Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Trachiniae

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1264-1278

The unanimous tradition assigned verses 1264—1274 to Hyllus. Verses 1275—1278 were given by some to the Chorus, and by others to Hyllus. From the indication in L at v. 1275 (“χορὸς γράφεται ὕλλος”), and from the schol. there (“χορός: τινὲς ὕλλος”), it may be conjectured that the attribution of 1275—1278 to the Chorus was the prevalent one. This was only natural, as the Chorus usually closes the play. A majority of modern editors, however, give vv. 1264—1278 wholly to Hyllus; and they seem right.—See Appendix.

ὀπαδοί, ‘attendants,’ ‘followers,’—the men who have come with him from Euboea (964). In Ant.1108Creon addresses his servants as “ὀπάονες. —μεγάλην μὲν ἐμοὶ κ.τ.λ.”: the meaning is, ‘Pardon me for helping my father to destroy himself; and note that the real cruelty here is that of Zeus, who allows his son to perish thus.’

συγγνωμοσύνην (=“συγγνώμην”) a word found only here; cp. Ant.151“θέσθαι” “λησμοσύναν.—εἰδότες θεῶν μεγ. ἀγνωμοσύνην ἔργων κ.τ.λ.”, ‘recognising the great harshness of the gods in the deeds,’ etc.: for the double gen., cp. Andoc. or. 3 § 33 “τὴν ... ἀσφάλειαν ἡμῶν τῆς ἐπαναφορᾶς”. For “ἀγνωμοσύνη”, prop. ‘want of considerateness,’ cp. Dem. or. 18 § 252 “πανταχόθεν μὲν ἄν τις ἴδοι τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν βασκανίαν” (‘unfairness and malevolence’): ib. 207 “τῇ τῆς τύχης ἀγνωμοσύνῃ”, its ‘cruelty.’ The likesounding words end two successive verses, as “παρῄνεσα” and “συνῄνεσα” in Soph. Ph.121 f.

For Nauck's reading of this passage, see Appendix.