Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The mouth and its abuses in epic, lyric, and tragedy
- 2 Open mouths and abusive talk in Aristophanes
- 3 Gluttonous speechifying in Euripides' Cyclops
- 4 Crude talk and fancy fare in Plato
- 5 Defamation and oral excesses in Aeschines and Demosthenes
- 6 The intemperate mouth in Aristotle and Theophrastus
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index locorum
- General index
3 - Gluttonous speechifying in Euripides' Cyclops
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 08 March 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- List of abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The mouth and its abuses in epic, lyric, and tragedy
- 2 Open mouths and abusive talk in Aristophanes
- 3 Gluttonous speechifying in Euripides' Cyclops
- 4 Crude talk and fancy fare in Plato
- 5 Defamation and oral excesses in Aeschines and Demosthenes
- 6 The intemperate mouth in Aristotle and Theophrastus
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index locorum
- General index
Summary
In the Odyssey, the Cyclops consumes his meat raw. One of the more gruesome moments in book 9 occurs when the monster snatches up two of Odysseus' men, dashes their heads so that their brains run on the ground (ἐκ δ᾿ ἐγκέΦαλος χαμάδις ῥέε, 9.290), and gobbles them up like a mountain lion, bones and all (ἔγκατα τε σάρκας τε καὶ ὀστέα μυελόεντα, 9.293). Polyphemus is not, however, ignorant of wine (9.357–58), in sharp contrast to his rudimentary culinary techniques; as I discuss further below, in Euripides' play this ignorance coexists rather oddly with his fancy cookery. Nor does the Homeric poet depict the Cyclops as especially verbally adept, although he does show some wit (e.g., 9.369–70). Euripides' sophistic gourmet is thus something of innovation, at least in relation to the Homeric figure.
Comic fragments do indicate that poets were elaborating on some similar themes; and it is there that we find a developing model for the sophist-chef in Euripides' play. Commentators have argued over the extent to which the persona of the monster is intended to represent a particular brand of sophistic argumentation, some finding him not very clever at all. No one, however, has considered the relationship between how he eats and how he talks, in contradistinction to Odysseus and Silenus, the other main characters in the drama. Nor have they recognized sufficiently the significance of his resemblance to the comic mageiros, who in turn becomes a sophistic type in fourth-century comedy.
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- Abusive Mouths in Classical Athens , pp. 121 - 152Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008