The World Beyond BetterMost > The Culture Tent
Mary Renault Book Discussion
Kerry:
Mary Renault throws certain words into the mix of her narrative which we are expected to understand. And it is often easy to skim-over them and miss an important point.
The very first sentence of chapter 3 is an example:
"When I and the other boys of my age became ephebes . . ."
What is an "ephebe"? It is important that we know this, before we can progress further.
Here's what Wikipedia has to say:
"Ephebos (often in the plural epheboi), also anglicised as ephebe (plural: ephebi), is a Greek word for an adolescent age group or a social status reserved for that age in Antiquity.
Though the word can simply refer to the adolescent age of young men of training age, its main use is for the members, exclusively from that age group, of an official institution (ephebia) that saw to building them into citizens, but especially training them as soldiers, sometimes already sent into the field; the Greek city state (polis) mainly depended, as the Roman republic before Marius's reform, on its militia of citizens for defence."
Ephebe-
Kerry:
Alkibiades was a real historical personage who lived in Athens 450-404BC. He really was as handsome as Mary Renault describes him. Here's the proof -
injest:
and while we are talking real historical characters we can't pass up Alexias's classmate and friend, Xenophon...anyone that has ever had dealings with horses will recognise that name!
MR is quite the name dropper!!
Kerry:
--- Quote from: injest on January 16, 2007, 07:26:06 pm ---and while we are talking real historical characters we can't pass up Alexias's classmate and friend, Xenophon...anyone that has ever had dealings with horses will recognise that name!
MR is quite the name dropper!!
--- End quote ---
Xenophon
427-355 BC
(this bust rendered later in life)
Kerry:
I was delighted to read that Alexias chose to sing a love ballad about legendary lovers, Harmodios and Aristogeiton at the dinner party. A beautiful song, sung by a dazzling young man, in illustrious company. Alas, Kritias has to destroy the charmed atmosphere conjured-up by Alexias and his lyre, by making a licentious remark.
Mary Renault will again write about Harmodios and Aristogeiton in a later book, “The Persian Boy,” where the story of their tragic love is told through dialogue between Alexander and Bagoas:
“Al’sander,” I said, “who were Harmodios and Aristogeiton?”
“Lovers,” he said sleepily. “Famous Athenian lovers. You must have seen their statues on the terrace at Susa. Xerxes took them from Athens.”
“The ones with the daggers? The man and boy?”
“Yes. It’s in Thukydides . . . What’s the matter?”
“What were the daggers for?”
“Killing the tyrant, Hippias. Though they never did it. They only got his brother, which made him more tyrannical.” He roused himself to tell the story. “But they died with honour. The Athenians set great store by them. I’ll send them back sometime. Very old statues. Stiff. The beautiful Harmodios, he’s not fit to do up your shoes.”
A great compliment to Bagoas, from Alexander. Harmodios, knows for his legendary beauty, “not fit to do up (Bagoas’) shoes.” Bagoas must have been quite a heart-breaker!
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