A
Background
Physical
speculation 8.7-8, 24 Mathematics and measurement 8.25-6 Thales 8.7
Weak aorist
active and middle o^pvc; (nom., acc.)
Make a grid, which first revises present
and future tenses, and then introduces the aorist, thus:
|
Pres. act.
|
Fut. act.
|
Aor. act.
|
Pres. mid.
|
Fut. mid.
|
Aor. mid.
|
|
navra
etc.
|
navara
etc.
|
enauaa
etc.
|
navopai
etc.
|
navaopai
etc.
|
enauaap^v
etc.
|
Stress the -pnv -ao -to
endings of the middle, and cf. the imperfect.
Use the same method as
for the imperfect, viz. stop at eko^e (p. 63.3): ask what the
augment indicates. Identify the person of the verb, explain the formation and
ask what is the corresponding form of navra. Only then enter the results on the
grid. The first and second persons singular appear in the next two lines (no
more until p. 64.40). If the formation of the singular is clearly explained,
plural endings follow by comparison with the imperfect.
The middle is more
difficult. Only the first and third persons singular appear (p. 63.11, 64.17).
The second person singular was originally -aaao; ‘intervocalic’ a drops ^ aao;
this contracts ^ ara (cf. imperfect originally: eao ^ eo ^ ou).
p. 64 line
21
The
meanings of yvlla and o^pvv obviously have to be given; Saxvei may be recalled
(54.12). According to the scholiast, Khairephon had shaggy eyebrows, while
Socrates was bald.
23
Perhaps
not the ideal refutation of the charge that the Greeks theorized well but
failed to prove by experimentation. Yet the parody, to be humorous, must have
had some foundation in fact. One need not be too explicit about how the experiment
worked: one wouldn’t have time to work it out in the theatre.
24
The
Olympic crown was a wreath woven from the sacred olive tree at Olympia. Note
the importance of athletics in Athenian education (see Plato, Protagoras
326b-d), and the emphasis the Just Argument places upon physical fitness. The
very name Plato derives from a wrestling nickname because of his broad (nlarv;)
shoulders, and it was so universally used that his real name Aristokles seldom
appears. Note also the importance now given to Plato’s evpu0^ia
in dance and drama lessons; modern schools for disabled children in particular
stress this in attempts to improve physical co-ordination.
p. 65 line
46 Thales was the earliest of the
Presocratic philosophers who came from Miletos. Herodotus tells us of two of
his exploits: subdividing the river Halys so that it became fordable (l.75),
and predicting an eclipse of the sun (l.74) - though according to Herodotus he
predicted merely the year of the eclipse. Plato, Theaitetos
l74a
tells the well-known story of how he was studying the stars so intently that he
fell down a well. Hence Aristophanes uses him as a typical ‘head- in-clouds’
intellectual. (But for Thales’ business acumen, see Aristotle, Politics l259a3.)
Only one of the various absurd researches is included in the text: refer to the
others, reading them in translation if there is time.
Section Six B
Background
Intellectual
achievement of fifth-century Athens 8.15, 23 Technical work 8.24 Peloponnesian
War l.53ff.
p. 66 line
1
Not a
hostile question: ‘What on earth are these creatures?’
11
Herodotus
v.49
describes how Aristagoras brought a map to Sparta hoping to enlist Spartan aid
against Persia; he earlier (iv.36) refers to ‘many people making
maps’.
If ‘many’ maps had been made, they certainly appear to have been still quite a
novelty at Athens in the fifth century - but they must certainly have been
known or Strepsiades’ boorishness would not appear so comic.
22
8iKaoTMv:
explain the Sik- stem, + -Tnc suffix (usually = agent, cf. KeAemT^c;,
Ku^epv^Tn? etc.). SlKaaTa^ get fuller treatment in Sections 9 and 12-17.
The entrance of Socrates, swinging in a
basket, must be one of the funniest in European comedy. The pnxavn must have
been used here, probably swinging Socrates in the basket over the heads of
Strepsiades and the student while they were talking. There is no reference in
the text to the use of the pnxavn (but note ‘Come down, Socratikins’ or
‘Socrateasy-weasy?’), and presumably he does so there or soon after). On the
use of the pnxavn, read the sequence in Aristophanes’ Peace
149-79, where Trygaios reprimands the pnxavn-operator for driving without due
care and attention. Note also that the pnxavn was used in tragedy for gods or
heroes only, so Socrates’ appearance had an added effect for an Athenian
audience.
A pause here to revise
present, future and aorist tenses is very important. Much very simple
transformation work between the tenses (bring in the imperfect later on) is
helpful: start with present ^ future and aorist; then future and aorist ^
present; then future ^ aorist and vice versa. Again, use the easiest verbs to
start with.
Note: It is at this point that the concept of
‘principal parts’ could be introduced, and students should be asked to keep a
list of the most important irregular verbs: there is a list of irregular verbs
learnt in Sections 1 -5 on p. 149 of these Notes.
Concentrate on regular principal parts for the moment (cf. GE pp.
435ff.).
Section Six C
Grammar
Strong aorist indicative active and middle
Section 6c-d
introduces the strong, or second, aorist: there should be no problem with the
endings, which are already known, so make a comparison between present,
imperfect and strong aorist, viz.:
|
Pres. act.
|
Imperf. act.
|
Str. aor. act.
|
Pres. mid.
|
Imperf. mid.
|
Str. aor. mid.
|
|
AapP&vra
|
EAapPavov
|
eAaPov
|
AapPavopai
|
EAapPavopnv
|
EAaPopnv
|
At some stage a common
pattern of stem change between present and aorist may be pointed out, viz.:
Aa[p]P[avra] ^ sAaPov pa[v]0[avra] ^ spa0ov
Tu[y]%[avra] ^ £xu%ov
Warn students that the
vocabulary does not distinguish weak or strong aorist stems. It is best to
assume that an aorist stem is strong where it is given, and check with the
irregular verb list in GE pp. 435ff.
Stress that the distinction between weak
and strong past tenses can be paralleled in English: past tenses are formed
either by a regular suffix -d/-ed, or by a change in the stem - either slight
(I sit/sat) or strong (I go/went); in pronunciation only (read/read) or not at
all (hit/hit). Mention also, when they occur, that three of the commonest
(hence most irregular) stem changes have already been met: eA0-, ein-, iS-.
p. 68 line
1
Note
the personal identification: name, grandfather’s name Pheidon (see Clouds
134) and deme. The deme Kikunna is unknown.
1
Socrates’
words (his opening line in the original) are paratragic - again underlining,
as did his entrance by pn%av^, his hyper-human status and pretensions.
11ff. rehearses old
material with the strong aorist inserted. Note especially ^pou: the two ep-
stems usually cause confusion (they should not, because one always has active,
the other middle endings - but they do!), although ep- (fut. of Aeyra) does not
occur until Section 9a, q.v. (note on p. 101.8).
23
Spara:
cf. drama, drastic.
25
a€popaTM:
cf. aerobatics. ft€pi9povra: explain ^Ep^ + ^povra.
^Aiov: cf. heliotrope,
heliocentric, helium. Quite a number of irregular principal parts must be
learnt from this point on. Ask students to write out a list of about twenty,
with four columns and a fifth for meaning (excluding perfects; for these see GE
260,267-8). This in itself is a useful revision exercise, and of course it is
generally the most common verbs that are irregular. Other principal parts are
then inserted as they occur in reading or in GE
(cf. the list of irregular verbs in GE 389)
29
^T£wpa:
cf. meteor, meteorology.
Section Six D
Background
Arguing from both sides of the case 8.30 Magic 3.21
p. 70 line
2
€T€po^:
cf. heterosexual, heterogeneous, heterodox etc.
12
KaxaKlwnOi:
students rarely comment upon this as an odd form: if they do, pass over it as
an oddity to be explained later (an aorist passive imperative form).
Derivations are mainly from the Latin -clino, e.g. recline, incline,
clinic etc.
27
Evidence
of masturbation? Alternatively, less pruriently, Strepsiades could be merely
protecting his vitals from the bed-bugs.
38 ^ap^a^8a:
cf. pharmacy.
KWiyro: cf. kleptomaniac.
p. 71 line
43
In the
original, Socrates approves of Strepsiades’ plan.
It is essential that students learn
thoroughly the list of strong aorists on pp. 125-6 of GE.
If they do not, there will be endless trouble and time-wasting. Full transformation
drill between strong aorist, imperfect and present is very important, to fix
the idea of stem change between aorist and present and the difference between
aorist and imperfect. Build up exercises until lists of aorists (weak and
strong) can reliably be changed into imperfects and vice versa.
New accidence is very fully tested in this
piece - go through translations carefully and immediately rectify weaknesses.
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