I've also been struck by this passage but never been able to come to a suitable explanation. Looking at the passage again, the language reminds me of Georgics IV "labor...et inextricabilis error" (quite a curious phrasing) "magnum reginae sed enim miseratus amorem"; Daedalus in the labyrinth is a similar situation to Aeneas in the Underworld but also Orpheus in the Underworld (even more so, in the retracing steps); this passage finishes with a sacrifice similar to the one at the end of the Georgics.
Is there a Hellenistic treatment of the Daedalus story? We seem to be very much in Hellenistic / Alexandrian territory here, with the daughters of Cecrops (21), Ariadne (23) and Pasiphae (24). Daedalus = Vergil? V. interesting. What does Michael Punam have to say about this passage? The observation about the doors relating to the ivory gates is a good one and must be right. Maybe this passage casts some light on the meaning of the ivory gates. This is a great topic - I'm surprised no-one replied to Clare earlier. And while we're at it, does anyone have any views on the 64 million dollar question i.e. the golden bough and the ivory gates? I remember being quite taken with West's article where the golden bough reflected the "aureos ramos" of Plato's poetry in Meleager's garland. In that context, it's notable that "poluchromatos" (cp. "discolor" 6.204) is a Greek hapax legomenon, according to a Hellenistic lexicographer, appearing in ... you guessed it ... Plato. More questions than answers! I apologise. Adrian -----Original Message----- From: D P Nelis [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, March 08, 1999 10:32 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: VIRGIL: VERGIL: ekphrasis in Book VI Daedalus is like Aeneas: they have both crossed the seas to get to Cumae and suffered loss on the way. Daedalus is like Vergil: they both depict 'error' and pity 'magnum reginae amorem'. The doors at the start of book 6 are related to the gates at the end. There is a new book by Michael Punam called 'Vergil's Epic Designs' (YaleUP 1998); it has a chapter on Daedalus. Damien Nelis. ---------- >From: Leofranc Holford-Strevens <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: VIRGIL: VERGIL: ekphrasis in Book VI >Date: Mon, Mar 8, 1999, 10:02 > >In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, Clare >Studwell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes >>I brought up this question about a week ago about the ekphrasis in Book VI >>(lines 20-36) of Vergil's Aeneid. Unfortunately I received NO responses. If >>you have any opinion on the role of this ekphrasis on the temple doors which >>Daedalus created, please let me know. >> >>Thanks. Clare > >I had been meaning to find a moment to think about the passage, but for >the time being: a journey through the air counterpoises one to the >underworld; and the ekphrasis before this major episode recalls that >before another, in Carthage. Quite inadequate, but perhaps it will >stimulate someone else, like the crystal that seeds a supersaturated >solution into precipitating. > >Leofranc Holford-Strevens >*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* > >Leofranc Holford-Strevens >67 St Bernard's Road usque adeone >Oxford scire MEVM nihil est, nisi ME scire hoc sciat alter? >OX2 6EJ > >tel. +44 (0)1865 552808(home)/267865(work) fax +44 (0)1865 512237 >email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (home) [EMAIL PROTECTED] (work) > >*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_* >----------------------------------------------------------------------- >To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. >Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message >"unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You >can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
