Use of the nominative. M-23.III.7

Greek Learning Greek
1

ο Πεισιστρατος τοισ ηγεμοσι των αλλων εν τη πολει στασεων συντιθεται και τυραννος καθισταται.

The answer key gives; "Peisistratus makes an agreement with the leaders of the other factions in the city and is established as tyrant or establishes himself as tyrant.

My problem is with “τυραννος καθισταται”. The subject of the sentence is clearly “Πεισιστρατος” and not “τυραννος”.
Maybe “and a tyrant is established/establishes himself”?

I would appreciate comments.

2

What exactly is the form “καθίσταται”? If you think about that a bit more you will get there.

3

Seneca, thanks a lot for your prompt reply.

Yes, I know, the form is 3rd person singular present mid/pass indicative. So I read it as “… and (Peisistratus) is established/establishes himself as tyrant”, i.e., the subject is Peisistratus, no?

Or, with no definite article in front of τυραννος, to me the clause means “a tyrant is established/ establishes himself”

Or, I could understand the key’s translation if the statement had been “τυραννον καθίσταται”, i.e., “accusative of respect”, instead of nominative (M. p 142. d, and unit 18.IV.1, p. 153). In fact (how presumptuous of me… ), I think that’s the way it should have been stated to be translated as per the key.

What do you think?

4

Whether the sense is taken as middle or a true passive, τύραννος is simply a predicate complement referring to Πεσίστρατος. Smyth calls this a predicate substantive:

  1. A predicate substantive agrees with its subject in case: Μιλτιάδης ἦν στρατηγός Miltiades was a general.

Also relevant:


910. Predicate Nouns.—Nouns (substantival or adjectival) are often used as complements to the predicate. Thus,
a. A predicate substantive is a substantive forming part of the predicate and asserting something of its substantive: Περικλῆς ᾑρέθη στρατηγός Pericles was elected general, εἵλεσθε ἐκεῖνον πρεσβευτήν you elected him envoy L. 13. 10.

The first example is a close parallel to your sentence.

5

The way I look at is that ὁ Πεισίστρατος is the subject of καθίσταται so P. establishes himself…, τύραννος has to agree with ὁ Πεισίστρατος because he is the tyrant who is established. Surely if if were τύραννον it would mean that P. established (for himself) someone else as Tyrant?

τύραννος can’t be the subject of καθίσταται, as Barry says its a complement of ὁ Πεισίστρατος.

No doubt if this is in error we will be put right.

6

Thanks to Seneca and Barry.

I will have to lookup the rule about the predicate substantive agreeing with its subject in case. I may have encountered that topic somewhere in M (I’m on unit 23)and forgotten it or didn’t recognize the construction

And, Seneca, what do numbers 973 and 910 in your reply refer to?

7

Hi the numbers in Barry’s reply refer to paragraphs in Smyth.


See here for example:

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Smyth+grammar+973&fromdoc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0007

8

OK, I get it.
M mentions this briefly in unit 7.6 …“subject noun and predicate noun linked by the copula be”. I can’t find another mention of it in the part of M that I have studied so far (unit 23). Smyth 917 lists καθιστασθαι as serving as a copula.

Thanks again to both of you.