2 - Agent constructions in Homer

Summary

The analysis of PACs in Homer will be quite different from that of those found in later authors. To begin with, there are very few PACs in the Homeric corpus, as seen in the table on p. 40. The independent passive voice was a relatively recent development at that time, and Homer preferred to keep the verb voice in the active, even at the expense of having to change the sentence subject frequently. Additionally, the metrical, formulaic nature of the oral poetry skews the data: the apparent frequency of some PACs might simply result from their metrical utility or occurrence in a formula. Nevertheless, some agent markers can be singled out which seem to have been perceived as characteristic of Homer, to judge from their use in the late epic poets who imitated Homer’s language.

The PACs in Homer can, for convenience’s sake, be split into two groups: those in which the agent is marked solely by a case, and those in which a preposition marks the agent. Although the former category is said by some to include a genitive of agent, it is argued here that the only case in Homer that by itself can mark the agent is the dative. The PACs with prepositions as agent markers themselves break down into two types.