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Introduction
Philoctetes, by Sophocles, is another play set during the Trojan War. It takes place after the events of the Iliad and the events of Ajax. The play is surprising for the number of connections it has with multiple heroes from ancient Greek legend.
First, there is a connection with Heracles. Philoctetes, for whom the play is named after, comes from Trachis where Heracles was ruler before his death. Heracles gave Philoctetes his bow and arrows because he was the only one willing to burn Heracles on the pyre after being fatally poisoned by the robe his wife gave him. Recall from The Women of Trachis, that Heracles’ son Hyllus was willing to take his father to the spot Heracles wanted to die and build the pyre, but stated he was unwilling to burn the pyre. It’s after the events of that play, according to other sources, that Philoctetes volunteered to burn Heracles on the pyre and end his suffering.
Second, there is a connection with Achilles, as his son Neoptolemus is pretty much the main character of the play. Neoptolemus was only a teenager when he was sent to the front lines of the Trojan War, but was nonetheless a formidable warrior in his own right. This play won’t be the last time Neoptolemus will come up, but it’s also not the first time he has come up. If you joined me on my journey through the Odyssey, the ghost of Achilles asked about his son when Odysseus visited the land of the dead in Book 11. Here’s what Odysseus told him:
I can tell you all about your son Neoptolemus, for I took him in my own ship from Scyros with the Achaeans. In our councils of war before Troy he was always first to speak, and his judgement was unerring. Nestor and I were the only two who could surpass him; and when it came to fighting on the plain of Troy, he would never remain with the body of his men, but would dash on far in front, foremost of them all in valour. Many a man did he kill in battle- I cannot name every single one of those whom he slew while fighting on the side of the Argives, but will only say how he killed that valiant hero Eurypylus son of Telephus, who was the handsomest man I ever saw except Memnon; many others also of the Ceteians fell around him by reason of a woman's bribes. Moreover, when all the bravest of the Argives went inside the horse that Epeus had made, and it was left to me to settle when we should either open the door of our ambuscade, or close it, though all the other leaders and chief men among the Danaans were drying their eyes and quaking in every limb, I never once saw him turn pale nor wipe a tear from his cheek; he was all the time urging me to break out from the horse- grasping the handle of his sword and his bronze-shod spear, and breathing fury against the foe. Yet when we had sacked the city of Priam he got his handsome share of the prize money and went on board (such is the fortune of war) without a wound upon him, neither from a thrown spear nor in close combat, for the rage of Mars is a matter of great chance.'
Samuel Butler translation
Lastly, Odysseus shows up once again as a (controversial) supporting character. Odysseus is an interesting figure in ancient Greek legend. He is a pretty sympathetic character in the Iliad and the Odyssey. However, once you get past Homer’s works, it’s like the authors and playwrights don’t know what to make of him. I’ll talk more about this in the Impressions section about a theory that came to my mind regarding this handling of Odysseus.
As for Philoctetes himself, this isn’t the first time we’ve come across him. If you joined me on my journey through the Iliad, we learn a little about him in Book 2. Homer wrote:
And those that held Methone and Thaumacia, with Meliboea and rugged Olizon, these were led by the skilful archer Philoctetes, and they had seven ships, each with fifty oarsmen all of them good archers; but Philoctetes was lying in great pain in the Island of Lemnos, where the sons of the Achaeans left him, for he had been bitten by a poisonous water snake. There he lay sick and sorry, and full soon did the Argives come to miss him. But his people, though they felt his loss were not leaderless, for Medon, the bastard son of Oileus by Rhene, set them in array.
Samuel Butler translation
We’ll learn in the play exactly why the Achaeans came to miss Philoctetes.
All quotes from Philoctetes are from the Lewis Campbell translation which is in the public domain. I had to rely on the David Grene translation for line numbers, so they may not be 100% accurate.
As always, I encourage you to read Philoctetes for yourself. You can do it! Read the publicly available Campbell translation, which might be difficult if you’re not used to verse translations. If you prefer a modern translation, Richmond Lattimore and David Grene also translated and/or edited the plays of Sophocles (and other Greek playwrights) and compiled them into multiple volumes. Lastly, I just recently discovered a modern translation that the translator Ian Johnston offers for free! He’s also translated other ancient Greek works like the Iliad and the Odyssey. You can find them here (I remembered the link finally!).
Summary
Odysseus and Neoptolemus, son of the late Achilles, have arrived on an uninhabited island. Odysseus has been tasked with two assignments: 1) Get Neoptolemus from his home; and 2) Get the bow and arrows of Heracles which are in possession of an Achaean warrior named Philoctetes. It turns out that all three were prophesied as being necessary to sack Troy. Philoctetes, however, was abandoned on the island after he received a snake bite and it became infected. The Achaeans could not stand the smell of the wound, nor the daily groans of pain from Philoctetes, so they tricked him onto the island and left him behind.
Odysseus spots a cave and Neoptolemus investigates it. It’s empty, but there’s signs that Philoctetes is now inhabiting it. Odysseus then tells Neoptolemus that he has to be the one to approach Philoctetes and lie to him about the reason he is on the island. If Philoctetes finds out Odysseus is on the island, he will kill him, as it was Odysseus who was responsible for his abandonment. Neoptolemus needs to play into Philoctetes’ hatred of Odysseus by telling him he has abandoned the war effort because Odysseus was awarded Achilles’ arms, rather than having Neoptolemus inherit them.
Neoptolemus is very uncomfortable with the plan, as he doesn’t like deceiving people, and would rather just take the bow and arrows from Philoctetes by force or persuasion. Odysseus tells him that force nor persuasion will work and convinces him that deceit is the only way. Odysseus then returns to the ship, leaving Philoctetes with the Chorus—a group of mariners.
Shortly after, the group can hear cries of pain as Philoctetes approaches and confronts them. Neoptolemus assures Philoctetes that they are Greeks and introduces himself as the son of Achilles. He explains that he’s sailing back home from Troy. When Philoctetes asks Neoptolemus if he knows who he is, Neoptolemus tells him he doesn’t. Philoctetes is saddened to hear this and introduces himself. He explains to Neoptolemus that Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Odysseus abandoned him on the island after his snake bite and he’s had to fend for himself these ten years while suffering day and night from the wound. Neoptolemus tells Philoctetes he’s no friend of Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Odysseus either, and explains what happened to him. Odysseus came to his home and told him that it was now his responsibility to sack Troy now that his father Achilles is dead. Neoptolemus went with Odysseus back to where the Achaeans were. He mourned over his father and when he went to Agamemnon and Menelaus to get Achilles’ possessions, they told him he could have everything of Achilles’ except his arms which now belong to Odysseus. When Odysseus told Neoptolemus he earned Achilles’ arms after delivering his body from the hands of the Trojans and therefore refuses to give them up, Neoptolemus cursed all of them and left for home.
Philoctetes is shocked to hear Achilles is dead and inquires about other warriors. After Neoptolemus tells him what he knows, he tells Philoctetes he has to leave and get back home. Philoctetes stops him and begs him to take him on board his ship. Take him to Neoptolemus’ home, take him to an island on the way… just get him off this island. Neoptolemus agrees and Philoctetes rejoices.
A Messenger from Odysseus, disguised as a merchant, approaches and informs Neoptolemus that he’s heard that some of Achilles’ old companions have left the war front to pursue him, though the merchant doesn’t know for what reason. When Neoptolemus asks why Odysseus didn’t come for him, the merchant replies that him and Diomedes went to fetch someone else on orders from Agamemnon and Menelaus. Neoptolemus introduces Philoctetes to the Messenger, he whispers to Neoptolemus to leave the island which rouses the suspicion of Philoctetes. Neoptolemus tells the merchant there will be no secrets and the merchant reveals that Odysseus and Diomedes are actually coming to this island to get Philoctetes—by force if necessary. When Neoptolemus asks why Agamemnon and Menelaus want Philoctetes, the merchant explains that the Achaeans had captured a Trojan prophet who prophesied that Troy couldn’t be conquered unless they had Philoctetes.
The merchant leaves and Philoctetes, distraught, pleads with Neoptolemus to leave. Neoptolemus agrees and tells Philoctetes to gather his belongings and they enter the cave Philoctetes had been taking refuge in. A short time later, both men leave the cave and Philoctetes wound begins to flare up and incapacitates him. Philoctetes tells Neoptolemus he’s about to pass out and he should take his bow and use it to defend both of them from the Achaeans who have come to take them. Neoptolemus does and vows to Philoctetes that he won’t leave him alone until he wakes up. After Philoctetes passes out, the Chorus urges Neoptolemus to leave now that he has the bow, but Neoptolemus refuses.
Time passes and Philoctetes comes to. He’s thankful to Neoptolemus that he didn’t leave him behind and has Neoptolemus help him up. Neoptolemus can’t bear the guilt of deceiving Philoctetes any longer and tells him the truth: he’s here to take Philoctetes to Troy to fight in the war because they need his bow. Philoctetes is shocked and asks for his bow back. Neoptolemus refuses to return the bow, but he also can’t make himself leave Philoctetes behind. As he consults the Chorus about what to do, Odysseus arrives and demands the bow. Philoctetes tells Odysseus he refuses to go with him, and after a heated argument, threatens to throw himself off a cliff so that he can’t be used in the war effort. Odysseus orders his men to capture and bound Philoctetes and Philoctetes asks Odysseus why he’s doing all of this. Agamemnon and Menelaus forced Odysseus to join the war effort and now he freely obeys their orders. Odysseus relents and allows Philoctetes to go free, but he’s still taking the bow and arrows of Heracles with him. Odysseus leaves, and Neoptolemus tells him to allow Philoctetes a chance to change his mind before following.
Philoctetes begins to lament his situation—especially now that he doesn’t have his bow to hunt for food. He begs the Chorus to bring him any kind of weapon so he can kill himself and end his misery. He doesn’t want to go to Troy and help the very men who abandoned him, but he doesn’t want to live any longer with the painful snake bite.
Just then Neoptolemus reappears with Odysseus right behind him. Neoptolemus is overwhelmed with guilt and plans to give Philoctetes his bow back. Odysseus, alarmed, tries to talk Neoptolemus out of it, but Neoptolemus tells him he’s willing to fight him if he tries to stop him. Odysseus threatens to come back with the army if he has to and leaves. Neoptolemus gives back Philoctetes’ bow and tells him not to spurn this chance to leave the island. The physicians of the Achaean army have a cure for Philoctetes’ snake bite, but he has to come with Neoptolemus and rejoin the Trojan War in order to get it healed. Philoctetes becomes conflicted, as he doesn’t want to serve with Agamemnon, Menelaus, and Odysseus again. Ultimately, Philoctetes decides he wants to go home after all. Neoptolemus reluctantly agrees to help him.
Suddenly, Heracles, now an immortal, appears before the two. He tells them they need to go to Troy and help the Achaeans sack it. There, Philoctetes will be healed and both of them will win glory and renown. Philoctetes will devastate Troy with the bow of Heracles and Neoptolemus will guard him and help him toward this goal. Philoctetes and Neoptolemus tell Heracles they will obey him and head off to the boats to sail for Troy once again.
The Strange Case of Odysseus
The way the ancient Greeks have handled the character of Odysseus has been fascinating to watch. If you only knew Odysseus through the Iliad, you would conclude that he was a clever man, a decent fighter, and an excellent leader whose skills surpassed Agamemnon’s (the commander of the Achaean army). If you knew Odysseus through the Odyssey as well, your impression of him would diminish a bit due to the choices he made, but nonetheless you would find yourself very sympathetic with him as he struggled to get home to his family.1
It’s after this point, when you get to the playwrights, that he becomes a more controversial figure. Aeschylus does not have Odysseus as a character in any of his surviving plays, but Sophocles and Euripides do. Odysseus is still a prominent leader, respected for his cunning, but there’s something… devilish(?) about him. As in, he’s less of a cunning man and more of a trickster. Or, perhaps, a man with a malleable morality. An opportunist or a realist, maybe. He’s willing to do and say whatever is necessary to either get his or his superiors’ goals accomplished. You saw this a little bit in the Odyssey, when Odysseus withheld information about the dangers his crew were about to face because he cared more about getting home than their livelihoods. He was also willing to invent identities for himself when he thought it was necessary.2
In Philoctetes, we learn that Odysseus bore some of the responsibility for abandoning Philoctetes on the island of Lemnos for ten years. When the Achaeans learn they actually need Philoctetes in order to conquer Troy, Odysseus is willing to go back to the island and get Philoctetes back. And not only is he willing to get Philoctetes back, he’s willing to do it through deception. What’s more: Odysseus shows absolutely no remorse for his actions. He’s even willing to pressure a teenage Neoptolemus to carry out the deception—something Neoptolemus was uncomfortable with doing. He’s just carrying out orders—and will do whatever it takes to make sure he is successful. That I can remember, Odysseus never once apologized to Philoctetes.
It’s these characteristics that causes Odysseus to rub people the wrong way. With someone like Achilles, or Ajax, or Diomedes, you know exactly what you’re going to get—a talented, straightforward warrior who cares deeply about his honor and pride. What you see is what you get. Odysseus, however, is more like a shapeshifter. You don’t know what you’re going to get with him. You don’t know when he’s telling you the truth and when he’s lying. You don’t know if he’s your friend or enemy. You don’t know if he has your interests in mind or his.
This makes Odysseus unreliable, but indispensable. A doubled-edged sword. He’s like fire—with the capabilities of keeping you alive… or burning you to a crisp. This, I believe, is what makes people uneasy about Odysseus. And worse? Odysseus gets results. He’s walking proof that words can outperform physical strength. That falsehood can triumph over truth. That deception can create a reality to circumvent actual reality. He’s the proto-politician, the proto-sophist. Or, at the very least, he invokes similar feelings that the modern man today has toward politicians.
The Allure of Cutting Off Your Nose
The play of Philoctetes presents a rather thought provoking dilemma: what you would do if you were Philoctetes? Imagine if:
You were wounded on your way to a war you volunteered to help with
This wound begins to smell terrible and it causes you so much pain you sometimes pass out from it.
The smell, as well as your cries of pain, begin to affect those around you.
Rather than send you home, they abandon you on a remote island, that ships don’t normally stop at, for ten years.
You’re left to fend for yourself to get food, clean water, and shelter.
You’re alone.
In the rare instance a ship may stop by, they don’t want you around because of your wound.
When your comrades find out they actually need you to win the war, they come back to get you. However, rather than try to reconcile with you, they would rather take you either by deception or by force.
Refusing to help them will prevent them from winning the war, but it will keep you stranded on the island with your wound unhealed. Helping them will get you off the island and get your wound finally healed after ten years of suffering, but you have to help the very people who abandoned and forgot about you until you suddenly became useful to them. Another benefit of helping them is that you would win renown and loot.
What would you do?
If you refused to help your former comrades, are you cutting off your nose to spite the others? Or, would you be standing up for yourself?
If you help your former comrades after what they did to you, does that make you weak and subservient? Or, does it give you a chance to shame them when you accomplish something they couldn’t?
I’m sure there are a number of people who would readily rejoin their opportunistic comrades again to get their wound healed, get off the island, and win accolades for themselves. For me, the choice isn’t so easy. I’ve spent a good deal of my life being used and toss aside by others like yesterday’s newspaper. One of my earliest memories of this happening was in the 5th grade. I was in a 5th/6th grade split class. One day, we had a White Elephant gift party. I got a few Goosebumps books (at least one of them, that I remember, I didn’t have already). A 6th grade girl, who was normally indifferent or snippy towards me, got one of those screwdrivers where you can switch out the heads. As I was walking back to my desk, she saw what I had gotten and suddenly began laying thick the feminine sweetness. After about five minutes of trying to convince me to trade with her, I conceded. As soon as the exchange was made, she looked at me with a mixture of disgust and impatience and said, “You can leave now.” You can tell that, almost thirty years later, I’m still a bit bothered by that memory—mostly because that was pretty much the beginning of how I would carry myself for much of my life: as a pushover, as easily manipulated.
This would culminate into me being deep into a cult for three years in my early 20s. That’s a story for another time though.
It’s because of these experiences that I might just be willing to live with excruciating pain, alone and abandoned, cutting off my own proverbial nose, if it meant I could tell the people who used me to go to hell. If it meant I could relish in the fact that the people who abused my loyalty will lose and fail all because of me.
Just as it took Philoctetes the appearance of a divine Heracles to change his mind and come to his senses, it might take something similarly divine to change mine.
That's all for Philoctetes.
May your days be filled with grace.
-Andronikos
Buy my other books Revenge and its Discontents: My Journey Through the Iliad and 1001 Nights of the Soul: My Journey Through the Odyssey. Kindle and paperback versions available.
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Thumbnail: Philoctetes on the Island of Lemnos by Guillaume Guillon-Lethière, 1798. Public domain.
1Especially when you learn that Odysseus was forced by Agamemnon and Menelaus to join the Trojan War. And, when Odysseus joined, he carried out his duties faithfully and became one of Agamemnon’s trusted advisor (you see this in the Iliad and in Ajax).
2Since there were no ID cards or passports, being upfront with who you were and where you came from was extremely important in the ancient world. The fact that Odysseus so casually deceived others about