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What role do lying and deception play in achieving strategic objectives? Jeff, Lise and Brian discuss that and other questions as raised by Sophocles in Philoktetes, in which a soldier (Philoktetes) is recovered from an island where he was left after being wounded. His significance arises from his possession is the famed bow of Heracles, which the characters Odysseus and Neoptolemus believe is necessary to win the Trojan war.
Great stuff y’all, keep up the good work!
I wanted to add some kindling to the comparison Lise made between Philoktetes and Oedipus, as well as an attempt to get inside Philoktetes’ head.
Oedipus’ name is related to the greek roots ‘Oida-‘ (meaning Knowledge) and also ‘Oideō-‘ (meaning swollen) with ‘Pous’ (meaning foot). I like the conflation of ‘Oida’ with ‘Oideō’ in his name, because gaining knowledge is a indeed a form of swelling or growth/acquisition. Oedipus’ name therefore invokes a special knowledge (e.g. his ability to solve the Sphinx’s riddle) but also a certain disability (i.e. swollen feet – perhaps a metaphor of something, like his inability to escape fate, or perhaps a reference to him being tied up as a baby). This is a shot in the dark here, but maybe the name is meant to convey the inability to walk the right path, despite seemingly possessing the knowledge required to do so? Or maybe, it reflects how knowledge can be stifling toward action. This reflects how the knowledge of the prophesy doesn’t help in preventing it.
Now, looking at Philoktetes’ name, it can be parsed as ‘Philos’ (meaning friend), ‘Ktáomai’ (meaning to acquire). Perhaps this can be interpreted as ‘the one in the state-of-being of newly acquired friendliness’ (especially toward the Trojans). His backstory seems to corroborate this, as well as tie him to Oedipus. The snakebite — a wound inflicted by a two tongued animal (perhaps symbolizing the indecision/double-speak of being of two minds) — has literally swollen his foot (like Oedipus), stranding him incapable of continuing onward. In other words, some new acquisition/swelling of knowledge/friendship is causing him to doubt the justice in a war with Troy. And his (perhaps vocal) distaste for the war (especially without divine justification) is a more likely reason for Agamemnon to desert him on the island than a smelly foot. His doubt could spare a mutiny that no smelly foot ever could. This depiction of him also seems to resonate with his tougher moral stance toward Neoptolemus (in comparison to Odysseus).
Anyways, that’s pretty much all I have. Let me know what you think.
Meant to say spark, not spare. His doubt (if rational) could spark a mutiny that a smelly foot could never do.