Boas, Rijksbaron, Huitink, Bakker - The Cambridge Grammar of

Classical Greek (2018, Cambridge University Press)

45
Purpose Clauses

Introduction

45.1 To communicate the (intentional) purpose of an action, Greek can use the
following expressions:
- a purposeclause (also called‘final’ clause), treated below;
a future participle, frequently combined with as (52.41);
a relative clause with a future indicative (50.24);
certain prepositional phrases (e.g. éri + dat.; 31).

Note 1: Greek, unlike English, does not normally use the infinitive to express purpose.
However,an infinitive with purpose-value may occurafter verbs of going, giving or taking:
5116-17.
For 2av + subj. or ci + opt. expressing purpose(in the hope that), >49.25. For Sote-clauses
expressing an intendedresult, >46.9.

Construction of Purpose Clauses

45.2 Greek purpose clauses are introduced by iva, étrws and sometimes os in order
that, in orderto, so that, (so as) to.
Negative purpose clauses are introduced by iva ph, tres pt, ds ut and occa-
sionally by yn alone: in order that not, etc., to prevent/avoid that.

Note 1: In poetry, the conjunction égpa is occasionally used in purpose clauses.

45.3 In primary sequence, the mood in purposeclausesis the subjunctive:

(1) Tédv tradScov Evexa BovrAer Civ, va abtous éxOpéwns Kal troadevons; (PL. Cri. 54a)
Doyouwishtolive for the children’s sake, so that you mayraise and educate them?
(2) tropeveoGe EuTrpoobev, Stas ... AavOdveoev ST1 TWAciotov xpdévov. (Xen. Cyr.
4.2.23)
You must marchin frontof us, in order that we may go undetectedfor as long
as possible.
(3) S1evootvto Tas TrpooBdoxls ... puAdooelv, Stras Ut)... ABopas dvaPdavtes
oi troAguior. (Thuc. 6.96.1)
They decided to guard the access routes (of the mountain), to prevent the
enemy from ascending it unnoticed by them.
530 45.3-4 Purpose Clauses

In historic sequence, purpose clauses frequently use the oblique optative

(—40.12), although the subjunctive mayalso be retained:
(4) émpeoBevovto ... pds Tous Abnvaious éyKAhpata Troiovpevol, Strws ogioiw671
ueylotn Tpdqaors ein Tod TroAepeiv. (Thuc. 1.126.1)
Making complaints, they sent messengers to the Athenians, in orderto have as
great an excuse for waging waras possible. Oblique optative.
(5) of tAelous adTaév, ivaut dtr’ olkou dor, yohpata éTaEavto dvti tév veddv. (Thuc.
1.99.3)
The majority of them, to avoid being away from home, furnished money
instead of ships. Retained subjunctive.

Note 1: For the difference between the optative and the retained subjunctive, 41.13.
The difference between ein in (4) and &o1 in (5) appears to be that the subjunctive do1
presents the intention from the perspective of the subject of the matrix clause (the narrator
takes no responsibility for their motives), whereas the optative ein presents the purpose of an
action as ‘moderated’ bythe narrator.
In examples where the subjunctive and optative are used next to each other, the subjunctive
tends to highlight the purpose more immediately relevantfor the subject of the verb:

(6) TévBe &é civexa dvijyov Tas véas, Iva St ToIor “EAANo! uNndé guyeiv ef, GAN’... Soiev Tiow
TeV én” Aptepioio &yovioudtov. (Hdt. 8.76.2)
They put out their ships for the following reason, that it would not be possible for the
Greeks to escape, but that they would be punished for their achievements off
Artemisium. The ‘retained’ subjunctive é& presents the purpose which is most immedi-
ately relevant for the subject; the optative Sotev presents a secondary purpose.
The subjunctiveis also used in cases where the original purposeisstill valid at the momentof
speaking (41.14):
(7) tottov évexa éyevviOn Tdv dotpwv doa... Zoxev TpoTr&s, Iva THEE os GuoIdTaTOV F TH
TEAdw ... Cap.(PL. Ti. 39d-e)
For these reasons were generated all those stars which turned themselves around, in
order that this (universe) would be as similar as possible to the perfect creature.
The purpose for the design of the universeis still valid in the speaker’s present.
Note 2: The difference between the use of present and aorist subjunctives/optatives in
purpose clauses is one of aspect (—>33.63-5). For instance, in (3) the aor. subj. Ad@aor
expresses an action in its entirety (the enemyis not to escape notice at all), whereas thepres.
subj. Aavédveovev in (2) expresses an action in process (note 611 TAEioTov ypdvov).

45.4 After Stressor ws (but not iva), purpose clauses sometimes have &v + subjunctive:
(8) Setip’ 29’, Straws &v Kal copawtepos yévy. (Eur. Alc. 779)
Comehere, so that you may becomewiserstill.
(9) as 8 &v pddns ... dvtdxouoov. (Xen. An. 2.5.16)
So that you might learn,listen to me in turn.

Note 1: This is the prospective use of &v + subj. (40,9), and a prospective nuance may be
present: the purpose is presented as something which very likely will occur.