ὀργήν Ajax 1153 - accusative of respect?

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C. S. Bartholomew
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ὀργήν Ajax 1153 - accusative of respect?

Post by C. S. Bartholomew »

Τεῦκρος
1150
ἐγὼ δέ γ᾽ ἄνδρ᾽ ὄπωπα μωρίας πλέων,
ὃς ἐν κακοῖς ὕβριζε τοῖσι τῶν πέλας.
κᾆτ᾽ αὐτὸν εἰσιδών τις ἐμφερὴς ἐμοὶ
ὀργήν θ᾽ ὅμοιος εἶπε τοιοῦτον λόγον:
ὤνθρωπε, μὴ δρᾶ τοὺς τεθνηκότας κακῶς:
εἰ γὰρ ποήσεις, ἴσθι πημανούμενος.
τοιαῦτ᾽ ἄνολβον ἄνδρ᾽ ἐνουθέτει παρών.
ὁρῶ δέ τοί νιν, κἄστιν, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ,
οὐδείς ποτ᾽ ἄλλος ἢ σύ. μῶν ᾐνιξάμην;

Teucer
[1150] Yes, and I have seen a man stuffed with foolishness who exulted in his neighbor's misfortunes. It turned out that a man like me and of similar temperament stared at him and said, “ Man, do not wrong the dead; [1155] for, if you do, rest assured that you will come to harm.” So he warned the misguided man before him. Take note—I see him now, and I think that he is no one but you. Have I spoken in riddles?

At first glance ὀργήν on line 1153 would not appear to be syntactically connected with a clause. I suspect [not sure] this would fall under the accusative of respect (Smyth #1600). ὀργήν used in the expression ὀργήν θ᾽ ὅμοιος "and of similar temperament" defines the aspect of similarity in view.

C. Stirling Bartholomew
C. Stirling Bartholomew

NateD26
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Re: ὀργήν Ajax 1153 - accusative of respect?

Post by NateD26 »

C. S. Bartholomew wrote:At first glance ὀργήν on line 1153 would not appear to be syntactically connected with a clause. I suspect [not sure] this would fall under the accusative of respect (Smyth #1600). ὀργήν used in the expression ὀργήν θ᾽ ὅμοιος "and of similar temperament" defines the aspect of similarity in view.

C. Stirling Bartholomew
Indeed, that's how the commentaries I've just browsed treat it, and they compare it with
"dative of the part affected" in 640:

Χορός

κρείσσων παρ᾽ Ἅιδᾳ κεύθων ὁ νοσῶν μάταν,
ὃς ἐκ πατρῴας ἥκων γενεᾶς ἄριστος
πολυπόνων Ἀχαιῶν,
οὐκέτι συντρόφοις
ὀργαῖς ἔμπεδος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκτὸς ὁμιλεῖ.
Nate.

C. S. Bartholomew
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Re: ὀργήν Ajax 1153 - accusative of respect?

Post by C. S. Bartholomew »

NateD26 wrote:
C. S. Bartholomew wrote:At first glance ὀργήν on line 1153 would not appear to be syntactically connected with a clause. I suspect [not sure] this would fall under the accusative of respect (Smyth #1600). ὀργήν used in the expression ὀργήν θ᾽ ὅμοιος "and of similar temperament" defines the aspect of similarity in view.

C. Stirling Bartholomew
Indeed, that's how the commentaries I've just browsed treat it, and they compare it with
"dative of the part affected" in 640:

Χορός

κρείσσων παρ᾽ Ἅιδᾳ κεύθων ὁ νοσῶν μάταν,
ὃς ἐκ πατρῴας ἥκων γενεᾶς ἄριστος
πολυπόνων Ἀχαιῶν,
οὐκέτι συντρόφοις
ὀργαῖς ἔμπεδος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκτὸς ὁμιλεῖ.
Thank you Nate,

I am always somewhat surprised when I encounter one of these free floating accusatives. They serve as a reminder of the limitations of textbook grammar when faced with authors such as Sophocles.

CSB
C. Stirling Bartholomew

NateD26
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Re: ὀργήν Ajax 1153 - accusative of respect?

Post by NateD26 »

C. S. Bartholomew wrote:I am always somewhat surprised when I encounter one of these free floating accusatives. They serve as a reminder of the limitations of textbook grammar when faced with authors such as Sophocles.

CSB
I couldn't agree more. I think we'd only truly dealt with the accusative of respect in University
when we stumbled on it in Plato's Apology where it is displayed in various forms, sometimes with
prepositions like εἰς & πρός, but more often, as you said, as a free-floater.

It is somewhat easier to understand the acc. of respect in Hebrew -- or at least Biblical Hebrew --
where it is common to find a phrase like "sick in his heart" rather than the English "he has a heart condition". You can actually see it in this very quote in 635 ὁ νοσῶν μάταν, he who is sick with respect
to his foolishness
, or the more elegant English of Sir Richard Jebb (1883), the man plagued by foolishness.
Nate.

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