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| Philoctetes (J-G Drouais, 1788) |
Today's wounded warriors are finding some solace in learning about those of ancient times.
Some of the most poignant depictions of ancient wounded warriors come from the pen of Sophocles, the famous Greek author of such tragedies as Ajax and Philoctetes.
Ajax, written circa 430 to 450 BC, tells the story of this mythological Trojan War hero’s bitter fate. Having been disgraced by the Greek leaders who awarded Achilles’ armor to Odysseus rather than to him, Ajax vows to kill them.
However, he gets tricked by the goddess Athena into thinking that a herd of sheep and cattle are these leaders. After exacting
his revenge upon some of these innocent animals, Ajax comes to realize that he’s been fooled and ridiculed. He now feels worse than ever, and ends up impaling himself on his own sword.
Sophocles’ Philoctetes is another Trojan War mythological hero. Having
been disabled by a snake bite, he was left behind on a desert island by Odysseus. Wikipedia
explains that this bite caused Philoctetes “constant agony, and emitted a horrible smell.”
Philoctetes spends the next ten years bitterly hating Odysseus and the Greeks for leaving him there. His life,
however, takes a much happier turn then that of Ajax.
Philoctetes eventually ends up vindicated and healed. His
namesake, the Philoctetes Project, continues to inspire such populations as U.S. Marines suffering from PTSD, prison inmates, and hospital staff.
Resources
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philoctetes_%28Sophocles%
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_%28Sophocles%29
Copyright May 28, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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