Aristotle and Poetic Justice by Margaret Doody

Author:Margaret Doody [Doody, Margaret]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press
Published: 2001-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

XI

The Silver Singer

We retraced our steps and went up to the precincts of the sanctuary of Apollo, where pilgrims and strangers are permitted to pay homage and look about them. Here, as arranged, we met Aristotle and Diokles. I made sure that Korydon came too, as I had instruction from Aristotle to keep him under my eye. Diokles was full of enthusiasm, showing me the wonders of the place.

And the place is wonderful. I have never seen anything more impressive: even the Akropolis of Athens has not all this rich ornament. We had not gone five paces past the entrance before we were surrounded by statues made by the most noted figure-makers. My heart flowed with pride as I looked upon the great group of thirteen bronze statues—the work of Phidias when young. This shows the Athenian heroes with Athena and Apollo at their side. The statues of the Seven against Thebes offered to Apollo by the Argives are also admirable in their way, and I was interested to see a large model of the Wooden Horse of Troy set up to commemorate a victory against the Spartans. But, oh—how my breast swelled with anger to see the Spartans’ proud monument! They erected so as to dominate the very entrance to the Sacred Way the gigantic statues of their ugly admirals, flaunting their boasted defeat of Athens at the sea-battle of Aigospotami. But that had been seventy-four years ago!

‘I hate the Spartans,’ I said to Aristotle. ‘It’s all I can do not to go in and deface one of their smug slab-sided admirals. I’d like to take the smile off his face!’

‘Many Athenians have felt so,’ said Aristotle. ‘But how do you think the Spartans felt at seeing the Arkadians, a few years later, put up their own votive statues to commemorate the victory over the Spartans at Leuktra? And in front of the Spartan monument, too! But the Spartans have let this monument against them go unspoiled. Impatience is dishonour to the god. The god is greater than Athens or Sparta or Arkadia. Truly, this is a great wonder of Delphi, that here all Greeks should come as equals, unmolested and under truce.’

‘Well,’ said Diokles, ‘there were the Sacred Wars of course. But things are peaceful now, more or less. And you see how well the sanctuary has been rebuilt after the earthquake, despite the wars. The damaged statues have been buried, and new ones offered. Money has been given from all over Greece for the work—from the rich offerings of great kings to a few obols from poor widow-women in the depth of the country.’

‘Yes,’ said Aristotle. ‘It would seem that the god has been trying to tell us something. Aristophanes in Lysistrata suggests that all Greeks should live in harmony and union, as men who worship the same gods.’

Aristotle seemed to be forgetting that he was not, strictly speaking, a Greek himself. Such remarks, especially uttered by a Makedonian, might be taken unkindly by some listeners. To

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