Jason And The Golden Fleece (The Argonautica) (1998) - Plot & Excerpts
In picking up a classic like this to read, my primary fear is that I will find it boring and hard to read. Fortunately this is a relatively short book, though I did not find it boring. Instead, I found it morally repugnant. It is, however, an interesting insight into the worldview of the ancients.Jason is given the challenge to get the golden fleece by King Pelias, after a prophecy was given him that made him fear that Jason would kill him. Jason assembles a band of heroes to go on the adventure with him. A divinely-made ship, the Argo, is prepared for them, and they leave on a grand adventure.Along the way, Apollonius uses their travels to reveal the histories of the various places they go. Such and such a god was born here, another god copulated with a human here leaving godly offspring there... This altar is for this God and was put there for this reason. On and on. This would have surely been meaningful to the ancient world, and experts in Greek literature may find it interesting, but I mostly found it dull and embarrassing. The ancients were in many ways, like us, of course. Yet there is a great chasm between us and the the ancient world, due to the advent of Christ and the Christianizing of most of the world. The viciousness, capriciousness, and idolatry of the ancient world are quite foreign to the conception of modern man. The so-called gods of the ancient world are remarkably fickle. Their allegiances are easily swayed from one man or group to another. They'll see through an alliance with Jason, for example, but that doesn't mean that another god can't, or won't interfere and persecute them. The ancient world, as Argo shows, is one where man is forced into constant devotion of the gods--seeking their approval and favor. Life is in fact one long act of favor-seeking. It is an amazingly humiliating thing. Man is in constant debt to the gods, making oath after oath, that if violated will lead to ruination. There is no grace, only debt, and bloody sacrifice. It is an horrific world to live in.But back to the story. Jason leads his group of heroes on the quest for the golden fleece taking them on various adventures until they finally reach Colchis, where King Aeetes owns the fleece, and will only give it to Jason if he accomplishes three remarkable feats. With the favor of Aphrodite, at the behest of Hera, Jason is given help by Medea, the witch-daughter of Aeetes. Medea fears the revenge of her father, and then helps capture the fleece, which Aeetes has not yet given to Jason. They flee Colchis and try to return home. But Aeetes won't let them get away so easily. He sends his son, Medea's brother, Apsyrtus, to stop them. Here is one of the most heinous acts in the whole story--Medea lures her brother under false pretenses to parley, where Jason viciously murders him. Yes, they have to pay a sort of penance for this action, but the price is a small one and the shedding of human blood--at least here is so very glossed over.The return home is eventful, and in fact, the story ends before they even get home. While the story is full of adventure and twists and turns, it is a sad, disgusting tale of violent, capricious, arbitrary existence in the service of the gods. Read it with the gratitude that such a world is so foreign to us today.
4.5/5Tengo muchas ganas de reseñar este libro porque me encantó, pero simplemente no puedo. Sólo diré que de las ~grandes épicas~ grecolatinas (Ilíada, Odisea, Argonáutica, Eneida) que he leído ésta es la que me ha gustado más (¡pero aún falta la Odisea! *u*).Creo que una de las razones por las que me gustó más que la Ilíada o la Eneida es porque Apolonio intenta darle un toque épico a su poema utilizando muchos convencionalismos de Homero (como los símiles (que me gustaron más aquí, porque no son todos sobre leones (de hecho, creo que no hay de leones)) o las invocaciones a las musas) pero sin pretender hacer pasar el poema como una épica de verdad (contrario a lo que -creo yo- intenta hacer Virgilio). También porque no hay prácticamente ninguna escena de batalla (¡gracias, padre Zeus!) y porque, pese a que todo sucede demasiado rápido, es muy ameno de leer... no se siente el tedio que a veces asalta cuando lees a Homero o Virgilio, es una lectura muy moderna, una lectura de aventuras.Lo único que no me gustó tanto es el hecho de que Apolonio menciona un montón de lugares y, si no tienes un mapa a la mano, te pierdes totalmente, y que el final fuera tan apresurado. Pero fuera de eso, la historia es magnífica.Eso sí, no es una épica tradicional como Ilíada y Odisea, ni siquiera es un intento de eso, como Eneida, así que no esperen encontrar a un héroe tradicional ni las constantes intervenciones de los dioses.
What do You think about Jason And The Golden Fleece (The Argonautica) (1998)?
It is hard to pin down why Argo is not a particularly satisfying read. It is unfair to compare any author to Homer, although the style, antiquity, and subject matter of this book invite the comparison. Apollonius is at his best when he is describing scenes like Medea's indecision over whether to go to Jason or obey her father. Unfortunately long sections of the book read like this line from page 180. "Later on, the Bacchiadae, whose native place was Ephyra, settled there too, and the Colchians crossed to an island opposite, only to leave it at a later date and pass over to the Ceraunian Mountains where the Abantes lived, to join the Nestaeans, and so reach Oricum." Beg pardon?The biggest let down for me was Jason himself. He may be the subject of one of the most popular heroic legends of Ancient Greece, but he doesn't come across as much of a hero. He frequently despairs of completing his quest and returning home and one of his crew men has to encourage him, when as captain he should really be the one encouraging his crew. Most of the great deeds of the journey are performed by other heroes, such as the defeat of the harpies by Zetes and Calais or Tiphys steering the ship through the clashing rocks. Jason's greatest moment, passing the trail of Aeetes, is only made possible by the magic of Medea, not by Jason's cleverness, courage, or strength. Jason is basically just the guy whose existence sets the story in motion and then the other characters provide the great accomplishments.
—Keith Davis
I still remember being twelve years old and walking home after seeing Ray Harryhausen’s movie Jason and the Argonauts. I was absolutely exhilarated. While Harryhausen’s style of stop action animation seems primitive compared with today’s CGI effects, it was state of the art at the time, and I realized that movies could show me things I’d never see in real life.I just found out this year that there was a text version, rather than an oral tradition, so I ordered Jason and the Golden Fleece (the Argonautica) by Apollonius of Rhodes. It’s a pretty dry read, but I was surprised how much of the story found its way into the 1963 movie.The catalog of Greek heroes, for instance, who joined the voyage, shows up in both the movie and book. So are the giant statue Talos (who attacks the ship), the Harpies who plague the prophet Phineas, the clashing rocks (held apart by Athena in the book, Poseidon in the movie), the giant serpent guarding the fleece (a Hydra in the movie), and the army that springs from the ground when the serpent’s teeth are planted (skeletons in the movie).Harryhausen and nominal director Don Chaffey rearrange many of the scenes and omit others all together. Medea’s role gets reduced to that of babe in skimpy outfit and she deserves better. While I can’t in good conscience recommend the book (which lacks the Bernard Herrmann score, among other things), the movie still gives me a thrill. --JohnFrom ICPL Staff Picks Blog
—Iowa City Public Library
Here is an adventure tale that continues to impress itself upon our lives. Though little is known about the author, the story is one of iconic legend accompanied by many a commentary on Hellenic origin myths. The writing is often quite lyrical, and many situations are dealt with in a humorous combination of overstatement and wry remark.What impressed me the most as I read this book was the author's keen eye for human nature and the dramatic moment. This story is in many ways still as lively and entertaining as when it was written. Part of the success of this work is that Apollonius portrays Jason not as an epic hero but as an ordinary man. This distinction becomes quite clear when Jason is faced by task he must complete to win the Golden Fleece. Ultimately love wins the day, which becomes one of the genuine surprises of this book. The narrative very skillfully changes from a tale of violent conquest into a highly-symbolic romance.Further, this story is in a way the antipodes of Homer's Odyssey in that Odysseus is fighting to find his way home to his wife while Jason is fighting to find the woman he is destined to marry. In the end, The Voyage of Argo has a great deal to say about the fickleness of love. The passages on Medea's romance still strike the right chords. There are moments that are downright heartbreaking, and one is left wondering at how little people have changed in all these many years.
—Ben
