We were pleased to welcome Professor Christopher Brown, William Sherwood Fox Professor of Classics at Western University, Ontario, Canada, who joined members of the Kosmos Society for an Open House discussion on Ares, Aphrodite, and a Monkey’s Rump: Some Thoughts on Public Humiliation.
Professor Brown revisited a passage in the Odyssey that he published as an article in 1989, the story of the adultery of Ares and Aphrodite (Odyssey 8.266–366). Professor Brown argued then that Hephaestus’ treatment of the lovers reflects the use of mockery and abuse in dealing with adultery, and that this has something to say about the dynamics of shame in early Greek culture. In the present paper he develops this interpretation by exploring the implications of the trap that Hephaestus uses to expose the adulterous pair. In many Greek communities various devices were used to expose criminals and adulterers to public shaming and ridicule. In this light, the story of Olympian adultery has been shaped by social reality. The monkey of the title comes from a fable of Aesop.
To prepare for the event, you might like to read:
“Ares, Aphrodite, and the Laughter of the Gods,” Phoenix 43 (1989) 283–293 (available on line).
https://doi.org/10.2307/1088296
The Open House was held on September 26th at 1:00pm Eastern Time, and was recorded. You can watch it on the Kosmos Society YouTube channel or in the frame below.
Additional Reading:
Prof. Brown provided a PDF handout to be distributed to attendees.
Professor Christopher Brown
Professor Brown has been a member of the Department of Classical Studies of Western University, Ontario, Canada, for 40 years, where he is the William Sherwood Fox Professor of Classics. The bulk of his published work concerns early Greek poetry.