Chorus With what joy the Muses pounded the earth with their gold-sandaled feet as they climbed the mountain side to get to the wedding! Klytaimestra turns away angrily and enters the tent. Klytaimestra What? Menelaos Useless when you need them and a curse when you dont. Now go inside, my good man and everything will happen according to the will of Fate. 1613. Old Man He tricked you about the marriage with Achilles, my lady, so that youd be willing to come here. Gather the baskets for the sacrifices, place wreaths on your head. Are you here to add to the mountain of dread I have to endure already? Klytaimestra Go ahead then, speak. Them and their pine sterns and their shiny bronze prows! She has flown away to the Heavens! Old man, come out here! No man is blessed or happy for ever. Agamemnon I wish I could, my child! Old Man No, madam! Let her keep her dignity intact. Chorus Let Agamemnons name live for ever in glory! Both you and I, whether we want to or not, must help Hellas stand free Hellas men cannot have their wives stolen from their beds. 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. Old Man You have dared to do a most frightening thing, my lord, Agamemnon! Old Man And you know, too that I was part of your dowry when you married King Agamemnon. In fact, had he asked me for my permission to use my name for this, I would have given it. 27. He gains control of the scroll. 150. Old Man Psssst! Orpheus, who could charm even the heartless rocks into following him! Attic tragedies were performed in Athens about the 5th century BC. Listen! Stay! What do you think I and the rest of your family will feel towards you? What demon has taken possession of his mind? No one in the world can deny that the act of saving a child is a blessed act. Theyve all rushed over there to see her. She runs her hand over his chin, over his right hand. Messenger No, my lady! We would be treating gods as fools if we thought that they would act kindly towards murderers. Help us, Achilles! Should I exchange the good for bad? Iphigenia in Aulis or Iphigenia at Aulis (Ancient Greek: , romanized: phigneia en Auldi; variously translated, including the Latin Iphigenia in Aulide) is the last of the extant works by the playwright Euripides. He, too, loves glory. Klytaimestra What would you like me to do? "Iphigenia at Aulis" (Gr: "Iphigeneia en Aulidi") is the last extant tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. But why girl? Why do I not call her a woman? Will she not be made Hades bride soon? Iphigeneia at Aulis (Greek Tragedy in New Translations) Has the carriage lulled you to sleep? iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me2825 airview blvd kalamazoo, mi 49002. Moderate. Menelaos Let go! Iphigenia begs her father not to kill her. First Chorus And fast-footed Achilles, too, whose feet fly faster than the wind. Ah! Old Man To stop you By then he had come back to his senses. I want no one to lose tears over my grave. IPHIGENIA Had I, my father, the persuasive voice Of Orpheus, and his skill to charm the rocks First Chorus Words that will not shame your ancestors. Klytaimestra goes into the tent. changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Now the strength rests with Irreverence and Virtue is now scorned by the mortals. That is, if my brain doesnt falter and make my tongue trip over its words! Its not my fault she left you for another man, so why should I pay for your mistakes? Horses can panic if theres no one to soothe them. Did they not side with you? The Internet Classics Archive | Iphigenia At Aulis by Euripides I was given as a gift to her father, Tyndareus. Klytaimestra She stretches her right hand 830. Agamemnon Thank you, friend. If he doesn't go through with the sacrifice, the army will rise up, sacrifice her, and kill their entire family. Indicating the skyLook up there! Rather, I have an amazing story to tell you about your daughter. Iphigenia in Aulis Character Analysis | Course Hero Agamemnon What you must do is not leave your other daughters alone, back at the house. All of you! Iphigenia decides to sacrifice her life for the glory of Greece. Here is the body that your wife has given birth to. We will soon reveal Agamemnons sacrilegious schemes against his very own children! Achilles I do, my lady and I can see its a horrible thing for you to endure. [1340] Open the tent-door to me, servants, that I may hide myself Clytemnestra Why seek to escape, my child? Klytaimestra Unfortunate, Achilles, yes, that is true! Here I am. Tears that come about from making our daughter a bride to Achilles. What shall I do now? you asked me. Klytaimestra The whole army? Chorus Listen to her, Agamemnon! Then he placed a garland upon the girls head and sprinkled holy water on her hair. 70. Then thats the end, my sweetheart! Come, then, Lord Agamemnon, make a start on the celebrations. Remember, father? An introduction to a classic play. Calchas. A dreadful sickness! See that there are no wheel marks on the road. She takes the baby Orestes from Iphigeneias hands. AGAMEMNON Old man, come hither and stand before my dwelling. Are you still sleeping my baby? Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. 730. Im shaking with fear. If any barbarian dared to bring his ships against these hed never see his home again. Klytaimestra bursts into tears. Klytaimestra Yes! Oh, what a joy it is to see you, Iphigeneia! Iphigeneia at Aulis Flashcards | Quizlet Menelaos How else, then, can you, Agamemnon, prove that we are brothers? What will you ask the gods to grant you as your knife cuts through your daughters throat? 80. Ill now stand by you and so I advise you not to kill your daughter or put my own interests before yours. Current location in this text. Spare me! Achilles They jeered at me! Iphigenia's father is Agamemnon and his brother is King Menelaus. Now, Ill tell you everything Ive written in this folded scroll because you are a true and loyal servant to my house and to my wife. Tell us whats wrong! 583. What does your Iphigeneia have to do with my Helen? First Chorus We have come to watch the army of the divine Greeks and their thousand ships. Tyndareus, her father was in a dreadful dilemma: should he allow her daughter to marry or not? Download Pleiades ancient places geospacial dataset for this text. Klytaimestra What? Klytaimestra Whats wrong? Iphigeneia Are you sending me to live with another family, daddy? Klytaimestra But youre saying that I can not mourn your death, my darling! i. Trans. Klytaimestra But Achilles, think again! Iphigeneia Make your worries go away, daddy. Menelaos And what would that be? Pleasure, my old friend, is a dubious thing, an unstable thing; and as for all the trappings of office, all the power that goes with it, sure they might look sweet from the distance but once you get them, they become unbearable pains! Dent & Sons, 1920. First Chorus It is wise to be modest because modesty gives you the rare gift of circumspection, the ability to judge what is right, what is your duty; an ability that will give you respect and will remain with you for ever. Believe me, I wont be exaggerating. Please dont do it! PDF STUDY GUIDE - Court Theatre Klytaimestra And the feast for us women? Chorus They tell me that Cassandra, Apollos priestess is there. They hate me the most! 490. 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. A member of the chorus rushes into the tent. I accepted my fortune and youll admit that I have always been a good wife to you. You know very well how humble you were during the days you wanted to be the leader of the Trojan expedition. And you, foreign ladies, say nothing about this. Weve been robbed! A nanny is holding the baby Orestes in her arms. Klytaimestra Really? I do not envy those in authority." Context:: This line comes near the very beginning of the play. What about your own soldiers, Achilles, what about your Myrmidons? Your own father has slaughtered you with his own hand! Would you like her to plead at your knees? A kiss to remember you by in the underworld, since my words have not convinced you. I ask only for a modest share of Aphrodites love; let it be not excessive! The Watchman, whose . Husband, I know the prospective grooms name but I know little about his family or his country. 402. As for the other sort, the bad ones, they are everywhere! She is a loving mother, and when her husband orders to kill their daughter, she bears a deep grudge against hi, and vows to take vengeance . Its a natural thing for men with decent hearts to do the decent thing. Your own baby! Chorus And to the feast of the gods and to Bacchus wine-mixing bowl came, too, with spears of fir and with wreaths of green leaves, the troupe of horse-mounted centaurs. Family and Duty Theme in Iphigenia at Aulis | LitCharts Come on, wont you beg your father not to kill your big sister? Klytaimestra The whole of the Greek army? Tell me Agamemnon! Now, you must take with you our newborn son from here and go back home. Agamemnon And dont waste any time hanging about some watering hole in the woods and dont fall victim to the magic of sleep! I have left Pharsalia and Peleas, my father, to come here. Poor, poor girl! George Bell and Sons. Here comes the king himself, my lady. Old Man A slave. Go, now! 1020. Make sure this golden hair god stays far away from my bed chamber! Open navigation menu. 280. 86 Boston MFA 6.67. First Chorus Joy will come to those who share their marriage bed with the calm of Aphrodites love and not with the frenzy of Eros stinging arrows! Klytaimestra And kept his promise by bringing her here, to you, all the way from Argos! Chorus Friends, let us sing our prayer to Artemis! We must do what we must do, to please the gods. Iphigeneia Youve been so long here in the harbours ofAulis! The only voice I have, father, my only skill, is in my tears and, here, father, Im giving them to you! He kept pace with the rail and with the wheels of the chariot. No tomb, no tombstone! 785, Chorus Do you hear them, Helen? Come, my darling daughter, come, Iphigeneia, come and stand near me. They first worked. We are in front of Agamemnons lavish tent which has two entrances, one of which is the larger and used only by Agamemnon and his family. After a while, Calchas, our prophet, came up to us and suggested much to our dismay- that we should sacrifice my own daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess Artemis, whose shrine is in these parts! The first one to call you father, the first one you called daughter. Come! What a disgraceful behaviour! Old Man That? She has accepted this offering gladly and has granted us a safe journey for our expedition against Troy. Agamemnon I, with all the Greeks as witnesses shall give Iphigeneia away. IPHIGENIA IN AULIS - Monologue (Iphigenia) - Mighty Actor Menelaos Why is that? Agamemnon So you broke its seal and read its contents? I shall serve Greece! Iphigenia I am ashamed to face Achilles. The Plot of Iphigeneia at Aulis - The Randolph College Greek Play Its obvious that theres no escaping my death; so now, I want to die nobly. The goddess son. Agamemnon, her father will sacrifice her to the goddess Artemis. Iphigenia - Greek Mythology Link Very difficult. 303. Have no fear, the pain will soften with custom and with the passage of time. 919. I see a throng of men approaching. Agamemnon Yes. Chorus Let Agamemnons spear see victory! Old Man Dying for my master will be a glorious thing. Help us for that reason and help us, too, because if my daughter is killed on the altar that would be a bad omen for your future marital prospects, an omen you should try and avoid. First Chorus Theyre off to bring back Helen, Menelaos wife, whom Paris, the Trojan cowherd, abducted from her home inSparta, a city built by the reed-covered banks of the river, Eurotas. The whole Greek army, Klytaimestra, thats who! My Pelasgia! Helen fell in love with him and he fell in love with Helen. Perhaps were both being deceived. Then you scratch away the seal and then you throw its pine frame onto the ground and then you begin to cry profusely! Agamemnon Make sure you dont break the seal of the scroll! Run! I was a very good house keeper for you. Someone has exposed my plans! Give you my right hand? Agamemnon That will be his decision. Klytaimestra But who on earth would dare touch you, Achilles? With blessings or with force? First Chorus Different words now but better. Menelaos Brother, give me your right arm! Amazon.com: Iphigenia in Aulis: 9781534322158: Euripides, Einhorn 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. We are a free people, whereas they are slaves. Chorus Joyous notes were sung to the glory of Peleas, son of Aeacus and Thetis, there, upon Mount Pelion, the woody realm of the Centaurs. Enter a Perseus citation to go to another section or work. But wholl carry the bridal torch? Klytaimestra Peers into the distance anxiously for a moment but is finally relieved. Enter Menelaos and the OldMan. The name of Tyndareus stands high among the Greeks and one shouldnt demean it. Obedient child. You, Paris, you son of Priam! I want to marry you, to take you to my home and to protect you. Not unless I obey the priests demand, not unless I sacrifice you. Happy noises of incoming royal procession, including horses and chariot are heard within, Stage Left. Thats where all the gods held the wedding feast. Klytaimestra Listen then and listen to me well! Agamemnon Nods, then looks around him. You, too, my lord are a mortal and, whether you like it or not, this is how the gods want it: mortals must taste the good along with the bad. I, the destroyer of Priams city and its people! An unrelenting curse. Darling, darling little brother! In early youth, when first my soul, in love, Held father, mother, brethren fondly twin'd, A group of tender germs, in union sweet, We sprang in beauty from the parent stem, And heavenward grew. Menelaos No, they can do nothing if you secretly send her back toArgos. She is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra . Can you see what the goddess has placed upon her altar? You were only too glad to take up that offer! Iphigenia hoped for but now lacks, and which the chorus explicitly offers as a measure of Iphigenia's cruel fate: she should not be a sacrificial animal but a bride for kings (1085 ff.). Written between 408, after Orestes, and 406 BC, the year of Euripides' death, the play was first produced the following year in a trilogy . The future of our Greek women rests upon my actions. Exit Achilles. Iphigenia at Aulis | The Mercurian Do not send our daughter here, inAulis, the place whose harbours are well protected from the harsh seas and which juts out towardsColchis. Awful! Achilles I told them that if thats what they thought, then they should not kill my intended wife. She had vanished, my lady! What destruction! There are times when the gods shun you, reject you, thwart your every effort and there are times, too, when the whining and the moaning of your men crush you! Klytaimestra But why didnt you deliver that message to me, if it was in your hand? Iphigeneia Well then, get rid of this ugly frown from the face that I love so much! Son of the Nereid, you are marrying my daughter. NI 1886. 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. It was a lie. Menelaos I swear, Agamemnon, by our father, Atreas and by our grandfather Pelops that I will tell you the truth plainly and clearly, just as I feel it in my heart and as I know it in my mind. Why all this violence? iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me Where shall I begin? 700. You are the cause of this miserable conflict between the sons of Atreas and their children! 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. Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis, line 1374 - Perseus Project Lift your head up for me, darling, smile for me. How can you prove that you and I have the same father? It is Hellas I must obey, darling, not Menelaos. Klytaimestra Im not surprised you dont recognise me. I am going to go and speak with your husband. I would have given it if the Greeks couldnt get to Troy without my doing so. I I am shocked, my lady! PDF Iphigenia in Aulis - Labyrinth Old Man You should not have opened this letter! If this works out well, then the result will be good for you and your family without my getting mixed up in the affair. Come on, Orestes, even babies know when theres trouble around! As the play opens, Iphigenia introduces herself. How can I insult all those countless brave warriors and their shields, all those myriads of men, clasping hard at the oars men with courage enough to attack our enemy and die for our country, to clear her name? Holy Spirit of mine! Figure 2.2: Black-figure lekythos showing Iphigenia 89 led to the altar, c. 470 BCE. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me Go! Chorus Enjoy now the sacrifice of blood and then help the Greek army launch its expedition to the land of the Phrygians, Troy the treacherous! You have betrayed your own brother! Her unexpected arrival has added to my ruin. It is, in fact, at that time when his friends should be able to rely on him because it is at that time, the time when things are going well with him, that he can help them the most. 1121. 1580. Iphigeneia Come, now, mother, dont make me lose heart! Old Man How can you say such a thing, my lord? Let our friends here see how happy you make me. I envy the man who knows no fame; and I dont envy the man whose life is heavy with the trappings of office. And may my father work well his right hand upon me at the altar! How could I? He goes to the tent and shouts through its door. 773. Gone are the harsh words, suddenly! With his own sword, madam he will make bloody the young girls white neck bloody it with her own blood! Iphigenia at Aulis Cast of Characters: Calchas, an augur Agamemnon, King of Argos Attendant, an old man Menelaus, brother to Agamemnon Clytemnestra, wife of Agamemnon Iphigenia, daughter to Clytemnestra and Agamemnon Achilles, a warrior Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt Messenger Chorus of Women of Chalcis Attendants to Clytemnestra Forget your old age and run! When is the wedding? Achilles No, Iphigeneia! Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 390). 1040. There is a small oil lamp on the table as well as various writing implements. Returned soldiers emerge as protagonists in Pierre-Michel Tremblay's Au Champ de Mars, Hannah Moscovitch's This Is War, and George F. Walker's Dead Metaphor while Evan Webber and Frank Cox-O'Connell Little Iliad deals with a soldier about to be dispatched to Afghanistan. Klytaimestra Thats where they say the centaurs live. Menelaos Yes, you may well suffer now because I did break your seal and yes, I do know the secret trickery you were concocting! Volume II. Just before Iphigenia in Aulis begins . Details. I told her to bring our daughter here so that she may marry Achilles. Im leaving for another world! These ships, too, were adorned with emblems at their high sterns, this time of Cadmus, holding a golden serpent in his hands. Some of you stand by at the front of the horses to quieten them. 821. Paristook it and carried her off back to his own home, in Ida, a place where the cows graze in luxurious pastures. The Iphigenia at Aulis Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. That would be bad for both of us. Agamemnon Here, Menelaos. They will sail over to our home, to Argos and kill our children and the two of us as well! But listen to me, Iphigeneia. She will be saved if you will it. An XML version of this text is available for download, The Old Man fearfully pokes his head through the flaps of the tent. Clytemnestra It is the goddess' son you see, child, for whom you came here. Daddy, do you want to kill me? Agamemmnon's fleet is stranded by bad weather in the bay of Aulis and his troops are growing mutinous. Chorus Awesome is the power of giving birth! Me, Leda's daughter, hapless dame, First blooming offspring of her bed. You write down some words, then you scratch them out and write other words in their place. How I cry for you! The whole of Greece is gathered here and they all want one thing: to go to the famous city of Troy and tear down her towers. What would be the best action for him to take? Old Man Yes, my lady. This is a dreadful thing for me to do but it is just as dreadful not to do it. It is our custom to bury sacrificial offerings. Old Man I I dont approve of words like these coming out of the mouths of leaders. Klytaimestra Ive come out here looking for my husband. Agamemnon Asopus, the river god, had a daughter,Aegina. Come, son of the goddess, lend us a hand, help us, or else we are doomed! If I could use such a voice and have everyone charmed, have them convinced to agree with me and follow me, then I would use that voice. Iphigeneia Then I shall be stupid and make you laugh! Iphigeneia Father! Achilles You must grab her and not let go of her. Please dont get angry with me. Enter from Stage Left Klytaimestra and Iphigeneia, accompanied by an entourage of men and women, some of whom are carrying gifts into Agamemnons tent. The play . I hate such relationships; they bring bitter pain to all. Iphigenia was sacrificed in the Boeotian harbor of Aulis, opposite the island of Euboea, or as others say, was saved at the last moment by Artemis, who substituted for her a deer or a bull at the altar, and transported her to Tauris where she later, having met his brother Orestes 2, was brought by him back home. Klytaimestra What shall I do for you in Argos? Shell be his wife. What does the army want? I could not. Klytaimestra No, what hes done to you will cost him a great deal of trouble! Give me your hand, my dear child. Come, folks come and take down from the carriage the wedding gifts Ive brought and carefully carry them into the tent. Chorus What a delightful wedding song was sung while the Lybian flute played on the day that Thetis and Peleas married! Agamemnon And now its my turn to criticise you but, no, I wont do so in some arrogant, contemptuous way, with my eyes looking down on you but I shall do so in a conciliatory, brotherly way. Clytemnestra But why? 65. Whats going on? some of them ask. People will talk about how Ive saved Greece. Listen, mother; hear what thoughts have passed across my mind. MENELAOS (Agamemnons brother, King ofSparta), IPHIGENIA (Daughter of Agamemnon and Klytaimestra), ACHILLES (Chief of the Myrmidons, an army), SECOND CHORUS (Men and women ofArgos, attendants to Klytaimestra and Iphigeneia). The Aenians brought twelve ships, captained by their king, Gouneus; and beside them were moored the lords ofEliswhom everyone called Epeians. Poor, poor child! Iphigeneia Separation? Klytaimestra! Exit Achilles. One goddess, Aphrodite, was proud of her insatiable love. Shelley Dean Milman. A Monologue from the play Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides - Actorama Well, Helen, unfortunately, old man, chose Menelaos! Here are the two of us, ones a baby, the other a grown up girl, a brother and a sister, both your children, begging you, by your beard, pleading with you. The lustral water, the barley, everything is ready for the holy flame. 1080. Intelligence, brother, can turn any man into a head of State. There is no point. It is unjust that you should be mourning while Im living a life full of joy. Let me make it absolutely clear, my lady: I was there and I saw it with my own eyes! If you cannot persuade him then come back to me. Ha! Are these amazing words the words of a delirious woman? Listen to me! Your current position in the text is marked in blue. Up there is my final argument. See this letter, this contemptible letter with the contemptible message inside it? First Chorus What an awful thing it is for brothers whose views differ to come to insults! 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 Calchas will reveal his oracles to the men. Menelaos First, look at me in the eye and then Ill tell you! Happy to be at your sisters wedding. Among these the problem of the prologue is as clear-cut as it is controversial.2 It may be summarized as follows: (I) Our text opens abruptly with an anapaestic dialogue between Agamem-non and the Retainer (1-48), instead of the usual monologue in trimeters. You will be doing so to a man whos loyal and faithful to you. 1270. Full search Klytaimestra Thats not what the laws of the custom say. That way, not only will I not lose a friend but the army will also not be angry with me when it sees that Ive used my brains rather than my brawn.