Antiphonal Lament Between Achilles and Briseis

16 Pages·2015·1.62 MB·English

by  Pietro Pucci

CCoollbbyy QQuuaarrtteerrllyy
Volume 29
Article 8
Issue 3 September
September 1993
AAnnttiipphhoonnaall LLaammeenntt BBeettwweeeenn AAcchhiilllleess aanndd BBrriisseeiiss
Pietro Pucci
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Colby Quarterly, Volume 29, no.3, September 1993, p.258-272
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Pucci: Antiphonal Lament Between Achilles and Briseis
Antiphonal Lament
Between Achilles and Briseis
by PIETROPUCCI
SinceatleasttheworkofDieterLohmann1thelamentthatBriseisuttersover
the corpse ofPatroclos and the lament that Achilles delivers immediately
after (Iliad XIX 282-339) have been compared and considered in a sort of
parallelism and responsion since both characters develop three very similar
themes. Achilles' lamentation by repeating and enlarging the themes used by
Briseisproducesanintensificationofhislanguage,the"amplifizierendeFunktion"
thatLohmann(1970) 102attributestothistypeofcomposition.2IdQnotintend
torepeatLohmann's beautifulanalysisofthetwopassages, northeperceptive
insights ofde long (1987), but to call attention to some unnoticed points of
contact and difference that illustrate an unsuspected relationship between the
representationofBriseisandthatofAchilles.InthesamewakeIintendtoshow
someaspectsoftheoralperformance.
One question, often ignored by the commentators, concerns the temporal
sequenceofthetwotexts.Thefirsttextappearstoberepeatedonlywhenthesecond
text is uttered orread, and this inevitable temporal succession implies a conse
quence.Itdoublesthelanguageofthefirsttextandthereforeincreasesthepathos
ofthesecond,reducingthefirstonetoarelativelymarginalorweakerposture.
Itbecomesasortof"second" textthough, temporally speaking, itis the first.
Myfirstpointconcernsthepresentationandtheframingbythediegesisofthe
two lamentations. Briseis utters her lament as she perfonns the rituals of
mourningthatcomprehendthekokueinandthescratchingofherbreast,throat,
and face. She repeats ritual gestures that have their own ceremonial reason,
intensity, and rhythm. She is a slave, and probably this explains the radical
expressions of her mourning as disfiguring her body, an action that no free
woman perfonns in the Iliad. Free women perfonn the kokuein but no self
wounding,andtheydoitinmourningcontextsaboutadeadhusband(xxiv295,
iv 259, viii 527) or son (XXII 407-09,447, XVIII 37,71), a relative or adear
friend(XIX284,XXIV703,xix541).Ononlytwooccasionsawomanscreams
(kokuein) outsideamourningcontext(XXIV 200, ii 361).3
We have to imagine that Briseis' utterance is fully framed within the
1.Lohmann(1970),(1988)13-32.
2.Lohmann(1988)showstheparallelismbetweenthegroupsofmourners,eightwomen(245-46)andsevenmen
(310-11),andcomparesthescenewiththefacinggroupinthegeometricalamphoraeoffuneralsubject.
3.Onkokuein,seeKrapp(1964)38.Lig(a)kokueinisusedthreetimesinHomer(XIX284,iv259,viii527),
thelastex.oflig(a}beingconnectedwithaeidein(x254),evidencethatthehighpitchtoneofthevoicecanbe
evokedbothformourningandforjoyousoccasions.WehaveinXIX284theonlyritualuseofamusso"totear."
258
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PIETRO PUCCI 259
ceremonialritualthatthepoetrepresents,andaccordinglythatsheisthoughtof
asdeliveringherwordsasshetearsherface.Thisiswhatweimagineasreaders.
As we know from Plato's third book of the Republic, the rhapsodes in the
mimetic parts of the poems were imitating the characters' roles through the
performance of their voice and movements (phonei kai skhemati). Now it is
impossible for us to reconstruct the actual modes and effects by voiceand by
movements in the utterance of this speech by Briseis, but certainly it had an
effect.Sometimes,whenacharacterrepeatsanearlierspeechorpartsofit,itis
justtheirdifferentinscription, i.e., thedifferentmood andways in whichtheir
delivery iscouched, thatconstitutes theiruniquedistinguishingfeature.4
Achilles, in his tum, aOlvws aVEvElKOTO <pwvnoev TE(XIX314). Wedo
notknow whetherto understandaVEvE1KoToas"drewasigh"or"lifteduphis
voice" (see Leaf),5 nor how to translate aOlvws. We know, however, that
aOlvws-ahapax in Homer-is usually used, in the adjectival form, forgooi
initiatedbymenandWOll1enalike,6andhasthereforenogendercharacterization
as on the contrary Briseis' kokuein has. This distinction goes along with the
distinction between the two groups ofmourners thatLohmann has underlined
(see note 2). Furthermore the expression aOlvws implies a thick, repeated,
intenseactivity,arepeatedthrobbing.Intwoinstances,XVI481 andxix516,it
characterizes the "heart" (in bothcasesthe Kfip).
The diegesis therefore distinguishes the modes of Briseis' and Achilles'
lamentations, offeringtheoccasion forthesingertoproduceaspecificperfor
manceforeachlamentationandsuggestingeventousreadersadifferentrhythm,
adifferentpitchofvoice,adifferentbodymovement.Now,bothZumthor(1983)
and Meschonnic (1982), speaking on the nature of the oral performance,
emphasizetherhythmsofthevoiceandofthegesture, thequalityofaspecific
throbbingandbeatingoftheheart. Wehavehereinthediegesisapalebutsure
indication abouttheseoral features.
HAVINGRECOGNIZEDtheoral-poeticframeofthetwolamentations,letushearthe
first one, thatofBriseis, beginningwithherfirst theme(287- 90):
nCxTPOKAE 1l0lOElAljTTAElOTOVKEXaPlOIlEVE 8VIl~,
sc.uovIlEVOEEAElTTOVEYWKAlOlTl8EVloOoa.
vuvOEOETE8vTl~Ta KlXCxvollal,OPXallEAawv,
ws
O\VaVlOUO'· 1l0loEXETalKaKOVEKKaKOUaiEL
4.ForinstancetherepetitionofAgamemnon'sdiscoursesinII111-18=IX18-25,II139-41=IX26-28occurs
withincontextualelementsthatproduceaninitialdifference,Agamemnon'sself-confidence,thepresenceofthe
scepteranditshistoryinthediapeiraspeech,andtheturmoilinAgamemnon'sheartinIX10ff.,histears"like
adarkfountainthatfromasteepcliffpoursdownitsblackwater."ItseemsthatAgamemnon'sstrickenheartfrom
whichtearsandwordspourdownisliketherockorcliffthatemitsafountainofwater.Onewondershowitis
possiblethatsuchanelaboratedframeandmatrixofAgamemnon'swordsmayhaveeffectedtheperformanceof
theactualwordsthatareinfactthesameasthosethatAgamemnonutteredinacompletelydifferentframeofmind
leaningonhisscepterinthesecondbook.Theanswermustbethatthematrixandframewouldbecomeperceptible
intheperformanceofthepoetthroughhisbodyandvoicelanguage,andstillimperceptiblyaffectusevenwhen
wearereadingastheysuggestthemoodinwhichAgamemnonpronouncedthosewords.
5.LeafquotesHerodotusfortheformermeaningandAp.Rhod.iii635forthelatter.Thepresenceof601Vi;)S
mightbeinfavourofthelatterinterpretation.
6.SeeforinstanceXVIII316,XXIII17forAchilles'gODS,andXXII430,XXIV747forHecabe'sgoDS.Inthe
repeatedformhadinasfenakh(izein)theexpressioncharacterizesonlymales(XXIII225,XXIV123,xxiv317)and
oncethewavesofthesea(vii274).P.Chantrainederives60lVOSfrom&onv,implyinganoun&on.
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Pucci: Antiphonal Lament Between Achilles and Briseis
260 COLBY QUARTERLY
Patroclos,dearesttomyheart,unhappyme,Ileftyoualive
whenImovedfromthistent,andnow,princeofthearmy,
IcomebackandIfindyoudead.Thusevilalwaysfollows
evilinmydestiny.
BothBriseisandAchillesbeginbyevokingPatroclos,wholiesdeadtornbythe
woundsbeforetheireyes(283),throughapatheticapostrophe, i.e.,throughthe
ritualandrhetoricalconstructthatengagesthedead,asitwere,inanimpossible
dialoguewiththelivingperson.
ThefirstwordinBriseis'apostrophe,ITclTpoKAEhasanexceptionalprosody
becauseofthe short0 (P. Chantraine Grammaire Homerique I, 109), and this
anomalymightemphasizethestrainandtheexceptionalityofthislastaddress.
Inthephrase KEXaPIOIlEVE 8vllc';:l theheartfigures as theplace wherejoywas
storedandfelt,notasBriseis'subjectivecenterofemotions.InAchilles' words,
onthecontrary,theheartwillbethesubjectandwillproduceadeeperandmore
excruciating pathos. The segment KEXaPlOIlEVE 8vJ,.lc';:l is an expression often
repeated in the Iliad and used among close friends. Achilles uses it once for
Patroclos (XI 608): OlE MEVOlTlclOT), Tc';:l EJ,.lc:';) KEXaplOIlEVE 8\!ilc:';) with a
stronger complimentary and possessive nuance because ofthe initial compli
ment and of the presence of the accentuated possessive adjective with the
article-whichisuniqueinthisexample.Whetherweshouldrememberthisline
ofAchillestoPatrocloswhenwehearBriseis'phraseisopentospeculation,but
probablyweshould; wewouldbegintoseethethreadsofadialoguethatspins
beneath the independentlaments ofthe two characters. In Briseis' speech the
pleasure Patroclos gave heris exhibited in apowerful contrast to her despon
dency (J,.lOl OElAij, "unhappyme!"), acontrastthatuniquelyrevitalizes thefive
times repeated expression and its possibly attenuated meaning. With this
innuendo,shebeginstooutlinea"private"characterisationofPatroclos which
willendwithherdefinitionofhiskindness,meilikhonaiei(300),thatisahapax
for thelliadicheroes.?
Lines288-89picturetheuniquesituationofBriseisleavingAchilles' tentat
I345 ff. whilePatrocloswasstill aliveandreturning now (vvv oE289) tofind
Patroclos dead, but this unique situation finds its peak in the epithetic form
OPXaJ,.lE Aawv that is generic and used for various heroes (Agamemnon,
Menelaos,andAchilles).8Itsgenericquality,however,isrevitalizedheretooby
a contrast: Briseis addresses this emphatic and praising title to a dead hero
(TE8vT)wTa),andtheverbalandconceptualcontrastproducesapatheticeffect
analogous to the one that Briseis reached with her previous line when she
opposedherunhappiness toPatroclos,joyofherheart.
Thisrepeatedepithetrhymeswiththeclosingtwoprecedingversesthatend
withaformulaic expression: KExaploilEvE 8vilc:';)/KAlolT)8EV iovoa /OpXailE
Aawv, producingatextthatattheendofeach line receives the stress andthe
reliefofarepeatedfamiliarexpression:
7.ThishapaxwasunderlinedwithdueemphasisbyCodino(1965)154-155.
8.Wedonotknowthesuremeaningofthiselusiveword,buttheexamplesshowthatitisusedwithdeference
inpeaceful(XIV102)asinmilitaryencounters(XVII12,XXI221).
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n
clTpoKAE IJ01 OE1AD ITAEloTov KExaplO~eVE 9u~ct>1
'cuov IJEV OE EAEllTOV EyW KAlO[n9EV loiiaa,
vuv oE OE TE8vnWTa K1xclVOlJa1. 6pxa~E Aa(;)V,
~aV10UO'· WS IJOl oEXETalKaKOVEK KaKOU aiEL
Iimplythattherepetitionofafamiliarexpressionwould-here-havethesame
effectas the repetitionofarefrain andaccordinglyproduce anemphasis anda
relief at the same time, since the repetition on the one hand increases the
forcefulness ofthe expression and on the other-as the return to the same
produces asortofpleasureandrelaxation.9Each verseruns tothis effect, and
only the last line (290) of this first theme in Briseis' lament closes without
familiarrepetitionsifnotfortheparadigmaticpositionofsomeofitswordshere.
Itclosesthereforewithalinearrhythmmissingthelayersoffamiliarechoesbut
exhibitingtheirforceful unrecognizedmeaning.
Sucharhythmemphasizestheunityofeachline,andinfactthemeaningruns
through each with no enjambements, in arelative simplicity ofthought and a
strongoppositionbetweenthevarioussegments: OEIAij / KEXaPIOIlEVE8vllctJ,
l;U)ov IlEV OE EAEITTOV EY~ / vOv OE OE TE8vllwTa KIxavollal, etc.
Inthesecondpartofherlament(290b-294)Briseisnarratesherdisastrous
experience, thedeathofherfirsthusband andofherthreebrothers:
clvopa IJEV ~ EOOOclV IJE naTtlP Ka\ n6TVla llnTTlP
EToov lTPO lTTOAlOS oEoa,y~ivov 6~iY XaAKetl.
TPEls TE KaolyvDTOVs. TOVS ~Ol ~[a ydvaTo IJnTTlP,
KllOelOUS, Ol lTclVTES oAi9plOVnlJap ElTEonov.
Thehusbandtowhommyfatherandmynoblemothergaveme, Isaw
himbeforeourcitymangledbythesharpspear,andmythreebrothers,
dearones-myownmotherborethem,whoallmettheirdayofdeath.
AremarkablefeatureofthispassageistherepetitionofthephraseoEoa"·YIlEvOV
O~E·(XaAKt;)thatisusedafewlinesbeforeinthediegesistodescribethecorpse
n
ofPatroclos as itappears toBriseis (283): wS 'fOE clTpoKAov OEOaYYIlEvoV
o~EYXaAKc+>,arepetitionthatmightsuggestthat,accordingtothepoet,Briseis
receives an analogous experience from thedeaths ofboth herhusband and of
Patroclos. The adjective KllOElovS, postponed with such an emotional effect
(Ameis-Hentze), is a rare word in the Iliad. The rhythm of the passage is
analogoustothefirstone:eachlinecloseswithaformulaic segment,afamiliar
expression, while the last verse runs on a different movement, unmarked by
commonly repeated expressions, as if to suggest a pause. The expression
OAE8plOV111lapisfoundonlyhereandinafewlines(409)inXanthos' speech
when he foresees Achilles' owndayofdeath. Thisuniqueiteration, therefore,
couldbecalledantiphonaltotheextentthatitrespondstoBriseis'expressionand
9.AsisclearfromtheseremarksIdonotconsidertheeffectofthisrhythmasbeingphysical-thoughitmight
havealsobeensoatthemomentoftheperformance-buttextualandpoetic.Anyreaderknowswhatsortof
reactionstheencounteroftheformulacreates:forinstance,meetingtheformulapodasfJkusAkhilleusattheend
ofthelinemeanstomanageandnegotiatetheiterationinwaysthatdifferfromtheusualdecodingoftheother
words.foritmeanseithertoskipoverit,ortofeelthepuzzlementoftheiterationinsuchdifferentcontexts.orto
repeatthewholefonnulabyheart,withoutreadingit.Inalltheseandotherpossiblereactionsastress,aquickening
andarelaxationensue.
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Pucci: Antiphonal Lament Between Achilles and Briseis
262 COLBY QUARTERLY
unitesthedeathofPatroclos,Briseis'husband,andAchillesinoneiteratedpiece
ofdiction.10
The last part of Briseis' lament is labeled by Lohmann as "unerfiillte
Hoffnung" (1970, 103):
ouBElJEVouBe IJ' EaoKES,OT' av5p' EIJOV~KVS 'AXlAAevs
EKTEIVEV,lTEpOEVoE n6Alv9doloMwnTos.
KAalElv,CxAACx IJ' E<paoKES 'AXlAAiios9dolO
KOvplBlnv6AOXOV 8f)OEIV,a~Elv T' Evlvnvo1v
ES <D8lTlV,5aloEIvoEyciuov JjeTCx MVpJjlB6veool.
TW0' OIJOTOVKAalcu TE8vnoTa JjdAlXOVaiel. (295-300)
Butyouwouldnotletmeeverweep,notwhenswiftAchillesslayed
myhusband,notwhenheplunderedthecityofgodlikeMynes,no,but
youkeptpromisingmethatyouwouldmakeofmethelegitimatewife
ofgodlikeAchilles,thatyouwouldleadmebacktoPhthiaonthe
shipsandholdtheremymarriageceremonyamongtheMyrmidons.So
Iweepwithoutrestforyourdeath,youalwayskind.
The most remarkable point of this passage lies in the bold gesture whereby
Briseis explains to her listeners-among whom is Achilles-her position
betweenAchilles,ofwhomsheistheconcubine,andPatroclos,whomAchilles
holdsashis"mostdearhetairos."SheusestheauthorityofPatroclostoassertthat
it was Patroclos' design and will that Achilles should choose Briseis as his
legitimatewife.Briseis' gestureisboldandprovoking:shecontinuestooutline
aprivateportraitofPatroclos, and shereminiscespublicly aboutthepromises
thatjoy-givingPatroclos,thegentlePatroclos,hadgivenher,the(secret?)plans
he was elaborating for her happiness. Because of this reminiscing, Briseis
crownsherlamentwiththeviewofhermarriagebanquetandfestivities among
theMyrmidons.NowPatroclos' deathhaseliminatedthesupporterofthisplan,
theescorteroftheladytothelegitimatebedofAchilles,buttheplancouldstiil
be enacted, if Achilles' were willing. Patroclos' kindness, the mark of his
personality,shouldonlycontinuetospeaktohisgreatcompanion.Wewillhear
laterAchilles' answertothispublicdisplayofPatroclos' plantomarryBriseis
toAchilles.
The familiar expression WKUS 'AXlAAEus-at the end ofthe line like the
many otherones that qualify the subjects: OPXallE Aawv (289), lTaTi]p Kat
lTOTVla l..lllTTlP (291), Illa YElvaTo 1..111TTlP (293)-emphasizes Achilles'
military virtuosity, since WKUS 'AXlAAEUS characterizes him as a warrior, for
instanceinthespecificpursuitofHectoratXXI211,XX188,229,etc.YetWKUS
'AXlAAEVSmakesusthinkalsoofAchillesasWKUIlOPOS(1417,XVIII95,458),
andwehaveonlytowaitforAchilles'antiphonallament,whenhewillevokehis
early death in Troy (328-29), to recognize the appropriateness ofthis allusive
epithet.
10.Ofcoursetheuseof~Ilapwithaspecificepithetiswhatismostformulaicinepicdiction:seeaioillov~Ilap
(XXI100,XXII202,etc.),1l0POIllOV~Ilap(XV613,etc.).FromthispointofviewourexpressionOAE8plOV
~Ilapisformulaic,buttheuniquenessoftheepithetinthisotherwiserepeatedexpressionputsinevidencethe
imprecisionofthisheuristictoolthatwecallthe"formula."Besides,whichtextsshouldbeincludedinorderto
establishtherepeatedfeaturesofthe"formula"?Thehexametriccorpus?Hesiodincluded?Ontheretroactivated
natureofthiscriticaltool,onitsweaknessesandshortcomings,seePucci(1987)238-40.
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Colby Quarterly, Vol. 29, Iss. 3 [1993], Art. 8
PIETRO PUCCI 263
The epithetic ending'AXlAAfios 8Elolo (297), rhyming in chiasmus with
8Elolo MvvTlTOS(296),declareseasilyitsgenericforce, butsincethechiasmus
is nevergratuitous itiseasy to see whatparallelsand whatcontraststhese two
kings,MynesandAchilles,intheterribleexperienceofBriseis.llThisclosing
passageismadeemotionalandemphaticbythechiasmus(295-96:isMynesthe
husbandofBriseis?299),theincrediblepostponementofklaiein,therepetition
of tethneota (300 and 289), with the concomitant chiastic opposition of the
notionsdead/alivein288-89and300,wherethelastwordofmeilikhonaieigives
an immortal continuity to theliving kindness ofthis deadman.12
The whole utterance (287-300) opens and closes with the apostrophe to
Patroclos, as ifhecouldlistentoher: theabysmalpathosofsayingtoacorpse:
"youaredead,you,joyofmyheart...youforeverkind"istooritualtoshockus
andatthesametimeitshouldshockus.Forthisfictive interactionandaddress
is madepossible by the speaking "I" in theparadoxicalpostureofrhetorically
denying that death while simultaneously decrying it. Furthermore this fictive
address puts emphasis and directness on the speaking "I," who accordingly
narratestothedead"you"herpain,thepastgriefshisdeathremindsherof,the
hopeshisdeathnowfrustrates. Allthissumofpainassumesthesameirrevers
ibility as that decried death has, but atthe same time itiscouched in a fictive
address, and almost in an ima~inary dialogue. These features intimate the
paradoxicalnatureoftheutteranceofpityandself-pity,theinvestmentofthe"I"
inthelossoftheother,therhetoricalstructurethatcontainsandmakespossible
that investment. The line by line utterance with emphasis/relaxation at one
repeatedpointoutlines aspecificrhythm, whileeachsegmenttakespowerand
meaningincontrastto theother, as wehaveseen,joy/pain,life/death.
ITREMAINSFORustoanalyzealsoandsimultaneouslytheattenuationordissemi
nation ofspecific meaning thatoccursthroughthefolds and themeshesofthe
formulaic or repeated segments. They ofcourse produce emphasis/relaxation
justbecausetheyfunctionasrefrains,buttheyrefertoandevokeothercontexts
and texts. In this way they constitute also the source of an attenuation or
indeterminacy of meaning. But I will discuss this point with the analysis of
Achilles' own utterance.
AfterBriseis' mourningin tears, the groupofwomen intonetheirlamenta
tionsandPatroclosforeachofthemis"apretext"(prophasin)13toweepabout
II.8ElOlooccurs16timesintheIliadanditisdistributedtovariousheroes:Odysseus(4times),Oileus(2times),
Achilles(3times:2afterAkhilleosandonceafterPeleidao),etc.Itisinterestingthattheepithetinthenineteenth
bookisreferredtoAchilles(279,297),butnevertoOdysseus-whoisanimportantcharacterinthisbook-asif
ubimaiorminorcessat.
12.Someoftheiteratedexpressionscontainnewfeatures,forinstanceinline296:EKTEIVEV.TTEpOEV5e1TOA1V
8EI010MVVllTOSwhosefonnulaicsegmentisreadatXIV230butwithadifferentfinalname,orline300:TW0'
a~oTovKAakuTE8vlloTa~EIA1XOVaid,wherethefirstpartrepeatswithasmallvariationXXIV773:TWOE
...KAaic...:>.•••AlsothelastpartofthelineisafonnulaonlyifweaccepttheHesiodicphrase(Theogony406)as
evidenceofformulaicrepetition.Besides,thereisalwaysthedifficultyoffixingthelimitoftheparadigmatic
repetition:ifanyfonnoftheverbKAaiElvcanstandfortheinfinitive,thenhereourfonnoccursinitsfixedslot.
Becauseofallthesedifficulties,mygraphicrepresentationofrepeated,familiarexpressionsintendstoindicateonly
thedifferentialprocess,nottheactualconditionofeachoftheexpressions.
13.TheGreekwordprophasincanbeunderstoodeitheras"pretext"or"occasion,""reason,"anditisnoteasy
tounderstandhowacommentatorcaneliminatethefirstofthetwosenseswhenherethewordcouldtakeboth.
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Pucci: Antiphonal Lament Between Achilles and Briseis
264 COLBY QUARTERLY
herownmisery(301-02).InconsonancewithBriseis'emphasisonthelossofher
husbandandthenonthegentlePatrocloswhowaspromotinghermarriagewith
Achilles,themiseries(kedea)thatthewomenweepforshouldbeanalogousand
refertothedeathoftheirmenandtheirconsequentfall intoservitude.Thetext
suggests the paradoxes we have already felt in the case of Briseis: (1) the
women'scryingturnsintoamourningaboutthemselvesaspityturnsintoself
pityandtheotherintoanalterego;(2)thelivingbeingsmournabouttheirfuture
death, whilethe actual dead is rhetorically alive soas to betold abouthispast
death.
YetwiththeremarkthatPatrocloswasforeachofthema"pretext"abouther
ownmisery(kedea),theIliadreachesasublimevastnessandintensity.Itseems
to suggest that there is a reason for the specificity ofthe lamentations ofthe
womeninthemourningcries,intheirgesturesofpainandself-destruction. On
theonehandtheirdisfiguringgesturesmimethedeathofthepersontheymourn
for, but, on the other, they lament for themselves, i.e., for the specific female
condition,asslavesinthiscase,ordependentuponamaleinmanyothers(see,
for instance, XXIV725 ff.). Accordingly, as they decry, by mimingdeath, the
loss oftheir man, they might simultaneously intimate that he represents their
servitude and their metaphorical death (often marriage is metaphorically de
scribedasaformofdeathfortheparthenos),aservitude-deaththatisparadoxi
cally alsotheirfreedom andlife.14
It is instructive to compare the antiphonal comment of the diegesis after
Achilles' lament(338-39). Herethechiefsdo notlamentfor theirown misery
(kedea), suffering, ordeath butfor "whatever"(ta) they haveleftathome, we
assume their possessions, wives, children, and slaves. The comparison is
antiphonalanddifferential: as thewomenhearBriseismourningforPatroclos,
they weep for their lost men, miming their deaths, themselves images of
servitudeand death; butthemen, afterAchilles' mourning, lamentfor having
abandoned theirpossessions, ofwhich wives and slaves are apart. We have a
perfectchiasticstructure:maleslamentforbeingdeprivedofthosepossessions,
thefemales; andthese,inturn,lamentingfortheirmales' deaths,infactlament
alsofortheirowndeathsinasmuchas they are "possessions"ofthemales.
AFfERTHEPRESENTATIONofthewomen,thediegesisbeginstopreparethecontext
ofAchilles'antiphonalmourninganditdescribesthecareoftheAthenianchiefs
forthe hero(303-07): "TheAchaeanchiefsclusteredaroundAchillesbegging
himtoeat.Buthe,weeping,refused: 'Ibegyou-ifanyofyoumycomradeswill
listentome---donotpressmetosatiatemyheartwithfoodanddrink,sincesuch
dreadfulpainhasreachedme...'" (IlTlIlElTplvalToloKEAEUETEIlTlOElTOTnTOs
/ aaaa8al<plAOVllTop,ElTElIl' axos aivovlKeXVEl...).Adifferent,gruesome
sort ofnurture satiates his heart, the blood ofhis enemy, as the diegesis says
immediatelyafterwhenthechiefsleaveAchillesandonlyafew ofthefaithful
ones try vainly toconsolehim (312-13) :
14.FortherelationshipbetweenmarrageanddeathfortheparthenosseeLoraux(1985),andVernant(1990)
197ff.
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Colby Quarterly, Vol. 29, Iss. 3 [1993], Art. 8
PIETRO PUCCI 265
OUOETl ev~ctJ
TEPlTETO,nplVnOAE~Ov oT6~a OV~Eval ail1aTOEvToS.
buttherewasnopleasureinhisheart,untilheshouldenterthe
mouthofbloodywar.
InthesameveinthetextwillmakeclearthatAchilles'heartwants"toglut(asai)
AreswithHector'sblood"(XX78,XXII267).15 Thisisagruesomeinversion
sinceAchilles' heartrefusestosatiateitsappetitewithfoodanddrinkbutneeds
toglutAreswiththebloodoftheenemy.Helongsforabloodyritualthatdeeply
upsetsthenonnalbiologicalrhythmoflife.16InBookXXIIAchilleswill wish
that his heart and his menos would impel him to eat Hector's body raw (346
47).17 The odd centrality ofthe "heart" in all these passages should not pass
unnoticed. Bothsourceofanthropophagous appetiteforbloodandsternrejec
tionofallfood inanasceticcommunionwithdeath,theheartisthecirculating
termthatreceivesherearhythmandafunctioncontradictingthoseofthenonnal
biological life.
ThesearethepremisesofAchilles' lamentforPatroclos.ThefoodPatroclos
preparedforhimleadsAchillestothinkofthedearfriend nowthathe,miming
the asceticismofdeath, refuses all food (315-21):
Tj po. vv ~Ol lTOTE Kal OV, OVOo.UUOpE. <p(ATa8' ETa(pc.uV,
aUTOS EVl KAlOln Aapov napa oElnvov e611Kas
aTwa Kal oTpaAEws. OlTOTE OlTEpXOlaT' 'Axalol
Tpc.uo\v e<p' InnoOallolol <pSPElV lToAv5aKpuv "Aplla.
vvv oE ou ~Ev KEToal 5eOa\YllsvoS, aUTap e~ov Kilp
oKunvov lT60l0S Kal e511TVOS, Ev50v e6vTc.uv.
oij lTOeij:
Trulyyoutoo,sometimes,mydoomed,mydearestfriend,wouldset
beforeusatastymealyourself,hereinthetentquicklyandexpertly,
whiletheAchaeanshastenedtocarrylamentableAresagainstthe
Trojans,breakersofhorses.Butnowyouliemangledandmyheart
fastsfromdrinkandfood,thatareinsidethehouse,fordesireofyou.
Like Briseis, Achilles begins by addressing Patroclos with a "thou" and an
expressionaboutPatroclos' preciousnessforhimself, "mydearestfriend"18_
15.ThesameexpressionisusedbyDiomedesinV288-89;asimilaroneforthespearXXI70,168,etc.Theterms
asai, aatos,etc., produceaseriesofgenericexpressionsevokingmartialhatred,weapons,animism,animals
feedingoncorpses,etc.
16.TheimagelTOAE~OVoT6~aisrepeatedinXX359asstomahusminesbyAchilleshimself,ashetakesover
thisexpressionfromthediegesis.Theantiphonalrepetitionsbetweendiegesisandmimesiswoulddeservealong
study.
17. Commentingonthesepassagesandon theseconnections,Nagy(1979) 136writes: "Theeldersofthe
AchaeansareimplOlingAchillestoeat(XIX303-04),butherefusesandinsistsonkeepingafast(XIX304-308,
319-21);whileheisfasting,heactuallyreminiscesaboutthemealsthatPatroclosusedtoserveuptohim(XIX314
18,especially316).Thisgrimjuxtapostionoftwoimages,thebloodyjawsofwarandtheherowhogoeswithout
mealswhilePatroclosliesunavenged,isonlypartofaghastlyIliadicthemethatfinallycomestoaheadatthe
momentwhenavictoriousAchillesisstandingtriumphantoverthesprawledfigureofadyingHectorandsays:
Iwishthatsomehowmymenosandmythumosimpelledmetosliceyouupandeatyourfleshraw,forthethings
youdid"(XXII346-47).Nagy,then,analysesthefamoussimilesinwhichAchillesiscomparedtoacarnivorous
lionwhosethumosimpelshimtoitsdais"feast"ofsheep,andcorrectlyconcludesthat"herethemenosandthe
thumosofAchillesarebringingourherotothevergeofabestialdeed."
18.Onthisphiliainthemournings,seeEcker(1990)118,n.314.
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Pucci: Antiphonal Lament Between Achilles and Briseis
266 COLBY QUARTERLY
compare Briseis' 'joy of my heart." Through this pathetic address Achilles
remembershimwhenhewasaliveandthenhestates:"Butnowyouliemangled"
in antiphony withBriseis' "andnow..J comebackandIfind you dead."
ItouchupontheserepetitionsLohmannandothershavepointedouttoframe
the general antiphonal correspondence within which I would like to show
strikingdifferencesandunexpectedresponsions.First,theinsistenceontheheart
refusing food. While Briseis had spoken of Patroclos as "joy of my heart,"
Achilles'heartisthesourceofsterner,irregulardistressingdesiresandimpulses.
HementionstheregularmealsPatroclospreparedinthedomesticityoftheklisie,
onlytostateaftertherecognition("nowyouliemangled")that"myheartfasts
fromdrinkandfood,thatareinsidethehouse,fordesireofyou."Theparadoxical
nature ofthe apostrophe to the dead extends to Achilles' statement since the
heart,seatoflife,ceasestohaveitsnonnaldesiresandlongsfordeath,andwith
this longingprepares the nextprocession ofdeaths, imaginary and real, ofthe
father, oftheson,andofhimself.Theheartdictatesitsneedsandimposesthem
on Achilles: itis alivingorgan insideAchilles, functioning as a natural force,
impellingasananimalinstinct.Itswillisnotnegotiable.Achillesmakesitclear:
"donotkeeppressingmethatIshouldsatiatemy heartwithfood anddrink..."
(306-07)."Myheartfastsfromdrinkandfood..."(319-20).Inafewlineshewill
say:"MyheartwashopingthatonlyIwoulddie..."(8vlloS EVIoTf)8eoolv328).
Thisrepetition, thisinsistence,couldbejudgedindifferentways. Truly, by
beingtherepeatedsubjectofwillanddesire,theheartbecomesasortoflabelfor
thewholeperson,amelodramaticsubstituteforAchilles,andaccordinglyrisks
becomingasubjectforallseasons,adeadfigure ofspeech. Ontheotherhand,
however, themelodramais serious, emotionally raised toits highestdiapason,
producing itselfwith a tremendous directness and unbeatable simplicity. Ac
cordingly,thisexhibitionoftheheartproducesadouble-bindeffect.Ontheone
hand itbecomesthefigure ofspeechthatallows asimpleornaivepsychology
to operate. One may say that the heartallows Homertogive accountofmany
decisions without troubling to find psychological motivations. As the lion's
heartimpelshimtoattackthesheep, sothewarrior's heartimpels himto fight
the enemy. The heart in this interpretation would function mechanically as a
symbol forhuman instinctanddim awareness.
On the other hand, however, this exhibition of the heart can be felt as
increasingthedepthofpathosandasenhancingthehero'sdeeplyfeltawareness
of his existential destination. For Achilles' heart would be syrrtbolic of his
extremesensitivity,ofhisreadinesstoexposeandparadehisemotionaltemper
and whims, his existential attitudes. Let us notice for a quick contextual
comparisonthatSapphoinherpoemI(poikilothron'athanat'Aphrodita)men
tions her heart three times (thumos 4, 18, 27) as the center of her emotional
reactions. Especially when his heart impels Achilles to pulsate in accordance
withthefrighteningandasceticcompanionshipofdeath,toreadinitthehero's
existentialawarenessisstrongerthansimplyrecordingthemechanicalrepetition
ofthe heartas adead or vague figure ofspeech. But the menaceofthis dead,
vague symbol does notvanisheasily from ourreading.
Published by Digital Commons @ Colby, 1993 9