''Daphnis and Chloe'' ( el, Δάφνις καὶ Χλόη, ''Daphnis kai Chloē'') is an
ancient Greek novel Five ancient Greek novels survive complete from antiquity: Chariton's '' Callirhoe'' (mid 1st century), Achilles Tatius' '' Leucippe and Clitophon'' (early 2nd century), Longus' '' Daphnis and Chloe'' (2nd century), Xenophon of Ephesus' '' Ephes ...
written in the Roman Empire, the only known work of the second-century AD Greek novelist and
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
writer
Longus.
Setting and style
It is set on the Greek isle of
Lesbos
Lesbos or Lesvos ( el, Λέσβος, Lésvos ) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with approximately of coastline, making it the third largest island in Greece. It is separated from Asia Minor by the nar ...
, where scholars assume the author to have lived. Its style is
rhetorical and
pastoral; its shepherds and shepherdesses are wholly conventional, but the author imparts human interest to this idealized world. ''Daphnis and Chloe'' resembles a modern novel more than does its chief rival among Greek erotic romances, the ''
Aethiopica
The ''Aethiopica'' (; grc, Αἰθιοπικά, , 'Ethiopian Stories') or ''Theagenes and Chariclea'' (; grc, Θεαγένης καὶ Χαρίκλεια, link=no, ) is an ancient Greek novel which has been dated to the 220s or 370s AD. It was ...
'' of
Heliodorus, which is remarkable more for its plot than for its characterization.
Plot summary
''Daphnis and Chloe'' is the story of a boy (
Daphnis
In Greek mythology, Daphnis (; grc, Δάφνις, from , ''daphne'', "Bay Laurel") was a Sicilian shepherd who was said to be the inventor of pastoral poetry.
Family
According to tradition, he was the son of Hermes and a nymph, despite which ...
) and a girl (Chloe), each of whom is
abandoned at birth along with some identifying tokens. A goatherd named Lamon discovers Daphnis, and a shepherd called Dryas finds Chloe. Each decides to raise the child he finds as his own. Daphnis and Chloe grow up together, herding the flocks for their foster parents. They fall in love but, being naive, do not understand what is happening to them. Philetas, a wise old cowherd, explains to them what love is and tells them that the only cure is kissing.
They do this. Eventually, Lycaenion, a woman from the city, educates Daphnis in love-making. Daphnis, however, decides not to test his newly acquired skill on Chloe, because Lycaenion tells Daphnis that Chloe "will scream and cry and lie bleeding heavily
s if murdered"
Throughout the book, Chloe is courted by suitors, two of whom (
Dorcon
Dorcon ( el, Δόρκων) is a character in the ancient Greek novel ''Daphnis and Chloe'' by Longus
Longus, sometimes Longos ( el, Λόγγος), was the author of an ancient Greek novel or romance, '' Daphnis and Chloe''. Nothing is know ...
and Lampis) attempt with varying degrees of success to abduct her. She is also carried off by raiders from a nearby city and saved by the intervention of the god
Pan. Meanwhile, Daphnis falls into a pit, gets beaten up, is abducted by pirates, and is very nearly raped by a drunkard. In the end, after being recognised by their birth parents, Daphnis and Chloe get married and live out their bucolic lives in the country.
Characters
The characters in the novel include:
*Astylus – Dionysophanes' son
*Chloe – the heroine
*
Daphnis
In Greek mythology, Daphnis (; grc, Δάφνις, from , ''daphne'', "Bay Laurel") was a Sicilian shepherd who was said to be the inventor of pastoral poetry.
Family
According to tradition, he was the son of Hermes and a nymph, despite which ...
– the hero
*Dionysophanes – Daphnis' master and father
*
Dorcon
Dorcon ( el, Δόρκων) is a character in the ancient Greek novel ''Daphnis and Chloe'' by Longus
Longus, sometimes Longos ( el, Λόγγος), was the author of an ancient Greek novel or romance, '' Daphnis and Chloe''. Nothing is know ...
– the would-be suitor of Chloe
*Dryas – Chloe's foster father
*
Eros
In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the ear ...
– god of love
*Eudromus – a messenger
*Gnathon – the would-be suitor of Daphnis
*Lamon – Daphnis' foster father
*Lampis – a cow-herder
*Lycaenion – woman who educates Daphnis in love-making
*Megacles – Chloe's father
*Myrtale – Daphnis' foster mother
*Nape – Chloe's foster mother
*
Pan - god of shepherds and the wild
*Philetas – old countryman who advises the heroes about love; likely named after
Philitas of Cos
Philitas of Cos (; el, Φιλίτας ὁ Κῷος, ''Philītas ho Kōos''; – ), sometimes spelled Philetas (; , ''Philētas''; see Bibliography below), was a Greek scholar, poet and grammarian during the early Hellenistic period of ancien ...
*Rhode – Chloe's mother
Text tradition
Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, about a page of text was missing; when
Paul Louis Courier
Paul Louis Courier (; 4 January 177210 April 1825), French Hellenist and political writer, was born in Paris.
Life
Brought up on his father's estate of Méré in Touraine, he conceived a bitter aversion for the nobility, which seemed to strengt ...
went to Italy, he found the missing part in one of the ''plutei'' (an ancient Roman reading desk or place for storing manuscripts) of the
Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence. However, as soon as he had copied the text, he upset the ink-stand and spilled ink all over the manuscript. The Italian philologists were incensed, especially those who had studied the pluteus giving "a most exact description" (') of it.
Influences and adaptations
The first vernacular edition of ''Daphnis and Chloe'' was the French version of
Jacques Amyot
Jacques Amyot (; 30 October 15136 February 1593), French Renaissance bishop, scholar, writer and translator, was born of poor parents, at Melun.
Biography
Amyot found his way to the University of Paris, where he supported himself by serving som ...
, published in 1559. Along with the
''Diana'' of
Jorge de Montemayor
( es, Jorge de Montemayor) (1520? – 26 February 1561) was a Portuguese novelist and poet, who wrote almost exclusively in Spanish. His most famous work is a pastoral prose romance, the ''Diana'' (1559).
Biography
He was born at Montemor- ...
(published in the same year), ''Daphnis and Chloe'' helped inaugurate a European vogue for pastoral fiction in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. ''Daphnis and Chloe'' was the model of ''La Sireine'' of
Honoré d'Urfé
Honoré d'Urfé, marquis de Valromey, comte de Châteauneuf (11 February 15681 June 1625) was a French novelist and miscellaneous writer.
Life
He was born at Marseille, the grandson of Claude d'Urfé, and was educated at the Collège de T ...
, the ''
Aminta
''Aminta'' is a play written by Torquato Tasso in 1573, represented during a garden party at the court of Ferrara. Both the actors and the public were noble persons living at the Court, who could understand subtle allusions the poet made to that ...
'' of
Torquato Tasso
Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...
, and ''The Gentle Shepherd'' of
Allan Ramsay. The novel ''
Paul et Virginie
''Paul et Virginie'' (sometimes known in English as ''Paul and Virginia'') is a novel by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, first published in 1788. The novel's title characters are friends since birth who fall in love. The story is set ...
'' by
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (also called Bernardin de St. Pierre) (19 January 1737, in Le Havre – 21 January 1814, in Éragny, Val-d'Oise) was a French writer and botanist. He is best known for his 1788 novel '' Paul et Virginie'', ...
echoes the same story.
Jacques Amyot's French translation is perhaps better known than the original. The story has been presented in numerous illustrated editions, including a 1937 limited edition with woodcuts by
Aristide Maillol
Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol (; December 8, 1861 – September 27, 1944) was a French Sculpture, sculptor, Painting, painter, and printmaking, printmaker.Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette . "Maillol, Aristide". ''Grove Art Online. Oxford ...
, and a 1977 edition illustrated by
Marc Chagall. Another translation that rivals the original is that of
Annibale Caro
Fra' Annibale Caro, K.M., (6 June 150717 November 1566) was an Italian writer and poet.
Biography
Born in Civitanova Marche, then in the March of Ancona, Caro became tutor to the wealthy family of Lodovico Gaddi in Florence, and then secret ...
, one of those writers dearest to lovers of the Tuscan elegances.
The 1952 work ''Shiosai'' (''
The Sound of Waves
is a 1954 novel by the Japanese author Yukio Mishima. It is a coming-of-age story of the protagonist Shinji and his romance with Hatsue, the beautiful daughter of the wealthy ship owner Terukichi. For this book, Mishima was awarded the Shinch ...
''), written by the Japanese writer
Yukio Mishima
, born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...
following a visit to Greece, is considered to have been inspired by the Daphnis and Chloe myth. Another work based on it is the 1923 novel ''
Le Blé en herbe'' by
Colette
Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...
.
The 1987 film ''
The Princess Bride The Princess Bride may refer to:
* ''The Princess Bride'' (novel), 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman
William Goldman (August 12, 1931 – November 16, 2018) was an American novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. He ...
'' contains similarities to ''Daphnis and Chloe'' (for example, in both stories the male romantic lead is captured by pirates). Lawrence Rinder, director of the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, attributes the inspiration for the film to Longus.
Opera
*
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...
wrote a
one-act operetta based on the story in 1860.
*
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier (23 December 1689 – 28 October 1755) was a French baroque composer of instrumental music, cantatas, opéra-ballets, and vocal music. Boismortier was one of the first composers to have no patrons: having obtained a ro ...
wrote a ''Daphnis et Chloé'' pastorale in 3 acts in 1747.
*
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
wrote a ''pastorale heroïque'' called ''Daphnis et Chloè'' between 1774 and 1776. The work was never finished, due to his death in 1778.
Ballet
*
Maurice Ravel wrote the 1912 ballet ''
Daphnis et Chloé
''Daphnis et Chloé'' is a 1912 ''symphonie chorégraphique'', or choreographic symphony, for orchestra and wordless chorus by Maurice Ravel. It is in three main sections, or ''parties'', and a dozen scenes, most of them dances, and lasts just u ...
'' for
Sergei Diaghilev
Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev ( ; rus, Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев, , sʲɪˈrɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪdʑ ˈdʲæɡʲɪlʲɪf; 19 August 1929), usually referred to outside Russia as Serge Diaghilev, was a Russian art critic, pa ...
's
Ballets Russes, choreographed by
Michel Fokine
Michael Fokine, ''Mikhail Mikhaylovich Fokin'', group=lower-alpha ( – 22 August 1942) was a groundbreaking Imperial Russian choreographer and dancer.
Career Early years
Fokine was born in Saint Petersburg to a prosperous merchant an ...
.
* The music by Ravel was also used in the ballet of the same name by
Frederick Ashton, first performed by the Sadler's Wells Ballet (now
The Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...
) at Covent Garden on 5 April 1951, with
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margaret Evelyn de Arias DBE (''née'' Hookham; 18 May 191921 February 1991), known by the stage name Margot Fonteyn, was an English ballerina. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet (formerly the Sadler's Wells ...
as Chloe and
Michael Somes
Michael George Somes CBE (28 September 191718 November 1994), was an English ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer of The Royal Ballet, London, and the frequent partner of Margot Fonteyn.
Early years
Somes was born in Horsley, Gloucestersh ...
as Daphnis. Decor was by
John Craxton
John Leith Craxton RA, (3 October 1922 – 17 November 2009) was an English painter. He was sometimes called a neo-Romantic artist but he preferred to be known as a "kind of Arcadian".
Biography
Career
John was the son of musician Harold ...
.
*
John Neumeier
John Neumeier (born February 24, 1939) is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. He has been the director and chief choreographer of Hamburg Ballet since 1973. Five years later he founded the Hamburg Ballet School, which also in ...
choreographed the ballet ''Daphnis and Chloe'' for his
Frankfurt Ballet
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its ...
company.
*
Jean-Christophe Maillot
Jean-Christophe Maillot (born 1960) is a French dancer and choreographer born in Tours.
Early life and education
He studied at the dance conservatory in Tours before enrolling at the École supérieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower, ...
created a contemporary and sensual choreography of the ballet ''Daphnis et Chloé'' for
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo (The Monte Carlo Ballet) is a classical ballet company established in 1985 by the Princess of Hanover in accordance with the wishes of her mother, Princess Grace of Monaco. It is the official national company of the ...
. This shorter 35 minute choreography also uses Maurice Ravel's music, but not the whole original ballet. It features
Jeroen Verbruggen Jeroen () is a Dutch male given name originating from the Greek Hieronymus, and is equivalent to the English name Jerome. In the Netherlands, there are around 52,000 people who are named Jeroen, while in Belgium there are around 11,000 people of th ...
as Daphnis,
Anjara Ballesteros-Cilla as Chloe,
Bernice Coppieters as Lycenion and
Chris Roelandt as Dorcon, and was directed by
Denis Caïozzi and produced by
Telmondis, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and
Mezzo. The ballet premiered on April 1, 2010, at the
Grimaldi Forum
The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco is a conference and congress centre located on the seafront of Monaco's eastern beach quartier, Larvotto. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra regularly perform there. This is also t ...
in Monaco and has since then been broadcast several times on television internationally.
Art
*
Marc Chagall produced a series of 42 color lithographs based on the tale of Daphnis and Chloe.
Cinema
* The work was adapted into a
64-minute silent film by
Orestis Laskos
Orestis Laskos ( el, Ορέστης Λάσκος; 11 November 1907 – 17 October 1992) was a Greek film director, screenwriter and actor. He directed 55 films between 1931 and 1971. He also wrote scripts for 24 films between 1929 and 1971. ...
in 1931, one of the first
Greek cinema
The cinema of Greece has a long and rich history. Though hampered at times by war or political instability, the Greek film industry dominates the domestic market and has experienced international success. Characteristics of Greek cinema include ...
classics. The movie was originally considered shocking due to the nudity in some of the scenes.
* The story was the basis for the 1963 film Μικρές Αφροδίτες (''Mikres Afrodites''), or ''
Young Aphrodites
''Young Aphrodites'' ( el, Μικρές Αφροδίτες, translit. Mikres Afrodites) is a drama film of 1963 directed by Nikos Koundouros based on a script of Vassilis Vassilikos.
Plot
In 200 BC, a nomadic group of shepherds, in search o ...
'', by the Greek filmmaker
Nikos Koundouros
Nikos Koundouros ( el, Νίκος Κούνδουρος; 15 December 1926 – 22 February 2017) was a Greek film director.
Biography
Koundouros was born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete, in 1926. He studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of F ...
, based on a script of
Vassilis Vassilikos
Vassilis Vassilikos ( el, Βασίλης Βασιλικός, born 18 November 1934) is a Greek writer and diplomat.
Biography
He was born in Kavala to parents native to the island of Thasos. His father was an MP with the Liberal Party. He grew u ...
.
Radio
The work was adapted into a 45-minute radio play in 2006 by
Hattie Naylor.
Editions
* The
first printed edition.
*
Courier, Paul Louis (1810). Contained a previously unknown passage, after the discovery of a new manuscript.
* With English translation.
* With English translation revised from that of George Thornley.
* With
French translation.
* With
French translation.
* Reeve's text is reprinted with the translation and commentary by Morgan (see below).
English translations
* A revised version is printed with Edmonds's text (see above).
*
*
*
*
* With reprint of Reeve's text and a commentary.
*
* Side-by-side Greek text and English translation.
*Humphreys, Nigel (2015). ''The Love Song of Daphnis and Chloe'', Circaidy Gregory Press. . In the format of an Epic Poem.
See also
Other ancient Greek novelists:
*
Chariton
Chariton of Aphrodisias ( grc-gre, Χαρίτων ὁ Ἀφροδισιεύς) was the author of an ancient Greek novel probably titled '' Callirhoe'' (based on the subscription in the sole surviving manuscript). However, it is regularly referred t ...
: ''The Loves of Chaereas and Callirhoe''
*
Xenophon of Ephesus
Xenophon of Ephesus ( el, Ξενοφῶν ὁ Εφέσιος; fl. 2nd century – 3rd century AD) was a Greek writer.''Suda'' ξ 50 His surviving work is the '' Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes'', one of the earliest novels as well as ...
: ''The
Ephesian Tale
The ''Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes'' ( el, Ἐφεσιακά or Τὰ κατὰ Ἀνθίαν καὶ Ἁβροκόμην) by Xenophon of Ephesus is an Ancient Greek novel written before the late 2nd century AD.
Translator Graham Ander ...
''
*
Achilles Tatius
Achilles Tatius ( Greek: Ἀχιλλεὺς Τάτιος, ''Achilleus Tatios'') of Alexandria was a Roman-era Greek writer of the 2nd century AD whose fame is attached to his only surviving work, the ancient Greek novel, or ''romance'', '' The Adv ...
: ''
Leucippe and Clitophon
''The Adventures of Leucippe and Clitophon'' ( grc, τὰ κατὰ Λευκίππην καὶ Kλειτoφῶντα, ''ta kata Leukippēn kai Kleitophōnta''), written by Achilles Tatius, is one of the five surviving Ancient Greek romances, not ...
''
*
Heliodorus of Emesa
Heliodorus Emesenus or Heliodorus of Emesa ( grc, Ἡλιόδωρος ὁ Ἐμεσηνός) is the author of the ancient Greek novel called the ''Aethiopica'' () or ''Theagenes and Chariclea'' (), which has been dated to the 220s or 370s AD.
Ide ...
: ''The
Aethiopica
The ''Aethiopica'' (; grc, Αἰθιοπικά, , 'Ethiopian Stories') or ''Theagenes and Chariclea'' (; grc, Θεαγένης καὶ Χαρίκλεια, link=no, ) is an ancient Greek novel which has been dated to the 220s or 370s AD. It was ...
''
Footnotes
External links
Editions of the Greek text
''Longi Pastoralium de Daphnide et Chloe Libri IV Graece et Latine''Ed. Christ. Guil. Mitscherlich, Biponti (Zweibrücken), 1794.
''Longi Pastoralia''First complete Greek text of ''Daphnis and Chloe'', edited by P.-L. Courier, with a Latin translation by G. R. Lud. de Sinner. Paris, 1829.
''Longi Pastoralia''Greek text of ''Daphnis and Chloe'' with a Latin translation, edd. Seiler, Schaefer, Boissonade & Brunck. Leipzig, 1843.
''Erotici Scriptores''Paris, 1856. ''Longi Pastoralia'', Greek text with Latin translation, edited by G A Hirschig, pp. 174–222.
The Bibliotheca Classica Selecta's 2006/07 edition of the Greek text with the French translation of Jacques Amyot revised, corrected and completed by P.-L. Courier.
Synopses, analyses, and other studies
An article – written from the standpoint of a cultural entomologist – by Herbert Weidner, Hamburg, Germany.
''Daphnis and Chloe'': Its influence on art and its impact on GoetheAn entry in the ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'' which also notes the work done by William E. McCulloh, Emeritus Professor of Classics at Kenyon College, Ohio, in dating ''Daphnis and Chloe''.
Longus: Life, Influence & BibliographyAn entry in the ''Encyclopedia of the Ancient World''.
J. C. Dunlop's ''History of Fiction''London, 1888, vol. 1, pp. 45–57.
Audiobooks
*
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Ancient Greek novels
2nd-century novels
Greek novels adapted into films
Mythological lovers