Klytaimestra Stop your shouting. You groan but you say nothing. To let this man succeed in this deed, to let him use my name as his bloody sword, would be to make me the worst of all the Greeks a worthless man, one more cowardly than Menelaos, as if I were not the son of Peleas but that of some evil demon. Then, without anyone forcing you, totally of your accord and dont claim it wasnt- you had sent a letter to your wife to bring Iphigenia here, in the pretence that shed be marrying Achilles. Agamemnon The words I have written here, old man, are these: 119, Ledas daughter, Klytaimestra, Im sending you a second letter to replace the first. Go inside now! They say that Zeus had transformed himself into a bird and then slept with your mother. Agamemnon Yes, so you see what sort of a man your future son-in-law is! With him also was his close friend, Adrastus, their commander, ready to exact vengeance forHellas sake, against the woman who fled her husbands halls so as to marry a barbarian. 620. 1200. Its not Menelaos whos in control here, Iphigeneia. You, too, Menelaos, get everything ready for this joyous occasion and lets hear the flutes sing and the dancers pound the earth with their feet. Rather, I have an amazing story to tell you about your daughter. Ah, but the common folk have it easy. The one in control here is Hellas. The sacrifice of Iphigenia would be covered by Euripides in 'Iphigenia at Aulis' and in this version Agamemnon has second thoughts. I was beaten by all the noise. Agamemnon shall never lay a finger on your daughter not even to touch her robes! I will never permit your husband to perform such treacherous deeds! So now, go on, take them all, take all these lunatics, all these soldiers and lead them on to the expedition. 240, First Chorus Their emblem was the goddess, Palas Athena, standing on a chariot pulled by winged horses, an emblem that pleased and encouraged the sailors. First Chorus Come, children of Chalkis, let us go and give the Argive Queen our gentle and firm hand to help her step down safely from her carriage and let us look welcoming towards Agamemnons glorious daughter lest she be afraid of having arrived here at this place and at this time; and let us also make sure that the Argive women feel no distress or concern for being strangers in a strange place. First Chorus Different words now but better. 330. They want me to. I dont have to do anything he says and I didnt. How. He managed to film a Greek tragedy to screen without losing its effectiveness and importance. Old Man That womans there. The play is co-produced by the Court Theatre of Chicago, directed by Charles Newell, and translated by Nicholas Rudall. November 1, 2021 . You are the cause of it! Iphigenia has arrived in Aulis, and soon the army will be demanding her death. I was the first to play on your knees, the first one of your children to enjoy your love and the first one to give you a childs love. Klytaimestra The whole army? Forget your old age and run! Old Man He tricked you about the marriage with Achilles, my lady, so that youd be willing to come here. 762. That would be bad for both of us. ("Agamemnon", "Hom. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Me, father! Id rather live a life full of misery than die a heros death! 220, First Chorus I came to take a look at the great number of ships, a sight most pleasant and most able to satisfy my girlish eyes. Protect us in our terrible misfortune. Cheiron, the centaur did, so that the child might be brought up not knowing the behaviour of evil men. Agamemnon Yes, I shall say nothing in my defence. He, madam, hes the cause of all your torment, madam. Your wit is truly far greater than mine. Helen, the sister of the Heaven-dwelling twins, the Dioscuri. And thats why the whole ofGreecerose up in arms with great fervour. Here, friends, take this baby to his father, Agamemnon. Give you my right hand? 1150. This is the letter which you saw me writing in the dark, opening it and shutting it, labouring over it. Mother, wholl come with me when theyll come and drag me by my hair? Chorus He said your daughter is still alive, my lady! Listen, mother; hear what thoughts have passed across my mind. She is in there, crying and falling from one abyss of misery into another. Then you scratch away the seal and then you throw its pine frame onto the ground and then you begin to cry profusely! . Everyone called Idean because of the Trojan city Idean. If youre wise youll heed them; if not then, have no fear, I know how to settle my own affairs well. Klytaimestra Dear Achilles! Women, help her. How can I insult them all -insult their efforts, by trying to save myself I, one, single life? Agamemnon Yes, dear because our separation will be a long one. Klytaimestra goes into the tent. But now? Argue with others about that. Tell me the reason you will give no let me speak on your behalf, because I know what you will say. 1110. Klytaimestra Good idea. Achilles They were the worst of them all! You say youre happy to see me but your face looks worried! Only fools would pray to go down there. 0 rating. Well, you pretended you didnt want the job but you did. Be thankful to her because it is she who was looking after you and brought about all this for you, because, the truth is, neither you nor all of your power had anything to do with it. Why are you leaving? No! Iphigeneia But there is no loss, mummy! Open Document. 420, The soldiers talk and they ask questions. Achilles I do, my lady and I can see its a horrible thing for you to endure. I shall be accompanying our girl with the wedding song. Someone has exposed my plans! Second Chorus They are the offspring of a great and most fortunate family. Its true, my lady that there are times when it is more pleasant to avoid excessive wisdom and there are times when wisdom is helpful but I, madam, I was raised in the house of Chiron, a centaur who respected the simple ways, the honest ways. The looks your face took up at that suggestion! Agamemnon Achilles is acting in name only and not in deed. Menelaos Leave! Every one of them is just as unbearable! Mother, no! Agamemnon Little girls should not be bothered with such things. Give me a big hug! They first worked. Klytaimestra But who on earth would dare touch you, Achilles? And help me, too. Achilles I know, I have a bloated pride, madam but I can assure you, I feel the pain of misfortune and the joy of success with a wise temper, a moderate temper; because I also know that those with a moderate temper lead a wiser life. Give me your hand, my dear child. I cannot defy the goddess demands, my darling. 990. Look! The Plays of Euripides, translated by E. P. Coleridge. Euripides. Now let go of my letter! 389. It is for Hellas that I am forced to sacrifice you. Iphigeneia Separation? And then I also realised that were brothers and my heart went out for the poor girl who would be sacrificed for the sake of my own marriage. Klytaimestra And the feast for us women? First Chorus Our husbands told us they are all gathered here, under the helm of Agamemnon and his fair haired brother, Menelaos, noblemen both, preparing to launch an expedition againstTroy. How I wish this herdsman, this boy who was brought up to care for cows, had never lived! I offer my neck quietly and with no fear for the knife. 1550, Thats what she said and every man there was amazed at the bravery and the virtue of the young girl. After all, what is it exactly that I want? Ah! Chorus What a delightful wedding song was sung while the Lybian flute played on the day that Thetis and Peleas married! You both know the size of the army gathered here. Chorus That is, if what they say about you being Ledas daughter is true. He, too, loves glory. What star could that be, that one, gliding across the sky up there? Old Man Yes, dear lady! 530. Agamemnon There! 919. Summary of Iphigenia in Aulis Prologue The play opens with a prologue which starts with a dubitable, suspiciously non-Euripidean discussion between Agamemnon and a loyal Servant of his, in which the commander of the Greeks under Troy expresses second thoughts over the content of a previously sent letter to his wife Clytemnestra. You will kill the one whos loved by all so as to save the one whos hated by all! Why should you be the only one to offer our child as a victim to the altar? My sacrifice will bring about a victory for the Greeks and secure their safety. There, my lady, there, upon the ground, lay a large animal, a beautiful stag, letting out its last breaths. You might still change your mind. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me2825 airview blvd kalamazoo, mi 49002. What a wonderful excuse! Close suggestions Search Search Well then, tell me: what will your prayer, your plea to the gods be? But why girl? Why do I not call her a woman? Will she not be made Hades bride soon? Klytaimestra Peers into the distance anxiously for a moment but is finally relieved. Klytaimestra What? Download Pleiades ancient places geospacial dataset for this text. For such a young girl you are so intelligent! Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides 4,589 ratings, 4.04 average rating, 210 reviews Open Preview Iphigenia in Aulis Quotes Showing 1-25 of 25 "He loves power. 320. Calchas gave you the answer and you jumped with joy when he told you that the Greeks would be able to sail forTroyonly after you had sacrificed your daughter to Artemis. It all starts at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (Achilles' parents) Thetis is divine, so they invite all the gods and goddesses, except Strife. Thank you, my sweet daughter! Stay here with us, with all your children! The whole army and both the sons of Atreas stood there in silence, their eyes downcast. 280. Iphigeneia Well then, get rid of this ugly frown from the face that I love so much! Gods forbid that I should choose to lose a brother to win a Helen! Chorus There they will arrive with their war-whetted spears and shields to wrest Helen from Priams city and bring her back toGreece. Are these amazing words the words of a delirious woman? First Chorus There you were, Paris: a man brought up to be a cowherd, looking after the grazing, white cows of Ida with their heavy udders, playing Asian tunes in your reedy pipes, airs much like those Trojan songs from Mount Olympus when, suddenly, you had to judge between three goddesses; and it was this judging that has sent you to Helens ivory palace in Hellas. How could I, a mortal, go against that? Will he not get furious with you and with your wife if you deprive him of his bride? Please, father! Awful! If this works out well, then the result will be good for you and your family without my getting mixed up in the affair. 1560. You havent given birth to me simply for your own sake! Please lend me your arms, so that I may get down from the seat of this carriage modestly. Agamemnon Calchas will reveal his oracles to the men. Then you seal the letter. Is this true or is it yet another one of these tales conjured up by the poets and then spread idly about the world through the ages? See that there are no wheel marks on the road. 231. IPHIGENIA IN AULIS Essay Summary A monologue from the play by Euripides NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Plays of Euripides in English, vol. After you have gone gone away on your expedition and you have left me here, alone in the house -and alone for a long time, our darling daughters chair empty her bedroom empty -what sort of heart do you think will be beating in my breast? Old Man That? Achilles Yes, madam and I too, am furious at your husband. I shall go to the priest. Because the workings of your mind always have been, are now and always will be, deceitful. Ah, there he is! Achilles I told them that if thats what they thought, then they should not kill my intended wife. Let our friends here see how happy you make me. Klytaimestra What was the second message? Another, Pallas, was proud of her war spear and the third, Hera, proud of the fact that she shared her bed with Lord Zeus. Iphigeneia I am ashamed because my marriage has turned out to be such a dismal failure. On the stern of his ships was an emblem portraying the riverAlpheus, his neighbour, who, on that emblem was given four feet and made to look like a bull. The play provides some backstory to the more well-known classical tales of the Trojan War. Klytaimestra What shall I tell your little sisters? Tell me what plan I should adopt! Iphigeneia is crying. Agamemnon And when you come across some fork in the road, check it carefully. She gives up the most precious gift she can: her life. So angry were my twin brothers, the Dioscuri, that they came charging down from Zeus side on their glistening horses to fight you but you went begging to my old father, Tyndareus and he, not only saved you but made me your wife! She takes the baby Orestes from Iphigeneias hands. My lady your daughter her father he is about to kill her! Chorus That is the city of Perseus, youre calling to! Pleas or no pleas the result will be the same with me because I have only one thing in mind, now: to save you both from this disaster! Good bye. When Agamemnon tries to avoid sacrificing Iphigenia, Menelaus calls Agamemnon a traitor to both Greece and his own brother. Its an unbearable, harsh dread. You can see it! Klytaimestra Ahhh! By my grand-father, my mothers father, Nereus, who was nurtured by the ocean waves! Tell me what it is you want, now. Gone are the harsh words, suddenly! It was written sometime between 408 and 406 BCE (the date of his death) and was first produced in the year following his death, where it won first place at the Athenian City Dionysia contest. Those worthy of praise find it a hateful thing when they are praised too profusely. The single men have left their houses empty and uncared for and the married ones have left their wives and children behind. Ultimately, Euripides uses Iphigenia at Aulis to argue that the ancient Greek impulse to revere one's lineage or parentage while effectively ignoring the duty one has to one's living, breathing family is one which creates sadness, discord, anger, and even the impulse for revenge. 303. Agamemnon, her father will sacrifice her to the goddess Artemis. Believe me, I wont be exaggerating. Let that act be what Ill be remembered by. Difficult. Let someone go and prepare the sacrificial basket and may the blessed fire burn high with the purifying barley. The fleet of the war-loving Taphians, with its foaming oars, was commanded by their king, Phyleus son, Meges who had left the Echinae, islands that are far too unwelcoming for sailors. Achilles I did but theyre shouting at me, too! It is the wish of the Heavens. Soon youll wake up a happy young man, my son. Agamemnon You, too, Iphigeneia, you also have a journey to make. Klytaimestra Listen then and listen to me well! And thats when shell discover my treachery! Agamemnon Look at you? Not unless I obey the priests demand, not unless I sacrifice you. And, no, I will not murder my children and certainly wont do it so that you can wrongfully enjoy some sort of vengeance exacted from a disgraceful wife, while I waste away in tears day and night because I had committed such a godless crime against them, against my own flesh and blood. Next to him was Nireas, first among the Greeks in beauty. My life, mummy, my life has been saved! Chorus Listen to her, Agamemnon! Old Man But, surely, my lord, surely it is there, in the trappings of office and power, that we find pleasure! Our daughters marriage is my concern! The circumstances are too dire now for modesty and for polite coyness! Ah! First Chorus Once there, a maddened gaze of love from each of you had sent you both into Eros confusion and sent Greece to Troy with strife-searching ships and spears. I take your kind welcome and gracious words as signs of a good omen. What shall I do now? you asked me. It was your name, Achilles that has brought us to this misfortune, so protect it now. Aided and abetted by the gods! Up there is my final argument. Son of the Nereid, you are marrying my daughter. How I cry for you! Prepare my sacrifice. You, grandchild of Aeacus you, too Ledas daughter, stay! The more I hold you in my arms the more the tears rush to my eyes. He lifted his cloak up and dug his face deep into it, trying to hide the tears that flooded his eyes. And I beg you also for my mothers sake, the woman who laboured to bring me to life, the woman who is being tortured even now. Klytaimestra Hes an evil man, my husband. First Chorus The left flank of the Greek armada ended with the twelve trim and fast ships, led byAjaxwhose birthplace isSalamis. Here is the body that your wife has given birth to. Agamemnon What you must do is not leave your other daughters alone, back at the house. I am too ashamed to tell you this pitiful story of mine. Most treacherously wronged by your closest friends.