"ὣς ἐφάμην, ὁ δέ μ᾽ αὐτίκ᾽ ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπε·440
‘τῷ νῦν μή ποτε καὶ σὺ γυναικί περ ἤπιος εἶναι·
μή οἱ μῦθον ἅπαντα πιφαυσκέμεν, ὅν κ᾽ ἐὺ εἰδῇς,
ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν φάσθαι, τὸ δὲ καὶ κεκρυμμένον εἶναι.
ἀλλ᾽ οὐ σοί γ᾽, Ὀδυσεῦ, φόνος ἔσσεται ἔκ γε γυναικός·
λίην γὰρ πινυτή τε καὶ εὖ φρεσὶ μήδεα οἶδε445
κούρη Ἰκαρίοιο, περίφρων Πηνελόπεια.
ἦ μέν μιν νύμφην γε νέην κατελείπομεν ἡμεῖς
ἐρχόμενοι πόλεμόνδε· πάϊς δέ οἱ ἦν ἐπὶ μαζῷ
νήπιος, ὅς που νῦν γε μετ᾽ ἀνδρῶν ἵζει ἀριθμῷ,
ὄλβιος· ἦ γὰρ τόν γε πατὴρ φίλος ὄψεται ἐλθών,450
καὶ κεῖνος πατέρα προσπτύξεται, ἣ θέμις ἐστίν.
ἡ δ᾽ ἐμὴ οὐδέ περ υἷος ἐνιπλησθῆναι ἄκοιτις
ὀφθαλμοῖσιν ἔασε· πάρος δέ με πέφνε καὶ αὐτόν.
ἄλλο δέ τοι ἐρέω, σὺ δ᾽ ἐνὶ φρεσὶ βάλλεο σῇσιν·
κρύβδην, μηδ᾽ ἀναφανδά, φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν455
νῆα κατισχέμεναι· ἐπεὶ οὐκέτι πιστὰ γυναιξίν.
ἀλλ᾽ ἄγε μοι τόδε εἰπὲ καὶ ἀτρεκέως κατάλεξον,
εἴ που ἔτι ζώοντος ἀκούετε παιδὸς ἐμοῖο,
ἤ που ἐν Ὀρχομενῷ ἢ ἐν Πύλῳ ἠμαθόεντι,
ἤ που πὰρ Μενελάῳ ἐνὶ Σπάρτῃ εὐρείῃ·460
οὐ γάρ πω τέθνηκεν ἐπὶ χθονὶ δῖος Ὀρέστης.’
ὣς ἔφατ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον:
‘ Ἀτρεΐδη, τί με ταῦτα διείρεαι; οὐδέ τι οἶδα,
ζώει ὅ γ᾽ ἦ τέθνηκε· κακὸν δ᾽ ἀνεμώλια βάζειν.’
νῶι μὲν ὣς ἐπέεσσιν ἀμειβομένω στυγεροῖσιv465
ἕσταμεν ἀχνύμενοι θαλερὸν κατὰ δάκρυ χέοντες·
ἦλθε δ᾽ ἐπὶ ψυχὴ Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος
καὶ Πατροκλῆος καὶ ἀμύμονος Ἀντιλόχοιο
Αἴαντός θ᾽, ὃς ἄριστος ἔην εἶδός τε δέμας τε
τῶν ἄλλων Δαναῶν μετ᾽ ἀμύμονα Πηλεΐωνα.470
ἔγνω δὲ ψυχή με ποδώκεος Αἰακίδαο
καί ῥ᾽ ὀλοφυρομένη ἔπεα πτερόεντα προσηύδα·
‘διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχαν᾽ Ὀδυσσεῦ,
σχέτλιε, τίπτ᾽ ἔτι μεῖζον ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μήσεαι ἔργον;
πῶς ἔτλης Ἄϊδόσδε κατελθέμεν, ἔνθα τε νεκροὶ475
ἀφραδέες ναίουσι, βροτῶν εἴδωλα καμόντων;’
ὣς ἔφατ᾽, αὐτὰρ ἐγώ μιν ἀμειβόμενος προσέειπον·
‘ὦ Ἀχιλεῦ Πηλῆος υἱέ, μέγα φέρτατ᾽ Ἀχαιῶν,
ἦλθον Τειρεσίαο κατὰ χρέος, εἴ τινα βουλὴν
εἴποι, ὅπως Ἰθάκην ἐς παιπαλόεσσαν ἱκοίμην·480
οὐ γάρ πω σχεδὸν ἦλθον Ἀχαιΐδος, οὐδέ πω ἁμῆς
γῆς ἐπέβην, ἀλλ᾽ αἰὲν ἔχω κακά. σεῖο δ᾽, Ἀχιλλεῦ,
οὔ τις ἀνὴρ προπάροιθε μακάρτατος οὔτ᾽ ἄρ᾽ ὀπίσσω.
πρὶν μὲν γάρ σε ζωὸν ἐτίομεν ἶσα θεοῖσιν
Ἀργεῖοι, νῦν αὖτε μέγα κρατέεις νεκύεσσιν485
ἐνθάδ᾽ ἐών· τῷ μή τι θανὼν ἀκαχίζευ, Ἀχιλλεῦ.’
notes
Agamemnon warns Odysseus not to trust Penelope completely, then asks about his son, Orestes.
In case Odysseus has missed the import of his story, Agamemnon offers some advice: don’t be ἤπιος, (“sweet,” “kind,”) to your wife. According to Athena, one good reason for Odysseus to be released from captivity on Calypso’s island is that he was ἤπιος as a father (5.8), but according to Agamemnon standards for treating wives are different. Odysseus must not reveal everything he knows to his wife: Tell her some of it, hide the rest. In short, use the traits that have gotten him this far. Tragic heroes are not known for their skill at or affection for this kind of dissembling. In a famous reply to Odysseus from Book 9 of the Iliad, Achilles states the matter plainly:
read full essay
ἐχθρὸς γάρ μοι κεῖνος ὁμῶς Ἀΐδαο πύλῃσιν
ὅς χ᾽ ἕτερον μὲν κεύθῃ ἐνὶ φρεσίν, ἄλλο δὲ εἴπῃ.
I hate like the gates of Hades the man
who hides one thing in his mind and says another.
Iliad 9.312–13
Achilles is the epitome of the tragic hero, passionate, expressive, holding nothing back. The entire plot of the Iliad is launched by a furious argument between him and Agamemnon, neither of whom seems to hide anything. In this, both men embody the kind of hero that a tragic story needs, always pushing against constraints, regardless of the consequences for them or others, as the story urges them and us toward the goal of its narrative, the recognition that for mortals, death is inevitable. As we have seen, the Odyssey is not such a story. Its hero must serve the narrative goal of restoring right order. He cannot be reckless in pursuit of what his passion points him toward because he must survive at all costs. Each encounter in the underworld reinforces the need for Odysseus to be a different kind of hero.
Wives, then, cannot be trusted. But Agamemnon makes an exception in Penelope’s case: She, unlike other women, is too prudent and level-headed to murder Odysseus. Conjuring up a nostalgic memory, the commander paints a rosy tableau from twenty years before, Penelope as a new bride with Telemachus at her breast. And in Agamemnon’s imagination, that little child has grown up to take his place amidst the men of Ithaka, happy and blessed, ready to defer, rightly (ἣ θέμις ἐστίν, 451), to his father. No mention of the suitors here, or the chaos we have seen at the royal palace. As far as Agamemnon knows, right order persists in Ithaka, despite Odysseus’s absence. Now the tone shifts again, as thinking about Telemachus reminds Agamemnon that thanks to Clytemnestra’s betrayal, he will never see Orestes again, which in turn leads to more advice: return home in secret, not openly; there is no trusting women. Turning away from these thoughts leads him to safer ground, the prospect of his glory living on through his son: Has Odysseus heard anything about Orestes? Is he still living, and if so, where? Surely, he can’t be dead. But Odysseus cannot reassure him. He has heard nothing of Orestes.
Agamemnon’s words show a soul in torment, veering between anger at his own betrayal and wistful admiration for Odysseus’s apparent good fortune. Overcome by bitterness—and, we suspect, shame—he denounces all women as sneaky and treacherous, then seems to catch himself and exempt Penelope. But his obsessions crowd back in and he circles back to his sweeping condemnation of all women: οὐκέτι πιστὰ γυναιξίν (456). Finally, thinking of Orestes seems to pull him back from his rage. In this short passage, we see a vivid example of precisely the temperament that Odysseus must combat in himself if he is to survive: poorly-controlled, corrosive emotions that pull Agamemnon apart. This brief portrait shows the same subtle understanding of human behavior and its underlying causes that characterizes the portrait of Agamemnon in the Iliad. There, his pride and arrogance, fueled by insecurity about his status in relation to Achilles, lead him to disastrous choices. He was not a bad man, just not sufficiently self-aware, unable to distance himself enough from his emotions to exert steady leadership. The same traits emerge in his brief cameo here.
The Iliad’s shadow continues to fall over the scene as Odysseus next meets the enfeebled residue of four more fallen warriors, Achilles, Patroclus, Antilochus, and Ajax. Characteristically, only the first will speak. Achilles, like Teiresias, wonders why Odysseus would want to visit the underworld:
διογενὲς Λαερτιάδη, πολυμήχαν᾽ Ὀδυσσεῦ,
σχέτλιε, τίπτ᾽ ἔτι μεῖζον ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μήσεαι ἔργον;
πῶς ἔτλης Ἄϊδόσδε κατελθέμεν, ἔνθα τε νεκροὶ
ἀφραδέες ναίουσι, βροτῶν εἴδωλα καμόντων;
Zeus-born son of Laertes, clever Odysseus,
never weary, why do you plan a still greater deed?
How can you stand to come down to Hades’ house,
where the witless dead live, shadows of struggling men?
Odyssey 11.473–76
To the prophet, Hades is a dark and cheerless place, full of dead people. For Achilles, the issue is, not surprisingly, weakness. The remnants of great warriors lack minds to think with and bodies to hurl into the world. The treachery of women fades from view now, as Achilles laments his powerlessness. Odysseus explains that he has come for help from Teiresias so he can finally return home. But why is Achilles grieving? He is the “most blessed” (483) of all men, before or since, honored like a god, and now rules over the dead. Achilles’ answer will take us back to the central differences between tragic and comic heroes and the poems they inhabit.
Further Reading
Greenberg, N. 1990. “The Attitude of Agamemnon.” Classical 86, 193–205.
441 μή … εἶναι: infin., used as an imperative. (Monro 241).
442 μηδ᾽ … πιφαυσκέμεν: infin., used as an imperative. (Monro 241).
442 πιφαυσκέμεν: infin.
442 ὅν κ᾽ … εἰδῇς: conditional relative clause; the antecedent is μῦθον.
443 τὸ μὲν … τὸ δὲ …: “one thing … another thing …”
443 φάσθαι: infin., used as an imperative. (Monro 241).
443 εἶναι: “let … be,” infin., used as imperative. (Monro 241).
445 πινυτή: supply the verb ἐστί.
447 κατελείπομεν: “we left …,” with external object and predicate accusative (Smyth 1613).
448 οἱ: “her,” dative of possession.
449 μετ(ά): “among,” with ἀριθμῷ.
451 ἣ: rel. pron., with the preceding statement as its antecedent.
452 ἡ δ᾽ ἐμὴ: with ἄκοιτις.
452 οὐδέ περ: “not even.”
452 υἷος: gen. ( = υἱέ-ος, see Monro 107.5) after ἐνιπλησθῆναι.
452 ἐνιπλησθῆναι: “to get my fill of,” aor. pass. infin. > ἐμπίμπλημι, with genitive.
453 ἔασε: supply the object με.
454 βάλλεο: 2nd sing. mid. imperat.
454 σῇσι: possessive adj., modifying φρεσὶ.
456 νῆα κατισχέμεναι: “land your ship,” infin. > κατίσχω (Monro 241), used as imperative.
456 πιστὰ: “trustworthiness” (lit., “trustworthy things”). Supply the verb ἐστί.
457 ἀτρεκέως: “exactly.”
458 ζώοντος … παιδὸς ἐμοῖο: “about …,” “(anything) of …”
463 με ταῦτα διείρεαι: a verb of asking with a double accusative (Smyth 1628)
464 ὅ γ᾽ ἦ: “whether he … or …”
464 κακὸν: supply ἐστί.
464 ἀνεμώλια: “like the wind,” “empty words.”
465 νῶϊ: “we,” dual.
465 ἀμειβομένω: dual.
467 ἦλθε δ᾽ ἐπὶ: “came up,” “approached.”
469 ἔην: ἦν.
469 εἶδος … δέμας: accusatives of respect.
470 μετ(ά): “after,” “second only to.”
471 ἔγνω: 3rd sing. aor. > γιγνώσκω.
474 μήσεαι: 2nd sing. fut. > μήδομαι.
475 Ἄϊδόσδε: “to the house of Hades.” Ἄϊδος is an Epic genitive form, and -δε a directional suffix.
475 κατελθέμεν: aor. infin.
478 Τειρεσίαο κατὰ χρέος: “to consult Teiresias.” κατὰ with the accusative can express purpose (Smyth §1690.2.c).
479 εἰ … εἴποι: “in the hope that he might.” εἴ + opt., optative of wish (Monro 312; Smyth 2354).
480 ὅπως … ἱκοίμην: “how I might reach….” indirect question with optative in secondary sequence, or a purpose clause (“so that I might”).
481 σχεδὸν … Ἀχαιΐδος: “near …,” with genitive.
482 ἐπέβην: “set foot on,” with genitive.
483 προπάροιθε … ὀπισσω: indicating time rather than direction.
484 πρὶν: “before.”
484 ἶσα: “equally,” adverbial neut.
485 μέγα: adverbial.
485 νεκύεσσιν: “among the dead.”
486 ἀκαχίζευ: 2nd mid. imperat.
vocabulary
ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass 440
προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost
τῷ: then, in that case; for this reason, thus
ἤπιος [–α] –ον: gentle, mild, kind
ἕ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
μῦθος –ου ὁ: spoken thing, speech, plan, story
πιφαύσκω: to make manifest, declare, tell of
κρύπτω κρύψω ἔκρυψα κέκρυμμαι ἐκρύφθην: hide, cover over
Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey
φόνος –ου ὁ: murder, slaughter, corpse
λίαν: a great deal, extremely; excessively, too much 445
πινυτός –ή –όν: wise, prudent, discreet, understanding
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
μῆδος –ους τό: counsels, plans, arts, schemes
κόρη (or κούρη) –ης ἡ: girl, maiden; daughter
Ἰκάριος –ου ὁ: Icarius, father of Penelope
περίφρων –ον: wise, thoughtful, prudent
Πηνελόπεια –ας ἡ: Penelope, the daughter of Icarius, and wife of Odysseus
μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
νύμφη –ης ἡ: a young wife, bride; nymph, a divinity of waters or woods
καταλείπω καλλείψω κάλλιπον καταλέλοιπα καταλέλειμμαι κατελείφθην: to leave behind
πόλεμόνδε: to the war, into the fight
ἕ: him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
μάζος –οῦ ὁ: one of the breasts
νήπιος –α –ον: infant, child; silly, ignorant, without foresight
ἵζω εἵσομαι εἷσα/ἵζησα ἵζηκα: to take a seat, sit down; cause to take a seat
ὅλβιος –α –ον: happy, blest, blessed 450
προσπτύσσω προσπτύξω περιέπτυξα ––– περιέπτυγμαι προσεπτύχθην: to embrace
θέμις –ιστος ἡ: norm, custom; right, law
ἐμπίμπλημι ἐμπλήσω ἐνέπλησα ἐμπέπληκα ἐμπέπλησμαι ἐωεπλήθην: to fill; (mid.) to get one's fill of
ἄκοιτις –ιος ἡ: a spouse, wife
πάρος: before, formerly
φένω ––– ἔπεφνον: to strike, wound; slay
ἐρῶ εἴρηκα ἐρρήθην: to say, tell, speak
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
κρύβδην: secretly 455
ἀναφανδά: visibly, openly
γαίη –ης ἡ: land, region, district
κατίσχω/κατέχω καθέξω/κατασχήσω κατέσχον κατέσχηκα κατέσχημαι κατεσχέθην: to hold back
πιστός –ή –όν: faithful, trustworthy, true
ἄγε: come! come on! well!
ἀτρεκής –ές: real, genuine, exact
καταλέγω καταλέξω κατέλεξα κατείλοχα κατείλεγμαι κατελέχθην: to recount, tell at length and in order; (mid.) καταλέχομαι to lie down
ζῶ (or ζώω) ζήσω ἔζησα (or ἔζωσα) ἔζηκα: live
Ὀρχομενός –οῦ ὁ: Orchomenus, a city in Boeotia
Πύλος –ου ἡ: Pylos, a city in Elis
ἠμαθόεις –εσσα –εν: sandy
Μενέλαος –ου ὁ: Menelāus, son of Atreus and brother of Agamemnon, the successful suitor of Helen 460
Σπάρτη –ης ἡ: Sparta
εὐρύς –εῖα –ύ: broad
πω: up to this time, yet
χθών χθονός ἡ: the earth, ground
δῖος –α –ον: divine, godlike, shining
Ὀρέστης –ου ὁ: Orestes, son of Agamemnon
ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet
μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass
προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost
Ἀτρείδης –ου ὁ: son of Atreus
διείρομαι – – – – –: to question closely
ζῶ (or ζώω) ζήσω ἔζησα (or ἔζωσα) ἔζηκα: live
ἀνεμώλιος –ον: light as the wind
βάζω βάξω ἔβαξα: to speak, say
ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass 465
στυγερός –ά –όν: hated, abominated, loathed; chilling
ἄχομαι and ἄχνυμαι: to afflict, sadden, trouble, grieve
θαλερός –ά –όν: blooming, fresh
δάκρυον –ου τό: a tear
χέω χέω ἔχεα or ἔχευα κέχυκα κέχυμαι ἐχύθην: to pour, shed
Πηληϊάδης –ου ὁ: son of Peleus
Ἀχιλλεύς –έως ὁ: Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, prince of the Myrmidons
Πάτροκλος –ου ὁ: Patroclus, the friend of Achilles
ἀμύμων –ον: blameless, noble, excellent
Ἀντίλοχος –ου ὁ: Antilochus, son of Nestor
Αἴᾱς Αἴαντος ὁ: Ajax, son of Telamon
δέμας –ατος τό: the (physical frame, form of the) body
Δαναοί –ῶν οἱ:: the Danaans 470
ἀμύμων –ον: blameless, noble, excellent
Πηλεΐων –ωνος ὁ: son of Peleus
ποδώκης –ες: swiftfooted
Αἰακίδης –ου ὁ: (grand)son of Aeacus
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
ὀλοφύρομαι ὀλοφυροῦμαι ὠλοφυράμην – – ὠλοφύρθην: to lament, wail; pity
πτερόεις πτερόεσσα πτερόεν: winged
προσαυδάω προσαυδήσω προσηύδησα προσηύδηκα προσηύδημαι προσηυδήθην: to speak to, address, accost
διογενής –ές: sprung from Zeus (epithet of Odysseus)
Λαερτιάδης –ου ὁ: son of Laertes (Odysseus)
πολυμήχανος –ον: full of resources, inventive, ever-ready
Ὀδυσσεύς –έως ὁ: Odysseus, king of Ithaca, hero of the Odyssey
σχέτλιος –α –ον: strong, unwearying; stubborn, cruel, merciless
τίπτε: why? (τί ποτε)
φρήν φρενός ἡ: diaphragm; heart, mind, wits
μήδομαι μήσομαι ἐμησάμην: to meditate, prepare, plot
τλάω τλήσομαι ἔτλην τέτληκα –––– ––––: to tolerate, endure, resist; to dare; to have the courage (+ infin.); (part.) τετληώς 475
Ἀΐδης –ου ὁ: Hades
κατέρχομαι κατελεύσομαι/κάτειμι κατῆλθον κατελήλυθα ––– –––: to go down, descend; to go towards the shore
νεκρός –οῦ ὁ: corpse
ἀφραδής –ές: foolish; inanimate
ναίω – – – – –: dwell, inhabit, be situated
βροτός –οῦ ὁ: mortal
εἴδωλον –ου τό: an image, a phantom
κάμνω καμοῦμαι ἔκαμον κεκήμακα ––– –––: to build, make, produce; to toil, suffer; (mid.) to become exhausted, become worn out; (aor. plur. partic.) those who have been worn out, to be dead
ἀτάρ (or αὐτάρ): but, yet
μιν: (accusative singular third person pronoun) him, her, it; himself, herself, itself
ἀμείβω ἀμείψω ἤμειψα ἤμειφα ἤμειμμαι ἠμείφθην: to respond, answer; to exchange; (mid.) to take turns, alternate; to change, place, pass
προσεῖπον (aor. 2 of προσαγορεύω and προσφωνέω); Εp. προσέειπον: to speak to one, address, accost
Ἀχιλλεύς –έως ὁ: Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, prince of the Myrmidons
Πηλεύς –έως ὁ: Peleus, son of Aeacus
φέρτατος –η –ον: bravest, best
Ἀχαιός –ά –όν: Achaean, Greek
Τειρεσίας –ου ὁ: Tiresias, a seer of Thebes
χρέος –ους τό: consultation with a seer; obligation, debt
Ἰθάκη –ης ἡ: Ithaca, the home of Odysseus, an island on the West coast of Greece 480
παιπαλόεις –εσσα –εν: rugged
ἱκνέομαι ἵξομαι ἱκόμην ––– ἷγμαι –––: to come, reach
πω: up to this time, yet
σχεδόν: near; almost
Ἀχαιΐς –ΐδος ἡ: the Achaean land/woman
πω: up to this time, yet
ἁμός –ή –όν: our, my > ἐμός
ἐπιβαίνω ἐπιβήσομαι ἐπέβην ἐπιβέβηκα ––– –––: to go on, enter, step up, mount, board (a ship) + gen.
Ἀχιλλεύς –έως ὁ: Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, prince of the Myrmidons
προπάροιθε: before, in front of
μάκαρ μάκαρος: blessed, happy; blessed ones, gods
ἄρα: now, then, next, thus
ὀπίσω or ὀπίσσω: backwards, behind; in the future
ζωός (Ion. ζώς) –ή –όν: alive, living
τίω τίσω ἔτισα – τέτιμαι: value, estimate; esteem, prize, honor
Ἀργεῖος –η –ον: Argive, of or from Argos (Greece) 485
αὖτε: in turn, moreover, still, again, on the other hand
νέκυς –υος τό: dead body, corpse
ἐνθάδε: to here, to there
τῷ: then, in that case; for this reason, thus
ἀκαχίζω – – – – –: to make someone grieve; (mid. and pass.) to feel grief
Ἀχιλλεύς –έως ὁ: Achilles, son of Peleus and Thetis, prince of the Myrmidons