Student Minutes 06 pdf

Dialogue 06
September 23, 2009
scriba: Olivia Clements
October 5 and 6–film night, Sackler theatre (look for micro- and macro- narrative),
7:30pm/6:30pm
Patroklos as the alter ego of Achilles
Freudian term—Freud inspired by classics
Iliad as first or proto-tragedy of Greek culture
Opera and its relation to ancient Greek tragedy/epic tradition/lyric tradition (see bottom of
document for lyrics in English and French)
Two young men (tenor and baritone) see a woman in an initiation ritual at precise
moment she is morphing into a goddess—“epiphany”
**Bride appears just as Sappho’s bridegroom does
Link to Sappho 31
Points of view of three people in Opera relate to three people in Sappho 31
(Sappho’s speaker, bride and bridegroom)
The motif of fire
Each man falling in love with her simultaneously
Goddess descending to be among us
Procession—initiation ritual
Veil—not seeing her anymore in a clear way/ “her veil is lifted”—seeing things
differently or more clearly
Possible link: derangement of senses in Sappho 31 and Iliad XVI, 783‐806
Two men: alienation from each other
Then united in their love for this one girl who has transformed into a goddess
Love/hate—goddess pulls them apart and simultaneously fuses them
together in a single destiny (one lover gives up his life for the other to be
with the woman)
**Girl  goddess  woman (transformative initiation)
Homoerotic
Highpoints of passion—lyric tradition
Therapon—attendant, minister, helper of main hero, ritual substitute (charioteer
example, sacrificing one’s life for your best friend)
Homoerotic—yet more intimate that homo- or hetero- love (sort of transcends gender),
treating friend as your other self, profound form of love
Patroklos being the best of the Achaeans because he is the alter ego to Achilles
Ascending scale of affection
Epic as the top of the ascending scale of affection for Achilles
Healing and its relation to ritual substitute—Hittite origin, on New Year celebration the
nearest and dearest to the King would be killed in place of the King to heal the
community
Keep in mind for other texts in the class (Oedipus)
XI—fatal impersonation of Achilles by Patroklos begins in his epithet (equal to Ares)
that climaxes in XVI
Macro-narrator’s insertion/foreshadow
Aristotle: what is a philos (friend)? Alter-ego, “other I”, pushing friendship to the highest
level, ego being top of ascending scale (Kleopatra/wife as top of Meleager’s scale—man
and wife = one flesh, the self/ego is the top of the ascending scale, Patroklos is Achilles’
“wife” in this one-flesh/same person sense and Penthesilea had the potential to be but
Achilles realizes this too late)
We love those in whom we see ourselves
Achilles seems to kill/have killed his alter-egos (almost as if he is ridding the
world of every aspect of himself (since his alter-egos are part of him) so that his
untimely death is absolute and his kleos is locked into place more fully?)
Thus (review): special signal that only those who can understand what follows have the
following qualifications:
Intellectually qualified, morally qualified, emotionally qualified (community
essential to communication)
Chapter 4 of Tales of Hoffman
Micro-narrative that occurs before punch bowl scene (see website for Professor
Nagy’s commentary)
Micro-narrative that is “hijacked” by macro-narrative (like Phoenix’s compressed
epic)
Dwarf becomes symbol of rejected love/unrequited love
Aphrodite/Hephaestus—the cripple
Meltdown of sorrow and love
“Echoes melting in death”—broken hearts
Entire story compressed into micro-narrative (lyric tradition)
Patroklos as a concept rather than a person to Achilles
Patroklos vs. Kleopatra
Why does Kleopatra succeed in convincing Meleager and Patroklos doesn’t with
Achilles?
Achilles’ story is more complicated (also epic is top of the scale for
Achilles)
Where does Briseis fit into the ascending scale?
Achilles loves life, is, I think, obsessed with time on earth (immortality, has to leave his
mark behind)
Man of Sorrow – always realizes too late how much his philoi matter or how they
function as alter-egos
Looking Ahead:
Price of human life
Film: Civil Action
Ending thought: Void and Compensation–wish to see others suffer exactly the way we
are suffering
Evil is passing on your sufferings to others
I want you to understand what pain I have
Yet each suffering is different (new people experience it differently)
Nadir and Zurga:
Yes, it is she!
It is the goddess, most beguiling and beautiful.
Yes, it is she!
It is the goddess who descends among us.
Her veil is lifted, and the
crowd are on their knees.
Nadir:
But she makes her way
through the crowd,
clearing a passage before
her.
Zurga:
Her long veil is now
starting to
hide from us her looks.
Nadir:
My gaze, alas,
is seeking her in vain.
Zurga:
She flees.
Nadir:
She flees.
But in my soul, suddenly,
what a strange flame has been lit.
Zurga:
What sort of new fire is consuming me!
Nadir:
Your hand pushes back my hand.
Zurga:
Your hand pushes back my hand.
Nadir:
Our hearts are seized by love
and it changes us into enemies.
Zurga:
No, let nothing separate us!
Nadir:
No, nothing!
Zurga and Nadir:
Let us swear to remain friends.
Oh yes, let us swear to remain friends.
Yes, it is she! It is the goddess.
Who comes today to unite us,
and, faithful to my promise,
like a brother I want to cherish you.
Yes, it is she! It is the goddess.
Who comes today to unite us.
Yes, let us share a single destiny.
Let us stay united until death.
NADIR ET ZURGA: Oui, c'est elle! C'est la déesse plus charmante et plus belle! Oui,
c'est elle! C'est la déesse qui descend parmi nous! Son voile se soulève et la foule est à
genoux!
NADIR: Mais à travers la foule Elle s'ouvre un passage!
ZURGA: Son long voile déjà Nous cache son visage!
NADIR: Mon regard, hélas! La cherche en vain!
ZURGA: Elle fuit!
NADIR: Elle fuit! Mais dans mon âme soudain Quelle étrange ardeur s'allume!
ZURGA: Quel feu nouveau me consume!
NADIR: Ta main repousse ma main!
ZURGA: Ta main repousse ma main!
NADIR: De nos cœurs l'amour s'empare Et nous change en ennemis!
ZURGA: Non, que rien ne nous sépare!
NADIR: Non, rien!
ZURGA ET NADIR: Jurons de rester amis! Oh oui, jurons de rester amis! Oui, c'est elle!
C'est la déesse! En ce jour qui vient nous unir, Et fidèle à ma promesse, Comme un frère
je veux te chérir! C'est elle, c'est la déesse Qui vient en ce jour nous unir! Oui, partageons
le même sort, Soyons unis jusqu'à la mort!