The tragedy of the one guy who was right about the Trojan Horse - Noah Charney

Translator: Meuthia Arumandanty Reviewer: Ezy Wiranda

For ten grueling years, the Greeks laid siege to Troy,

Selama sepuluh tahun yang melelahkan, bangsa Yunani telah menyerang Troya,

scattering ships and encampments across the city's shores.

menyebarkan kapal dan perkemahan mereka di seluruh pantai kota.

But as the Trojans awoke for another day of battle,

Namun, ketika rakyat Troya terbangun untuk pertempuran selanjutnya,

they found their enemies had vanished overnight—

mereka menemukan musuh mereka lenyap dalam semalam—

leaving behind only an enormous wooden horse.

hanya meninggalkan seekor kuda kayu yang sangat besar.

Seeing this as a symbol of the Greek’s surrender,

Melihat kuda itu sebagai simbol bahwa Yunani sudah menyerah,

the soldiers dragged their prize into the city and began to celebrate.

para prajurit menyeret hadiah itu ke kota dan mulai merayakan kemenangan.

But one Trojan wasn't happy.

Namun, satu orang Troya tidak senang.

Laocoön, a seer and priest, was deeply suspicious of the Greek gift.

Laocoön, seorang peramal dan pendeta, sangat curiga terhadap hadiah dari Yunani.

He reminded his fellow Trojans of their enemy’s reputation for trickery,

Dia mengingatkan yang lainnya tentang reputasi pasukan Yunani yang suka menipu,

and cautioned them not to accept this strange offering.

dan memperingatkan mereka untuk tidak menerima hadiah aneh ini.

The crowd jeered at his warning, but Laocoön was undeterred.

Semua mencemooh peringatannya, tetapi Laocoön tidak terpengaruh.

He forced his way to the wooden beast and thrust his sword into its belly.

Dia maju untuk mendekati kuda kayu itu, dan menusukkan pedangnya ke perut kuda.

Yet his blade drew no blood.

Namun, pedangnya tidak mengeluarkan darah.

And if there were men shifting inside,

Bahkan jika ada prajurit di dalam kuda itu,

Laocoön couldn't hear them over the crowd.

Laocoön tidak bisa mendengar mereka diantara keriuhan penonton.

Still grim with foreboding, Laocoön retreated home

Masih gelisah dengan perasaannya, Laocoön pulang ke rumah

and enlisted his sons in preparing a sacrifice to the gods.

dan meminta putra-putranya menyiapkan pengorbanan kepada para dewa.

But his fate— and that of his fellow Trojans— was already sealed.

Namun, takdirnya— dan takdir orang Troya lainnya— sudah ditentukan.

The gods had decided to grant the Greeks victory

Para dewa mendukung kemenangan Yunani

by ensuring the success of their scheme to infiltrate Troy.

dengan memastikan keberhasilan skema mereka untuk menyusup ke Troya.

And Poseidon sought to punish the priest for threatening that plan.

Poseidon berusaha menghukum sang pendeta karena mengancam rencana itu.

Two great serpents emerged from the sea’s rolling waves

Dua ular besar muncul dari gulungan ombak laut

and descended on Laocoön and his sons.

dan menyerang Laocoön serta putra-putranya.

The seer’s violent death went unnoticed amidst the celebrations.

Tidak ada yang sadar akan kematian kejam sang peramal di tengah perayaan itu.

But, that night, when tragedy struck,

Namun, malam itu, ketika tragedi melanda,

the Trojans finally remembered the old priest’s warning.

orang Troya akhirnya ingat akan peringatan sang pendeta tua.

Laocoön's tragic tale inspired countless retellings across the ancient world.

Kisah tragis Laocoön menginspirasi berbagai karya di dunia kuno.

Virgil describes the seer’s demise in his epic poem “The Aeneid,”

Virgil menggambarkan kematian sang peramal dalam puisi epiknya “The Aeneid,”

and Sophocles composed an entire play about the ill-fated priest.

dan Sophocles membuat sebuah drama tentang sang pendeta bernasib buruk itu.

However, his most famous and influential depiction

Namun, karya yang paling terkenal dan berpengaruh

is a marble statue called “Laocoön and His Sons.”

adalah patung marmer yang disebut “Laocoön and His Sons”.

Likely carved by a trio of artists from Rhodes,

Yang kemungkinan dibuat oleh trio seniman dari Rhodes,

the exact origins of this piece remain mysterious,

tetapi asal-usul sebenarnya dari karya ini masih misterius,

with current theories dating its creation anywhere from 200 BCE to 68 CE.

teori terbaru memperkirakan patung itu dibuat mulai dari 200 SM hingga 68 M.

Whenever it was made,

Kapan pun karya ini dibuat,

this sculpture remains the epitome of the Hellenistic Baroque style.

patung itu tetap menjadi lambang gaya Barok Helenistik.

But even within a tradition known for its dramatic facial expressions

Walaupun gaya ini dikenal dengan ekspresi wajah yang dramatis

and contorted figures,

dan sosok yang meliuk-liuk,

no other piece in this style comes close to the intensity

tidak ada karya lain dalam gaya ini yang mendekati intensitas

of “Laocoön and His Sons.”

“Laocoön and His Sons.”

The nearly life-sized figures are writhing in agony,

Patung yang hampir seukuran manusia itu terlihat seperti menggeliat kesakitan

straining to untangle massive snakes from their limbs.

dan berusaha melepaskan ular besar dari badan mereka.

Their faces are packed with desperation and hopelessness,

Wajah mereka dipenuhi keputusasaan,

yet Laocoön’s expression is fiercely determined to resist.

tetapi ekspresi Laocoön tetap bertekad untuk melawan.

The scene is also uniquely brutal—

Adegan patung ini juga sangat brutal—

paused precisely as the serpent’s venomous jaws are about to bite down.

menangkap momen tepat saat taring ular berbisa akan menggigit.

Displayed as the centerpiece of Emperor Nero’s Domus Aurea palace complex,

Dipajang sebagai karya utama di istana Domus Aurea milik Kaisar Nero,

this gruesome sculpture was one of the most talked about artworks of its time.

patung ini adalah salah satu karya seni paling terkenal pada masanya.

Renowned Roman writer Pliny the Elder even went so far as to call it

Penulis Romawi terkenal, Pliny the Elder, bahkan menyebutnya

“preferable to any other production of the art of painting or of statuary.”

“lebih disukai daripada lukisan dan patung lainnya”.

Unfortunately, the statue was lost

Sayangnya, patung itu hilang

when Domus Aurea was consumed by fire in 109 CE.

ketika Domus Aurea terbakar pada 109 M.

But Laocoön's tale was far from finished.

Namun, kisah Laocoön belum berakhir.

In 1506, Michelangelo Buonarotti— then the most famous sculptor in Rome—

Di tahun 1506, Michelangelo Buonarroti— pemahat paling terkenal di Roma masa itu—

received a message that Pope Julius II had unearthed something marvelous.

menerima pesan bahwa Paus Julius II telah menggali sesuatu yang luar biasa.

Even caked with dirt, “Laocoön and His Sons” astonished Michelangelo.

Walau dilapisi tanah, “Laocoön and His Sons” tetap mengejutkannya.

The dramatic musculature was over-the-top,

Pahatan otot-ototnya terlihat sangat dramatis,

but all the more powerful for being so extreme.

tetapi justru itu yang membuatnya terlihat sangat menakjubkan.

And the curving shapes of its serpent and human figures

Lengkungan ular dan sosok manusia

drew his eyes in constant motion.

membuat matanya terus bergerak mengikuti bentuknya.

Pope Julius prominently displayed the piece at the Vatican,

Paus Julius memajang karya itu di Vatikan untuk menarik perhatian,

but its influence on Michelangelo is what made the statue truly famous.

tetapi pengaruhnya terhadap Michelangelo yang membuat patung itu terkenal.

The sculpture's emotive, exaggerated elements transformed his approach

Elemen emosi yang berlebihan dari patung itu mengubah pendekatannya

to representing the human body.

dalam menggambarkan tubuh manusia.

His paintings and sculptures began to feature contorted poses,

Lukisan dan patung Michelangelo mulai menampilkan pose meliuk,

referred to as “figura serpentinata,” meaning snake-like shapes.

yang disebut “figura serpentinata,” atau berarti berbentuk seperti ular.

And his celebrated work in the Sistine Chapel

Lalu karyanya yang terkenal di Kapel Sistina

centered on muscular, hyperextended figures.

berpusat pada figur-figur berotot yang sangat besar.

Soon, Michelangelo’s new style sparked an entire artistic movement

Tidak lama, gaya baru Michelangelo memicu gerakan artistik

called Mannerism—

yang disebut Manerisme—

influencing artists throughout the 1500s to exaggerate and twist human bodies

memengaruhi seniman tahun 1500-an untuk melebih-lebihkan tubuh manusia

for dramatic effect.

untuk efek dramatis.

Since artists of the Renaissance revered ancient Greco-Roman art above all else,

Dikarenakan seniman Renaisans sangat mengagumi seni Yunani-Romawi kuno,

perhaps it’s not surprising that “Laocoön and His Sons” made such a large impact.

tidak mengherankan kalau “Laocoön and His Sons” berdampak begitu besar.

But not even the real Laocoön could have predicted that his likeness

Bahkan Laocoön yang asli pun tidak bisa memprediksi bahwa potretnya

would become one of the most influential sculptures ever made.

akan menjadi salah satu patung paling berpengaruh yang pernah dibuat.