Longus
Daphnis and Chloe

About the Author

Longus was an ancient Greek writer of whom we know little.  His residence was most likely located on the island of Lesbos, the setting of his pastoral novel Daphnis and Chloe.  What is interesting about Longus’ talent was his ability to blend a typical Greek romance novel with pastoral poetry.  Because of his level of sophistication and skill, Longus’ writing is set by scholars in the Second Sophistic period (second century A.D.).  

Characters  

• Daphnis -a young attractive goatherd nurtured by goats as a baby, raised by two poor farmers (Lamon and Myrtale).  An innocent country boy who falls in love with Chloe.
• Lamon -Daphnis’ adoptive father who is a poor farmer.  He lives on a rich man’s estate as a slave.
• Myrtale -Daphnis’ adoptive mother.  She agreed to care for Daphnis as her own (plays an insignificant role in the novel).
• Chloe -a young shepherdess nurtured by sheep as a baby.  She is the adoptive daughter of Dryas and Nape.  A naïve lily-white girl who falls in love with Daphnis.
• Dryas -Chloe’s adoptive father who is a poor farmer.  Dryas and Nape live adjacent to Daphnis’ parents.
• Nape -Chloe’s adoptive mother.  She agreed to raise Chloe as her own (plays an insignificant role in the novel).
• Dorcon –a cowherd who was in love with Chloe.  He participated in a contest against Daphnis to win a kiss from Chloe.
• The Methymneans –rich city men who come to Lesbos on a partying voyage.  They cause drama in Daphnis and Chloe’s harmonious world by accusing Daphnis of letting his sheep eat their boat rope. 
• Philetus –an old pipe-playing man who teaches Daphnis and Chloe about love and how to enjoy the beauties of it.  He later becomes a judge in a legal matter concerning Daphnis.
• Lycaenion –experienced woman from the city whose name means “wolfie.”  She is married to an older man in the area but he is not a key player in this novel.  She ultimately seduces Daphnis and teaches him a few things.
• Lampis –another young herdsman who is in love with Chloe.  He was a bully who asked Dryas for Chloe’s hand in marriage.  He damaged Lamon’s master’s garden in hopes of destroy Daphnis’ chances for marrying Chloe.
• Dionysophanes and Cleariste –wealthy owners of the estate on which Daphnis, Lamon, and Myrtale work.  They are also Daphnis’ biological parents.
• Astylus –very attractive son of Dionysophanes and Cleariste, who ultimately becomes Daphnis’ brother. 
• Gnathon -described as a “parasite” who mooches off of Astylus.  He is very attracted to Daphnis and becomes another obstacle for the couple.
• Megacles and Rhode –Chloe’s biological parents who testify that poverty is the reason for leaving Chloe as a baby. 

Epitome

Book One:

     A slave named Lamon from Mytilene discovered a baby boy being suckled by a goat.  The baby, while dressed in nice clothes, seemed to be left exposed.  Lamon and his wife, Myrtale, decided to take in the baby, whom they named Daphnis. A similar thing happened to a shepherd named Dryas, who found a baby girl who was being suckled by an ewe in a sacred cave. Dryas and Nape, his wife, decided to take in the baby and named her Chloe.

     Years passed and the children grew. One night, Dryas and Lamon had the same dream that the children would fall in love and become shepherds and goatherds.  Thinking that the children were meant for different things (because of the manner in which they were found), the fathers had raised them with delicacies not usually given to goatherds and shepherds.  The fathers did not want to disrespect the gods, so they taught the children how to shepherd the flocks.

     One day, Daphnis was herding and fell into a pit.  He would have died, but a goat broke his fall, and Chloe and another cowherd named Dorcon rescued him. After this, Chloe took Daphnis to the cave to bathe him and began to fall in love with him, though she had no knowledge of love.  Dorcon had fallen in love with Chloe and was trying to win her affections with gifts and competitions.  Daphnis and Dorcon had a beauty contest where the prize was a kiss from Chloe.  Daphnis won and after this he was in love with Chloe. Like Chloe, he did not know what this meant.

     Dorcon was still in love with Chloe, and went to Dryas to ask for her hand in marriage, he was denied this.  He then dressed up like a wolf and planned to attack Chloe. He was attacked by dogs and therefore stopped.  Chloe and Daphnis thought that he was playing a game and helped him mend his wounds.

     Daphnis and Chloe fell more in love throughout the end of spring and summer.  In autumn, pirates from Pyrrha came and captured Daphnis. Chloe ran to Dorcon, who had been beaten by the pirates, for help.  He gave her pipes to play that controlled his herd.  The cows jumped into the sea creating a wave that overturned the pirate ship.  Daphnis then took hold of two cows and rode them into land.  Dorcon had died, so the two went to his funeral and then bathed each other.

Book Two:

     The town held a festival honoring Dionysus and people came from neighboring fields. Some of the women complimented Daphnis and some of the men complimented Chloe, making them both jealous.  When the festival ended they went back to the pasture and met an old man named Philetas.  Philetas told them that he had seen a strange boy, who was actually Eros, in his garden.  Eros told Philetas that Daphnis and Chloe were destined to love each other.  The two then discovered what they had been feeling for each other was love.  From Philetas’ teachings, they decided that the only cure for their ailments was “kissing and embracing and lying naked on the ground.”  They did all of these.

     Meanwhile, some young men from Methymna were sailing and docked their boats at the shore by Daphnis’ pasture.  His goats caused the boat to become untied and it floated out to sea.  The young men, enraged, captured Daphnis and beat him.  Lamon and Dryas tried to protect him and asked that they be given a chance to go before a judge to decide the matter.  Philetas, who was appointed judge, found in favor of Daphnis. After the young man returned to their homeland they convinced their city to wage war on Mytilene.

     The soldiers captured Chloe.  That night, they had a terrible experience at sea and saw it as a grudge held by Pan, who would not let Chloe be taken away.  Pan then appeared and demanded that Chloe be given back.  The soldiers obeyed and Daphnis and Chloe praised Pan and held a celebration for him.  Daphnis swore by Pan that he would always be with Chloe and Chloe swore the same for Daphnis before the Nymphs.  Chloe also made Daphnis swear by the herds that as long as she was faithful, he would be too.

Book Three:

     Winter was now here and Daphnis and Chloe missed each other desperately.  Daphnis attempted to see Chloe.  His first plan failed, but he was discovered by Dryas and invited to stay the night and sacrifice to Dionysus the next day.  This made him happy because he was able to spend time with Chloe.

     When spring came, Daphnis and Chloe went back to lying under the oak tree, kissing and embracing.  Daphnis requested more, though neither knew what.  A woman named Lycaecion wished to have Daphnis as a lover and tricked him into thinking that the Nymphs wished her to be his teacher in making love. She then seduced him. Daphnis, while eager to teach Chloe what he had learned, was hesitant. They continued on in the same fashion as they had before.

     Chloe had many suitors and this scared Daphnis, so he decided to ask for Chloe’s hand in marriage, using 3,000 drachmas he had found on the beach after a dream sent by the Nymphs.  Dryas and Nape agreed.  Lamon told him that they should wait until the grape harvest was over for the marriage.

Book Four:

     Lamon was told that his master was coming to survey the damage of the war and so he did everything he could to make his garden beautiful in order to impress the master.  Daphnis was very nervous to meet the master and Chloe was nervous for him.  It was the master who ultimately decided whether or not the two could marry. 

     Another cowherd named Lampis had also asked for Chloe’s hand.  He decided to make Daphnis and Lamon look bad in front of the master in order to better his chances with Chloe. So one night, he destroyed Lamon’s garden.  When the young master, Astylus, arrived, Lamon and Myrtale pleaded with him to protect them from the older master.  Astylus agreed and went to hunt. Astylus’ hanger-on, Gnathon, stayed behind for he thought Daphnis was very beautiful.  Daphnis resisted his advances and Gnathon decided to leave him alone.

     The older master arrived and was very impressed, especially with Daphnis and his herd.  Daphnis now felt confident to ask about marrying Chloe.  Gnathon was again inflamed with passion for Daphnis.  He went to Astylus, revealed his problem and said that he would kill himself if he did not have Daphnis.  Astylus agreed to take on Daphnis as a slave and a boyfriend for Gnathon. When Daphnis heard of this, he was horrified.  Lamon then decided to tell the truth of Daphnis’ origin.  Meanwhile, Astylus asked his father to bring Daphnis back to the city with them.  Dionysophanes (the older master) agreed.  Lamon then told the master the truth and showed the tokens that Daphnis had been found with as proof. When Dionysophanes and Cleariste (his wife) saw the tokens, they realized that Daphnis was really their son whom they had left to be exposed.

     Astylus went and told Daphnis the good news and Dionysophanes promised him a life of nobility. Meanwhile, Lampis had kidnapped Chloe, thinking that Daphnis was not a viable option for her husband anymore. Daphnis was upset at this and Gnathon thought this a good time to help him in order to have Daphnis like him.  So Gnathon went and brought her back to Daphnis.

     Dryas told the truth about how Chloe was also found and it was decided that the two should be married.  There was a celebration and then they all went to the city to find Chloe’s parents so that Daphnis and Chloe could be married. Once they arrived, Dionysophanes presented Chloe’s tokens to the town and asked whom they belonged to. A man named Megacles came forward.  The next day, they all traveled back to the country for the marriage.  The two were married and lived out a pastoral life.

Themes and Ideas

Pastoral Novel
There are many themes and ideas to study in this novel.  Probably the most important is to recognize that it is a pastoral novel.  Longus is given much credit for his ability here to connect a Greek romance novel with pastoral poetry developed by Theocritus.  Its being pastoral means that the story takes place in the country where there is much emphasis on nature, scenery, beauty, animals, and gods.  In the world of pastoral poetry, life is simple and very carefree with little stress that would usually accompany an agricultural environment.  It’s a world of innocence and purity where the seasons play a key role in symbolizing life changes.  To the reader, this type of environment is most ideal and what one fantasizes about.  To Daphnis and Chloe, it was like living in the Garden of Eden.

Apples and Love
Another theme to mention is the reference to apples and how they symbolize love and attraction.  There is a scene in Book One when Longus describes the beginning of summer and “that it was from passion that the apples were falling to the ground”… Also, in Book Three there is a scene in which Daphnis climbs to the highest branch of an apple tree to retrieve the last apple, which was left on the top.  The apple is described as being the most beautiful one of them all with the best fragrance, the most green and pure.  This also describes Chloe and is also why Daphnis could not resist climbing after it, just as he could never leave Chloe.  Ancient readers can relate to this symbolism with their knowledge of how often times an apple was compared to a virgin and in this case, the virgin being Chloe.

Country versus City
Country versus city is another idea to explore in this novel.  How pure, innocent, and sheltered the rustic people are displayed in contrast to the town people described who come into their lives and create havoc.  For example, the Methymneans (city dwellers) come to Daphnis and Chloe’s harmonious little world and cause trouble for the young couple.  As well as Lycaenion, an experienced city girl who teaches naïve Daphnis how to have intercourse and then warns him from having it with Chloe by describing how painful it would be for her.  We cannot ignore the end when Gnathon, a homosexual described as a parasite, enters the picture and falls in love with Daphnis and causes tension for the couple.  Finally, the irony that Daphnis and Chloe ultimately discover that they biologically come from city-bred people and get a taste of city life for a short while until they decide that they want to live the rest of their lives in the rural scene of Lesbos where they were raised. 

Seasons and Growth, Gardens and Maturity
There are other themes that are relevant in this novel worth mentioning briefly, such as the way seasons are described in accordance with how Daphnis and Chloe’s relationship grows.  Also the symbolism between the two gardens mentioned and how they compare to the maturity of the couple’s relationship.  By the end of the novel, a beautiful garden has been established and it took a lot of work but it’s proven to be a work of art.  So is the way Daphnis and Chloe’s relationship has grown and the garden symbolizes their readiness for marriage and forever.

Conclusion
All in all, Longus does an outstanding job in joining a typical Greek romance and pastoral poetry.  His writing style is one of easy reading and creates a good story with a relaxing environment.  It’s a passionate love story with just enough adventure to create a bit of suspense for the ancient reader.  Daphnis and Chloe represent what many lovers want and probably what many of the ancient readers only dreamed of.   

Authors:
Kelly Blanchfield, Jamie Jones, and Carrie Lefler