Meta Description: Join Dr. Jeff Winkle and Dr. David Noe in Ad Navseam Episode 176 as they explore Sophocles’ Trachiniae, the myth of Hercules, and resources to master the Latin language.
Introduction: Complicated Shoes and the Snackish Twang
Welcome back, classical gourmands, to Episode 176 of the Ad Navseam Podcast! Broadcasting from Vomitorium Central, your hosts, Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle, return to the microphones.
Evaluating their current states, Dave declares his middle initial “C” stands for “complicated,” while Jeff enjoys the bright sunshine breaking through the brutal weather of “Smarch”.
Jeff admits he recently got into a mild spat with his wife. Whenever she walked past the television, he frequently asked her to bring him snacks. Annoyed, she clarified she didn’t mind fetching them, but was irritated by his exaggerated Texas drawl. Jeff jokingly responded, “Oh, you have a problem with my snackish twang?”.
This pun triggers a callback to the famous “brackish tang”. In an earlier episode, they read from Peter Green’s The Greco-Persian Wars, comparing his description of Thermopylae’s “brackish tang” to cheap office coffee, sparking a legendary inside joke.
Correspondence: The Rye Catcher and the KGB Tutor
The hosts share a shoutout from listener Anthony Minnema, a professor of medieval history at Samford University.
Anthony declares he works hard to “push back the frontiers of ignorance regarding the classics” in his freshman Great Books seminars. Dave is captivated, picturing Anthony wielding a machete through a jungle of student ignorance. Jeff compares the medievalist to J.D. Salinger’s “catcher in the rye,” standing at the edge of a cliff to prevent blind students from plummeting into academic darkness.
Anthony shares a hilarious undergraduate anecdote. While studying in Hungary, he was assigned a terrifying Romanian Latin tutor who possessed the menacing aura of a former KGB agent. Anthony also notes he regularly assigns Hackett Publishing textbooks to support the podcast’s worthy endeavor.
The Play That Nobody Reads
The primary academic focus centers on a frequently ignored tragedy: Sophocles’ Trachiniae (The Women of Trachis).
Jeff recalls a graduate seminar where the professor assigned all of Sophocles’ surviving plays but deliberately excluded the Trachiniae, claiming, “Nobody reads that one.” The unfair modern consensus labels it one of Sophocles’ least developed works, though legendary scholars like R.C. Jebb vehemently defended its gripping nature.
Most scholars date the play early in Sophocles’ career (457-430 BC), assuming an artist’s work must follow a linear progression of maturity. The hosts challenge this, noting both experienced literary whiplash while reading. The psychological depth felt so modern they wondered, “Am I reading Euripides?” The text strongly suggests Sophocles might have been influenced by his younger, controversial competitor.
The Substance of Deianira
The hosts transition into a character study of the heroine: Deianira, the wife of Hercules.
Referencing an article by Marlene Reisman, Jeff notes traditional criticism frequently paints Deianira as an innocent, trusting wallflower. When she learns her husband destroyed a city to capture a younger concubine named Iole, Deianira seemingly accepts his philandering with pathetic apathy.
However, the play bristles with psychological foreboding. Dave admits he immediately sensed shades of Euripides’ Medea. Was Deianira truly stupid enough to believe a cloak soaked in the poisoned blood of the centaur Nessus was simply a harmless “love charm”? Or was she a conniving woman plotting lethal revenge?
Jeff finds her innocence genuine, comparing her dread of aging to the Demi Moore film The Substance. Deianira is terrified of losing her youth, assuming Hercules will naturally prefer the gorgeous concubine. Whether an innocent victim or a revenge mastermind, her sudden disappearance from the play remains deeply unsettling.
The Backstory of the Brute
To fully understand the play, the hosts explore the wildly chaotic mythic history of Hercules. Unlike Achilles, Hercules has no definitive Homeric epic. He is a tragic figure, a comic drunkard, and a brute.
Born from Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, Hercules was the target of Hera’s unending hatred. The goddess spitefully delayed his delivery so his weak cousin, Eurystheus, would inherit the throne, legally binding Hercules to serve as an underling. Hera even sent venomous snakes into his crib, which the super-powered infant casually strangled.
Plagued by a curse of madness, he slaughters his first wife, Megara, and their children, leading to his purification via the Twelve Labors. Sophocles deliberately goes off-canon in the Trachiniae, entirely ignoring Megara’s existence and presenting Deianira as Hercules’ one and only wife. This masterful editorial choice elevates Deianira’s status to a deeply sympathetic, primary figure. The play’s central conflict triggers when Hercules, operating in unadulterated rage, murders King Eurytus’s son. Forced to flee to Trachis, Hercules subsequently destroys Oechalia to capture Iole.
Stichomythia and the Blues
Before concluding the academic segment, Dave reads a portion of the original Greek text in iambic tetrameter.
This section highlights the stichomythia—the rapid-fire, alternating dialogue between the chorus and characters. Jeff beautifully compares this dramatic technique to “call-and-response” in blues music, where the singer belts out a line and the guitar immediately answers.
The chorus, made up of young Trachinian women, provides the “everyman” perspective. They guide the audience’s emotions as Deianira is absolutely stunned by conflicting reports of her husband’s violent actions.
Sponsors: Fueling the Classical Renaissance
Recognizing they have barely scratched the surface, the hosts promise a Part 2 before extending gratitude to their sponsors.
- Ratio Coffee: Founder Mark Helweg believes making coffee should be a simple ritual. Rejecting plastic scorch pads and the “brackish tang” of cheap machines, the hosts highly recommend the gorgeous Ratio 8 and Ratio 4. The podcast is hosting a giveaway for a free Ratio 4. Email dave@adnavseam.com with the secret Latin word Quatuor (Q-U-A-T-T-U-O-R) by March 26th to enter. Alternatively, visit ratiocoffee.com/adnavseam and use code ANRATIO2025 for $20 off.
- Hackett Publishing: For 54 years, Hackett Publishing has supplied scholars with erudite, affordable texts. The hosts highly recommend picking up the Sophocles: Four Tragedies volume translated by Peter Meineck and Paul Woodruff. Build your library at hackettpublishing.com and use code AN2025 to receive 20% off and free shipping.
- LatinPerDiem: For listeners inspired to master the Latin language and ancient Greek, Dave offers comprehensive educational solutions. Featuring a brand-new Learning Management System at latinperdiem.com, students can conquer Hans Ørberg’s Lingua Latina, MossMethod, or masterclasses on Cicero, and more. Use code 10PLUS for a 10% discount on any purchase.
The Gustatory Parting Shot
To officially close Episode 176, the hosts extend a “Happy Birthday” to Mishka the sound engineer and thank musicians Ken Tamplin and Scott Van Zen for providing the beautiful, bluesy guitar riffs.
Dave then delivers the Gustatory Parting Shot from martial artist and literary savant, Jackie Chan.
Reflecting on the star’s incredible athleticism in movies like Mr. Nice Guy (performing stunts wearing a painted cast over a legitimately broken foot), Dave shares this profound observation:
“Coffee is a language in itself.”
With that caffeinated truth, the hosts sign off. Check out the “Lurch with Merch” section on the website to grab a QVAE NOCENT DOCENT t-shirt featuring Hercules wrestling the Nemean Lion, beware of KGB Latin tutors, and keep taking in the classics. Valete!
