APOLLONIUS' VOYAGE OF ARGO

Standing on its Own Merits
in the Age of Homer

J. Andrew McLaughlin
© 1996

 

It has been said that The Voyage of Argo, by Apollonius of Rhodes has been "from the first unfairly compared with Homer's Odyssey (1).  This suggests that it would be unrealistic to have the same expectations of the Alexandrian writer considering that Homer's work was in part the foundation upon which much of Greek literature was built.  However, upon consideration of the author's environment and circumstances, and the literary "fashions" of the time, it may not seem such an unfair thing to contrast Apollonius' work with those of the legendary Homer.  The Argonautica was written "sometime during the middle of the third century BC" (2), centuries after The Odyssey, The Iliad and the other poems depicting the Trojan wars had become established as the primary epic poems of ancient Greece.  Indeed, the work, like other Alexandrian poetry and like Attic tragedy, relies somewhat on the audience's knowledge of Homer to convey its own meanings (3).   Additionally, in the foreword to Richard Hunter's translation he tells us that the language of The Argonautica is not the same Greek which was spoken in third century Alexandria (4).   Presumably, Hunter means that the language is closer to that of Homer.  This might allow one to suppose that Apollonius is consciously or unconsciously inviting comparisons by imitating, to some degree, the style and in this case even the content of Homer's Odyssey.  The journey of Jason and the Argonauts is a similar legend to that of the journey of Odysseus.  In many instances there are parallels between the two -- there are several characters, besides Olympian Gods like Apollo, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite who appear at least briefly in both epics -- King Alkinoos of Phaeacia plays a major role in the safe returns of both Jason and Odysseus.  Other examples are the Sirens, and the visit to the nymph Kirke.

The Gods are equally prominent in the Argonautica, however they are given more distance from mortals here, and we are given less insight into their motives and characters.  Although The Argonautica was written much later, none of this should be seen as any kind of plagiarism or imitation aspiring to the level of Homer; rather an acknowledgement or tip of the hat, so to speak.  It is possible, too, that this works to comfort the audience with recognizable, familiar characters.  The Argonautica's considerably shorter length and lack of repetition may stem from the fact that it was originally a written, rather than spoken or performed work such as Homer's.  Apollonius tells the story at a faster pace, tending to skip over the intimate details of things like battles and simply recount the result.  Jason and Medea's tale is also left hanging to some degree; unlike The Odyssey, we are not explicitly given the "happily ever after" details of the epic.  When we leave the Argonauts, they are simply said to have encountered no more obstacles on their homeward journey.  Jason and Medea's triumphant return and married life are things Apollonius' version of the legend leaves to the audience's (and to other writers') imaginations; this is a tale in its own right.  The story of Jason and the Argonauts is one of ancient legend pre-dating Apollonius, but it is also one of considerable variation depending on the storyteller.

The overall impression of the writing style of Apollonius is one of slightly more literary sophistication in the modern sense.  The Argonautica excels Homer in areas like character development, pace, and humor.  Apollonius relies just as heavily on descriptive metaphors, and the emphasis on paternity and lineage of the characters is just as prominent as in Homer.  Although The Argonautica lacks nearly all of the complexities of chronology found in The Odyssey -- The Argonautica is completely linear in this respect -- for better and for worse its characters seem much more human and believable.  The central character (or in the Homeric sense, the hero) is less the virtuous demi-God we see in Odysseus or Achilles; rather Jason is at first glance an unlikely hero.  In the foreword of E.V. Rieu’s translation, he suggests that Jason is

an ordinary man ... [but] possesses after all some of the qualities that make a leader - brains. abundant charm, and above all a most persuasive tongue. He is a man who gets things done for him."

This might be considered dubious praise, but this quote seems to describe some of the qualities seen in the more obviously "heroic" depiction of Homer's Odysseus.   This is despite the fact that Jason is a character possibly lacking the motivation of a character like Odysseus.  Instead of being on a quest to regain his homeland and simply encountering obstacles in the bargain, Jason is a man sent on an impossible mission by a king who wants him out of the way.  Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece is one that appears to be thrust upon him rather than volunteered.  This is not to say, however, that Apollonius' Jason is not at least partially modeled on Homer's Odysseus.

There are many instances where Apollonius seems to consciously desire some distance from the ideas in Homer's work.  The Argonautica is much less apt to moralize on specific topics than Homer was apt to, although in some instances similar themes are presented.  The character Medea is one which seems at once less virtuous and less subservient than Odysseus' wife Penelope, who is presented as the "ideal" wife.  Medea both disobeys her father and helps kill her own brother in helping Jason to succeed in his quest for the Golden Fleece, and eventually abandons her family and her homeland for Jason, a "foreign man".  Although Medea has supposedly been struck with Eros' "arrow of love", she possesses a sharp tongue from which not even Jason is spared; she belittles Jason for his perceived lack of interest in protecting her from the Colchians, who want to return her to her father for punishment;

"What. son of Aison, is this plan which you have devised about me? Has your success made you completely forgetful? Do you care nothing for all you said when hard-pressed by necessity? ... Where have all the sweet promises gone? ...May my furies drive you straight from your homeland, because of what I have suffered through your heartlessness..." (5)

Despite all this Medea is a character presented in a favorable light in The Argonautica -- she too is shown to be a "good" character though these seem less like the characteristics of Homer's "ideal wife", Penelope, than her antithesis, Klytaemnestra.

As an example of both the differences and similarities of Apollonius' work in regard to Homer's moral issues, the women of the island of Lemnos, whom the Argonauts encounter on their outward journey, embody characteristics which are respectively praised and condemned in Homer.  The Lemnian women have killed their husbands because of marital infidelity -- but infidelity is behavior which in Homer is only a disdainful act when committed by women.  In keeping with themes presented in Homer, these women would be presented as bad examples of how wives should be -- and therefore not presented favorably in general. However, in The Argonautica, they also turn out to be terrific hosts to Jason and his men.  They in fact offer the Argonauts marriage and all that their late husbands possessed;

"If you are willing and would find it pleasant to dwell here, you could take over the honored position of my father Thoas..." (6)

"…Then the women invited the Argonauts to be entertained in their homes, and the men did not resist'. as Kypris roused sweet desire in them... ...so that once again [the] island of Lemnos might be duly populated by men..." (6)

This aspect of the "good host" is an important theme of honorable behavior in Homer.  One might predict that in Homer, an island full of women who had killed all of the men might not have been depicted as behaving so graciously towards a ship of travelers.

All of this works to show that characters in general are treated more as human beings in The Argonautica, with both desirable and undesirable qualities.  There is not such a division between "good" and "bad" characters as in Homer.   It should be noted, however, that "bad" characters do make appearances in The Voyage of Argo and that they do possess the characteristics shown to be "bad" in Homer.  An example is King Amykos, whom the Argonauts encounter also on their outward journey.  Rather than showing the travelers the grace of a good host (i.e. seeing to their needs and offering food before asking their business, inviting them to stay, etc.), Amykos straightaway challenges them, saying;

"Listen, sailormen, to something you should know. No foreigner calling here is allowed to continue his journey without putting up his fists to mine." (7)

This shows at least some commitment to the same values as found in Homer; Polydeukes kills Amykos in the subsequent boxing match, and the Argonauts proceed to plunder his kingdom -- an unjust man has received his just desserts.

The character Herakles in The Argonautica is one who might have been treated differently in Homer -- certainly with more seriousness and respect -- being as he was a legendary hero of ancient Greece.  It is evident that Apollonius along with other Greeks saw some humor in the character.  In The Argonautica, Herakles is shown as a well - intentioned oaf who goes about wreaking general havoc, killing all manner of monsters.  Even after Herakles has become separated from Jason and his men, the Argonauts come across his trail when they discover the slain serpent Ladon, who had been in charge of guarding the golden apples in the Garden of Atlas.  Ladon had been kept company by some friendly nymphs called Hesperides who tell of Herakles' visit with wonder and dismay, lamenting the loss of their friend the serpent.  One could guess that in Homer Herakles might have been held accountable by Atlas for the murder of his pet; however Herakles seems here to be impervious to this kind of punishment.

Thus some similarities and differences exist in the themes, messages, and writing style of Apollonius and Homer.  One can get a sense of a slightly wiser, more subtle, ironic and humorous style in Apollonius' work.  The account of the strange people called Mossynoeci doing "Public things privately and [more importantly] private things publicly" is less an instance of moralizing than a humorous, wide-eyed aside.   The story lacks much of the bombast, length and repetition we see in Homer's stories (8), but rather takes a different, more sophisticated approach both to seek distinction from Homer and to modestly attempt appreciation alongside him.  One of Apollonius' contemporaries (and reportedly his teacher), Callimachus seemingly wanted not to be compared to Homer, but have his work appreciated for its own merits. As Callimachus said in The Aitia;

"Do not look to me for a loud-resounding song; thundering is not my job, but Zeus'...Do not drive along the same tracks as others nor on the broad highway, but along [fresh] ways, even if your course will be narrower..."

 

 

(1) Paraphrased from Editor's Note. Apollonius of Rhodes, The Voyage of Argo. Trans. E.V. Rieu, Middlesex: Penguin Books, Ltd. 1972.
(2) Ibid.
(3) Paraphrased from Foreword, Apollonius of Rhodes, Jason and the Golden Fleece. Trans. Richard Hunter, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993.
(4) Ibid.
(5) Hunter, Book IV, pp 107, 108.
(6) Hunter. Book I, pp. 22, 23.
(7) Rieu, Book II, P. 73.
(8) Hunter, Paraphrased from foreword.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  

Apollonius of Rhodes. "The Voyage of Argo". Trans. E.V. Rieu. Middlesex: Penguin Books, Ltd. 1972.

Apollonius of Rhodes. "Jason and the Golden Fleece" Trans. Richard Hunter. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993.