Peter GAINSFORD
Achilles' views on death: succession and time in the
Odyssey
This paper puts in context the infamous view of death
expressed by Achilles' ghost in Odyssey 11.489-91:
that Achilles would rather serve a poor man in life than
be king over all the dead. Too often this sentiment is
viewed as exemplary of early Greek attitudes to death:
see e.g. Griffin (1980, 100-1), as well as the major
commentaries ad loc.: de Jong (2001), Heubeck (1989),
Stanford (1959). Certainly there have been more balanced
readings, as for example Sourvinou-Inwood (1995, 80).
It is simple to show that this is not the end of the
matter, however, and that his sentiments are neither
wholly despairing nor pleased, but complex. We have a
'before and after' situation. 'Before', Achilles is
despondent and bitter about death; immediately following
this he interrogates Odysseus about the wellbeing of his
family. Odysseus' response gives particular prominence to
Neoptolemos' achievements and the glory he has won, which
in turn gives rise to the 'after' scenario, where
Achilles strides off joyfully across the asphodel meadow.
Achilles' two sentiments frame the whole conversation and
provide the key to understanding the scene.
The difference between the two sentiments hinges on
the related themes of genealogy, succession, and time,
and the whole scene has clear implications for Odysseus'
own family. Death is cause for misery, to be sure; but
the achievement of succession and the continuance of his
family line not only give grounds for rejoicing but can
actually redeem the whole situation in Achilles' eyes.
Similarly, throughout the Odyssey much attention
is given to Telemachos' capability to perpetuate
Odysseus' genealogy.
The two families are at different stages in their
life-cycle. If we think of genealogical progression as a
narrative, we see that Achilles' family is a family whose
narrative has been resolved: Neoptolemos has proved
himself, succession has been achieved, the narrative has
closure. Odysseus' family, by contrast, is throughout the
whole Odyssey frozen in mid-step, at a moment
where Telemachos must never be depicted wholly as either
an immature child or a mature adult. To express this
liminal, timeless state, the poet has to show Telemachos
continually undergoing symbolic moments of approaching
adulthood, 'initiation' moments, without ever actually
attaining full maturity. Whereas Neoptolemos is a
fully-fledged hero, and Achilles' narrative is concluded
to his own satisfaction, for Odysseus and Telemachos
closure is constantly being postponed.
Peter Gainsford
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Abstracts
Index