Sir Richard C. Jebb, Commentary on Sophocles: Trachiniae

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ἠνέγκατ̓: so Legg. 762 A (quoted by Campbell) “ταῖς μὲν θωπείαις ὑπείκοντες ὀνείδη φερέσθωσαν ἐν πάσῃ τῇ πόλει”: i.e., ‘have reproaches for their reward.’ (For the normal use, cp. Phaedr. 245 B “φερέσθω τὰ νικητήρια”.) The irony of “φέρεσθαι ὀνείδη” is less open than in such phrases as “πένθη καρποῦσθαι” or “δάκρυα κερδαίνειν”: we might rather compare our own phrase, ‘to come off secondbest’ (instead of ‘victorious’). For “ἠνέγκατο...ἐκ”, cp. El.968 f.

ἥδε τε, οὐδ᾽ εἰ … ἐντακείῃ, (“ἐνέγκαιτ̓”) ἂν (“ὄνειδος”). For the ellipse of the optat., cp. El.364“τῆς σῆς δ᾽ οὐκ ἐρῶ τιμῆς τυχεῖν”, | “οὔτ᾽ ἂν σύ, σώφρων γ᾽ οὖσα” (sc. “ἐρῴης”): Ph.115 n. Though οὐδ̓ (‘not even’) goes closely with εἰ, yet ἂν is placed between them: cp. O.C. 272 “οὐδ᾽ ἂν ὧδ᾽ ἐγιγνόμην κακός”.

ἐντακείη τῷ φιλεῖν; the subject to the verb is surely Iolè. To make Heracles the subject is not impossible (Greek could be bold in such transitions),— but it would be excessively harsh. Deianeira has already implied that she believed Iolè to be enamoured of Heracles (444). Such a belief would mitigate, rather than increase, the wife's pain. The opposite supposition would be still more humiliating; for it would imply more persistent ardour on the part of Heracles. And it is pathetically natural that Deianeira should assume Iolè's passion as a matter of course.

ἐντακείη admits of two explanations: I prefer the first. (1) ‘Though she be utterly absorbed in her love’: lit., melted into it,—with her whole soul irrevocably steeped in it. The metaphor is from pouring molten wax or metal into a mould, to which it cleaves. Extant examples of “ἐντήκεσθαι” show only the converse way of speaking, as if here we had “τὸ φιλεῖν ἐντακείη αὐτῇ”: El.1311“μῖσός τε γὰρ παλαιὸν ἐντέτηκέ μοι”: fr. 856. 7 “ἐντήκεται γὰρ” (“ἔρως”) “πλευμόνων ὅσοις ἔνι” | “ψυχή”. But cp. Ant.1311“συγκέκραμαι δύᾳ”: Aesch. Suppl.1029“γαμέτας” | ...“συντηχθεὶς ἀλόχῳ” (‘husband made one with wife’): Plut. Mor.p. 342 C “ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἤδη...ἐμπεφυκώς” (‘absorbed in’ his hopes). (2) The other possible sense is, ‘be melted,’ ‘languish,’ with love; τῷ φιλεῖν being then instrum. dat. This is, however, a weaker meaning, and less appropriate. For: (a) it would imply an unsatisfied longing; and (b) Deianeira's thought is rather this:—‘I will not be harsh to her, even though she be resolved never to renounce his love.’

The conject. ἐκτακείη is no improvement: it would mean ‘waste away’: Eur. Or.860“ἐξετηκόμην γόοις”. In Lycophron 498 (“θρήνοισιν”) “ἐκτακεῖσα” is a v. l. for “ἐντακεῖσα”.