At 22:28 in “The
Ancient Greek Heroin 24 Hours”, Professor Nagy discusses how Socrates’ hetairos
Chaerephon went to Delphi and got an enigmatic answer which sent Socrates
on a wandering quest which resulted in strife in his community and the death of
Socrates. Didn’t this happy to Oedipus? Go to Delphi and ask a
question, get a weird answer, so go on a journey and end up bringing plague and
civil war to your community, followed by death. What was it by
fellow student Aristeagr said of Hour 21? "So this tragic death
of Pentheus...gives in a beautiful way what tragedy is all about. There is a
negative hero Pentheus, a god antagonist to the hero, the hubris of
the hero and finally his punishment that will lead to his kleos."
The meaning of hubris is "excessive pride"; usually a mortal not knowing his place. In this comparison; Socrates is the negative hero based on the vote, Apollo is
the trouble maker rather than Dionysius, Socrates hubris is
when he goes around bragging about being the smartest man in the world, his
punishment leads to his death and Plato provides his kleos.
“…something related to the gods… a voice,
which comes to me ... This thing I have had ever since I was a child: it is a
voice which comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I am going
to do, but never commands me to do anything” Plato Socrates
Apology 31d
Aristeagr expressed it very well, except that, to make the story not too flat and the audience sympathetic, the hero must not be too negative - and, hence, the god must be a bastard.
ReplyDeleteIn this play, Dionysius beats all records! Worse than Zeus, who at least shows some clemency to his family members. I am glad that, due to his late birth, I need not deal with him.
Nevertheless, it would be fun to see Dionysius and his team dispatched to some modern capital where alcohol is banned.
Maya,
ReplyDelete"Dionysius and his team dispatched to some modern capital where alcohol is banned." Now that would be a story!