Amphion

The myth of Amphion not only helps us read, interpret and "place" vast quantities of early modern lyrics from Spain, France and England; it also offers a way to read some powerful twenty-first century poetry that might be understood to emerge from the legacies of the deep imbrication of lyrics and imperial projects in the early modern period.

Among the surviving works of the comic poet Eubolus is a comedy entitled Antiope, a parody of Euripides’ tragedy bearing the same name. Edmonds identifies in the protagonists of this comedy as representations of the politicians Epaminondas and Pelopidas. This study examines this hypothesis, never previously analysed in detail and almost ignored by the critics. Given the chronology of Eubolus, a contemporary of these politicians, an interpretation of the comic Antiope like that suggested by Edmonds, in which the politicians are to be identified with a pair of twins, would impose dating the literary construction of the “inseparable couple” to a period contemporary with the actions of Pelopidas and Epaminondas. This would lend support to the hypothesis that the image of the “inseparable couple” Pelopidas-Epaminondas started in the IV century as an artificial construction, for the purposes of Athenian propaganda.

L’obiettivo di questo contributo è di chiarire la ricezione del mito tebano di Zeto e della sua sposa Aedon in epoca classica attraverso un’analisi dei suoi adattamenti e interpretazioni. Lo spostamento dello sfondo del mito in Tracia può essere letto come una critica nei confronti di questa regione, con la quale Atene aveva in quegli anni dei rapporti difficili. Alcuni elementi deducibili dal Tereo, come la «voce della spola», monstrano che Sofocle ha proposto una rilettura del mito dell’usignolo in termini politici: in questo modo egli intese esprimere la sua avversità a proposito di una possibile alleanza ateniese con la Tracia. Si tratta di un problema capitale nel dibattito politico ateniese all’epoca del regno tracio di Tere e di Sitalce.

L’objectif de cette contribution est de clarifier la réception à l’époque classique du mythe du cycle thébain de Zéthos et son épouse Aédon à travers une analyse de ses adaptations et interprétations. Le déplacement du décor du mythe en Thrace peut être lu comme une critique envers cette région, avec laquelle Athènes avait des rapports difficiles à l’époque. Il y a des éléments déductibles du Térée, comme la « voix de la navette », qui montrent que Sophocle a proposé une relecture du mythe du rossignol en termes politiques : par ce moyen, il veut exprimer son aversion contre la possibilité d’une alliance athénienne avec la Thrace. Il s’agit d’un problème capital dans le débat politique athénien au moment du gouvernement de la Thrace par Térès et Sitalcès.

By analyzing its adaptations and interpretations, this paper will shed light on the reception, in the classical period, of the Theban cycle myth of Zethus and his bride Aëdon. The myth’s displacement resulting from its setting in Thrace can be read as a critique of Thrace itself, with which Athens had difficult relations with at the time. Some topics recognisable from Tereus, such as the “voice of the shuttle”, show that Sophocles re-read the myth of the nightingale in political terms. The re-reading expresses Sophocles’ aversion to any possible alliance with Thrace, a central issue in the Athenian political debate at a time when Thrace was under Teres’ and Sitalces’ government.

This article examines the first published Dutch translation of an ode written by the Polish Jesuit Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski (Mathias Casimirus Sarbievius, 1595-1640), one of the most renowned Neo-Latin poets, by the Dutchman Simon Ingels (1618-?), issued in 1658. It opens with a discussion of Sarbiewski’s links with the Low Countries, followed by an introduction of the translator and his works. A comparison between Sarbiewski’s original and Ingels’ version then shows how the translator cleverly appropriated the composition to his own, Dutch, context: whereas Sarbiewski wrote a call for unity amongst the Polish and Lithuanians knights, Ingels turned that into a similar message for the Dutch Republic.

This article discusses the first published Dutch translation, by the Dutchman Simon Ingels, of an ode by the Polish poet Maciej Kazimierz Sarbiewski, one of the most renowned Neo-Latin lyricists. It opens with a discussion of Sarbiewski’s links with the Low Countries, followed by an introduction of the translator and his works. A comparison between Sarbiewski’s original text and Ingels’ translation then shows how the translator cleverly adapted the work to his own, Dutch, context: where Sarbiewski called for unity amongst the Polish and Lithuanians knights, Ingels turned that into a similar message for the Dutch Republic.

Among the surviving works of the comic poet Eubolus is a comedy entitled Antiope, a parody of Euripides’ tragedy bearing the same name. Edmonds identifies in the protagonists of this comedy as representations of the politicians Epaminondas and Pelopidas. This study examines this hypothesis, never previously analysed in detail and almost ignored by the critics. Given the chronology of Eubolus, a contemporary of these politicians, an interpretation of the comic Antiope like that suggested by Edmonds, in which the politicians are to be identified with a pair of twins, would impose dating the literary construction of the “inseparable couple” to a period contemporary with the actions of Pelopidas and Epaminondas. This would lend support to the hypothesis that the image of the “inseparable couple” Pelopidas-Epaminondas started in the IV century as an artificial construction, for the purposes of Athenian propaganda.

This chapter outlines the stories of several musical heroes and shows how they illustrate various aspects of the conception and reception of music in the Greek and Roman worlds. Enchantment, diversity, exotic customs, and foreign lands played a significant part in the music of the Greek and Roman civilizations. Thanks to its capacity to influence the mind, music was regarded as capable of overcoming various contrasts and contradictions of life. But this unifying power properly belonged to the gods and not human beings, however extraordinary—a contrast that is symbolized by the divine punishments of musical heroes who dared to compete with the gods.