Studies in Aeschylus

420 Pages·1990·34.735 MB·English

by  Martin L. West

Martin L.West
Studies in Aeschylus
Beiträge zur Altertumskunde
Herausgegeben von
Ernst Heitsch, Ludwig Koenen,
Reinhold Merkelbach, Clemens Zintzen
Band 1
B. G. Teubner Stuttgart
Studies in Aeschylus
Martin L. West
B. G. Teubner Stuttgart 1990
Gedruckt mit Unterstützung der Förderungs-
und Beihilfefonds Wissenschaft der VG Wort GmbH,
Goethestraße 49, 8000 München 2
CIP-Titelaufnahme der Deutschen Bibliothek
West, Martin L.:
Studies in Aeschylus / Martin L. West.
Stuttgart: Teubner, 1990
(Beiträge zur Altertumskunde; Bd. 1)
ISBN 3-519-07450-8
NE: GT
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© B.G. Teubner Stuttgart 1990
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PREFACE
These studies are a by-product of my recent critical edition, Aeschyli Tragoe-
diae cum incerti poetae Prometheo (BT Stuttgart 1990). Discussion of textual
problems occupies the seven central chapters. In front of them I have placed
three essays on wider topics: an investigation of the structure of the plays;
an attempt to reconstruct the outlines of the lost Lycurgus trilogy (revised
version of a previously published study); and a discussion of the authorship
of the Prometheus trilogy, in which I conclude that it was probably com-
posed by Aeschylus' son Euphorion. Following the chapters on textual
problems comes an account of the manuscript tradition, and finally a
succinct review of the progress of Aeschylean textual scholarship since
1500. In this last chapter particular attention is given to distinguishing
the contributions of Auratus, Portus, and Casaubon, which leads to a
reassessment of their relative importance, very much to the advantage of
Portus. The most substantial of the four Appendices consists of a register
of conjectures on Aeschylus supplementing the collections published by
Wecklein and Dawe; it includes many items that they overlooked, besides
more recent material.
For the metrical symbols that appear occasionally, explanations, if needed,
may be found in my Greek Metre (Oxford 1982). The symbols and abbrevi-
ations used in reporting manuscript readings are as in my edition; see the
list there, p. LXXXI.
In chapter 8 I have unfortunately not been able to take account of the
important work of K. Sier, Die lyrischen Partien der Choephorett des Aischylos
(Palingenesia 23, Stuttgart 1988). His conjectures, however, have been en-
tered in Appendix 4.
I should like to express again my gratitude to all the library authorities
who facilitated my research into manuscripts and manuscript adversaria,
especially those at the University Library and Classics Faculty Library at
Cambridge, the National Arts Library in London, the Bibliotheek der
Rijksuniversiteit at Leiden, and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in
Florence. Among individual colleagues, Dr. R. D. Dawe and Mr.
N. G. Wilson assisted me especially in that part of my work. I have also to
VI Preface
thank the Institute of Classical Studies (London) for permission to reproduce
as my second chapter (with a fair amount of revision) part of an article
published in its Bulletin.
February 1989 M.L.W.
CONTENTS
PART I. QUESTIONS OF COMPOSITION
1. The Formal Structure of Aeschylean Tragedy 3
2. The Lycurgus Trilogy 26
3. The Authorship of the Prometheus Trilogy 51
PART II. PROBLEMS OF THE TEXT
4. Persai 75
5. Septem 97
6. Supplices 126
A Note on Aigyptioi . 169
7. Agamemnon 173
8. Choephoroi 229
9. Eumenides 264
10. Prometheus 296
PART III. MANUSCRIPTS AND CRITICS
11. Manuscripts 319
12. 500 Years of Textual Criticism 355
APPENDICES
1. Manuscript Sigla in Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-century Editions 373
2. Thomas Magister's Text 375
3. Success-rates of Textual Critics 377
4. Unlisted Emendations (18th—20th Centuries) 378
INDICES
1. General Index 401
2. Index of Passages 404
3. Index of Greek Words 405
4. Index of Manuscripts 407

ABBREVIATED TITLES
AND AUTHORS CITED WITHOUT TITLE
Blass F. W. Blass, Die Eumeniden des Aeschylos, Berlin
1907.
Bruhn, Anhang Sophokles erklärt von F.W. Schneidewin und
A. Nauck. Achter Band: Anhang, zusammenge-
stellt von Ewald Bruhn, Berlin 1899.
Dale, Lyric Metres A. M. Dale, The Lyric Metres of Greek Drama, 2nd
ed., Cambridge 1968.
Dawe, Collation R. D. Dawe, The Collation and Investigation of
Manuscripts of Aeschylus, Cambridge 1964.
Denniston, Particles J. D. Denniston, The Greek Particles, 2nd ed., Ox-
ford 1954.
Denniston—Page Aeschylus, Agamemnon, ed. J.D. Denniston and
Denys Page, Oxford 1957.
Dionysiaca Dionysiaca, Nine Studies ... presented to Sir Denys
Page, Cambridge 1978.
Fraenkel Aeschylus, Agamemnon, ed. Eduard Fraenkel, Ox-
ford 1950.
Garvie Aeschylus, Choephori, with introd. and comm. by
A. F. Garvie, Oxford 1986.
Greek Metre M.L. West, Greek Metre, Oxford 1982.
Griffith, Authenticity M. Griffith, The Authenticity of'Prometheus Bound',
Cambridge 1977.
Hutchinson Aeschylus, Septem contra Thebas, ed. G. O. Hutch-
inson, Oxford 1985.
Johansen - Whittle Aeschylus, The Suppliants, ed. H. Friis Johansen
and Edward W. Whittle, Copenhagen 1980.
Kühner—Gerth Ausführliche Grammatik der griech. Sprache von
Dr. Raphael Kühner, 2. Teil: Satzlehre, 3. Aufl.
besorgt von Dr. Bernhard Gerth, Hannover
1898-1904.
Schwyzer I Ed. Schwyzer, Griechische Grammatik, 1. Band,
München 1939.
X
Schwyzer—Debrunner Ed. Schwyzer, Griechische Grammatik, 2. Band,
vervollständigt u. hrsg. von Albert Debrunner,
München 1950.
Taplin O. Taplin, The Stagecraft of Aeschylus, Oxford
1977.
Wilamowitz, Interpr. U. von Wilamowitz-Moellendorff, Aischylos.
Interpretationen, Berlin 1914.
Wilamowitz, ed. Aeschyli Tragoediae, ed. Udalricus de Wilamo-
witz-Moellendorff, Berlin 1914.
I do not list here all the editors and commentators to whom reference is
made from time to time.