The “Eloquent Silence” in Sophocles Tereus (and in Achilles Tatius’ Novel)
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Abstract
In book 5 of his novel, Achilles Tatius describes at length a painting that represents the myth of Procne, Philomela and Tereus. A connection with Sophocles’ Tereus, the most influential treatment of the myth in the antiquity, has been proposed by many scholars. In this contribution I provide a re-discussion of the whole passage, with a view to establishing its dependence on the Sophoclean drama. My analysis focuses on two points. 1) Achilles’ ekphrasis offers a vivid depiction of the revelation scene: with its emphasis on actual action, as if the characters were performing onstage, the phrasing of the passage strongly evokes a theatrical context. 2) By the age of Sophocles the Athenians would have connected the myth of Procne and Philomela not only with images of Itys’ killing and with the anthropophagic banquet (which was popular with vase painters), but also with the scene of the “speaking” peplos, which was depicted in the Parthenon’s marble decoration. This was probably the “defining scene” in the Tereus of Sophocles, a dramatist who was extremely sensitive to iconographic suggestions. Achilles Tatius, who had access to Sophocles’ original text, composed his account of the myth with this scene in mind.
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