23: Untitled Page 10
- Page ID
- 114979
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)
\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)
\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
© Ingo Gildenhard and Andrew Zissos, CC BY 4.0 http://dx.doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0073.02
3.511–18
cognita res meritam vati per Achaidas urbes
attulerat famam, nomenque erat auguris ingens;
spernit Echionides tamen hunc ex omnibus unus
contemptor superum Pentheus praesagaque ridet
verba senis tenebrasque et cladem lucis ademptae 515
obicit. ille movens albentia tempora canis
‘quam felix esses, si tu quoque luminis huius
orbus’ ait ‘fieres, ne Bacchica sacra videres!
Study Questions
- What is the res mentioned in 511?
- What noun does the adjective meritam (511) agree with? What is name for this kind of separation of attribute and noun? What is the effect of its use here?
- Parse vati.
- Parse attulerat.
- What is the subject of spernit (513)?
- Identify the respective accusative object(s) of spernit (513), ridet (514), and obicit (516).
- Parse superum.
- What does the -que after praesaga (514) link? The -que after tenebras (515)? The et in 515?
- Parse senis.
- Parse canis — how does it fit into the sentence?
- What type of conditional clause does si (517) introduce? What is its protasis?
- Parse fieres.
- How does Ovid bring the theme of ‘blindness and insight’ into play here?
Stylistic Appreciation
Analyze the rhetorical design of spernit Echionides tamen hunc ex omnibus unus | contemptor superum Pentheus praesagaque ridet | verba senis tenebrasque et cladem lucis ademptae | obicit (513–16), paying attention not least to Ovid’s placement of words in the nominative, accusative objects, and verbs.
Discussion Points
How does Ovid characterize Pentheus and Tiresias here? What type of power do these figures represent, respectively? Can you think of similar conflicts elsewhere in classical (and contemporary) literature and culture?
cognosco, -oscere, -ovi, -itum
to get to know
in the perfect often = to knowvates/ vatis, -is, m./f.
prophet, seer; poet
Achais, -idos, f. adj.
Greek
augur, -uris, m.
prophet, seer; augur
Echionides
(patronymic) ‘son of Echion’
praesagus, -a, -um
portending, ominous
superi, -orum (or superum)
those who dwell above; gods
adimo, -imere, -emi, -emptum
to remove by physical force, take away
obicio, -icere, -ieci, -iectum
to throw in the way/ in one’s teeth
albeo, -ere
to be white (with), appear white
tempus, -oris, n.
the side of the forehead, temple
(a less common sense of the Latin word for ‘time’)cani, -orum, m. pl. [= cani capilli]
grey hairs (not to be confused with
canis, -is, m./f., ‘dog’)orbus, -a, -um
deprived (of), bereaved, orphaned
3.519–26
namque dies aderit, quam non procul auguror esse,
qua novus huc veniat, proles Semeleia, Liber, 520
quem nisi templorum fueris dignatus honore,
mille lacer spargere locis et sanguine silvas
foedabis matremque tuam matrisque sorores.
eveniet! neque enim dignabere numen honore,
meque sub his tenebris nimium vidisse quereris’. 525
talia dicentem proturbat Echione natus.
Study Questions
- Explain the syntax of quam non procul auguror esse (519).
- How does Semeleia (520) scan — and why?
- Why type of condition does nisi (521) introduce?
- On what noun does the genitive templorum (521) depend?
- What word does mille (522) modify?
- How does lacer fit into the syntax of the sentence?
- Parse spargere (522).
- What does the -que after matrem (523) link? And what the -que after matris (523)?
- Parse and scan eveniet (524)
- Parse dignabere (524).
- What does the -que after me (525) link?
- Explain the syntax of me (525).
- Parse dicentem.
- What kind of ablative is Echione (526)?
Stylistic Appreciation
Discuss Ovid’s use of tense (present; future; future perfect) and repetition (e.g. fueris dignatus ~ dignabere) in this segment. How does it enhance the authority of Tiresias?
Discussion Points
Tiresias here announces that what soon will go down in the text is the epic equivalent of a modern splatter-movie: horror is in store, as well as the graphic portrayal of gore and violence (see esp. 522–23: mille lacer spargere locis et sanguine silvas | foedabis matremque tuam matrisque sorores). Do you really want to read on? And if so, why?