An Analysis Of Therocitus Erotic Desire: Comedy Or Tragedies

Therocitus… Erotic Desire: Comedy or Tragedy?
The bucolic world, first described in Theocritus’ idylls, shepherd-poets sing and play their ‘pan pipes’, share folklores, and woo beautiful nymphs all while tend to their flocks. In two of his short poems, Idyll 1 and Idyll 11, Theocritus tell two very different stories about an unrequited love. In Idyll 1 "Thrsis’ Lament for Daphnis” Thrysis sings ‘the sufferings of Daphnis’, a most earnest story of a bucolic hero, who, as the poem would tell, pined and died over an unrequited love. Idyll 11 “The Cyclops’ Serenade” tells a much more satirical story of Polyphemus, a hopelessly infatuated Cyclops, singing to his beloved, the beautiful sea-nymph Galatea. It is Theocritus’ careful choice of language,
plot, poem structure, and imagery in the production of the two poems that allow him to depict two vastly different portrayals of the same erotic desire.
In order to understand the significance behind the contrasting themes in idylls 1 and 11, the parallels of the two must first be recognized. The poems are not simply two different love stories sharing no common grounds; in fact, they are written with the intention of having them be contrasted against one another because of what they have in common. Both idylls deal with the pining away for an unattainable lover by the main subjects of the poem. As myth goes, his first lover, a nymph, blinded Daphnis, from Idyll 1, for his infidelity. Polyphemus, the Cyclops, is the same Cyclops from the Odyssey where he too is also later blinded. Theocritus chose the two main subjects of his unrequited love poems to both be bucolic-poets and herdsmen whom are both blinded in the larger telling of their stories. The way in which Theocritus presents the two characters is where the stories diverge. With his differing use of diction and imagery, Theocritus is able to illustrate two entirely contrasting stories and figures, one comic and one tragic.
In Idyll 1, through the production of poetry, Theocritus presents a story of erotic desire and an unattainable love in a most tragic light.
Theocritus’ use of language is one of the ways he is able to portray this story as earnest and tragic. From the beginning of the story it is stated that Daphnis dies and that “at his death jackals howled for him and […] many an ox mourned at his feet” (1.71-73), and that many people came to visit Daphnis, including his father Hermes, who came to ask him “Who is it that torments you? Who do you long for so much?” (1.79). From the very beginning phrases the story starts out with a morbid tone. Theocritus’ use of words such as mourning, howling, and torment automatically suggest pain crying and suffering. Person after person comes to visit Daphnis without him giving a word in response until Cypris, or Aphrodite. Immediately in a fit of rage Daphnis begins to threaten her and tells her to “go confront Diomedes and say: ‘I’ve beaten the cowherd, so come on, now you fight with me’” (1.112). Daphnis is acknowledging his inferiority to the Greek hero Diomedes, who in the Illiad would later defeat Aphrodite. Essentially Daphnis is saying, “now that you’ve defeated me, lets see how well you do when it’s a real hero”. Daphnis does not see himself as anything other than “the one who herded his cows here” (1.120) and therefore stands no chance at defeating love and either trying to win her heart or move on. Daphnis is fundamentally admitting
defeat. He has given up all hope of happiness. Daphnis’ words and defeatist attitude towards himself and his situation is what makes this idyll so tragic. Instead he is realistic and overly practical about his chances. He knows his own limitations which is much more harrowing than if he didn’t and tried to win her love or tried to get over her. At least if he did that it would have meant he had an ounce of hope to cling on to for happiness, but instead he knows there is no hope, and therefore no happiness. Theocritus uses mature and sophisticated language as well as morose words and images to create an overall serious and despondent tone in the story.
Theocritus’ use of diction and imagery in Idyll 1 to create a tragic story can be directly contrasted to what he does with the elegiac Cyclops Polyphemus in Idyll 11.
Through his use of similes, structure, and language, Theocritus is able to present a satirical portrayal of lovesick beast. The first thing he does to make it humorous is with the actual content of the story. An ugly one-eyed giant asking a beautiful sea-nymph to “leave the grey-green sea behind to crash on the shore” (11.43) is so overly absurd that it’s actually comical. On top of the general theme of story the actual poem itself reflects the Cyclops’ clumsy, blundering, and overall juvenile ways. The main humor in the Cyclops’ pining away for Galatea stems from his clear juvenility and absurd courting attempts of an adolescent, love sick teen. Standing by the shore, Polyphemus sings to Galatea that she is “whiter than cream cheese, softer than a lamb, more playful than a calf, sleeker than an unripe grape” (11.20-21). These metaphors that he uses to describe her are not only juvenile in their level of sophistication but also in their essence. The fact that he even thinks calling her whiter than cream cheese is a going to attract her is comical on its own. He then continues to try and impress and entice her by bragging that he “pastures a thousand beasts, and I drink the best milk I get from them. Cheese too I have in abundance” (11.35-36). In Polyphemus’ attempt at poetic and creative imagery he
is unable to draw his flattering comparisons from anywhere but his own environment. He can’t seem to find something grander than nice cheese and milk to offer her, or grapes, lambs, and cream cheese to compare her to as a compliment. Like a child he is inexperienced and knows nothing else other than home. Another thing Theocritus does with the poem is give Polyphemus hope. Hope that either he will successfully woo her or successfully use song to “cure” his lovesick heart and maybe even “find another Galatea, and prettier too” (11.76). Its goofy and absurd language, content, and tone is exactly how Theocritus is able to make it a comical production of erotic desire.
Both idylls, though similar in conflict, have very juxtaposing themes. Theocritus’ use of mature, rigorous, and despondent language set the overall tone of a very serious tragic love story with real adult consequences. This is directly contrasted with the juvenile, unsophisticated, and absurd language used in Idyll 11. In fact, the very last sentence of 11, when Polyphemus says that “by singing the Cyclops shepherded his love, and more relief than paying a large fee” (11.80-81) could even be seen as a direct reference to idyll 1. By having hope and singing the Cyclops can free himself of his unrequited love instead of having to die, or “pay a large fee”. Theocritus’ careful choice of language, content, and imagery in the production of the two poems allow him to illustrate two vastly different depictions of the same erotic desire.

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Theocritus, Anthony Verity, and R. L. Hunter. Idylls. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 85. Print.
[ 2 ]. Theocritus, Anthony Verity, and R. L. Hunter. Idylls. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. 85. Print.