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Timokles

μήν ή άλλη αίκία και ή ίσομοιρία των κακών, έχουσά τινα όμως τό μετά πολλών
κούφισιν, ούδ’ ως ραδία έν τώ παρόντι έδοξάζετο “This hardship and sharing of
misfortunes, although alleviated by being suffered together with many others, was
not seen as easy at the time”.
15 χωλός τις έστί The adjective often occurs in comedy, usually denoting
the feet (“lame”; cf. Ar. Ach. 411, 427, 429; Pax 147; Av. 1293; Men. Dysc. 662;
cf. Ale. Com. fr. 3 κατάχωλε, with Orth 2013, ad loc.), but sometimes associated
with hands (Eup. fr. 264, with Olson 2016, ad loc.; cf. Hippon. fr. 180 χειρόχωλον;
and the specification χωλός τώ σκέλει in Ar. Th. 24). Here, as the comparison to
Philoctetes indicates, it refers to feet.73
τον Φιλοκτήτην Philoctetes was one of the first to volunteer to accompany
the Achaeans on the Trojan expedition, but he was prevented from doing so be-
cause he was bitten in the foot by a viper and the wound began to fester and smell.
At the instigation of Odysseus, he was removed from the camp and abandoned on
Lemnos. In the tenth year of the war the Greeks were informed that Troy would not
be taken without Heracles’ bow, now in the possession of Philoctetes. Accordingly,
Odysseus, accompanied by Neoptolemus (or, according to others, by Diomedes)
persuaded him to go to Troy, where he was healed by Asclepius’ sons and killed
Paris with his bow; cf. Hom. II. 2.718-24; Gantz 1993,589-90,635-8; Olson 2002,
on Ar. Ach. 424-5.
In tragedy Philoctetes was one of the most famous ‘lame’ tragic heroes
(the others being Bellerophon and Telephus). Though tragedies on the myth of
Philoctetes and his escape from Lemnos were written by many tragedians (A.
frr. 249-57 Radt, Sophocles [the only surviving play], Euripides [frr. 787-803
Kannicht], Philocles [ T 1 Kannicht] and Theodectes [TrGF I 72 F5b]), in
Aristophanes it was mainly Euripides who was mocked for his fondness for lame
heroes; cf. Ar. Ach. 411 (with Olson 2002, ad loc.) χωλούς ποιείς; Pax 146-8
’Εκείνο τήρει, μή σφαλείς καταρροής / έντεϋθεν, εΐτα χωλός ών Ευριπίδη / λόγον
παράσχης καί τραγωδία γένη “be careful not to tumble off and then, being lame,
afford Euripides a subject and get turned into a tragedy”; Ra. 846 (with Dover 1993,
ad loc.) τον χωλοποιόν.74 Cf. Olson 1991, 269-83; Olson 2007, 172.
όρά A reference to a spectator rather than a reader. Cf. above, under
“Interpretation”.
16 For a similar consolatory admonition cf. Philippid. fr. 18 (from
Φιλάδελφοι): όταν άτυχεΐν σοι συμπέση τι, δέσποτα, / Εύριπίδου μνήσθητι, καί
ράων έσει “Lord, when misfortunes happen to befall you, remember Euripides
and you will feel better”.

73 Cf., however, Theodect. TrGF I 72 F 5b II κόψατε τήν έμήν χείρα, where it is said that
Philoctetes was bitten by a snake in his hand.
74 For the possible influence of Aristophanes on Timocles cf. w. 10-16, where three of
the tragic heroes mentioned (Oeneus, Philoctetes, Telephus) are also mentioned as
emblematic miserable heroes in The Acharnians (w. 418, 424, 430).