アリストパネスの機知 : 『蛙』1378-1410をめぐってその1)

Abstract

The comical effects in the verse-weighing scene (1378-1410) can be easily appreciated without any knowledge of the tragedies. To understand the scene's implications to the full, however, the complicated devices and techniques here employed by the versatile poet should be analysed in detail. The first comparison assumes the form of a kind of riddle. Dionysos gives a ridiculous and nonsensical solution made up of surprisingly unexpected associations of the various visions. The point of his wit lies in the queer and unintelligible expression that "eriopolikos hygron poesas tupos hospertaria" (like wool-sellers he made the word as wet as wool) (1386-87). While the successive associations are stirred up among the words--river, water, scale of Zeus, that of the cheese-seller, Golden Fleece in Medeia and the end of the sentence permits convergence upon the figure, familiar in the Agora, of a cunning wool-seller wetting his wool to make it heavier. The ambiguity of the meaning of "hygros" (wet, moist etc.) in this context also allows us to think of various associations welling up from the great variety of its usages. One of them may suggest that "hygros" has something to do with the tears of Philoktetes lamenting his situation. In Euripides' case "diaptastai" (to fly through) evokes the imagery of flying which reminds us of "skaphos epteromenon" (winged ship) and it is substituted for "epos epteromenon" (winged word) through association with the Homeric phrase "epea pteroenta" (winged word) because of the similarity of their meaning and sound. Here the double-entendre of "pteroo" (to furnish with wings/to agitate) is also exploited for "epos epteromenon". Though it apparently signifies "winged word", it darkly hints at the other meaning "agitated word", which is intended as a brief comment suitable to the speech of Medeia's nurse. Therefore through his absurd speech Dionysos (=the poet) offers his implicit criticisms of the cited verses. As well, weight of the verses depends on the visions concerning wetness and something winged, produced through associations based on the word-play. The literary tradition since Homer, the traditional diction and multiplicity of meaning of a word or phrase make it posible to build up such imageries. In the second round, where Thanatos and Peitho are compared, the attributes of the gods and the conception of both words as common nouns contribute to the feeling of heaviness. While the double-entendre of "barys" (heavy/unbearable) is applied to "Thanatos" (death) on the basis of the traditional view of death. "kuphos" (light) is introduced as the antonym of "barys" to describe the character of "Peitho" (persuation). The phrase "kuphon kai nun uk ekhon" (light and having no sense), implying a scathing criticism of Euripides' quotation, seems at the same time to suggest the compound Euripides' quotation, seems at the same time to suggest the compound word "kuphonun", which casts a coarse joke at the goddess as a sort of hetaira or prostitute who is "kophonus" (light-hearted/light-minded). The simple but ambiguous speech of Dionysos "karteron ti kai mega" (1398) recalls various associations, given the wide range of meaning of "karteros" and "megas". For example, when Dionysos says "bebleke" (he has thrown), we expect that "karteron ti" indicates something solid as the object of "bebleke", but when he continues "Akhilleus...", our expectation is betrayed and we are inclined to suppose that "karteros" (mighty) is an epithet for Akhilleus, as with Herakles in "karteros ho Herakles" (Ranae 464). Euripides tries to meet the requirement of Dionysos by citing the verse, including the word "siderobrithes" (loaded with iron), which is composed of sideros and britho : sideros (iron) is the most adamant (kraterotatos), according to Hesiodos, and "brithes" is a derivative of "britho" (to be heavy). But Dionysos decides that Aiskhylos' verse is heavier than that of Euripides because the physical weight of the materials denoted by the words in the quoted verse is regarded as the weight of that verse. Thus at each comparison Dionysos so arbitrarily shifts the criterion of his judgment that he can easily deceive Euripides : that is, the poet contrives laboriously and comically to challenge the audience's anticipation and imagination.