no faith in counsellors, who know well to lecture others for presumption, yet themselves have countless troubles of their own.  (Phaedra)

Great Zeus, why didst thou, to man’s sorrow, put woman, evil counterfeit, to dwell where shines the sun?  If thou wert minded that the human race should multiply, it was not from women they should have drawn their stock, but in thy temples they should have paid gold or iron or ponderous bronze and bought a family…and so in independence dwelt, from women free. (Hippolytus)

I hate a clever woman; never may she set foot in my house who aims at knowing more than women need.  (Hippolytus)

I can never satisfy my hate for women, no! not even though some say this is ever my theme, for of a truth they always are evil.  (Hippolytus)

On thee in chief this storm of woe hath burst, yet is it some grief to me as well; for when the righteous die, there is no joy in heaven, albeit we try to destroy the wicked, house and home.  (Artemis speaking to Theseus)

O, that the race of men could bring a curse upon the gods! (Hippolytus)

So….I really don’t like Hippolytus.  He is a major misogynist.  I am also feeling negative about Euripides.  This is the second play I have read in which he expresses that mankind would be better off if men could procreate without women.  The Great Books contain 19 of his plays.  I’m only on the third one and hoping that this is not his persistent theme.  In any event, his point is moot.  So far…women are a necessity for making babies.  It will be a sad world if that changes.

Medea by Euripides

You know that expression, "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?"  Let me tell you about Medea.


Medea married Jason after helping him to succeed in and survive certain adventures.  She left her homeland and came to live with him in Corinth, and eventually they had two sons.  As the play opens, she is grieving because he has left her for the daughter of King Creon of Corinth.  Medea is a sorceress with some pretty scary powers.  It seems to me that Jason should have known better than to cross her.


He tries to convince her that he has entered into this relationship with the king's daughter in order to secure their position in the kingdom and cause their sons to be half brothers to the royal family.  Medea doesn't buy it...particularly since he did not discuss this plan with her ahead of time.  She plots to kill Creon, his daughter, Jason and their two sons....her own children.  


In order to accomplish this, she feigns acceptance of the situation and apologizes for her prior conduct.  She tells Jason to take their two sons to meet his new wife and offer her presents.  The presents she sends are an embroidered robe and a golden crown on which spells have been cast.  The person who wears them will die most painfully, their flesh ripping off of their bones.


The princess who is to be Jason's bride dons the garments and the curse begins.  As she is dying, her father is called.  He embraces her and is caught up in the spell also.  As soon as a messenger comes to tell Medea of the death of Creon and his daughter, she kills her own two sons rather than have them killed by Creon's loyal subjects.  Jason arrives and begs to be allowed to bury his sons, but Medea is determined to take them away with her.  Medea leaves on a chariot drawn by dragons.


Some interesting quotes from this play:
...the greatest safeguard this when wife and husband do agree; but now their love is all turned to hate, and tenderest ties are weak.  (Medea's nurse)  This is an interesting phenomenon.  Passionate love turns to passionate hate.


Art learning only now, that every single man cares for himself more than for his neighbour, some from honest motives, others for mere gain's sake?  (Attendant to Medea's children)  I'm having a little difficulty with just what "honest motive" would cause one to care most for himself.


Some think me clever and hate me, others say I am too reserved, and some the very reverse; others find me hard to please and not so very clever at all.  (Medea)  Strong and clever women do have this problem.  They pose a threat to some, while other appreciate their gifts.


Yea, men should have begotten children from some other source, no female race existing; thus would no evil ever have fallen on mankind.  (Jason)  Now there's an interesting perspective!  I am pretty sure that the male of the species left to his own devices would have found a way to be evil.


A villain's gifts can bring no blessing. (Medea)  Perhaps the villain intends no blessing, but a gift is still a gift.  I heard a story once about a poor elderly woman who prayed for food.  A neighbor who didn't believe in God overheard her and brought her some food.  He could not resist taunting her that God had not answered her prayer.  She replied, "God sent the food, even if the devil did deliver it."

Rhesus by Euripides

This is another play that is set in the Trojan War.  Hector and his troops and allies are camped outside of the walls of Troy.  They have just won a decisive victory over the Argives and have in mind to finish off the job tomorrow.  Word reaches Hector that there are fires burning all night in the camp of the invaders, and some think they may be preparing to take to their ships and sneak away under cover of darkness.  Hector sends Dolon to spy on them and determine their intent.  He does not want them to escape without inflicting further losses.  Dolon plans to sneak through the enemy camp hiding under a wolf skin.


Before Dolon returns, Rhesus and his troops arrive to help Hector.  Hector is really conflicted by this.  He has previously begged Rhesus for his help and is not pleased that Rhesus is arriving just in time to deliver the final blow.  Both Hector and Rhesus speak their minds openly.  When Rhesus reveals that he has been trying to come for years and was prevented by various battles that needed to be fought along the way, Hector gives in to the offer of his help.  The plan is to attack in the morning, so Rhesus and his men go to sleep.


Dolon never returns, because he has been captured and killed by Odysseus, who is on the Argive side.  Now Odysseus and Diomedes are sneaking around spying on the Trojans.  They kill Rhesus and steal his horses.  The charioteer of Rhesus accuses Hector of treachery since they were supposedly safely within Trojan lines.  The real treachery is from the goddess Athena who has been assisting Odysseus.


Rhesus was the son of a Muse who understands that his death would not have occurred without Athena's help.  The play ends with the Muse caring for Rhesus' burial, and Hector preparing to attack the enemies of Troy.


Interesting quotes:
Aeneas:  ...among mortals the same man is not dowered by nature with universal knowledge; each hath his special gift appointed him, thine is arms, anothers is sage counsel.  


Chorus:  Beware of what may chance; full oft doth fortune veer.  A little classier way of saying "Don't count your chickens before they hatch."


Hector:  I loathe the friend who brings his help too late.


So...the burning question which the play doesn't answer....Did some one shoot Dolon with an arrow or spear him, because they thought he was a wolf or because he was recognized as a spy?

Philoctetes by Sophocles

Poor Philoctetes....all of these Greek plays seem to have someone who has gotten the short end of the stick.  In this play it is Philoctetes who has been dealt a bitter lot by the gods.  He was once a mighty warrior, particularly skilled with bow and arrow, but following a viper bite on his foot which did not heal, he became odious to his comrades.  He was abandoned on a deserted and rarely visited island to fend for himself.  The reason given was that they could not properly make sacrifices and burn incense to the gods with someone in their company who had such a repugnant and putrefying wound.  I suppose the odor of the wound would have risen heavenward with the incense and aroma of the sacrifice, and therefore, made the sacrifice displeasing to the gods.


At least a decade has passed during which time, Philoctetes has lived in a cave and survived by hunting game with his bow and arrow.  But now, things have changed.  A prophet has declared that Troy will not be won without the skills of Philoctetes as an archer.  Odysseus, who was in the party that first abandoned  him, has now come to retrieve him.  Odysseus knows the resentment that Philoctetes will feel toward him and believes that he will only consent if he is tricked into it.


Odysseus enlists the help of Neoptolemus, a man unknown to Philoctetes.  Neoptolemus is a man who has a conscience and believes in telling the truth.  Initially, he does not want to be part of deception, but Odysseus convinces him that it is for the greater good.


When Philoctetes returns to his cave, he encounters Neoptolemus, who spins a convincing tale.  Philoctetes believes that Neoptolemus will take him back to his own country.  He even allows Neoptolemus to hold his bow while he rests.  But, Neoptolemus cannot fight his conscience indefinitely.  When Philoctetes awakens from his rest, Neoptolemus spills out the truth.


Odysseus arrives on the scene and is very angry.  An argument ensues.  In the end Heracles appears in the sky above them with a message from Zeus.  If Philoctetes will go with Odysseus and Neoptolemus to Troy, his horrible wound will be healed, he will help to defeat the Trojans and will be a hero.  Philoctetes consents.


Does the end justify the means?  In this play, the question is not really resolved.  A messenger from the gods swoops in at the crucial moment and tidies up the mess created by the lies.  We don't know whether the deception of Odysseus or the honesty of Neoptolemus would have brought about the best result.


Interesting quotes:
Odysseus: ...our honesty shall be shown forth another time.  But now lend thyself to me for one little knavish day, and then, through all thy days to come, be called the most righteous of mankind.


Neoptolemus:  But my wish, O King, is to do right and miss my aim, rather than succeed by evil ways.


Philoctetes:  ..wherein shall I praise them, when, praising the ways of the gods, I find that the gods are evil?


My thoughts?


I guess Odysseus hasn't figured out that if you ever lie, you have given others a reason to question you forever after.  Once your deceit is known, there is no hope of being thought righteous in the future...unless, there is some life-altering experience, followed by years of rejecting evil.  And even then.......others will be thinking,  "hmmm...I wonder...."


And here we are again with those Greek gods who are no better than the humans they manipulate.  What is the point of having capricious gods who have no moral standard?  The only purpose would be to try to explain the pain and suffering in the world.  But, they offer no genuine healing from it.  There is no Savior and no assurance of a better world after this one.  These gods are useless.

Trachiniae by Sophocles

Deianeira was, as a young woman, very beautiful.  The river god Achelous, who sometimes appeared as a bull and other times as a snake, wished to marry her.  Heracles (in Rome known as Hercules) desired her also, and killed the river god in order to marry her himself. 


While she was crossing a river carried by a Centaur named Nessus, the Centaur attempted to violate her and was also killed by Heracles.  As he was dying, he told Deianeira to take some of his clotted blood.  From it she could make a potion which would cause Heracles to only love and be faithful to her.


Fast forward many years.  Deianeira is waiting for Heracles to return after an absence of 15 months.  She is apparently now at least middle-aged, as she has grown children.  Before Heracles enters the city, the spoils of war precede him.  Among them is a beautiful young woman who has been taken captive.  Deianeira pities her and is interested in her story.  Eventually she learns the truth that the girl Iole is the reason Heracles recently destroyed a city, and that he intends Iole to also be his wife.


Deianeira fakes acceptance of this, but then sends a robe to Heracles which she has treated with the potion given to her by Nessus many years earlier.  She gives instructions to the messenger to ask Heracles to wear it as he makes sacrifices to the gods.  Heracles complies.  The robe tightens around his body sucking the life out of him and causing agonizing pain.
  
Deianeira now realizes that the Centaur has tricked her.  Heracles will never look at another woman, because he won't be alive to do so.  The Centaur has reached out from the grave to extract his revenge.  Deianeira commits suicide.


Heracles begs his son to put him on a funeral pyre, even though he is still alive, and so end his misery.  He also makes his son promise that he will marry Iole.  His son Hyllus protests, but eventually gives in to his father's demands.  Hyllus exits chanting, No man foresees the future; but the present is fraught with mourning for us, and with shame for the powers above, and verily with anguish beyond compare for him who endures this doom.


Something tells me there is a sequel to this story....or there ought to be.


Also,  it isn't smart to believe what a Centaur tells you.


And, it is even less smart to replace your middle-aged wife with a young beauty.  Ever since I was a teenager, I have wondered how smart men can be so dumb when it comes to women.

Electra by Sophocles

My own personal "Greek tragedies" have recently hindered me from reading the classic ones.  I read Electra some weeks ago, but didn't have the time to write about it, so today I skimmed through and refreshed my memory.


Electra is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.  Agamemnon was killed by Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus, who are now ruling in his place.  Chrysothemis who is Electra's sister has chosen to quietly accept this difficult situation.  Orestes, their brother, was spirited off to another country for his safety many years ago.  Electra cannot let go of the injustice that was done and spends her life in mourning very openly.  This is, of course, viewed as a display of defiance by Aegisthus and Clytemnestra, so she suffers hardship under them.


During the course of the story, Orestes returns grown-up and unrecognized.  He and his friend Pylades avenge Agamemnon's death by killing both Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.  The bulk of the play, however, is really about Electra's constant expression of grief and whether one should quietly accept ones circumstances or constantly rail against them.


When I was about 19, I went through a phase where I thought one should always express how one was actually feeling and not put on a good front to hide inner misery.  What I quickly discovered is that this approach is a slippery slope spiraling downward into the pit of despair.  Each expression of misery gives rise to deeper misery.  Conversely each expression of joy elevates ones spirit.  Showing interest in others can bolster a gloomy mood.  Looking for something positive or beautiful counteracts sorrow.


I am in favor of being honest, but I am not in favor of clinging to misery, since it usually makes a person non-functional too.  It is a rotten way to live.


Be advised to say no more; canst thou not see what conduct it is which already plunges thee so cruelly in self-made miseries?  Thou hast greatly aggravated thy troubles, ever breeding wars with thy sullen soul..."  (the chorus to Electra)


Go out and take a walk.  Observe the beauty of the world around you.
Listen to the laughter of playing children.
Lose yourself in a good book.
Play uplifting music.
Find a way to be helpful to someone else.
Clean something that is dirty enough that you can see the difference.


Stay off the slippery slope leading to the black pit of hopelessness!
Do not follow the example of Electra.

Ajax by Sophocles

Ajax is another miserable fellow...not quite as miserable as Oedipus, but certainly ill-fated.


The goddess Athena is rooting for Odysseus and against Ajax, so she causes Ajax to think that a herd of cattle are enemy soldiers.  He proceeds to slaughter some and take others back to his tent to be tortured to death.  All the while, he is thinking he will gain favor with his allies, because of his dominance over the enemy.  Instead, everyone thinks he has lost his mind.


His wife Tecmessa has apparently developed affection for and loyalty to him, even though she was originally spoils of a previous battle.  They have a son together (Eurysaces), and she is, of course, concerned for his well-being and future.  When Ajax eventually comes to his senses, she is doubly grieved.  She explains that while he was living in a fantasy, at least he was happy, and only those who cared for him were sad.  Now that he realizes what he has done, he himself is grieved, and his friends are still grieved, so matters are worse than before.


Ajax decides that he must kill himself.  'Tis base for a man to crave the full term of life, who finds no varying in his woes.  What joy is there in day following day--now pushing us forward, now drawing us back, on the verge--of death?...One of the generous strain should nobly live, or forthwith nobly die...


Tecmessa pleads for her own sake and that of their son, that he not commit suicide.  Since he has ravaged her country, and her mother and father are dead, her welfare hangs on him.  ...have thought for me also:  a true man should cherish remembrance, if anywhere he reap a joy.... But whosoever suffers the memory of benefits, to slip from him, that man can no more rank as noble.


Eventually Ajax does kill himself.  An argument occurs regarding whether or not his corpse should be buried.  If you have read Antigone, that should sound familiar.


Interestingly, his enemy Odysseus intervenes and declares that he should be buried.  To me also this man was once the worst foe in the army...yet, for all that he was such toward me, never would I requite him with indignity....When a brave man is dead, 'tis not right to do him scathe--no, not even if thou hate him....His worth weighs with me far more than his enmity.


Interesting themes:
Tecmessa makes the point that suicide is a selfish act.  It is an easy out for the person who commits it.  It leaves his family and friends behind to grieve.  Is that "noble?"
Odysseus' feelings of hatred do not extend beyond the grave.  He takes the measure of the man's life.  Ajax was a worthy adversary, and so he is willing to honor him in death.


The chorus has the final word:  Many things shall mortals learn by seeing; but, before he sees, no man may read the future or his fate.


We human beings are stuck in one dimensional, one direction time.  The future is hidden.  Sometimes we think we would like to see it.  It's probably best that we don't.

Antigone by Sophocles

Back to the Great Books...


Antigone and Ismene, the daughters of the ill-fated Oedipus and his wife/mother, have just seen their brothers Polyneices and Eteocles kill one another.  Creon, who is brother to their deceased mother and now King of Thebes, has declared that Eteocles died defending Thebes and will be buried with honor, but Polyneices was a traitor whose body must be left for the dogs and birds.  Creon has issued a decree that anyone who attempts to bury Polyneices will be killed.


Antigone and Ismene disagree on an appropriate course of action.  Antigone is a spunky lady with a strong sense of what is right. Ismene counsels her:  ...we were born women, as who should not strive with men....we must obey in all things, and in things yet sorer.  Antigone is not swayed by Ismene and determines that she will bury Polyneices herself no matter what the consequences.


King Creon is a pompous fellow who can't believe anyone would willfully disobey his decree, but he orders guards to make sure that Polyneices' body is left unburied.  He is convinced that people will do pretty much anything for the right amount of money, and that someone might pay to have Polyneices buried.  Nothing so evil as money ever grew to be current among men.


A guard arrives in fear for his life, because he must tell Creon that an attempt to cover the body has been made.  Creon is accusatory with the guard and demands that the offender be found and brought to him.



The action is paused while the chorus philosophies about man and his skill, cleverness and yet helplessness in the face of death.


Shortly the guard returns with Antigone who has been caught spreading dust on the body.  She does not deny her actions.  Creon is incredulous that she would defy him.  He tells her that all of Thebes agrees with him and does not share her view.  She retorts that:  All here would own that they thought it well, were not their lips sealed by fear. ....they curb their tongues for thee.


Someone has seen Antigone and Ismene talking and the assumption is made that Ismene agrees with Antigone's actions and must die too.  Although she did not agree, Ismene is willing to stand with her sister and die.  Antigone rejects this and says that Ismene can serve her best by living.  Ismene pleads with Creon for Antigone's life.  She points out that Antigone is engaged to Creon's son Haemon.  But, Creon does not want an "evil wife" for his son.


Haemon arrives and speaks to Creon.  Initially he seems totally submissive to the will of his father as King of Thebes.  However, he works around to telling his father that rigidly adhering to a course of action against wise counsel from others is folly..  ...though a man be wise, 'tis no shame for him to learn many things, and to bend in season...forego thy wrath; permit thyself to change.  They argue, and Haemon leaves.  Creon refuses to change his mind and orders Antigone to be brought for death, specifically he declares that she is to be entombed alive in a rock vault.


The blind prophet Teiresias enters the scene and sways Creon.  After some bickering Creon does relent.  Ah, me,  'tis hard, but I resign my cherished resolve--I obey.  We must not wage a vain war with destiny.  He declares that he will go himself to release Antigone.


Unfortunately, destiny has already come crashing down on Creon.  Antigone has hanged herself in the vault where she has been entombed.  Haemon, in grief, has stabbed himself and died by her side.  Creon's wife Eurydice, hearing of the death of her son, has also killed herself.


Creon departs with:  lead me away..a rash foolish man...all is amiss with that which is in my hands.


The final chorus:  Wisdom is the supreme part of happiness and reverence to the gods must be inviolate.  Great words of prideful men are ever punished with great blows, and, in old age, teach the chastened to be wise.


Or...


As the Bible puts it...the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do his commandments.  Psalm 111:10


Sophocles and the Bible should be required reading for politicians!  I fear that "all is amiss" in the hands of those currently running our government.

Oedipus at Colonus

Getting back to the “Great Books,” I just finished Oedipus at Colonus.  Blind and wretched Oedipus is being led about by his daughter Antigone, and they end up at Colonus, just outside of Athens.  Oedipus begs King Theseus of Athens to protect him and his daughters (Ismene has also joined him).  Oedipus retells his story convincing King Theseus that his sins were unintentional and that he, therefore, deserves the sympathy and help of Theseus.  To this Theseus agrees….and just in the nick of time, for shortly Creon arrives and snatches Antigone and Ismene away.  Theseus and his men pursue and return the girls to their father.

After this, Polyneices, Oedipus’ elder son arrives and tries to convince his father to return home to Thebes.  Oedipus refuses, being convinced that Polyneices means him harm, and that his destiny is at Colonus.

Oedipus believes that his death is impending and that he is meant to die in a place and manner unknown to anyone but Theseus.   This is to bring peace and blessing on Theseus and his kingdom.  He and Theseus exit out of the view of Antigone, Ismene and the local elders.  When Theseus returns Oedipus is not with him.  Theseus will not reveal the location of his tomb.

Interesting passages:

Oedipus:  ‘Tis little to lift age, when youth was ruined.  By this he means that having had his early years ruined by tragedy he didn’t see coming and couldn’t prevent, being exalted in old age has little meaning.  I don’t think I agree with this.  Salvation is still salvation, even if it is at the stroke of midnight.

The chorus:  No man is visited by fate, if he requites deeds which were first done to himself; deceit on the one part matches deceits on the other, and gives pain, instead of benefit, for reward.  Seeking revenge usually turns out badly!  Strange how centuries later, men have to keep relearning this principle.

Oedipus:  And, had these daughters not been born to be my comfort, verily I had been dead, for aught of help from thee (spoken to Polyneices).  Now, these girls preserve me, these my nurses, these who are men, not women, in true service:  but ye are aliens, and no sons of mine.  Well, here’s something that is almost universally true in present times.  Generally, it is the daughters who provide care to aging parents, not the sons.  There are, of course, exceptions, but the role of caregiver typically falls to the oldest or geographically nearest daughter.

Messenger:  But by what doom Oedipus perished, no man can tell, save Theseus alone.  No fiery thunderbolt of the god removed him in that hour, nor any rising of storm from the sea, but either a messenger from the gods, or the world of the dead, the nether adamant, riven for him in love, without pain.  For the passing of the man was not with lamentation, or in sickness and suffering, but, above mortal’s, wonderful.  So after a life of agony, Oedipus passed through death and beyond without pain and suffering.  I don’t know of anyone who wants to go through pain and suffering.  We all hope for a sudden and painless end.  The problem is that most of us don’t get our wish.  It seems appropriate that given the suffering of his early life, Oedipus should have a more peaceful end.

But, this is just a story.  

Oedipus...Most Miserable of Men

Alas, poor Oedipus.   No matter how hard he tried to do right, it ended up all wrong.


Now, there have been times in my life when I felt as though the harder I tried to do right, the worse my predicament became.  But, I just finished reading Oedipus, the King, by Sophocles, and I have never, NEVER been as miserable as poor Oedipus.


When Oedipus was born, a prophet predicted that he would someday kill his father and marry his mother.  Therefore, shortly after his birth his parents, who were king and queen of Thebes, sent him with a servant to be abandoned on a mountain, supposing that he would die there.  However, by a series of circumstances, which might have at the time seemed fortuitous for the helpless infant, he ended up in another land as the adopted child of the king and queen.


Eventually he heard a rumor that he was adopted, but when he questioned his parents, they denied it.  As he became an adult, a prophet again predicted that he would kill his father and marry his mother.  Not wanting to be guilty of anything so vile, he decided that he must leave those he supposed to be his parents.


Unhappy man that he was, he headed for Thebes.  On the way he ran into the king of Thebes and had an altercation in which he killed him, thus fulfilling the first part of the prophecy.  Eventually the second was fulfilled also, as he married the queen of Thebes who was, in fact, his biological mother.  They were married long enough to have four children before the disaster became apparent.


Everything in Thebes was going badly...crops were failing, disease was rampant.  When counsel was sought of prophets, they declared that someone who had committed a vile deed was among them  Being a conscientious king, Oedipus decided this evil must be brought to light no matter who the guilty party was.


When his guilt was revealed, he was filled with self-loathing.  His mother/wife committed suicide, and he blinded himself by stabbing his eyes with her brooch pins.


My high school Latin teacher apparently didn't have this quite right.  He declared to us that Oedipus had gouged out his own eyeballs.  He thought a reenactment of this should involve Oedipus throwing two grapes into the audience.  (But then, he was strange in multiple ways.)


You have got to feel sorry for the guy....that is, Oedipus, not my Latin teacher.  Each step he took in what appeared to be the right direction was, in fact, the next step toward horrific grief.


The last paragraph of the play, which is spoken by the chorus is:
...while our eyes wait to see the destined final day, we must call no one happy who is of mortal race, until he hath crossed life's border, free from pain.


The truth is that none of us crosses life's border free from pain.


Another sorry spectacle, Job, in the Old Testament, said:
Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward.


We live in a troubled, fallen world full of pain.  Current events make that abundantly clear.  How do we keep from blinding ourselves?  How do we awaken each day and see the agony that surrounds us.


Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:2-3)

Eumenides

Eumenides by Aeschylus is the last play in a trilogy about Agamemnon and his dysfunctional family.  In the second episode Orestes had killed his mother Clytemnestra in response to her murdering his father Agamemnon.  Orestes has wandered the earth seeking atonement.  Apollo has been his guide and champion in obtaining cleansing from his guilt.  Apollo had also directed him to carry out the murder.

The chorus in Eumenides is composed of the Furies, who are avenging spirits.  They rail against Apollo and the atonement of anyone who has murdered his mother.  Orestes believes he was justified in this act, because his mother had killed his father.  The Furies believe that his was the greater sin, because he shared common blood with his mother.

Orestes appeals to the goddess Athena who convenes a jury to hear the evidence.  Apollo argues Orestes’ case.  One of his arguments is that the father actually “begets” and the mother is only a vessel in which the planted seed grows.  So, Orestes had a greater tie to his father than to his mother.  Apollo’s lack of knowledge of reproductive science notwithstanding, when the jury casts their votes,  the count shows they are split evenly.  Athena casts the deciding ballot in favor of Orestes being acquitted.

The Furies are distraught.  The reason for their upset is not exactly altruistic.  It isn’t just that Orestes has gotten away with murdering his mother, it is also that they have lost the argument, and so believe, that their influence and respect given them will be diminished.  Athena convinces the Furies to become protectors of the city of Athens, and thus, to receive honor.  Eventually they are convinced, Zeus is praised, and all is well.

Interesting quotes:

Athena:  Wrong shall not triumph here by force of oaths.

The Furies:  The deed is done, but thence ensues the consequence.

The Furies:  Never be this thirsty ground,

                Drunk with fratricidal blood,

                Nor lust of Power insatiate

                Snatch at vengeance evermore.

                In one fellowship of Good

                Each be to his neighbor bound,

                One in love and one in hate;

                For such grace,  where’er  ‘tis found,

                Lays the balm to many a wound.

I am curious about the way in which these plays were actually presented.  The chorus has major passages to recite.  Where they able to do this with sufficient unity and clarity that the audience could actually understand what was said?  What was it like to go to the theater in ancient Greece?  I am perfectly OK with never knowing the answer to that question. 

Choephoroe by Aeschylus

Evil seems to have a trickle-down effect on generations to come.

As the play Choephoroe opens, Agamemnon has been killed by his wife and her lover and has been buried.  His daughter Electra and a chorus of women go to his tomb to mourn.  There Electra finds a lock of Orestes’ hair.  Orestes is her brother (Agamemnon’s son) and has been out of the country.  She realizes he must have returned.

The siblings stand mourning at the tomb and plotting to murder their mother Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus in revenge for their father’s murder.   At one point Electra declares, “We live in a community of hate.”  The decision is made that Electra will go back home as though nothing much has happened.  Orestes and his friend Pylades will get inside the palace by pretending to be travelers looking for refuge for the night.  This they do.  Once inside they carry out their plan to kill Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Although he has spent several pages justifying his actions, Orestes is, after the deed, plagued by a vision of creatures with blood dripping from their eyeballs coming after him.  He rushes off leaving the chorus to sum things up.  They, of course, are clueless as to whether these murders are the end or the beginning.

“Shall I hail thee Wind of Deliverance, or art thou a blast of doom?

Oh, when will thy course be finished, when wilt thou change and cease,

And the stormy heart of Havoc be lulled into lasting peace?”

As I write this, Egypt has been in upheaval for two weeks.  President Hosni Mubarak has just resigned.  But, is this the end or just the beginning?

Is our world a “Community of Hate?”

Agamemnon Lives

Poor Agamemnon, he arrives home after many years at war against Troy, during which time he has suffered extreme hardship.  His wife Clytemnestra welcomes him warmly.  However, as soon as she has him behind closed doors, she stabs him to death.

Do I feel sorry for Agamemnon?  Hmmmm…..he sacrificed his own daughter in order to appease a goddess.  He went off to war over Helen, his brother’s wife.  He came home with the lovely Cassandra in tow as spoils of the war.  Clytemnestra was angry….no surprise there.

Do I feel sorry for Clytemnestra?  Well, she had an affair in Agamemnon’s absence and her lover was complicit in the murder.

What is the matter with these people?!?

The same thing is the matter with people now. 

In this morning’s paper, I read of two brothers who got in a fight over shoveling snow.  One hit the other in the head with a baseball bat.  On the internet is a story of a newborn baby abandoned in a toilet.  In the dentist’s office this morning, I paged through a book of the most important photographic images of the 20^th Century.  We have all seen the Vietnamese girl with anguish written on her face, who has been burned by napalm , and is running down the road naked.  Man’s inhumanity to his fellow man is unending.  The news is the same every day…just the names of people and places change.

And yet, we have those who believe that human nature is basically good.  Certainly, there are many good people in the world, but all of us are capable of evil if the right buttons are pushed.  At a minimum, we all know how to be self-serving.  The image of God implanted in us has been marred by our own self-will.  We are incapable of consistent goodness on our own.  Hence, the need for the redemption that comes through the shed blood of Christ and for a daily recommitment of our hearts and minds to being a conduit of His goodness.  Our own goodness is always questionable.  It is just not GOOD enough.

What I didn't know about Prometheus

In my on-going attempt to read all of “The Great Books,” I just finished “Prometheus Bound” by Aeschylus.  My previous acquaintance with Prometheus was through a book given to me by my favorite aunt when I was a child.  It was a large, but not very thick book of Greek myths.  As I remember it, each myth was told on one to three pages and included a color picture portraying the story.  The grizzly image of Prometheus chained to rocks with a bird about to tear into his liver became branded in my visual memory where it still resides.

I don’t know if in the attempt to make the story appropriate for young readers, major themes in the myth were simplified to the point of being unrecognizable, or if I, in my immaturity, just didn’t catch them.  I knew that Prometheus had angered Zeus by giving fire to humans, but I have now come to realize that I didn’t have the whole picture regarding Prometheus.

What I didn’t know about Prometheus:

1.        It is not only fire that he gave to humans.  He claims that prior to his involvement, humans lived in caves.  He taught them to build homes with timber and bricks, to use animals for their benefit for farm work and transportation, to make ships, to compound drugs to combat disease, and to use writing.  Prior to his involvement, he says, men were senseless beasts, and he gave them sense.  He sees himself as the savior of man who has mitigated man’s suffering.

2.       He rails against Zeus.  He does not believe Zeus to be the most powerful god, but the god who currently wields control through self-made laws and intimidation.  Other characters in this play, admonish him to hold his tongue lest his punishment become greater.  Prometheus persists in his defiance.  At one point he says:

Go thou and worship; fold thy hands in prayer,

And be the dog that licks the foot of power!

Nothing care I for Zeus; yea, less than naught!

Let him do what he will, and sway the world

His little hour; he has not long to lord it among the Gods.

3.        Prometheus also claims to be a prophet.  He foretells the future of Io who appears in the play.  He also claims to know when his own suffering will end, and when and how Zeus will fall from power, although this he refuses to reveal.

With whirl of feathery snowflakes and loud crack

Of subterranean thunder; none of these

Shall bend my will or force me to disclose

By whom ‘tis fated he shall fall from power.

Among the intriguing concepts in this play:

*Thou are a better counselor to others than to thyself …..a common problem for most of us.  We see problems and recognize corrective actions for others, but we don’t have the insight to see the same in ourselves.

*True marriage is the union that mates equal with equal.  I’m all in favor of that!  I have seen some unions that appeared to be a mismatch, but that have seemed to work as observed from the outside.  I would have stayed single before entering into such a union.

*I would not, if I might, change my misfortunes for thy vassalage…spoken like a patriot. 

The question arises while reading “Prometheus Bound,” when is it appropriate to be defiant?  Was the original Tea Party appropriate?  Is the current Tea Party appropriate?  Prometheus shakes his fist in the face of Zeus.  That’s OK with me.  Some individuals today shake their fist in the face of the One I believe to be the one true God, Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  I’m afraid that is not OK.  I might be wrong in my beliefs, but I fear for those who are defiant, if I am right.

When is it right and good to defy authority?

When is it just plain foolish?

The Seven against Thebes by Aeschylus

Eteocles is King of Thebes and son of Oedipus (he of the infamous complex).   A messenger arrives with news that an army prepares to attack Thebes.  Seven of the invaders’ champions have been assigned to storm each of seven gates into the city.  Eteocles must decide which of his mighty men to post at each gate to repel the onslaught.

The chorus in this play is comprised of a group of Theban women whom Eteocles considers to be more or less hysterical.  He chides them for their carrying on, since it may cause others to lose courage.  They, of course, don’t see things that way.  They believe they are offering legitimate prayers to the gods.  Chauvinist that he is, he eventually tells them, “These be men’s matters…your business is submiss silence, and to bide within.”

After some interaction between Eteocles and the chorus, he gets around to deciding which soldier to post at each gate.  He is especially grieved that one of the gates is to be attacked by a man for whom he has great respect.  He bemoans that, “’Tis unhappy chance that couples oft the just with many wicked!”  When he finds that Polyneices will attack the last of the gates, he decides to confront him himself.  The chorus protests that Polyneices and Eteocles are brothers….both sons of Oedipus.  It is not fitting for brothers to be fighting each other to the death.

Eteocles and Polyneices end up killing each other.  Both of their bodies are brought into the city.  As their sisters, Antigone and Ismene, grieve, a herald arrives and announces that the Governors have declared that while Eteocles is to be buried with pomp, Polyneices’ body is to be thrown to the dogs.  Antigone is prepared to defy this order and carries off the body of Polyneices.  Antigone is not into submissive silence. Ismene leaves with the body of Eteocles.  The chorus of women splits, some going with Antigone and others with Ismene. 

In addition to the tension between men and women in the play, a strong current running throughout is that the sins of the fathers are visited on their children.  Many references are made to the wrong-doing of Oedipus, who killed his father and married his mother.  Now the sons of this union are both dead.  “O curse of Oedipus!  O malison dark…unrelenting…damning all his line!”

My husband once told me that as a young man, he avoided some temptations by thinking that he couldn’t bear the idea that wrong-doing on his part might harm his future children.  The world would be a better place if more young men and women gave that notion some consideration.

The Persians by Aeschylus

This play is written from the perspective of the Persians, but Aeschylus was, of course Greek.  Since the story that unfolds describes the defeat of the Persians by the Greeks, one might wonder about its objectivity.

However, the basic theme is that of pride.  Xerxes, son of Atossa and Darius (who is deceased and appears in the play as a ghost) is not satisfied to rule Persia.  He wants to expand his boundaries, and so, he attacks Athens.  When word of the slaughter of his army reaches Queen Mother Atossa and the Persian Ministers of State, great sorrow is expressed and the consensus is reached that pride was his downfall.  “…proud thoughts are not for the worm called man.”  When man is guilty of such, he will find God willing to help him along to his demise.  “…when man, shod with haste and girt with pride, beckons his own doom, God is on his side.”

The desire for material possessions is also critiqued.  “Possessions must not be revered save as men use them; yet they that have none, how poor!  To them what luster hath the sun?”  Apparently this is an age-old problem.  Abundance does not buy ones happiness, but poverty is certainly not pleasant either.  The you-can’t-take-it-with-you notion appears as:  “Where dead men lie, wealth nothing profiteth.”

The play ends with Xerxes and the chorus of ministers of state exchanging laments…many, many laments.  I can picture the Greek audience rising to their feet in applause as Xerxes exits inconsolable and in utter defeat.

What was Aeschylus’ objective?  Did he just want to puff up the Greeks regarding their victory?  Or, did he hope that using the Persians as an example would cause the Greeks to examine their own tendency toward pride?

It is always easier to see pride in another than in oneself.  Pride has a way of infiltrating the mind and sneaking up on us.  It muddies up our objectives and priorities.   Thank you Aeschylus for the reminder.

The Suppliants by Aeschylus

The next installment in my quest to read “The Great Books” is a group of plays by Aeschylus.  Last night I read “The Suppliant Maidens.”  The forward tells me that this play was written about 490 BC.  Unfortunately, 2500 years later there are places in the world where the difficulty on which the drama hinges is still prevalent.

Daughters of Danaus have fled their home in Egypt in order to avoid being forced to marry men they do not love.  Their father supports them in their refusal and has accompanied them to the land of the Pelasgians.  Poor King Pelasgus is not anxious to get into a battle with the Egyptians.  His attitude is that he did not go looking for this problem and doesn’t want to be forced into protecting these young women.  The maidens, who comprise a chorus for the purposes of the play, plead with him to be the “ally of Justice and not Law.”

King Pelasgus apparently rules by the will of the people, so he must consult them before rendering a decision.  Fortunately for the maidens, the people are on the side of “Justice,” and agree to allow them to live in their city and under their protection.

The Egyptians arrive.  A confrontation ensues.  The Egyptians leave and the maidens enter the safety of the city.

Interestingly, now that they are not in jeopardy, the chorus of maidens breaks into different groups with seemingly dissenting opinions.  One group adamantly speaks against forced marriage.  Another group wonders at the possibility of a dreaded marriage ending up blissfully.  A group points out that God’s will (meaning, in this case, the will of Zeus) will prevail and that his purposes cannot be discerned.

“Can I look into the unfathomable deep?

Due measure when thou prayest thou should’st keep.

Where lies the mark that may not be o’ertrod?

Search not too far the purposes of God.”

The chorus concludes the play with:

“It contents me then, whate’er

The judgment which the Gods approve

If there be embodied there

Justice which my prayers could move.”

So….

Are they hoping for a relationship with God?

Do they believe that God can be moved by our prayers?

What is the balance between acceptance of God’s will and pleading our case before Him?

We are still grappling with these issues.

As a Christian, I believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives when we pray.  I believe that He can guide us into praying within the will of God.  The Bible is also clear that He intercedes for us when we are struggling so intensely with an issue that we can’t figure out what to pray.  He interprets the agony of soul for which we cannot find words.  “The mark that may not be o’ertrod” may be unclear to us, but the Holy Spirit knows its exact location.  

I am trusting Him.