Sophocles' Philoctetes and BBC One's Torchwood
Deception and suffering are a central aspect of Greek tragedy, and these two themes that go hand in hand are also present in several television shows today. The same storylines are used repeatedly and television shows usually market the same plot presented in a different manner that makes it appear unique to the viewer. Modern entertainment often results “in a play which is ‘openly and unashamedly rewritten’ until it is a new work ‘inspired’ by the old one (MacKinnon 28). Many scriptwriters often draw their inspiration from the greatest tragedians: Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles. Philoctetes by Sophocles serves as the inspiration for an episode of BBC One’s Torchwood.
Tosh: Why won't you tell me your name?
Mary: I'm Philoctetes.
-- ("Greeks Bearing Gifts")
the gift of suffering
Herakles handing Philoctetes the bow.
The central object to Philoctetes is the archer’s bow that is gifted to him by Heracles. It is in Philoctetes’ possession but is desired by many. In the episode Greeks Bearing Gifts in season one of Torchwood, Tosh encounters a strange girl, Mary, who gives her a necklace. The necklace is similar to Philoctetes’ bow in the respect that it is both good and bad. The bow is useful, powerful, but it also causes immense suffering. The archer’s bow is a means of survival for Philoctetes as it can be used for protection and for food. Likewise, Tosh’s necklace possesses the power of being able to hear others’ deepest thoughts, including subconscious thoughts that others are not even aware of thinking. As a consequence, Tosh hears many shocking and detesting remarks from people she believed to be her friends. The necklace is “like a curse, something the gods sent to drive someone mad. I had hope I'd see something, a little random act of kindness and make me think we were safe,” but she discovered the reality of the negativity of the world (“Greeks Bearing Gifts”). However, the necklace does have its benefits. She is convinced that “it’s not bad, the pendant. Some of the things it can do… it’s extraordinary” (“Greeks Bearing Gifts”). Tosh places herself in a crowded environment while wearing the necklace in hopes that something good can come of it. Because the necklace enables her to hear thoughts, she picks up on the thoughts of a man who is about to kill his family. She follows him home and is able to stop the murder. In this perspective, the necklace has advantageous properties as it can save lives, if used with that intention. Tosh’s grief is like Philoctetes. He says, “sorrow, sorrow is mine. Suffering has broken me, / Who must live henceforth alone from all the world,” (Philoctetes l. 1108 – 1109). As Philoctetes was physically alone on the island of Lemnos, Tosh is also alone in her experience. No one is capable of understanding what Philoctetes and Tosh had to endure until they have experienced it themselves. When Philoctetes gives the bow to Neoptolemus, he wishes “that the bow may not be to [Neoptolemus] a sorrow / as it was to [Philoctetes] and its former master” (Philoctetes l. 777 – 779). Although she destroys the necklace by the end of the episode, she “can’t forget the things [she has] seen, the things [she has] heard” (“Greeks Bearing Gifts”).
the savior
Mary giving Tosh the necklace.
Deception plays a central role to many storylines. Odysseus is sharp-witted and persuasive in almost all the plays he appears in, and Philoctetes is no different. He takes advantage of Neoptolemus by preying on his weaknesses. Neoptolemus is a man of morals who aspires to be more like his father. Odysseus tells Neoptolemus that if he can steal the bow and capture Philoctetes, then “[he] shall be called a wise man and a good,” just as his father was (Philoctetes l. 119). Neoptolemus agrees to help Odysseus subsequent to hearing this. While Neoptolemus does not necessarily classify as a master of manipulation, he is persuaded into deceiving Philoctetes for Odysseus. Philoctetes is abandoned on the island of Lemnos and craves company, and this is how Neoptolemus takes advantage of him. Neoptolemus appears to be a friend to Philoctetes, and Philoctetes begs Neoptolemus, “do not leave me here / alone, living in the sufferings you have seen / and others I have told you of” (Philoctetes l. 469 – 472). Neoptolemus is successful in his plan as Philoctetes unknowingly walks into a trap laid by Odysseus. The relationship between Neoptolemus and Philoctetes is paralleled by the relationship between Mary and Tosh in Torchwood. Just when Tosh begins to become fed up with all the secrecy and pressure of work, Mary appears in her life. Mary picks Tosh up when she is at her lowest point. Tosh feels like an outcast at work; therefore, Mary presents herself as more than a friend, becoming intimate with Tosh. However, Mary has a plan of her own; she is not interested in Tosh, but is interested in the organization she works for. Tosh is lost and confused, telling Mary, “I don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do” (“Greeks Bearing Gifts”). Mary leaps at this opportunity and tells Tosh to “get [her] into Torchwood” (“Greeks Bearing Gifts”). Furthermore, when Neoptolemus asks Philoctetes for the bow, he is happy to give it to him as he believes that it will rid him of his suffering. When Mary presents the necklace to Tosh, Tosh willingly accepts under false pretenses, thinking that it is a gift of good will. Once she puts it on, it is too late to go back.
"If any Greek play can be said to show development of character, it is this one." (Kitto 299)
Neoptolemus redeems himself as he gives the bow back to Philoctetes. He also stops Philoctetes from killing Odysseus as that is not the right thing to do. Neoptolemus goes from being the vulnerable, naïve character to someone who establishes himself by the end of the play, though he will always have to live with his treacherous and deceitful actions. Philoctetes “was left in pain for the rest of his life as the result of a mischance, which was no fault of his own” (Kitto 308). Like Neoptolemus and Philoctetes, Tosh suffers as well, as she says, “I can’t stand it anymore, the weight of it, the depravity, the fear, it fills me up” (“Greeks Bearing Gifts”).