The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg

Just finished reading The Adventure of English: The Biography of a Language by Melvyn Bragg. William gave it to us for Christmas.

The book traces the history of the English language from about 500 AD. As his title implies, Bragg treats English as a living organism, feeding off its environment and spreading across the globe like kudzu. He portrays the adventure of English against larger historical backdrops: the Norman Invasion, the Protestant Reformation, the discovery of the new world, the Raj; giving his narrative the aura of a historical romance. The only thing that slows him down are the long lists of words that appear on every other page. (I imagine his office filled with scraps of paper, each with a word and historical period written on it). I did learn one thing from his lists, though, the Australian phrase for farting – ‘shooting a fairy’.

A horrible old man: Pheres in Euripides' Alcestis

In his introduction to Alcestis, Richmond Lattimore describes Pheres, the father of Admetus, as ‘a horrible old man’. (Euripides I, The Complete Greek Tragedies, University of Chicago Press, 1955, p. 3) I am not sure I agree.

As Lattimore points out, the plot of the Alcestis is from a traditional legend: Apollo has arranged for Admetus to postpone his death if he can find someone to die in his place. After Admetus’ mother and father refuse, his wife, Alcestis, generously agrees to die for him and is eventually restored to life by Heracles. The first part of the play focuses on Alcestis’ death and its implications for Admetus; the last part on her rescue and return. Linking the two is the episode in which Admetus’ parents arrive with funeral offerings only to be rebuffed by Admetus, who blames them for Alcestis’ death.

Because Pheres would not offer his own life to save his son, Admetus paints him as a coward who ‘let’ Alcestis die in his place. Pheres answers that he did everything that is required of a parent. He gave Admetus life, raised him, and passed on his estate. He is not obliged to die for him. Admetus is not persuaded. “You will die in evil memory,” he tells his father.

Lattimore’s characterization of Pheres as ‘a horrible man’ fulfills Admetus’ prediction, but unless Lattimore is acquainted with Pheres in some other connection, his judgment seems harsh. Pheres and his wife appear to be sincere in their intent to share their son’s burden as he mourns the loss of his wife. They honor her loving sacrifice. Their only offense is not stepping up to die in their son’s place.

Granted it would be noble for Pheres to buy some years for his son, but is refusing to sacrifice his life ignoble and cowardly? The question seems to come down to this: is it wrong for a father to refuse to give up his own life for the life of his son? In these circumstances I am inclined to agree with Pheres that Admetus should not have asked him in the first place.

When did Jocasta know?

In Sophocles' Oedipus the King, the arrival of the messenger from Corinth, with his startling announcement that Oedipus is not the son of Polybos, diverts Oedipus from his search for the killer of Laios to a search for his own origins and identity. But before Oedipus realizes who he is, Jocasta recognizes the awful truth and recoils in horror.

Before the messenger’s arrival, Jocasta thought that her son – the son prophesied to kill his father – was dead. She had secretly given him with his ankles bound to a trusted servant to expose on Mt. Cithaeron. She knows that this is the same servant who witnessed the murder of Laios, and whom she recently sent for, but no one else knows.

The Corinthian messenger tells Oedipus and Jocasta that he found Oedipus as a baby on Mt. Cithaeron while he was herding sheep. Because the baby’s feet were bound and swollen, he named him Oedipus. He does not know the baby’s origin, but says that the shepherd who gave it to him would know. “What shepherd?” Oedipus asks. “The one who worked for Laios,” the messenger replies. When Oedipus asks if the man is still alive, the messenger points to the elders for an answer. Their leader identifies him as the man Jocasta just sent for.

Now she knows.

Why did Artemis prevent the winds from blowing?

In Iphigenia at Aulis, Euripides tells the story of how King Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia so the Greek forces can sail for Troy. The seer Calchas has told Agamemnon that he must sacrifice his daughter to Artemis before the ships can sail, but Euripides does not explain why Artemis prevented the wind from blowing favorably in the first place.

Accounts of the origins of Artemis’ anger vary.

In Euripides' Iphigenia at Tauris, Iphigenia says that Calchas told her father that Artemis would not allow his ships to sail, "til the offering you promised Artemis is given Her".  Agamemnon, it seems had vowed to sacrifice "the loveliest thing each year should bear", but had failed to fulfill the promise in the case of Iphigenia. (26)

Another account is given in the Agamemnon of Aeschylus.

Here the elders of Argos recall the events of ten years ago when the Greeks set out to Troy (118). They remember the day at Aulis when Agamemnon and Menelaus watched as two eagles tore the unborn young from a pregnant hare.


In Sophocles’ Electra, Electra tells a different story (567). She says that while her father was hunting he startled a stag within Artemis’ sanctuary. Agamemnon shot the stag with an arrow and made a boast about it, angering Artemis who demanded that Iphigenia be sacrificed as compensation.