Musings on Homer’s Iliad, Sophocles Antigone, and Apollo's Argonautica
Professor Deborah Beck and Professor Lesley Dean Jones look back on the Odysseuses we’ve encountered in Homer Odyssey and Sophocles Ajax and Philoctetes. We muse on some other Odysseuses, and tricksters ,as well.
Works and authors mentioned in this episode: Cratinus Odysseis (exists only in fragments), Euripides Cyclops
Caroline Young is joined by Kristen Allen to discuss Philoctetes. We’ll examine the arguments presented by Philoctetes and Neoptolemus. Which character is more convincing, and why?
Zach Springer is joined by Caroline Young to discuss the analysis of tragedy in Aristotle’s Poetics in relation to Sophocles’ Philoctetes. We also get into the difficulties of Odysseus’ moral character in Sophocles’ play, Neoptolemus’ nature, and other complexities.
Recommended reading: Aristotle Poetics
Join Nicolas and Zach to examine the choral stasimon from Sophocles’ Philoctetes, lines 676-729.By exploring the empathy exhibited by the chorus as well as the deceit of the chorus. Nicolas and Zach discuss the different representations of Odysseus’ clever and tricky character in the Ajax and the Philoctetes.
Notes: Schein, S., ed. 2013. Sophocles Philoctetes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Aristotle Poetics
Megan Hunter and co-host Nicolas Larimer discuss the difference in portrayals of Odysseus in Sophocles’ Ajax and Homer’s Odyssey. How do we define the moral code that Odysseus follows?
Kayla and Megan discuss the similarities and differences of Agamemnon and Teucer’s speeches in Sophocles’ Ajax (lines 1226-1298), relating them to the heroic age maxim and the historical context of democracy in 5th century Athens.
Further Readings:
Hansen, Mogens Herman. 1991. The Athenian Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes: Structure, Principles, and Ideology. Blackwell.
Presented by Kristen Allen with co-host Kayla Hays, this episode explores the complicated relationship between Ajax and his wife Tecmessa. We’ll also talk about how Ajax’s status as a legendary warrior might play into his expression of masculinity.
Prof. Deborah Beck, the creator of “Musings in Greek Literature”, is joined by Prof. Sean Burd, Chair of the UT Department of Classics. We’re talking about Odysseus and his tricky nature, in the Odyssey and beyond.
Show notes:
Natalie Zemon Davis, The Return of Martin Guerre (1983)
“The Return of Martin Guerre” starring Gerard Depardieu (1982, in French)
“Sommersby” starring Richard Gere (1993, set during the American Civil War)
This season, join us as we talk about the different ways that Odysseus is depicted in several ancient Greek authors and poems.
Along with Professor Beck, Bill and Becca return for a conversation about the last book of the Argonautica that’s as wide-ranging as the travels of the Argonauts on their return from Colchis to Greece.
Book notes:
Carspecken, J. F. 1952. “Apollonius Rhodius and the Homeric Epic.” Yale Classical Studies 13: 35-143.
Race, W. H., ed. 2008. Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Liberty is joined by Cade, the host of Episode 3, to delve further into Medea’s feelings in Argonautica 3.752-770. How does that anxiety feel? How does Apollonius represent her emotions? Liberty and Cade walk a torturous path with Medea as she is pulled to and fro between her love for Jason and her ties to her family.
Join Ava and Liberty as they examine Medea’s inner struggle between her societal norms and her love for Jason in Argonautica 3.656-664. They also dive into some of the ways Apollonius draws on Homeric epic and Medea’s character in Euripides’ Medea, as well as some similarities between Medea and Dido in Vergil’s Aeneid.
Focusing on Argonautica 3.471-488, Natalie and Ava explore relationships between the men (Jason and Argus), the women (Chalciope and Medea) and goddesses (Hera and Athena). How might they might relate to one another in the context of the larger quest and story?
Book notes: Hunter, R., ed. 1989. Apollonius of Rhodes Argonautica Book III. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
In Argonautica 3.275-319, Dylan and Natalie discuss the moment when Eros causes Medea to fall in love with Jason. They look at the implications this has within the poem, and for the poem’s place in epic literature.
Looking at Argonautica 3.151-93, Cade and Dylan chat about what Jason is like as hero, in the Argonautica and also in comparison to other Greek epic heroes like Achilles or Odysseus.
We’re joined by Dr. Rebecca van der Horst to talk about the different version of heroism that we find in Argonautica 2 as compared to Book 1. Instead of strength, heroes are all about clever planning. We follow Jason and the Argonauts all the way to Colchis, and we look at the start of their time there in Book 3. Why do heroes speak to us so meaningfully today?
Book notes: Map of the voyage of the Argonauts
Deborah Beck and Bill Farris kick off Season 3 with a conversation about how Book 1 sets the tone for the Argonautica, both what the story is about and how Apollonius tells the story.
Reading notes:
Beck, D. 2018. “Emotional and Thematic Meanings in a Repeating Homeric Motif: A Case Study,” Journal of Hellenic Studies 138: 150-72.
Clauss, J. 1993. The Best of the Argonauts. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Race, W. H., ed. 2008. Apollonius Rhodius Argonautica. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Professor Deborah Beck returns to wrap things up. Things end well for this podcast season and for the course. For Creon, not so much.
Antigone offers one last lament before going down to her tomb to die. It’s the last thing we’ll ever hear her say. As she leaves, the chorus gives a bizarre ode that has left even the top commentators scratching their heads. It’s like no other choral ode we’ve seen, and some scholars have argued that it’s merely garbled filler. But maybe, just maybe, it’s the most genius ode of the entire play.
Nikhil and Payton get together again, this time to discuss aspects of the conversation between Haemon and Creon (Antigone 738-71).
In Antigone 700-737, Lexie discusses Haemon’s attempts to dissuade his father, Kreon, from punishing Antigone for burying her brother’s corpse.
Katherine analyzes the development of the characters Ismene and Antigone in Antigone 531-58. Spoiler alert: “family” plays a big role in their disagreements.
Mary discusses the significance of gender, family, language, and lament in Antigone 497-530.
Payton and Nikhil discuss Antigone 414-47, thinking about what isolation means to some of the main characters in the play.
Albion looks at the return of the guard in Antigone 384-414, his new and confident attitude, and how this seemingly minor character contrasts with the main characters in a big way.
Joseph talks about the second half of the Ode to Man, lines 354-383. He looks at the meter of the strophe and antistrophe to show Sophocles’ theme of duality in both the ode and the play as a whole.
Brendan begins a two-episode dive into the second choral song in the Antigone, the “Ode to Man,” with a deep discussion of verses 322-52. What does the word deinos mean? Awesome? Terrible? Amazing? All of the above? And how does that shape our understanding of the play?
Performances Referenced: Antigone by Sophocles translated by Robert Fagles [1985]
Day 2: Antigone in Ferguson Performance: Theater of War ENG
Music from https://filmmusic.io “Private Reflection” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
“Thinking Music” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
“I Knew a Guy” by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Along with guest Evan Cleary, a business student, Lyle discusses the nature of Creon’s leadership in Antigone 304-331. He and Evan look at some modern interpretations of Antigone.
Laura breaks down Creon’s response to the news that the body of Polynices was buried (Antigone 280-303), discussing both the details of the Greek in this passage and the complexity of Creon’s character and motivations.
Focusing on Antigone 215-42, Cassandra Winkley and Rachel Prichett discuss the messenger trope in Greek tragedy. They see the Guard in Antigone as a pseudo-, sort-of messenger.
Dylan McKibban discusses the second half of Creon’s first speech (verses 191-210). He finds that its connections to a previous passage complicate who the hero of the play really is.
Prof. Deborah Beck introduces season 2 with a discussion of the characters, language, and themes in the prologue of Sophocles’ Antigone (verses 1-99).
A trailer for the Second season of Musings in Greek Literature, where they’ll be looking into the Antigone
Professor Deborah Beck provides some Homeric ring composition by looking back on the Iliad and the podcasting experience for the class.
As the Iliad comes to an end, Lauryn draws on her knowledge of three-act structure to think about the story of the entire poem.
Trey Timson discusses the myth of Niobe and the use of the word sitos (“food”) Iliad 24. What is this story doing here? Why does Achilles tell it?
Rachel Prichett discusses Achilles’ response to Priam’s request for the return of Hector’s body. For a brief moment, the two enemies find they have more in common than they might have thought.
In this episode, which focuses mainly on Iliad 24.477-86, Austin McDow talks about the simile used immediately before Priam’s supplication of Achilles for the body of Hector.
Claudia Cockerell discusses the opening of Book 23, focusing on the funeral rites of Patroclus and the different treatment of Patroclus and Hector’s bodies.
Sam Ross discusses the impartiality of the Iliadic narrator, specifically in reference to Andromakhe’s laments for Hektor.
Ethan Russo focuses on Iliad 22.378-404. He thinks about Achilles and Hector’s body, both what Achilles says about the dead Hector, and what Achilles does to the body.
In our first episode, Prof. Deborah Beck gives an introduction to this season. We look at epic similes, fate, and the gods at the end of Hector and Achilles’ chase around Troy, focusing on Iliad 22.199-213.
A trailer setting up the First Season and the Series as a whole.
