Apollo and Achilles: oracular ambiguity in Alcaeus’ fr. 42 Voigt

Abstract

Alcaeus’ fr. 42 Voigt, one of his best-preserved songs, compares two weddings. On the one side are Helen and Paris, whose love is known for its disastrous consequences for Troy. On the other side are Thetis and Peleus, the parents of the best of the Achaeans, Achilles. The opposition, however, is less simple than it appears at first. First, the two stories are linked: Achilles is a major responsible for the destruction of Ilium. In other words, the one couple’s happiness turns out to be the other’s doom. The very ring structure of the ode suggests the interweaving. Furthermore, the choice of Thetis and Peleus as examples of happiness is not problem-free. According to some mythical traditions, their marriage resulted in unhappiness. Finally, the sound interplay of paronomasia and homeoteleuton points to the complex relationship between the two stories. Particularly striking are the echoes of Apollo's name in the final stanza, which describe Achilles' happiness and the Trojans' ruin. The hidden mention of the god (an enemy to Achilles) lends the song an interesting oracular ambiguity, which is evident in other similar poems, either in Lesbian lyric poetry, and in archaic Greek literature in general.