Apollonius of Tyre
Encyclopedia
Apollonius of Tyre is the subject of an ancient short novella, popular during medieval times. Existing in numerous forms in many languages, the text is thought to be translated from an ancient Greek manuscript, now lost.
in his Carmina (Bk. vi. 8, 11. 5-6) during the late 6th century; it is conjectured, based on similarities with the Ephesian Tale
of Xenophon of Ephesus
and the presence of idioms awkward in Latin but typical in Greek, that the original was a Greek
romance of the third century. Some fragments of Greek romance, however, point to the possibility of an even older date. The earliest manuscripts of the tale, in a Latin version, date from the 9th or 10th century but are from late antiquity. Thus they show an intersection of Greek and Roman as well as pre-Christian and Christian influences. Overall, the work is classed with other ancient Greek romance novels.
Some scholars hold that the riddle
s with which the king tests the hero in many versions may be a later addition. Other scholars believe the incest story to have been a later addition as well, though others, including Elizabeth Archibald, see it as an integral thematic element of the tale.
The most widespread Latin versions are those of Gottfried von Viterbo, who incorporated it into his Pantheon of 1185 as if it were actual history, and a version in the Gesta Romanorum
.
prose text from the 11th century, sometimes called the first English novel
; the existence of this text is something of a mystery, since secular prose fiction was extremely rare at the time. Various versions of the tale were subsequently written in most European languages.
A notable English version is the eighth book of John Gower
's Confessio Amantis
(1390), which uses it as an exemplum
against lust
. It is described as being based on Pantheon, but it contains many details that work does not but the old Historia does.
Its numerous vernacular versions, along with the Latin ones, attest to its popularity throughout the Middle Ages. It appears in an old Danish ballad collected in Danmarks gamle Folkeviser
.
Shakespeare's play Pericles, Prince of Tyre
was based in part on Gower's version, with the change of name probably inspired by Philip Sidney
's Arcadia
. Apollonius of Tyre was also a source for his plays Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors
.
Plot summary
In most versions, the eponymous hero is hunted and persecuted after he reveals a king's incestuous relationship with his daughter. After many travels and adventures, in which Apollonius loses both his wife and his daughter and thinks them both dead, he is eventually reunited with his family through unlikely circumstances or intercession by gods. Some English versions have a recognition plot where Apollonius is shipwrecked and becomes a tutor to a princess who falls in love with him, and the good king gradually discovers his daughter's wishes. The major themes are the punishment of inappropriate lust—the incestuous king invariably comes to a bad end—and the ultimate rewards of love and fidelity.Origins (Latin and Greek?)
The story is first mentioned in Latin by Venantius FortunatusVenantius Fortunatus
Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus was a Latin poet and hymnodist in the Merovingian Court, and a Bishop of the early Catholic Church. He was never canonised but was venerated as Saint Venantius Fortunatus during the Middle Ages.-Life:Venantius Fortunatus was born between 530 and 540 A.D....
in his Carmina (Bk. vi. 8, 11. 5-6) during the late 6th century; it is conjectured, based on similarities with the Ephesian Tale
Ephesian Tale
The Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes by Xenophon of Ephesus is a novel written in the mid-2nd century CE.Translator Graham Anderson sees the Ephesiaca as "a specimen of penny dreadful literature in antiquity." Moses Hadas, an earlier translator, takes a slightly different view: "If An...
of Xenophon of Ephesus
Xenophon of Ephesus
Xenophon of Ephesus was a Greek writer. His surviving work is the Ephesian Tale of Anthia and Habrocomes, one of the earliest novels as well as one of the sources for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet....
and the presence of idioms awkward in Latin but typical in Greek, that the original was a Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
romance of the third century. Some fragments of Greek romance, however, point to the possibility of an even older date. The earliest manuscripts of the tale, in a Latin version, date from the 9th or 10th century but are from late antiquity. Thus they show an intersection of Greek and Roman as well as pre-Christian and Christian influences. Overall, the work is classed with other ancient Greek romance novels.
Some scholars hold that the riddle
Riddle
A riddle is a statement or question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: enigmas, which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that require ingenuity and careful thinking for their solution, and...
s with which the king tests the hero in many versions may be a later addition. Other scholars believe the incest story to have been a later addition as well, though others, including Elizabeth Archibald, see it as an integral thematic element of the tale.
The most widespread Latin versions are those of Gottfried von Viterbo, who incorporated it into his Pantheon of 1185 as if it were actual history, and a version in the Gesta Romanorum
Gesta Romanorum
Gesta Romanorum, a Latin collection of anecdotes and tales, was probably compiled about the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the 14th...
.
Translations
The earliest vernacular translation is an incomplete Old EnglishOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
prose text from the 11th century, sometimes called the first English novel
English novel
The English novel is an important part of English literature.-Early novels in English:A number of works of literature have each been claimed as the first novel in English. See the article First novel in English.-Romantic novel:...
; the existence of this text is something of a mystery, since secular prose fiction was extremely rare at the time. Various versions of the tale were subsequently written in most European languages.
A notable English version is the eighth book of John Gower
John Gower
John Gower was an English poet, a contemporary of William Langland and a personal friend of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is remembered primarily for three major works, the Mirroir de l'Omme, Vox Clamantis, and Confessio Amantis, three long poems written in French, Latin, and English respectively, which...
's Confessio Amantis
Confessio Amantis
Confessio Amantis is a 33,000-line Middle English poem by John Gower, which uses the confession made by an ageing lover to the chaplain of Venus as a frame story for a collection of shorter narrative poems. According to its prologue, it was composed at the request of Richard II...
(1390), which uses it as an exemplum
Exemplum
An exemplum is a moral anecdote, brief or extended, real or fictitious, used to illustrate a point.-Exemplary literature:...
against lust
Lust
Lust is an emotional force that is directly associated with the thinking or fantasizing about one's desire, usually in a sexual way.-Etymology:The word lust is phonetically similar to the ancient Roman lustrum, which literally meant "purification"...
. It is described as being based on Pantheon, but it contains many details that work does not but the old Historia does.
Its numerous vernacular versions, along with the Latin ones, attest to its popularity throughout the Middle Ages. It appears in an old Danish ballad collected in Danmarks gamle Folkeviser
Danmarks gamle Folkeviser
Danmarks gamle Folkeviser is a collection of all known texts and recordings of the old Danish popular ballads.It was started in 1853 by Svend Grundtvig...
.
Later versions and influence
Robert Copland wrote an early 16th century prose version.Shakespeare's play Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Pericles, Prince of Tyre is a Jacobean play written at least in part by William Shakespeare and included in modern editions of his collected works despite questions over its authorship, as it was not included in the First Folio...
was based in part on Gower's version, with the change of name probably inspired by Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier and soldier, and is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan Age...
's Arcadia
Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia
The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, also known simply as the Arcadia or the Old Arcadia, is a long prose work by Sir Philip Sidney written towards the end of the sixteenth century, and later published in several versions. It is Sidney's most ambitious literary work, by far, and as significant in...
. Apollonius of Tyre was also a source for his plays Twelfth Night and The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors
The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors is one of only two of Shakespeare's...
.
External links
- Plot summary
- Marcus Welser's 1595 Latin edition, "Narratio eorum quae contigerunt Apollonio Tyrio"
- The 1682 reprint of Marcus Welser's 1595 Latin edition, "Narratio eorum quae contigerunt Apollonio Tyrio"
- The Anglo-Saxon version in the 1834 Benjamin Thorpe English translation
- The Gesta Romanorum version in the 1905 Swan-Hooper English translation, also here
- The Latin Library edition of the Latin text
- The Librivox audio edition of the Latin text