Νέαιρα (fr. 25)

199

with legal connotations, see Ussher 1973 ad loc.; and cf. Lys. 10.17, where the
archaic άπίλλειν occurs in the same sense; Isae. 6.40 ούδέ τότε εϊων εισιέναι, άλλ’
απέκλεισαν τή θύρα), or “imprison somebody in a house”, e.g. Ar. V. 333 τις γάρ
έσθ’ ό ταΰτά σ’ εϊργων κάποκλήιων τη θύρα; however, in the context of an amator
exclusus, the genitive seems to be more to the point: “the door was slammed in his
face”; cf. Ar. Lys. 423 ύπό των γυναικών άποκέκλειμαι τών πυλών; X. HG 5.2.42
δείσαντες μή άποκλεισθεϊεν τών πυλών; Hdt. 5.104.2 ...άπεκλήισε τών πυλέων.
Therefore, the transmitted τής θύρας is unexceptionable.
Interpretation A character is complaining that Phryne, the famous courtesan,
treated him cruelly in the past (cf. the imperfect άπεκλειόμην). It is not clear whe-
ther he is narrating his misfortunes to others or addressing the audience, perhaps
in the Prologue. Nor is it clear how this past traumatic experience influences his
present condition. It is possible that he is contrasting a happy period of his life with
an unhappy one, or with the happiness of other lovers (cf. άλλ’). Or he may be
discussing his past experiences with other men, as in Anaxandrides’ Gerontomania
(fr. 9). Moreover, changes in the lives of courtesans were not uncommon. They
often escaped poverty and became immensely rich by extracting money from
wealthy customers, as Phryne here, and they often found themselves in a difficult
situation when they grew old; cf. Epicr. fr. 3 (from Antilais). For the greedy and
heartless courtesan cf. Antiph. fr. 2 έστιν δ’ έταίρα τώ τρέφοντι συμφορά, with
Konstantakos 2000, 51; Aristopho fr. 4 αί τών εταιρών γάρ διοπετεϊς οίκίαι · /
γεγόνασιν άβατοι τοΐς έχουσι μηδέ έν “the houses of the courtesans are (like sta-
tues) fallen from Zeus; for they are inaccessible to those who have no money”. For
courtesans in comedy see Hauschild 1933, 14-22; McClure 2003; Auhagen 2009.
1 έγωγ’ δ δυστυχής Cf. Men. Pk. 348 [778] ό δυστυχής έγώ; Dysc. 919 ώ
δυστυχής έγώ. For similar wording in an erotic context, cf. Timocl. fr. 10 οϊμοι
κακοδαίμων, ώς έρώ (perhaps said by an amator exclusus). For lovers complaining
of heartless hetaerae cf. Men. Dis exap. 91-102; Sam. 335-56; Plaut. Asin. 127-52;
Trucul. 22-76; Konstantakos 2000, 51.
2 Φρύνης έρασθείς Phryne was one of the most famous courtesans in
Ancient Greece (cf. Posidipp. fr. 13 έπιφανεστάτη πολύ τών έταιρών; Lucil. 263
Phryne nobilis ilia) and Athenaeus devotes a long section to her in his thirteenth
book (590d -591 f). She was born in Thespiae in 370s BC and her father was called
Epicles. Her real name was probably Mnesarete, but she was mainly known as
Phryne, “toad”, apparently due to her pale complexion (ένωχρον, cf. Arist. PA
673b31). Athenaeus mentions two courtesans by this name: the first was also called
Κλαυσίγελως “Eaughing through tears” and the second Σαπέρδιον, which is the
diminutive of an unidentified fish; cf. on Timocl. fr. 16.6. However, it has been
convincingly argued that they are one and the same person, and that it is the por-
traitists of the Hellenistic era who are responsible for this separation (Raubitschek
1941, 893-901; McClure 2003, 127). By means of her profession, she managed to
escape poverty and acquired wealth (cf. v. 3 όσα νύν έχει and Ath. 13.59 Id έπλούτει
δέ σφόδρα). But it seems that the most critical incident of her life was the trial