Philoctetes

The first half of Philoctetes sets the scene for the remaining half, introducing Odysseus’ plan to trick Philoctetes and Neoptolemus’ reluctant willingness to act deceptively in order to gain his trust. It also introduces the prophecy saying that Philoctetes is the key to winning the war at Troy, and illustrates how this prophecy and sense of fate drives Neoptolemus and Odysseus’ actions. When Odysseus tells Neoptolemus that he will never take Troy without Philoctetes’ bow, for instance, it immediately persuades Neoptolemus to seek out Philoctetes: “Then if that’s the way it’s to be, I should hunt him down” (9), Neoptolemus says. In this, Sophocles establishes a clear theme of the importance of fate and the gods, which is soon contrasted when Philoctetes learns about the prophecy and immediately says he will not be persuaded by Odysseus to come to Troy.

Philoctetes’ first half also gives a strong sense of the characters, whose personalities and motivations will drive the play. From the opening lines, Neoptolemus is established as honorable, particularly as the “true-bred son of Achilles,” “the best of the Greeks” (3). Neoptolemus further shows his sense of virtue when his immediate response to Odysseus telling him the plan is to say, “[I]t is not in my nature to practice treachery” (7). Yet despite his protestations, Odysseus wins over Neoptolemus easily, and in this half, he acts deceptively toward Philoctetes, lying to him about not receiving Achilles’ armor and convincing him he will never go back to the Greek army. This trickery calls into question Neoptolemus’ true nature; his willingness to go along with Odysseus’ plan after Odysseus suggests that it will result in a military victory for him and being called “shrewd and courageous” suggests that Neoptolemus is driven by a sense of self-interest and desire for personal glory as much as he is by his moral compass.

Odysseus, in contrast to Neoptolemus’ much-heralded sense of honor, is instead completely disinterested in acting honorably, when acting dishonorably would better serve his goals. When Neoptolemus asks if he thinks it’s shameful to lie, Odysseus responds, “Not if the lie brings deliverance” (8). These self-interested actions began before the play, as Odysseus reveals that he left Philoctetes on the island of Lemnos—despite the immense trauma it has clearly caused him—because he and the other soldiers were sick of his “horrendous wailing” (3). His willingness to go to Lemnos despite his past betrayal of Philoctetes also suggests Odysseus’ desire for glory in war and belief in the Greek army’s cause, as well as his belief and adherence in what the gods have ordained.

Philoctetes, as we meet him after 10 years on Lemnos, is bitter and in pain, cursing Odysseus and the other men who have left him. This sense of rage at the men who have deserted him seems to drive his actions, from his willingness to eschew the prophecy and leave the island before Odysseus arrives to his friendship with Neoptolemus. His “cargo of common grievances” with Neoptolemus and the chorus, Philoctetes says, suggests that “you and I sing the same song” (21). This first half of the play solidifies the friendship between Philoctetes and Neoptolemus and Neoptolemus’ efforts to gain his trust, ultimately culminating in Philoctetes telling Neoptolemus that he will let him hold his bow: “You’ll be able to boast; because of your compassion,/ You were the only other mortal to hold this bow” (33). This assertion that Neoptolemus will get the bow because of his “compassion,” and that Philoctetes also “had [the bow] because I also performed a kindness,” emphasizes the idea that kindness and compassion will be rewarded—an idea that will be quickly undercut at the beginning of the next half, as Neoptolemus and Odysseus reveal their deception.