• Est. 2015 in Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Enroll Now

An Analysis of Theocritus’s Idyll 11 and Hellenistic Poetry (Ad Navseam Ep. 199)

Meta Description: Join Dr. Jeff Winkle and Dr. David Noe in Ad Navseam Episode 199 as they examine Theocritus’s Idyll 11. Discover the Hellenistic era, Polyphemus the Cyclops in love, the origins of pastoral poetry, and resources to master the Latin language.

Introduction: Michigander Sodas and Dronebrellas

Welcome back, classical gourmands, to Episode 199 of the Ad Navseam Podcast. Broadcasting from the familiar subterranean depths of Vomitorium Central, your hosts, Dr. Jeff Winkle and Dr. David Noe, sit on the absolute precipice of their bicentennial milestone.

The hosts open the episode by enjoying some Faygo, a unique Michigander cola, and discussing Vernors, a ginger soda known for a carbonation level that burns the nose. This leads to a brief reflection on the naming conventions of generic supermarket sodas, such as Aldi’s “Summit Cola” and the lesser-known “Mmm Cola”.

Continuing their long-running joke regarding their middle initials, the hosts declare that the “C” in David C. Noe stands for “Cyclopean”. This references the massive, boulder-stacked walls found at ancient sites like Mycenae, which ancient Greeks believed only a Cyclops could build . Consequently, the “T” in Jeffrey T. Winkle stands for “Troglodyte,” a broader umbrella term for misshapen creatures. Speaking of umbrellas, Dave uses the opportunity to pitch his conceptual business idea: the “Dronebrella”. Conceived during a sudden rainstorm in Florence, Italy, the idea consists of a smartphone app that summons a drone-operated umbrella to hover over a user during inclement weather.

Episode 200 Submissions and Listener Mail

With Episode 200 approaching next week, the hosts issue a plea to their audience. They invite listeners to record and submit short audio clips detailing their thoughts on the podcast, their personal stories, and what they love about the classics . They plan to feature these clips in a special compilation episode, though Dave warns submitters to be careful, lest they find themselves hoisted by their own petard (or “Jean-Luc Petard,” as the joke goes).

The mailbag for this week features a corrigendum from Local Will Fitzgerald. Will writes in to correct a past quote attributed to the author Mark Twain regarding golf being “a good walk ruined” or spoiled. According to the Quote Investigator, this specific attribution did not appear in print until 1948, thirty years after Twain’s death. Will adds a jab at the end of his message, noting that Twain did say a podcast is “a good talk spoiled”.

Theocritus and the Hellenistic Era

The core academic focus of Episode 199 revolves around the ancient poet Theocritus and his famous Idyll 11. Dave pulls from H.J. Rose’s 1934 Handbook of Greek Literature to provide biographical context for the audience.

Theocritus of Syracuse lived during the Hellenistic Era, the historical period following the death of Alexander the Great. Seeking better patronage than the tyrants of his native Sicily could provide, Theocritus migrated to the eastern Mediterranean, eventually settling in Alexandria under the wealthy Ptolemaic dynasty. Theocritus is recognized as the father of bucolic or pastoral poetry. He wrote works called “idylls,” which are short poems composed in dactylic hexameter. These works often feature the rural Sicilian landscape, shepherds, and “amoebaeic” poetry—a style where rural characters engage in competitive, back-and-forth lyrical battles. This specific genre aligns with the literary ethos of his Alexandrian contemporary Callimachus, who famously declared, “Big book, big problem”. Instead of writing sprawling, multi-volume epics like Homer, Hellenistic poets focused on short, refined verses featuring unexpected perspectives and subjects. Furthermore, Theocritus wrote his poems using the Doric dialect, providing his work with an authentic, rustic flavor that stood out in the urban center of Alexandria.

The Cyclops in Love

Idyll 11 features the Cyclops Polyphemus. Unlike the terrifying, man-eating monster found in the ninth book of Homer’s Odyssey, Theocritus presents Polyphemus as a young, lovesick creature desperately trying to woo the sea nymph Galatea. Jeff compares this version of Polyphemus to a character played by Judd Nelson in a 1980s Brat Pack movie: a young tough whose initial appeal quickly gives way to grating, whiny self-pity.

Scholars frequently debate the intended tone of the poem. Dave cites the Latinist Brooks Otis, who argued that the poem is a pure parody of courtship and that Polyphemus is a comic “butt without either insight or dignity”. Conversely, Jeff cites an article by Erling B. Holtzmark, which suggests the poem is a serious exploration of using poetry as a medical remedy against love. Holtzmark argues that the act of singing allows the Cyclops to discard his illusions and confront the truth about his own emotional nature.

Dave reads the opening lines in Greek using the 1912 Loeb edition by Edmonds, while Jeff provides a modern English translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien. The poem is addressed to Nicias, a physician, and explicitly declares that there is no ointment or suspension to cure desire except for a song. Dave and Jeff compare Polyphemus’s wooing tactics to a modern teenager making a sixty-minute cassette mixtape. Jeff jokes that to win a girl’s heart, you start with an up-tempo track and end with a ballad from Air Supply or Survivor to clinch the romance.

The Five Stages of Polyphemus

Relying on an analysis by Robert Schmiel, the hosts break Polyphemus’s song down into five distinct stages:

  1. Desperate Love: The Cyclops confesses his intense attraction to Galatea, recalling the day she picked hyacinths on the mountain with his mother (who acts as a terrible “wing mom”).
  2. Optimism and Touting: He acknowledges his ugliness—possessing a single eye and one long, shaggy eyebrow stretching from ear to ear—but attempts to compensate by bragging about his wealth. He claims to own a thousand cattle, vats of milk, and cheese that never runs out in the winter. To sweeten the deal, he offers her eleven fawns and four bear cubs.
  3. The Appeal: Polyphemus invites Galatea to leave the gray sea and live in his cave, which features laurel, cypress, sweet grapes, and cold water from Mount Etna.
  4. Waning Confidence: Realizing Galatea is a marine creature and he is a land dweller, he laments his lack of gills. He wishes a sailor would arrive in a ship to teach him how to swim, an ironic foreshadowing of his future, violent encounter with Odysseus.
  5. Despair and Resignation: Finally, the Cyclops gives up. He tells himself to go milk the sheep in front of him rather than chasing the nymph who constantly runs away. He rationalizes his failure by claiming other girls giggle and call for him in the night, proving he is still important on land. The poem concludes that Polyphemus successfully shepherded his desire using the salve of the muses rather than spending money on doctor’s bills.

Sponsors: Fueling the Classical Renaissance

Before concluding the episode, Dave and Jeff thank the sponsors supporting the podcast.

The Gustatory Parting Shot

For the Gustatory Parting Shot, Jeff pulls a quote from Mark Mills’ novel The Savage Garden. The quote advises:

“It’s not good reading and eating at the same time. The stomach needs blood for digestion. When you read, the brain steals the blood.”

A special thanks to Mishka the sound engineer and Jeff Scheetz for the guitar riffs. Submit your audio clips, avoid the brackish tang, and keep taking in the classics. Valete!

Sizing Guide

0