DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.52134#0275
Incertarum fabularum fragmenta (fr. 53)
271
έχει δέσποιναν, ού γυναΐκ’ έτι The sentiment is commonplace; e. g. E.
Phaeth. 158-9 (fr. 775) with Diggle 1970 ad loc.; fr. 502; Antiph. frr. 48;125 2 70;
Alex. fr. 150 with Arnott 1996 ad loc.·, Men. fr. 802; Diod. Com. fr. 3; Arist. EN
8.1161al-3; Gomme-Sandbach on Men. Epitr. 134ff.; Stark 1989. 51 andn. 197.
6 καί πένης In reality, a man would have control of whatever wealth his
wife brought with her to the marriage; see Schaps 1979. 48-58 (cf. 76); Diggle
1970 on E. Phaeth. 158-9 (fr. 775). But in the comic world, this need not hold
true: e. g. the situation of Strepsiades in Aristophanes Clouds: he has a rich
wife, but remains poor himself and suffers under the burden of being subject
to her whims and attempting to maintain her (and their son’s) extravagant
lifestyle on his own apparently meagre income.
7 The repetition of δούλος adds symmetry to the argument and emphasis
to the conclusion: the problems associated with marrying a rich woman
cannot be avoided by instead marrying a poor woman, since the latter leads
to an identical result.
γίγνεται For γιγν- vs. γιν-, see on fr. 25.
9-12 For the thought, cf. the proverb αν μέν καλήν (sc. γήμης), έξεις
κοινήν, αν δέ αίσχράν, έξεις ποινήν (preserved at D.L. 6.3; Gell. 5.11.3; Stob.
4.22.17; preserved in reverse order at e. g. D.L. 4.48; P.Stras. 92; cf. Freudenthal
1880. 413 #14; Sternbach 1887. 179 n. 2).
9 άλλ’ έλαβεν αίσχράν Cf. on the introduction to Aischra·, Philippid.
fr. 29.1. Note the echo in 11 (άλλ’ έλαβεν ώραίαν).
ού βιωτόν έστ έτι Cf. Antiph. fr. 188.10; Men. Dysc. 160 with Handley
1965 ad loc.·, Philem. fr. 96.7 with Kassel-Austin ad loc.
10 ούδ’ είσοδος τό παράπαν εις την οικίαν Grotius not unreasonably
translated ‘taedet pigetque in propriam ingredi domum’, although the Greek
(‘there is no entrance whatsoever’) seems stronger. Presumably the point is
that the man would be ashamed to have his wife seen by others because of her
ugliness and therefore entertains no guests, so that the line forms a contrast
with 11-12, where having a beautiful wife causes him to be cuckolded.
τό παράπαν is colloquial, found only in prose (e. g. Th. 6.80.1; Pl. Grg. 450d;
D. 22.32) and comedy or the like (e.g. Ar. V. 478; Pl. 17; Pherecr. fr. 117.2).
125 This fragment (from Antiatt. p. 86.14) clearly refers to a reversal of roles in a
marriage, but the text is slightly problematic. The first part is probably better read
γαμώ ή γυνή λέγει, ού <μόνον> γαμοΰμαι; more seriously, probably only the first
part of the Antiatticist’s entry belongs to Antiphanes, since in the Antiatticist an
attribution rarely if ever precedes a citation except in a few cases where there is
reason to suspect corruption.
271
έχει δέσποιναν, ού γυναΐκ’ έτι The sentiment is commonplace; e. g. E.
Phaeth. 158-9 (fr. 775) with Diggle 1970 ad loc.; fr. 502; Antiph. frr. 48;125 2 70;
Alex. fr. 150 with Arnott 1996 ad loc.·, Men. fr. 802; Diod. Com. fr. 3; Arist. EN
8.1161al-3; Gomme-Sandbach on Men. Epitr. 134ff.; Stark 1989. 51 andn. 197.
6 καί πένης In reality, a man would have control of whatever wealth his
wife brought with her to the marriage; see Schaps 1979. 48-58 (cf. 76); Diggle
1970 on E. Phaeth. 158-9 (fr. 775). But in the comic world, this need not hold
true: e. g. the situation of Strepsiades in Aristophanes Clouds: he has a rich
wife, but remains poor himself and suffers under the burden of being subject
to her whims and attempting to maintain her (and their son’s) extravagant
lifestyle on his own apparently meagre income.
7 The repetition of δούλος adds symmetry to the argument and emphasis
to the conclusion: the problems associated with marrying a rich woman
cannot be avoided by instead marrying a poor woman, since the latter leads
to an identical result.
γίγνεται For γιγν- vs. γιν-, see on fr. 25.
9-12 For the thought, cf. the proverb αν μέν καλήν (sc. γήμης), έξεις
κοινήν, αν δέ αίσχράν, έξεις ποινήν (preserved at D.L. 6.3; Gell. 5.11.3; Stob.
4.22.17; preserved in reverse order at e. g. D.L. 4.48; P.Stras. 92; cf. Freudenthal
1880. 413 #14; Sternbach 1887. 179 n. 2).
9 άλλ’ έλαβεν αίσχράν Cf. on the introduction to Aischra·, Philippid.
fr. 29.1. Note the echo in 11 (άλλ’ έλαβεν ώραίαν).
ού βιωτόν έστ έτι Cf. Antiph. fr. 188.10; Men. Dysc. 160 with Handley
1965 ad loc.·, Philem. fr. 96.7 with Kassel-Austin ad loc.
10 ούδ’ είσοδος τό παράπαν εις την οικίαν Grotius not unreasonably
translated ‘taedet pigetque in propriam ingredi domum’, although the Greek
(‘there is no entrance whatsoever’) seems stronger. Presumably the point is
that the man would be ashamed to have his wife seen by others because of her
ugliness and therefore entertains no guests, so that the line forms a contrast
with 11-12, where having a beautiful wife causes him to be cuckolded.
τό παράπαν is colloquial, found only in prose (e. g. Th. 6.80.1; Pl. Grg. 450d;
D. 22.32) and comedy or the like (e.g. Ar. V. 478; Pl. 17; Pherecr. fr. 117.2).
125 This fragment (from Antiatt. p. 86.14) clearly refers to a reversal of roles in a
marriage, but the text is slightly problematic. The first part is probably better read
γαμώ ή γυνή λέγει, ού <μόνον> γαμοΰμαι; more seriously, probably only the first
part of the Antiatticist’s entry belongs to Antiphanes, since in the Antiatticist an
attribution rarely if ever precedes a citation except in a few cases where there is
reason to suspect corruption.