On Sophocles's "Philoctetes" 1409-44: Heracles ex Machina, Pathos, and Aporia

淺釋弗克里斯悲劇作品《菲羅克忒忒斯》1409-44行：海力克斯、「天降之神」與悲劇英雄的困頓

10.6184/TKR.201212_43(1).0002

Yu-Yen Chang

索弗克里斯 ； 《菲羅克忒忒斯》 ； 「天降之神」 ； 海力克斯 ； 疾病 ； Sophocles ； "Philoctetes" ； deus ex machina ； Heracles ； disease

Tamkang Review

43卷1期（2012 / 12 / 01）

27 - 50

英文

本文主要重新檢視與評估索弗克里斯悲劇作品《菲羅克忒忒斯》的結尾。海勒納斯（Helenus）預言菲羅克忒忒斯將取特洛伊王子配洛斯（Paris）的性命、並拿下特洛伊城，言之鑿鑿；但《菲羅克忒忒斯》進行至1408行，劇情進入一個僵局，菲羅克忒忒斯憤然拒絕再加入希臘大軍，準備航行回家鄉。似乎是在情急之下，已無它法，索弗克里斯搬出當時希臘劇場的新寵—「天降之神」（deus ex machina）；果真海力克斯（Heracles）登高一呼，菲羅克忒忒斯立即回心轉意。為成為永垂不朽的英雄，為全希臘共同大業，菲羅克忒忒斯答應前往特洛伊。索弗克里斯的神來之筆，解決情節的僵局，卻不慎給此齣悲劇一個快樂的結局（happy ending）；然而，快樂的結局只是表象，本劇曲終佈滿懸疑，菲羅克忒忒斯仍未啟動他的英雄之旅、他的腳傷也尚未處理，這齣悲劇就如此落幕，留下更多省思的空間。我將從三個問題切入探討《菲羅克忒忒斯》1409-44 行：第一、「天降之神」的援用是否與《菲羅克忒忒斯》全劇的結構、主題與關注一致？第二、海力克斯的神顯如何反映西元前五世紀的古希臘政治倫理新觀點？第三、《菲羅克忒忒斯》1409-44行又如何凸顯腳傷的主題？「天降之神」的機制確實強化本劇的主題與結構，更重要的是，透過強烈唐突的閉幕，刺激觀眾不斷思索不同時代英雄的角色與使命，並且巧妙反映當時戰爭頻仍下，醫師短缺、醫療資源不足、與醫病倫理等相關課題。

This paper explores how the theatric convention of deus ex machine adopted in Sophocles's ”Philoctetes” 1409-44 works. Instead of seeing the epiphany of Heracles as an illogical stop-gap measure, I will analyze how Heracles optimizes his semi-god role to fix the dramatic impasse. At the first glance, the conciliatory function of Heracles ex machina leads to a deceptively happy ending, which indeed prompts a scrupulous analysis of the issues pertaining not only to the intrinsic structure of the play itself but also to the extrinsic social, political and medical circumstances. To reveal the uncommon finale of Sophocles's ”Philoctetes” and to re-evaluate the strategic application of deus ex machina, I will propose three approaches: first, how the rationale of Heracles's persuasion is related to the major themes of this play and how the adoption of deus ex machine is conducive to the structural coherence; second, how the epiphany of Heracles stimulates a radical critique of the prevalent sophistry and how the heroic image of Philoctetes is reshaped under the political and ethical contexts of the Greek world in the fifth century BCE; third, how Heracles ex machina showcases the incompleteness of the healthcare system in Sophocles's contemporary time. Whereas Heracles's diagnosis and prognosis of Philoctetes's suppurating foot are highly problematic, the underlying concerns of ”Philoctetes”-such as the inadequate understanding of pathogenesis, the undersupply of doctors, and the shortage of medical recourses-constitute an important subject of reflection for Sophocles's contemporaries and for us as well.

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