Antisthenes' Ajax and Odysseus

84 Pages·2011·0.46 MB·English

Honours Thesis William John Kennedy
SID: 308238117
Antisthenes' Ajax and Odysseus
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of
Arts, Honours in Ancient Greek and Ancient History.
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Abstract
This thesis argues that Antisthenes and his Ajax and Odysseus have been neglected and
misunderstood. The texts have been translated for this study, and as there has not
previously been a complete, continuous translation of them in any language, they have been
appended to the front of the paper. On rare occasions when Antisthenes has been
considered by modern scholars he has either been dismissed as a minor rhetorician or
thought of as the founder of Cynicism. It will be argued here that he was neither. In a
similar vein, his only extant works, the Ajax and Odysseus, have been generally thought of as
epideictic display speeches or as an expression of his Cynic outlook. Chapter one will
introduce Antisthenes and demonstrate that the speeches are not epideictic. Chapter two
will consider characterisation and assess whether the Ajax and Odysseus could be examples
of ethopoiia. Chapter three will then situate these speeches in the broader fifth century
literary and cultural context in order to understand the extent of their contribution to a
wider symbolic discourse. Chapter four will demonstrate that Antisthenes' philosophy was
not driven by a proto-Cynic agenda but rather by quite distinct ethical concerns.
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For my mentors
Ben and Eric
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Acknowledgements
I wish to express my gratitude to all the academic staff – lecturers and tutors – who have
taught me at The University of Sydney. Their passion for the subject matter, rigour in
teaching it, and personal interest in my academic progress has been exemplary, and is a
major contributing factor to me being in a position to submit this thesis.
I also wish to thank my fellow students, especially from the later year Classics classes, for
their camaraderie throughout the journey. Special thanks goes to my study ἑτέροζυξ, Adam
Rowsell, who kept me company through enumerable hours of toil in the Fisher Stack (r.i.p.).
And also to Paul Macovaz who supplied crucial German translation services usually at the
shortest notice.
Last, but certainly not least, I wish to thank my mentors, Ben Brown and Eric Csapo, to
whom this paper is dedicated.
I would not be studying Classics at this university if it were not for Ben. When I was
wondering what university to apply to he bluntly told me 'Sydney'. When at first I was
interested in other historical epochs Ben's irrepressible enthusiasm for Ancient Greek and
ancient history guided me into the fold. Some semesters I think I learned more from Ben
over cups of coffee about the ancient mentality and mindset than I did from the rest of my
courses put together.
In my first year I elected one unit of Ancient Greek in first semester after which I intended to
try other subjects. Eric Csapo taught the course. He was inspirational. I have studied more
units of Ancient Greek than any other subject and have loved every minute of it. For
supervising me in my Honours year I owe a substantial debt of gratitude to Eric for his
teaching, guidance, encouragement, and enthusiasm for my project. I have thoroughly
enjoyed it.
W.J.K.
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Contents
Abstract 3
Acknowledgements 7
The Ajax – text and translation 11
The Odysseus – text and translation 15
Introduction 21
Chapter 1 – Antisthenes; his Ajax and Odysseus 24
Chapter 2 – Characterisation: Ethopoiia and Antisthenes' Ajax and Odysseus 32
Chapter 3 – Antisthenes' Ajax and Odysseus: the Literary & Cultural Context 46
Chapter 4 – Antisthenes' Philosophy of Excellence 61
Conclusion 76
Bibliography 81
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