nholy deeds, lawless marriages, or the murder of
parents and children, or the other marvels of more recent tragedy. But
when he mentions a thing of this kind, he seems to conceal rather than
to condemn the crime. As he does in the case of of Clytemnestra. For he
says (O. iii. 266):--

That she was endowed with an excellent mind as she had with
her a teacher appointed by Agamemnon, to give her the
best advice.

Aegisthus got this tutor out of the way and persuaded her to sin.
He allows that Orestes justly avenged his father's death by killing
Aegisthus; but he passes over in silence the murder of his mother.
Many of the like examples are to be seen in the poet, as a writer of
majestic, but not inhuman, tragedy.

None the less, however, Comedy took from him its origin; for he
contains, although he relates the gravest and most serious things,
episodes which move to laughter, as in the "Iliad" Hephaestus is
introduced limping and pouring out wine for the gods (I. i. 599):--

Rose laughter irrepressible, at sight
Of Vulcan hobbling round the spacious hall.

Thersites is most contemptible in body and most evil in disposition,
from his raising a disturbance, and his slanderous speech and
boastfulness. Odysseus attacks him on this account and gives occasion to
all to laugh (I. ii. 270):--

The Greeks, despite their anger, laugh'd aloud.

In the "Odyssey" among the pleasure-loving Phaeacians their bard sings
the adultery of Ares and Aphrodite. He tells how they fell into the
snares of Hepheastus, and were taken in the act, and caused all the gods
to laugh, and how they joked frequently with one another. And among the
dissolute suitors Irus the beggar is brought in, contesting for a prize
with the most noble Odysseus, and how he appeared ridiculous in the
action. Altogether it is the character of human nature, not only to be
intense, but to take "a moral holiday" so that the men may be equal to
the troubles of life. Such relaxation for the mind is to be found in our
poet. Those who in later days introduced Comedy to produce laughter made
use of bare and naked language, but they cannot claim to have invented
anything better. Of erotic feelings and expression, Homer makes but a
moderate use; as Zeus says (I. iii. 442):--

For never did thy beauty so inflame my sense.

And what follows, and about Helen (I. iii. 156):--

And 'tis no marvel, one to other said,
The valiant Troja