Archilochos, Sappho, Erinna, Korinna,
Anacreon, Ibykos





Epic poetry (9th – 7th c) expresses great themes, like
war, glory, immortality, courage and fate.
The individual is not important, unless he/she is a
leader, a noble or immortal.
By contrast the lyric focuses upon the individual, the
ordinary person, with his/her dreams, hopes,
feelings, loves and hates, fears and anxieties.
In this respect the Lyric allows us to read into the
private anxieties of individuals in the ancient world.
The lyric poetry of the archaic period contains most
major themes which will be developed by classical
and postclassical authors in later centuries, such as
love, deception, jealousy, fear, ageing, sexuality, sex,
desire, lust and loyalty.
Sappho’s immortal verses elevate love into a
theme worthy of poetry, and will be very
influential for many centuries.
 Love is presented as a disease, which takes over
one’s being, uncontrollable and fierce
 In Sappho, however, love is often gentle and
rare, it is ordinary and sometimes extraordinary.
 Archilochos views the theme with a certain
cynicism
 In Sappho, Ibykos, Anacreon and other lyric poets
love is often unrequited.
 Love is not necessarily erotic: Erinna mourns
Baukis, a young woman who died.









Sophisticated treatment of the topic by Sappho
Jealousy of a woman towards the man who is
marrying her lover
Jealousy towards another woman for stealing her
beautiful girl
Anacreon: Jealousy towards a younger woman who is
stealing the affections of his beloved girl
Jealousy of an old man for youth
In Archilochos jealousy is linked with bitter and angry
vengeance.
In later literature the theme will appear many times
among gods and mortals in many variations.
Loyalty may appear in epic literature as the ideal
(Penelope), but it rarely figures in Greek lyric as a
genuine human condition.






The Symposion: A drinking party with food, wine and
other pleasures. Only men and indecent women
participated. Respectable women did not participate
in regular symposia.
The guests drank, had conversations, recitals, were
entertained with song, music and dance
Sex games and encounters were part of, and often
sex either in the room itself, or afterwards with
entertainers and hired prostitutes.
Thus the sympotic sphere is social, sexual, and
typically aristocratic in early times.
The soft lifestyle of luxury (habrosyne) was
considered typically Ionian and had a few stern
critics.
Much of the Greek Lyric was created for the sympotic
sphere.






Archilochos has explored the theme of deception,
which is central in his cynical and pessimistic view of
the world.
Anacreon also explores deception and old age.
In later centuries the theme would be typically
attached to courtesans and prostitutes. However,
from the time of early Lyric deception is often a
quality and a tactic of all women (e.g Simonides).
Men, enslaved by desire are drawn into a trap to be
manipulated and led to inglorious paths, becoming
slaves of their passions.
In the early 6th century a law of Solon in Athens
invalidated a will if it was done under the influence
of a woman.
Thus deception was perceived to be a typically
feminine quality.
Archilochos, in a reaction to epic bravery and
fearlessness, acknowledges fear as a valid human
emotion.
 Fear of losing a lover, of getting old, of
rejection, loneliness etc. frequently appears in
Greek lyric
 There is no shame attached to fear; it is just
part of the human condition
 Frequently someone is invited to overcome their
fears and approach their loved one, or live in the
moment
 Archilochos advises a good drink to overcome
fear

 The
pleasures of youth, and the woes of old
age frequently appear in Greek lyric,
especially in men’s poetry.
 Ageing is presented as an inevitable curse
 Youth is like a fruit, or a flower, to be
enjoyed in the short time that it lasts.
 Because youth is short and old age is coming,
one must enjoy the moment, and whatever
little pleasure they can seize.
 Much of lyric poetry is essentially hedonistic
and focused in the present.







Desire is often physical, related to specific features of the
body.
The hoped outcome of desire is raw sexual gratification
Some poets (e.g. Archilochos) push this theme to levels
which would offend modern sensibilities about respectable
poetry (e.g. anal sex, ejaculation, venal sex).
Jealousy is often physical, and so is love.
There is no concept of shame or restrain from the theme
of steaming sexuality and lust.
However, idealized love themes are not absent and placing
one’s object of desire on a pedestal is a perfectly
legitimate and widespread theme.
Other forms of love, such as marital affection, friendship
or non-sexual love also abound in the Greek lyric as
personal expressions of love.