Timothy
HECKENLIVELY The Forgotten Cloak: Agonistic
Subtext in the Shield of Herakles
Since Russo’s 1950 commentary on the
Ps.-Hesiodic Aspis, it has been common to
recognize some level of unity within the poem, at least
on the level of the composer’s “gusto per il
macabre”. However, the festive and agricultural
scenes at the conclusion of the shield ecphrasis do not
conform to such taste. These scenes are generally treated
as little more than an inferior duplication of the
Homeric “city at peace” contrasting with the
terror of the “city at war”. However, such
interpretation falls short on several levels. First, the
grammar of the passage suggests that this is not the
central contrast at play. Second, the diction of the
verses exploits ambiguities of Greek thought, allowing
numerous echoes of the earlier terror. Finally, the
traditional contrast overlooks basic facets of
performance dynamic and agonistic diction.
The activities within the city at peace are not easily
separated from the earlier imagery of the Aspis.
The first is a bridal procession. However, the conflation
of death and marriage is common in Greek poetry and art
from the earliest periods. The use of the apene
underscores this duality, for such a cart plays a central
role in both Iliad 24 and Odyssey 6.
The bridal torches of the procession blaze with fire in a
diction typical of conflagration and roaring battle-fury
(275, selas eiluphaze). The description of the
music employs the same phrase used for the final clash of
the two opponents (peri de sphisin agnuto echo,
279, 384).
The “city at peace” is the concluding
section of the poem. The subtle continuance of diction
allows the poet to make an effective transition between
the horrors which precede it and the central, agonistic
message that he encodes within. Scholars are generally
agreed that the Aspis was composed for a Theban audience.
The city in question is conspicuously seven-gated. The
poet praises this city as a place where men delight in
festivities and dance. The image suggests the beginning
of an extended dialogue between performer and audience
aimed at attaining victory in the competition at hand.
After passing through images of song and dance
exemplifying that in which the city delights, the poet
passes to agricultural imagery. The parallel images on
the shield of Achilles are no doubt a partial allusion,
but the primary subtext is the agonistic argument.
Farming is a common Greek metaphor for the poetic art.
Constructions in men...de develop a contrast
between the types of agricultural activity described. The
effect suggests a fundamental comparison between the
poetics of the performer and his competitors. Combat
sports (a poetic metaphor in Pindar) follow, leading up
to the final image, a horse race around a tripod in which
victory remains undecided. The argument and technique
recall Odysseus’ manner of seeking a cloak in
Odyssey 14.457-522, an apparently digressive
tale of a forgotten garment whose subtext is readily
grasped by Eumaios.
Such a reading is beneficial on several levels. It
points to a greater degree of ordered construction within
this portion of the Aspis than has hitherto been
admitted. Moreover, recognition of agonistic subtext as a
component of ecphrasis has implications for other such
passages. It strengthens the old suspicion that the poet
himself is at the center of the dance which concludes the
shield of Achilles (Il. 18.590-606). A similar reference
appears to be present the verses concluding the
description of the baldric of Herakles (Od. 11.613-614):
me technesamenos med' allo ti technesaito | hos
deinon telamona heei egkattheto technei. Viewed
within such a framework of agonistic poetics, these
verses also suggest tantalizing possibilities.
Abstracts
Index