Procne, Tereus, Philomela

An experiment in distant reading on the texts that tell the myth of Procne and Philomela in classical Latin literature and on the section of book VI of Ovid's Metamorphoses telling the story, in comparison with the whole of the Metamorphoses and the whole of classical Latin literature.

Ransmayr regényének Philomela-történetét trauma-történetként, pontosabban különböző traumák sorának történeteként értelmezem. Az értelmezés során a pszichológiai perspektíva mellett a szöveg érzéki-mediális alkotóelemeire figyelő irodalomtudományos nézőpontot is érvényesítem. Philomela megerőszakolását követő megcsonkítása, beszédszerveinek szétroncsolása mindenekelőtt az imaginárius ‒ ugyanakkor az utolsó két fejezetben a szöveg fonikus szintjén többször érzékileg is hangsúlyosan megjelenített ‒ emberi és állati hang és hang nélküliség jelenségére, vagyis az (a)phonia kódjának működésére irányítja a figyelmet. Elemzésemben ezért azokat az összefüggéseket állítom előtérbe, amelyek a regényben hang/hang néküliség és trauma között feltárulnak. A Philomela-epizód különböző módokon traumatizált szereplőinek egymáshoz fűződő viszonyait mint egymást tükröző, vagy még inkább: mint egymást visszhangként közvetítő viszonyokat mutatom be. A regény utolsó fejezetének átváltozás-jelenetét Procne (Philomela nővére) hangjának átváltozásán keresztül értelmezem: ez az átváltozás a suttogástól az artikulált és csengő hangon keresztül az énekhanggá alakulásig tart.

This paper aims to reassess the role of sister- and siblinghood in the fragmentary 'Tereus' of Sophocles, a play unusual in its dramatization of a close and collaborative relationship between two sisters. The plot hinges on their recognition and reunion, and the all-female bond of sisterhood is shown to outweigh both wife-husband and mother-son obligations. Finally, a close reading of three fragments suggests that the play was characterized by the language and imagery of siblinghood, reflecting the thematic centrality of sisterhood to this tragedy.

The Roman poet Ovid published the Metamorphoses in Latin in 8 CE; his text, which escapes traditional genre designations, retold more than two hundred and fifty
Greco-Roman myths, stretching from the creation of the world through the deification of Julius Caesar in 42 BCE, a year after Ovid’s birth. Through his focus on changing
forms and bodies, on the process of becoming (often through violent means), Ovid thematizes the very acts of rewriting and reworking.2 Surely Ovid’s authorial control
and revision of a vast array of familiar Greco-Roman stories appealed to Picasso, who practiced a similar selective canonical absorption and modification in his own work. Just as Ovid’s text influenced and inspired later writers such as Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer, and Giovanni Boccaccio, so too did many visual artists, including Sandro Botticelli, Nicolas Poussin, Peter Paul Rubens, and Odilon Redon, take up specific Ovidian tales in painting, sculpture, and graphic work.3 Picasso’s choice of Ovid’s text for his venture with Skira thus participates in a long-standing literary and visual tradition. For both Ovid and Picasso the appeal of tradition lay in remaking it.4

The setting of a drama often entails significant political implicatons. My paper focuses on Sophocles’ fragmentary Tereus, which is a version of the nightingale-myth different from the one attested by Homer (Od. 19.518-524), Pherecydes (vol. 3 fr. 124 Jacoby) and Aeschylus (Suppl. 58-76). First of all, Sophocles’ Thracian setting is an innovation which can be read as a criticism towards Thrace itself. This can be demonstrated through an analysis of the allusions to the myth included in two other Sophoclean plays — Ai. 623-634 and El. 145-152 — in which the story of the nightingale shows a paradigmatic function. Although briefly mentioned, the two mythical exempla seem on the one hand to allude to the contrast between civilization and barbarism, on the other hand to stress the metapoetic function of the nightingale’s song. The first of the two motifs that emerges from Ajax and Electra can be compared with some aspects of Tereus: the differentiation between «foreigners» and «barbarians» presented in fragment 583 Radt; the glossectomy which Tereus inflicted on Philomela (referring to the hostility of the barbarians towards ἰσηγορία); Tereus’ transformation into a hoopoe (whose typical traits recall the characterization of the Thracians: fr. 581 Radt). It is therefore possible to demonstrate that Sophocles re-read the nightingale-myth in political terms to criticize any possible alliance with Thrace.

An examination of the coin issues of Bizye bearing the mythical figure of Kapaneus, starting with the issue struck under Septimius Severus and emphasizing on the raison d'être for its appearance.
Commenting on the wall-storming combatant and the connection between Bizye  and Thebes, as well as framing the coin type in historical context and in association with other relevant coin issues.

Secrétaire de Ronsard et l’un des premiers traducteurs d’Homère en France, Amadis Jamyn est aussi un auteur de poésies originales, qui pratique maintes formes privilégiées de la Renaissance française. Imprégnée de culture antique, la poésie de Jamyn met en avant plusieurs récits tirés de la mythologie gréco-romaine. Il puise notamment dans Les Métamorphoses d’Ovide, revenant souvent à la même scène dans plusieurs pièces. L’un de ces mythes, le viol de Philomèle, se prête à deux réécritures bien différentes chez Jamyn. D’abord, dans ses premières poésies, il livre un poème narratif, le Discours d’une amante, qui raconte le sort d’une jeune femme forcée par son père de s’allier en mariage à un homme qu’elle n’aime pas. Plus tard, dans un canzoniere pétrarquiste destiné à la fameuse maréchale de Retz, il médite sur le thème de la stupeur amoureuse, se servant encore une fois de la figure de Philomèle, alors représentée comme double de sa persona poétique. Par le biais de cette femme mythologique, il rapproche ainsi la notion de viol de deux situations distinctes, le mariage sous contrainte et le ravissement amoureux.

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar a representação no cinema de duas cenas da peça Tito Andrônico, de William Shakespeare, quais sejam: o estupro de Lavínia, por Quíron e por Demétrio, e sua morte pelo próprio pai, Tito. Ao comparar o texto do dramaturgo inglês à versão cinematográfica da peça – o filme Titus, de Julie Taymor –,  destacaremos que, se por um lado, a renomada diretora mostrou bastante cuidado com a construção da cena do estupro, de tal maneira que o público não sentisse nenhuma sensação de deleite no ato, por outro, não pôde, na cena do assassinato de Lavínia, fugir ao modelo da bela morte sacrifical da figura feminina em nome da honra familiar.

L’ambientazione di un dramma mette spesso in luce significativi risvolti politici. Il presente contributo si propone di mostrare come l’ambientazione tracia del Tereo di Sofocle sia un’innovazione dell’autore. L’originalità di questa scelta può essere dimostrata sulla base delle testimonianze di Tucidide (3, 29, 3) e Pausania (10, 4, 8), che attestano per la stessa vicenda un’ambientazione daulia. È quindi possibile dimostrare che il trasferimento dello sfondo del mito in Tracia può essere letto come una critica nei confronti di questa regione, con cui Atene intratteneva in quegli anni difficili rapporti. Tale dimostrazione è corroborata dall’analisi di alcuni aspetti del Tereo: la differenziazione fra «stranieri» e «barbari» presentata nel frammento 583 Radt2; la glossotomia inflitta a Filomela da Tereo, che allude all’ἰσηγορία, osteggiata dai barbari; il pregiudizio sull’avidità dei barbari (Fr. 587 Radt2); il possibile sfondo dionisiaco (Frr, 591, 595a Radt2). È determinante in tal senso la testimonianza di Tucidide (2, 29, 3), che difende il re di Tracia Tere dall’accusa di essere imparentato con Tereo, poiché a suo avviso Tereo era un trace di Daulide. Il bersaglio polemico di Tucidide potrebbe essere Sofocle, che col suo Tereo volle esprimere la propria opinione in merito alla possibile alleanza con la Tracia ventilata ad Atene in quegli anni.

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.

En este artículo presentamos un análisis de la versión dramática del mito de Procne y Philomela en la tragedia lírica Philomèle (1705) de Pierre-Charles Roy y Louis de Lacoste. Después de una revisión de las versiones dramáticas del mito desde Sófocles hasta la literatura francesa del sigo XVIII, se ofrece una breve panorámica sobre los autores, el texto impreso, el prólogo, los personajes y el lugar en que se desarrolla la acción, el argumento, las innovaciones en la trama y los posibles modelos que pudieron inspirarlas. Algunas de estas innovaciones, como la creación de un enamorado para Philomela o la muerte de Tereus, acercan la obra a las versiones españolas del mito, mientras que otras, como la omisión de la violación, la glosotomía y el banquete antropofágico, parecen una concesión a las bienséances. La obra, por otra parte, pese a sus limitaciones artísticas, merece también ser estudiada por haberse convertido en un foco de irradiación para los sucesivos tratamientos dramáticos de Piron, Pijon, Lemierre y Renou.

Word order flexibility in Latin gives authors considerable freedom in the arrangement of the different components of a noun phrase. This freedom conforms, nonetheless, with stylistic preferences that seem to be shared by poets from the classical era. Among these stylistic preferences, the following two may be highlighted: the anteposition of an adjective, and disjunction, which contributes to focalization effects and to mise en relief, on the one hand, and reinforces the unity of each verse across its two hemistiches, on the other. In addition, disjunction is conducive to the creation of a sort of iconic symbolism that expresses, in a graphic manner, such notions as inclusion and seclusion. This iconic symbolism may also suggest the idea of difficulty or impasse, whenever disjunction is accompanied by an order of words characterized by two interlocked phrases. This paper also analyzes the iconic symbolism made possible by juxtaposition and enjambment. The corpus utilized in this investigation consists of the Procne and Philomela episode in Book 6 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Carolin Ritter greift mit ihrem Beitrag die #MeToo-Thematik auf: Wie können unterdrückte Frauen zu Wort kommen? Die Lernenden befassen sich mit der Philomela-Erzählung in Ovids Metamorphosen und ihrer frühneuzeitlichen Rezeption. Der Mythos bietet die nötige Distanz zum gewaltvollen Geschehen, aber auch die Chance einer intensiven Auseinandersetzung mit ihm.

Uno de los episodios más siniestros de las Metamorfosis es posiblemente el que recrea el mito de Procne, Filomela y Tereo, pero, a la vez, el cuidado que puso el poeta en su composición lo convierte en uno de los más perfectos. Dos son los motivos básicos que parecen entretejerse en la trama: la ceguera de los mortales y la inversión de papeles que permite la posibilidad de castigar retributivamente a un agresor. La idea del castigo proporcional se expresa simbólicamente mediante una serie de complejos ecos intertextuales que atribuyen en la segunda parte de la his-toria a las hermanas vengadoras la conducta y los estados de mente que se atri-buían al agresor en la primera, y viceversa. Esta serie de correspondencias, estu-diadas por Anderson, Segal o Kaufhold en la estructura general del episodio, se examinan con detalle en este artículo en relación con el tema específico del matri-monio, uno de los motivos-clave en la trama.

«An Avatar of the Theme of Philomela in Juan Bautista Diamante’s Zarzuela Jupiter and
Semele». Analysis of a musical drama inspired on the myth of Jupiter and Semele, by Juan Bautista Diamante (1625-1687), and published in the first edition of F. Juan Bautista Diamante’s Comedies (Madrid, 1670). The present study focuses primarily on the musical drama’s treatment of the myth of Philomela.

Análisis de la tragedia legendaria en tres actos publicada en 1962 por el dramaturgo francés Jean Geschwin, en la que, a partir de una original recreación del mito de Progne y Filomela, se expresa la preocupación y el desasosiego provocados por las dos décadas de sangrientos conflictos bélicos casi ininterrumpidos que estaban desgarrando a Francia

ABSTRACT

An analysis of the three-act tragedy published in 1962 by the French playwright Jean Geschwin; drawing from an original recreation of the Procne and Philomela myth, the play expresses the worries and unease caused by decades of ongoing, blood-drenched war conflicts which were then tearing France apart.

Abstract

Sommario dei tre temi trattati

1. Spirat tragicum satis...: a proposito di Acc. 640-1 R3. (= 443-4 Dangel)
2. I crudelia gaudia di Procne: un’ipotesi su un’immagine ovidiana (met. 6, 653)
3. .Sull’uso di depositus in Accio 638 R.3 (= 441 Dangel)

RESUMEN Análisis de la versión dramática sobre el tema mítico de Filomela compuesta por el pintor y dramaturgo francés Antoine Renou, estrenada en París en 1773. Se estudia no solo la versión dramática propiamente dicha, y su lugar y relevancia en el contexto de la historia de la recepción de este mito, sino también las circunstancias en medio de las cuales se com-puso, la reacción del público y el conflicto que enfrentó, antes y después de la puesta en escena, al dramaturgo y la Comédie Française.

ABSTRACT «A Tragedy Born of a Challenge: Térée et Philomele(1773) by Antoine Renou».

An analysis of French playwright Antoine Renou's piece on the mythical theme of Philomela. Renou's Térée et Philomelewas premiered in Paris in 1773. My study focuses on the play's significance for the history of this myth's reception, as well as on details of its composition, the reception by contemporary audiences, and the conflict between the playwright and the Comédie Française, both before and after the performance of Térée.