Hector et les principaux personnages féminins de l'Iliade

Abstract

Hector and the main feminine characters in the Iliad : Study of the scholia In the Iliad, the song VI presents a very touching and famous scene, the last interview between Hector and his wife Andromaque, who shows to him their baby Astyanax (v. 344-500). The only Trojan women are mentioned by the poet, and specially when they speak to Hector ( VI 251-285, Hecube and Helene, who have an ambiguous status, XXII 19-91, Hecube). These scenes have a literary and also sociological interest. Therefore it is worth studying how the scholiasts have analysed these passages. In fact, the scholiasts have made remarks about the phonetics, the morphology, syntax and lexicology : the scholiasts, who are sometimes anonyms and of undetermined date, prove that the homeric poetry was began partly difficult to understand. If s true for grammatical reasons, the homeric language showing many artificial forms, and also because the social structures had evolved (if s necessary to explain the signification of the homeric edna). In spite of the real interest of their works, written in a heavy style, the modern reader is surprised by the narrow side with which the scholiasts study the Homeric poetry : the scholiasts don 't know the tragic scenes, don't speak of the emotional and pathetic passages (when they study them, if s always quickly). They fail to appreciate the beauty of the homeric text.