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

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

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