B—
Heracles Abandoned (1273–79)

Seven lines (1273–79) act as a bridge to the second half of the episode and contain an important detail that enhances our understanding of why Heracles is abandoned. While Polyphemus and Heracles search for Hylas, Tiphys gives the order to board the ship to take advantage of the winds. It is still dark, and for this reason the Argonauts do not notice that the three are missing. Since the men avail themselves of the winds, they would not have been at their oars, where the absence of the three would have been observed.^[37] They remain unaware of the accidental abandonment of their comrades until they pass Cape Poseidon, after which dawn reveals the absence of the three men. Reference to the god's name, given the sequence of events, is significant. As I argued above, in the rowing contest Heracles is subtly associated with Ægæon and Ajax, both of whom vie with the god of the sea. By rowing the Argo at a speed said to be faster than the steeds of Poseidon, the Argonauts, and Heracles in particular, can be viewed as competing with the god. Thus, reference to Poseidon the moment the Argonauts come to see that they have left behind Heracles, Hylas, and Polyphemus admirably brings the first half of the episode to a close by hinting at the reason why Heracles is abandoned: like his mythological and literary analogues, Heracles is so confident in his strength that he can, and is willing to, act on his own. As Jason observed, the expedition to and from Colchis is a common concern. Heracles' godlike strength and self-sufficiency are completely inappropriate for a group of highly talented, but interdependent, heroes engaged in a

[37] So Blumberg 28.

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nautical

.^[38] No wonder Poseidon finds Heracles' presence so offensive!

Heracles' hybris, moreover, is of a piece with his behavior toward Theiodamas and his people. Apollonius tells us that Heracles took it upon himself to concoct a grim pretext (

, 1218–19) with which to initiate a war against the Dryopians, and thereby suggests that the murder of Theiodamas, regardless of its supposedly noble end, was a capricious act of aggression. For in order to provoke the unjust Dryopians into open hostilities, Heracles, we are explicitly told, killed the unfortunate Theiodamas for refusing the outrageous request that he give him the ox with which he was plowing. This murder in turn apparently precipitated the war between Heracles and the Dryopians.^[39] As seen above, the manner of his punishment has been made in a most subtle way to fit his earlier crime: Heracles in the event leading up to, and in the very experience of, the loss of Hylas assumes the role of the wretched plowman whom he had killed.^[40] In the second half of the episode, the narrator will provide further instances of Heracles' unforgiving and heavy-handed approach to justice,^[41] which stands

[38] Cf. G. Karl Galinsky, The Herakles Theme (Oxford 1972) 109, who states: "But before Herakles can row the boat out of contemporary reality, the oar snaps in the middle, and primitive heroic will and strength are defeated."

[39] Apollonius also introduces into his literary collage a detail that makes reference to another story involving the Dryopians. Heracles was believed to have fought with the Dryopians while staying at the home of Ceyx, king of Trachis (cf. Apollodorus 2.7). According to Hesiod's Ceykos Gamos (fr. 263 M&W), this event would have occurred just after Heracles was abandoned at Aphetae. By having Heracles require the Cians to send hostages to Trachis, thus ensuring their continuation of the search (1354–57), and by telling the story of the Dryopians in the context of Heracles' abandonment, Apollonius would seem to have the Hesiodic poem in mind. Although this poem is too fragmentary to afford us any clear insight into what Apollonius might have had in mind, if anything, through such a subtle reference, nonetheless I find it significant that in the Hesiodic poem Heracles had an eating contest with a certain Lepreus, whom he went on to kill ob indignationem æmulæ virtutis (cf. fr. 265 M&W).

[40] I wonder if it might also be significant that Heracles is compared to a bull, given the fact that he ate Theiodamas's steer.

[41] Many have viewed Heracles' behavior here and elsewhere in the poem in a favorable light, arguing that he was a Stoic saint, human benefactor, or the great hero of grand epic (cf. Chapter 6, pp. 139–40): e.g., A. Ardizzoni, L'Eracle "semnós" nel poema di Apollonio (Catania 1937); Fränkel ad 1.855ff., 1187–89, 1207–10; Palombi (supra n. 3) 83; and Barigazzi (supra n. 20) 232and 236–37. Others have questioned the seriousness of this character in their analysis of the text (e.g., Lawall 2 argues that Heracles is too large for reality and is without any sensitivity; and Collins 86ff., that Heracles lacks dignity and wisdom; cf. Levin [supra n. 31] 25, who tries to steer a middle course between the august and the brutish Heracles); but where a subtext exists, it should be taken into consideration, especially with regard to interpretations of the central characters of the poem. In this episode, the Homeric models used in his portrayal of Heracles are blasphemous brutes.

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in sharp contrast to Jason's more conciliatory mode of behavior. The latter is the focus of the second half of the episode.