Sappho’s Voice: Queer-Feminist Expressions in Ancient Greek Poetry
Ada Çelen Dilmen
The legacy of Sappho, the ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos, has charmed artists, scholars, and the queer community for centuries. Famed for her lyrical poetry that often renown love and desire between women, Sappho holds a unique space in both literary and cultural history. Her arts not only provide insight into the emotional lives of people in ancient Greece but also offer an exceptional perspective on female and queer experiences (Waxman 10). This work delves into Sappho’s poetic oeuvre and investigates its queer-feminist expressions, examining how her voice continues to resonate across time.
Although much of her biographical details remain speculative and the church burned her much of works, historical records suggest that Sappho was part of an elite class and likely led a Thasos, a community of women dedicated to the worship of the Muses and Aphrodite (Mendelsohn). This social role underscores her influence and the cultural significance of her poetry, which often addressed themes of love, beauty, and the divine.
In order to understand Sappho’s framework and contributions, it’s significant to situate her within the sociocultural construction in ancient Greece at that time. The Archaid peroid which Sappho lived in (circa 630-570 BCE) was popular with poetry for expressing personal and communal identities (Waxman 2). Sappho’s Lyre, a compilation of poetry, is crucial since Sappho was the only surviving female poet from the archaic era (7th and 6th centuries BCE) and for now is still the most famous one. Nine women poets from subsequent eras also included in the collection that the six ones from the Hellenistic era (323-30 BCE) and three from the fifth century BCE (Rayor 7). The anthology’s poetry explores universal themes such as friendship, passion, perseverance, and grief, giving audiences an insight into myths, feeling, and rituals that are still somehow relevant today. These all nine poets were preserved by Alexandrian scholars at the royal court in Alexandria during the 3rd century BCE, when the first collection of Greek poetry was assembled. The selection of these ancient lyric poetry that includes works by well-known poets also such as Archilochos and Sappho, as well as more recent ones by Korinna, Erinna, and Praxilla, is the main emphasis of the anthology (Rayor 7).
Not surprisingly, this period was under the domination of male poets and philosophers, but Sappho marked her emotional, intimate themes rather than epic tales of heroism as men always did. One of Aristotle’s sections at that time virtue, vice, and noble were discussed. It is explained that virtue is intrinsically noble since it brings about good and is deserving of praise. Virtue is best valued when it helps others and includes traits like bravery, justice, self-control and knowledge. The chapter highlights how noble deeds are those carried out of honor, altruism, and welfare of others. This idea represented by Sappho’s reply to Alcaeus, where she informs him that if his aspirations were honorable, he would not have felt embarassed to speak. He would have stated the truth instead, showing that dignity and selflessness (rather than shame) are the essences of nobility and virtue (Aristotle 9). After some time from these he also unluckily come up with the argument that women don’t have a logos (rational thinking, logic) which shows how women, and of course Sappho, have been undervalued, degraded, and disregarded, despite not deserving it. She was known for her intellectual and artistic enthusiasm that provided her with an island creative expression (Aristophanes).
Academicians discuss that women in ancient Greece would have had their own unique subculture, complete with songs, customs, and poetry. Women's lives in ancient Greece were frequently lived apart from men’s, and there is a proof that they engaged in religious and cultural pursuits of their own, such as singing while at the loom, taking part in religious festivals and engaging in other groups’ activities that men did not (Bowman 2,3). Poetry produced by women in ancient Greece was created for and by a female-only group and the experiences, worries, and passions of women in that audience may have influenced the composition of these works, which scholars have proposed were written only for female readers. It is supposed that these poems were probably handed down through the years in groups of women and it is possible that new female performers continued the tradition by memorizing or adapting these pieces to fit the circumstances of their day (Bowman 10). The choral songs are frequently performed by women at festivals and despite their fragmentary survival, suggest the existence of a segregated female community. Nossis and Korinna are also described as poets who wrote specifically for women like Sappho, addressing topics that would resonate with their female readers or listeners. The poems frequently involve addresses to women, and the themes and characters can be seen as expressions of a feminine, women-centered perspective. For instance, some of the poems describe female beauty and desire, which reinforces the idea of an all-female audience for these works (Bowman 11).
According to insights, women in ancient Greece performed a diverse of roles that both defied and followed social expectations and norms. Although they showed agency and solidarity during emergencies, they were frequently decreased to household chores and seen according to gender norms (Katz 19). For example, Lysistrata demonstrates women taking up political positions to protest war and challenging patriarchal power systems through personal and home impact. While the play’s satire challenges conventional ideas of femineity and gender roles, their unification across city-states shows the power of group action. Ancient Greek literature offered a forum for challenging social norms by fusing humor with weighty subjects, exposing the nuanced and changing positions of women in both the private and public domains. Not a direct one but actually an important example of this view is a historical note: originally taken as a slave to Egypt, Rhodopis became wealthy and well-known as a courtesan after being set free by Sappho’s brother, Kharaxus of Mytilene. Her richness was not as big as anticipated, despite her attractiveness. Rhodopis wanted to be known for more than just her beauty and she presented iron beef spits to the temple at Delphi in an effort to leave a lasting legacy. Her fame was notable, however, Archidice, another courtesan, eventually eclipsed her (Herodotus 135). Sappho attacked Kharaxus with her poems, which reveals her agency and reflects her critical voice and bravery in opposing masculine figures and social conventions.
Sappho's poetry is notable for its intense closeness and intimate tone. Her verses of poetry emphasize the personal and immediate, unlikely to Homer's epics, which praised brave and supernatural actions. This difference is mostly seen in her “Hymn to Aphrodite” (Fragment 1), where she appeals to the goddess of love. The poem demonstrates a complicated picture of love as a source of both suffering and joy, representing her fragility and longing to her respect for the holy. The verses’ encounter between Sappho and Aphrodite emphasizes the very basic impact of love on human lives by blurring the distinction between mortal and the heavenly. And Fragment 16, “Some say an army of horsemen...” tells us Sappho’s innovative approach to poetry further. She challenges the traditional values by declaring that the military is not the most important and beautiful thing on earth but it is actually whatever the one loves. This allegation refines “beauty” as a deeply subjective and also personal experience which prioritizes people’s emotions over all other societal and traditional norms and values. Sappho not just destroys the dominant cultural narrative of that time but actually boosts love and desire as core of human existence too. Sappho’s poetry, especially in Fragment 1, uses comedy and unexpected grammatical changes as well. Although the audience would have expected horses to pull Aphrodite’s chariot, the verse mentions “swift sparrows,” which is a hilarious and startling choice. This “punch line” or surprise is common in humorous writing, where a comedic climax follows an unimpressive set up. This structure is compared to comedic devices like the “triple” where two components prepare the reader for a third surprising aspect. Another instance of her unexpected use of language is discussed in the text; the “rosy-fingered moon” in Fragment 96, which challenges the conventional assumption of “rosy-fingered dawn” (Zellner 440-442). These are highlighting how she defies conventions and expectations while generating humor through surprising decisions, which may be consistent with a feminist interpretation of her work. The hilarious and unexpected aspects of Sappho’s poetry may represent a carefree subversion of gender and social norms if you are examining her voice within the framework of queer-feminist expression (Waxman 3-5). Moreover, the literary analogy to surprise and humor may promote claims of Sappho’s subversion of conventional roles and introduction of fresh viewpoints on identity, desire, and love. Aphrodite says to Sappho in one of her songs: “... you and my servant Eros” and addresses directly Sappho’s strong connection to love and desire personified by Eros who is the god of love (Maximus of Tyre, Orations 159). This demonstrates Sappho’s intimate bond with Aphrodite as her muse and underlines the centrality of passion and love in the lyric themes of her poems. And it shows the divine authority and inspirations attributed to Sappho’s lyrical expressions of love and desire.
“...they say that Sappho was the first,
hunting down the proud Phaon,
to throw herself, in her goading desire, from the rock
that shines from afar.
But now, in accordance with your sacred utterance,
lord king, let there be silence
throughout the sacred precinct of the headland of the White Rock.”
Menander F 258K
This passage from a poem relates to the tale of Sappho, who is claimed to have thrown herself from the White Rock out of “goading desire” or unrequited love for Phaon. Her severe distress is symbolized by this deed (Nagy). The sacred bound’s call of silence treats the incident as a sacred or significant event, demonstrating the myth’s significance and veneration. The reference to Sappho as "the first” emphasizes her legendary status and makes her frameworks more iconic in the story.
Sappho’s cultural and historical background boosts her lyrical legacy even more. Her writings provide significant insights into the experiences and lives of women in ancient Greece although she was a woman writing in a tradition that was dominated by men. Her emphasis on female friendships, even love, and community subverts conventional line and offers a personal and unique look into the world of women (Waxman 2-6). She is also a symbol of queer-feminist literature and history due to the homoerotic themes in her poems, which have contributed to her long-lasting with homosexual identity. Ancient traditional practices and work of later academics are responsible for the preservation of the portions of Sappho’s poetry that have survived to these days as to neglect and censorship, especially in the early Christian age when her themes of love and desire were considered unsuitable, a great portion of her work was destroyed (Mendelsohn). “He seems to me equal to the gods,” which is from Fragment 31, Sappho captures the oppressive power of unrequited love and desire, the poem represents the emotional and also physical effects of seeing someone she loved in fellowship with the other. The portrayal of love here as an all-consuming force resonates with the readers across time and ages deeply. The way the reader express emotional vulnerability in this fragment is a criterion of Sappho’s poetry which also emphasizes her talent to articulate the complexities and hardness of human feelings with unparalleled precision. Sappho offers a counter approach to the male-dominated epic tradition by highlighting the roles of women within these narratives which emphasizes the significance of female voice and experiences in understanding humanity. Sappho says “I would much prefer to see the lovely / way she walks and the radiant glance of her face / than the war-chariots of the Lydians or / their foot soldiers in arms.” (Fragment 20). This passage highlights a preference for a woman’s beauty over representations of traditional masculine authority, such as warriors and chariots. Sappho’s emphasis on the “lovely way she walks” and the “radiant glance of her face” conveys a very intimate and emotional appreciation for a woman’s beauty basically. And it is consistent with audiences of her writings that explore romantic and erotic love between women. Furthermore, she wrote these verses:
“Like a sweet-apple
turning red
high
on the tip
of the topmost branch.
Forgotten by pickers.
Not forgotten—
they couldn’t reach it.” (Fragment 23)
Here, Sappho conveys the sense of being wanted yet unachievable in this line by using the image of a stunning apple growing on the highest branch, out of picker’s grasp. On the one hand, the apple is “forgotten” as no one can get to it, but its beauty and sweetness endure, representing something or someone that is wanted but out of reach. In her poetry, issues of achievability, longing, and being ignored despite one’s desirability are frequently reflected in this metaphor. On the other hand, patriarchal tales frequently utilize Eve’s account to restrict women’s independence and sexuality by attributing guilt or temptation to them. This is subverted in Sappho’s poetry, which depicts the inaccessible fruit as something that is "forgotten” due to its inaccessibility. Sappho’s voice reflects the feminist fight for women’s desires to be recognized and appreciated rather than condemned or repressed, challenging the way that society handles women’s desires.
In Fragment 94, she says “I simply want to be dead...” provide us with a broad understanding of how she delves into themes of loss and separation, demonstrating the depth of pain from a loved one. The poem’s intense emotionality and center of personal relationships emphasize Sappho’s unparalleled contribution to lyric work. Her art transcends both space and time, connecting to universal sentiments of love, sadness, and longing due to her talented skill with language and to portray nakedness of human feelings. Moreover, the most important interpretation of this poem is that it depicts a conversation between the speaker and a distressed girl and suggest to real homosexual conduct. The poem shifts from warmth to nostalgia, emphasizing a sensual and private recall of special times spent together, such decorating with flowers, applying oil, and letting go of desire on a plush bed. These moment’s images and development emphasize the other women’s body, stressing a developing sensuality event that culminates in a romantic moment (Stigers 468). Longing and a wish to hold into a wonderful event that is now lost to memory are reflected in the emotional tone. It is also crucial that there is no such kind of verses that attributed for men or men’s body in her any other works, which strengthens her queer & homosexual identity across straightness. Sappho emphasizes a distinct creative and gendered approach by using metaphors such as flowers and the moon to represent femininity. Sappho depicts female intimacy in a way that is different from literary traditions that are dominated by men in Fragment 94. She establishes an environment where women’s willing is freely expressed and honored by stressing the sensuality and emotional depth of female interactions. Understanding human sexuality and relationships in ancient Greek culture is made more complex by the poem’s moving examination of memory, loss, and urge to hold onto fragile emotional ties (Stigers 469).
Quotations in the writings of subsequent authors and the finding of bits of papyrus provide us with what is left of her oeuvre. Her poetry’s fragmentary style contributes to its mystique and encourages readers to interact with it in interpretive and creative ways (Waxman 2-6). It is not possible to overestimate her effect on later generations of authors and poets and intellectuals. As the “Tenth Muse,” she was worshiped in antiquity, and her poetry as a separate copies and imitations (Nitsche). The foundations for the emergence of lyric poetry as a separate genre was established by her inventive use of the first-person voice and her investigation of intimate emotions. Sappho’s influence goes beyond literature and history; she has returned to be a cultural icon, representing the strength of queer voices and the inventiveness of women (Waxman 9-13). Both academics and readers are fascinated by her poetry’s conceptual variety and emotional profundity. Sappho’s writings bridge the gap between the ancient and the modern by providing a priceless and unique viewpoint on humanity. She reminds us of the timeless skill of poetry to reveal the intricacies of the human heart while challenging us to consider our own relationships and lives via her examination of love, beauty, and desire. Even though it being fractured, Sappho’s voice is still an important part of the literary canon, which is evidence of both her work’s timeless and ageless importance and also her great genius (DuBois 79).
To conclude, in contrast to the prevelant patriarchal narratives of her era, Sappho’s voice emerges as a potent manifestation of queer-feminist expression in ancient Greek poetry, providing an alternative place for the investigation of identity, desire, and emotional intimacy. Sappho utilized the unique circumstances of lesbian love to construct a different world where female experience can be explored via mutual desire, rapture, and separateness, and where male norms (the same principles that denied Greek women a platform for sensual fantasy) do not predominate (Stigers 471). She creates a space in which women’s voices and wants are important. Sappho’s enduring effect on the conversation about sexuality, gender, and emotional expression is evident in her poetry, which not only challenges heteronormative and patriarchal standards of ancient Greece, but also offers a timeless lens, through which modern queer-feminist viewpoints can be investigated and comprehended.
References
Aristophanes. Lysistrata. Translated from the Greek. Illustrations by Norman Lindsay.
Aristotle. Rhetoric. Translated by W. Rhys Roberts, The Modern Library, 1954.
Bowman, Laurel. “The ‘Women’s Tradition’ in Greek Poetry.” Phoenix, vol. 58, no. 1/2, 2004, pp. 1–27. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/4135194. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
Dubnoff, Julia, translator. Poems of Sappho. Fragment 1.
Dubnoff, Julia, translator. Poems of Sappho. Fragment 16.
Dubnoff, Julia, translator. Poems of Sappho. Fragment 20.
Dubnoff, Julia, translator. Poems of Sappho. Fragment 23.
Dubnoff, Julia, translator. Poems of Sappho. Fragment 31.
Dubnoff, Julia, translator. Poems of Sappho. Fragment 94.
Dubnoff, Julia, translator. Poems of Sappho. Fragment 96.
Greek Lyric I. Edited by G. P. Goold, Loeb Classical Library 142, Harvard University Press.
Herodotus. The Histories, Book 2, Chapter 135. Translated by A. D. Godley, Harvard University Press, 1920.
Menander. Orations, F 258K.
Mendelsohn, Daniel. “How Gay Was Sappho?” The New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2015, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/16/girl-interrupted.
Nagy, Gregory. Greek Mythology and Poetics. Cornell University Press, 1990. Reading the Symbols of Greek Lyric, Chapter 9: "Phaethon, Sappho's Phaon, and the White Rock of Leukas" (pp. 223-262). Center for Hellenic Studies, https://chs.harvard.edu/chapter/chapter-9-phaethon-sapphos-phaon-and-the-white-rock-of-leukas-reading-the-symbols-of-greek-lyric-pp-223-262/.
Nitsche, Hope. "The Residents of Lesbos: The Construction of Female Desire in Ancient Greek Poetry." Gender & Sexuality in World History, 1 Dec. 2022, https://genderhistory.pubpub.org/pub/residents-of-lesbos/release/1?utm
Page DuBois, Sappho is Burning (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995), 79.
Rayor, Diane. Sappho's Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women Poets of Ancient Greece. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1991 1991. http://ark.cdlib.org.proxy2.lib.umanitoba.ca/ark:/13030/ft2h4nb1f8/
Stigers, Eva Stehle. “Romantic Sensuality, Poetic Sense: A Response to Hallett on Sappho.” Signs, vol. 4, no. 3, 1979, pp. 465–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3173394. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
Waxman, Tess M. Sappho's Queer Female History. Young Historians Conference, 20 Apr. 2017, Portland State University, PDXScholar.
Zellner, Harold. “Sappho’s Sparrows.” The Classical World, vol. 101, no. 4, 2008, pp. 435–42. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25471966. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.