« Pepnymenos » Pisistrate et la « nouvelle chanson » de l'Odyssée (δ 189-202)

Abstract

Despite his central role in the Telemacheia, Telemachus fails to take part in the conversation during the first night of his stay in Menelaus' palace in Sparta. Beside breaking the conventions of hospitality, this is all the stranger because during his previous sojourn in Pylos Telemachus did converse precisely as would be expected of a guest. On the other hand Peisistratus, who accompanies Telemachus in Sparta, does twice take part in the conversation with their host, Menelaus. Since Antiquity Peisistratus' participation in the conversation, and Telemachus' silence, have caused scholars to doubt the authenticity of the whole episode. Certainly Telemachus' silence does represent a break of conventions of a guest's behaviour. Peisistratus reacts to the circumstances of the sojourn in Sparta in just the same way as Telemachus will do later in Sparta. His remarks show that he and Telemachus share the same priorities and are pepnymenoi, both are members of the new generation, and their actions and attitudes _ Peisistratus' now, and Telemachus' later _ differentiate the two young men from their host, Menelaus. Peisistratus and Telemachus are audience of narrators. Peisistratus' contributions to the conversation have some bearing on the relation of the Odyssey with the strategy of narrating ; how it «creates» its audience and forges the audience's bond with the events of the narrative. One important aspect of this relation is his reference to his famous brother Antilochus ; it will be shown that he refers to the chariot race of Iliad Book XXlil, where Antilochus' and Menelaus' actions are closely intertwined. Furthermore, the narrator himself alludes to the story told in the so-called Aithiopis, i.e. the slaughter of Antilochus by the son of Eos, Memnon. When the reference to the two narratives outside the Odyssey is understood, the Peisistratus'episode can be seen as a miniature of the whole Telemachy. A new post-war world is created, where words and narrations dominate, and the companionship between Peisistratus and Telemachus takes on meaning as a new form of relationship between fellow warrior/, i.e. as the audience of other narratives and heroes, members of the older generation of the iliadic war, become narrators.