Political metaphor in Alcaeus (apart from the ship)
Abstract
Along with Solon of Athens, Alcaeus of Mytilene was one of the frst lyric poets with a clearly expressed political interest. However fragmentary his heritage, the remnants of his poetry and commentaries on it allow us to infer that he made a considerable contribution to development of political metaphor and allegory. This contribution was by no means limited to the allegory of the ship, which, it appears, did not always have to do with politics, even when the ship or sailing were arguably allegorical. The article gives a detailed survey of political metaphors which are attested for the frst time in Alcaeus' poetry: frr. 70.7 Voigt, 129.23–24 Voigt, 141.3–4 Voigt, 351 Voigt, 360BLib., 305a.1–14 Lib. Special attention is paid to metaphors connected with the topic of wine-drinking and sympotic games. Apparently, it was in Alcaeus' poetry that political activity was frst represented as a game of luck and skill. It is noteworthy that the political metaphors using the imagery of wine and games introduce into political language imagery connected with the symposion, where Alcaeus' songs were frst performed.
For citations:
Stepantsov S.A.
Political metaphor in Alcaeus (apart from the ship). Shagi / Steps. 2017;3(4):11-20.
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