RUNNING HEAD: ANALYSIS OF ARGONAUTICA

Reinterpreting the Epic

Analysis of Myth in Apollonius Argonautica
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ANALYSIS OF ARGONAUTICA

INTRODUCTION
The ancient Greek world of classical antiquity was rife with myths and legends of various
gods, kings, and heroes and all their exploits and adventures, and its contributions to the artistic
and cultural foundations of much of Europe and the rest of the Western world continue to have a
significant impact on the way we continue to tell stories today. An well-known example of these
works is that of the Homeric epics of the early days of ancient Greece, which were tremendously
influential on many of the classical works of other Greek writers and poets who would continue
to shape and develop this cultural mythos. One particularly important example of this influence
is found in Apollonius Argonautica.
Written approximately in the 3rd century BCE, Argonautica is an epic ancient Greek
poem recounting the adventures of the heroic warrior Jason and the crewman of his ship, the
Argo. This was not a story developed entirely by Apollonius himself; rather, the myth of the
Argonauts was well-known among the inhabitants of the classical Greek world. Instead,
Apollonius poem consists of his personal take on this ancient story, and as a result the poet
continued to refine and add to the traditional tale.
This paper seeks to discuss and analyze the literary work of Argonautica, and to identify
and evaluate the choices and changes made by Apollonius in terms of emphasis, characters, and
story. Additionally, the impacts of these dramatic determinations will be discussed in order to
understand how Apollonius Argonautica came to define the story of Jason and the Argonauts
and the continued artistic literary works of the era and beyond.

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ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION

The story of Apollonius Argonautica is based on a much older story, one which predates
even the time of Homer. This is the story of the Golden Fleece, an item of great value said to be
held across the Black Sea in the ancient kingdom of Colchis, located in the Western Caucasus
region of modern Armenia. In most versions of the story, King Pelias orders Jason to acquire the
Golden Fleece, which was said to be shorn from a winged ram possibly fathered by Poseidon.
Jason and the Argonauts ultimately retrieve the Golden Fleece successfully and use it to make
Jason the King of Thessaly.
Apollonius Argonautica therefore represents a kind of ancient version of the reboot or
remake - a retelling of a classic tale, one that would be readily familiar to the ancient
Mediterranean peoples of Greek classical antiquity. This was notable also because it meant that
Apollonius had the opportunity to emphasize different aspects of the story and reinterpret some
of the key facts - as well as the narrative messages and meanings woven into the ancient myth of
the Argonauts (Frankel, 1952).

Structure of the poem

One of the first and most readily apparent choices in terms of framing and presentation of
the story in Argonautica is in the actual dramatic and narrative structure of the mythological
epic. Most of the ancient Greek literary works and epic poems of the era of classical antiquity
adhered to a dramatic structure of ring composition in terms of the beginnings and endings of
these stories and myths. Frank (1991) notes that this ring composition typically brings one back
to the beginning, bringing the cycle full circle, giving the reader a sense of resolution, of order
emerging out of chaos. This use of ring composition as a choice of narrative framing and

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structure is found in the poems of the Iliad, for example - Odysseus journey ends with him
having successfully returned home, bringing a sense of conclusion and stability to the story of
the literature.
Contrast this neat and tidy conclusion with the abrupt ending of that of Apollonius
Argonautica, which ends despite the fact that the reader is aware that many ugly events lie just
beyond the horizon, (Frank, 1991) presumably including the murder of Pelias and the death of
Jason and Medeas children, based on popular versions of the epic story of the Golden Fleece
and the Argonauts at the time. This is in line with the story of Argonautica as a whole, whose
characters generally deal with a series of crises and often dangerous encounters, the unknown
laying forever ahead (Duckworth, 1934). Ultimately, this cliffhanger by Apollonius represents a
much more open-ended and dynamic ending for the story, leaving the audience still grappling
with a number of questions and a continued sense of foreboding.

Reduced role of the Olympians

As in much of the works of the ancient Greeks of classical antiquity, Apollonius
Argonautica includes the fickle scheming and interventionist works of the gods and goddesses of
the ancient Olympian Pantheon in his story of the Argonauts famed voyage. The gods and
goddesses of classical Greece were often shown as constantly intervening in the affairs of
humans, and often their actions and conflicts were central to the plots of many Greek literary and
dramatic presentations (Hunter, 2005).
While Apollonius includes in his tale such Olympian figures as those of Zeus and
Poseidon in the story of the Argonauts, his story is notable in that the gods are largely shown as
being tangential to the story of their quest for the Golden Fleece. Although the gods are
somewhat involved in the direction of the plot - Neptune having fathered the sheep which gave

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the Golden Fleece, Jason sacrificing to Zeus, etc. - there is no plot or moment of action involving
a dispute between the gods themselves (Frank, 1991). Whereas many of classical Greek literature
and mythology tends to frame humans as being merely subject to the greater machinations of the
Olympians, here it is mortal men and women - Jason, Medea, and the crew of the Argo - who are
primarily responsible for driving the plot forward.
Instead, Apollonius choose to focus on more supernatural elements and enemies within
the story of the Argonauts, such as the nymphs and dragons, as well as a focus on general magic
and enchantments to drive the more fanciful aspects of the story (Frank, 1991). Apollonius story
here works to re-anchor the mythologies and literature of the ancient Greeks of classical
antiquity in a focus on the affairs of mortals and the often treacherous politics of the day
(Frankel, 1952), even while continuing to suggest that there is more to the world than may meet
the eye.

Redefining the hero

One final major revision or change of emphasis by Apollonius in the Argonautica worth
noting is his portrayal of Jason - and the Argonauts as whole - as being relatively human in terms
of traits and actions. The heroes of the ancient Greek epics typically displayed certain important
traits and values which the inhabitants of classical antiquity considered essential to their
character - boundless courage, intelligence, stoicism, and a certain sense of independence.
Generally speaking, a good Greek hero should never show any weaknesses nor suggest any
liabilities.
While many of these traits are found and identified within Jason and the crew of the
Argos in Apollonius poem as well, there are other moments within the story that showcase
different aspects of the character. For example, as Frankel (1952) argues, the Argonauts are

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frequently shown to be downcast or despairing of their present circumstances, lacking

confidence in their mission and cursing their feelings of relative helplessness during the darker
chapters of their journey.
These shifts in the traditional character still represent a more realistic picture of the
strengths and weaknesses present in humanity, and perhaps here Apollonius sought to critique or
contrast the more traditional notions of heroic actions within ancient Greek literary and dramatic
works with the characters he presents in Argonautica. (Frankel, 1952).

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

Apollonius Argonautica may represent a retelling of a common and ancient story for the
Greeks of classical antiquity, but it also showcases some of the thoughts and themes of
Apollonius in terms of the changing Hellenistic world in which he existed and took part. These
changes included structural ones designed to infer foreboding and a sense of instability, a lack of
the usual levels of agency and intervention from the Greek Pantheon, and an upending of the
traditional portrayal of the ancient Greek hero in literature.
Analyzing and understanding these important choices in terms of revisions and emphasis
provides unique insights into the way that repeated stories and remakes can in fact say as much
about the contemporary era in which they were made as that of the era in which their source
material was first developed. Argonautica represents an early and excellent example of this
adaptation in action, and had long-lasting effects on literary and dramatic works in Greece and
throughout the West.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Hunter, R. L. (2005). The Argonautica of Apollonius. Cambridge University Press.
Beye, C. R. (1982). Epic and Romance in the Argonautica of Apollonius. Southern Illinois Univ
Pr.
Frnkel, H. (1952, January). Apollonius Rhodius as a Narrator in Argonautica 2.1-140. In
Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association (pp. 144-155). American
Philological Association.
Duckworth, G. E. (1934). Foreshadowing and suspense in the epics of Homer, Apollonius and
Vergil.
Frank, C. (1991). The Argonautica: Apollonius' New Epic. Anths (1990-1996), 1(2), 6.