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Klytaimestra Have you made the pre-natal offerings to the goddess yet? Chorus He said your daughter is still alive, my lady! Klytaimestra Yes. I want to marry you, to take you to my home and to protect you. They will sail over to our home, to Argos and kill our children and the two of us as well! Dont suppose for one minute that Ill be asking them to treat you well. Achilles Alone? Rather, its the fact that you need a good woman one to fill your arms with and, in order to get her, youve lost your wits and your manners! I also feel ashamed Iturns towards the tent. 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. 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. Let me make it absolutely clear, my lady: I was there and I saw it with my own eyes! I cannot defy the goddess demands, my darling. It is for Hellas that I am forced to sacrifice you. Thus, like a significant number of Euripidean lyrics,' the third stasimon of the Iphigenia in Aulis stands out in contrast to the dramatic Oh, my girl! Klytaimestra Go ahead then, speak. - Taken from "Iphigenia in Aulis" written by Euripides Read more Previous page Print length 94 pages Language English Publication date February 10, 2022 Dimensions Oh, Achilles! Come, go into my tent now. This sword will have blood on it even before I leave for Troy! My death will bring about all this liberation and my good name will live into eternity. First Chorus Mortals vary in body as well as in mind but true virtue, which comes from a good upbringing and a good education, always stands out. Then seiz'd and sever'd me from those I lov'd, And wrench'd with iron grasp the beauteous bands. Hide browse bar Dance around the temple of the blessed goddess! The sparkling water of your ancestral streams is waiting for you! Hold on! It will be a long time before I return from Troy, a long time before I greet you again. Klytaimestra Was he picked by the army to do this or is this his own private doing? 9.1", "denarius"). First Chorus Atreas son, Menelaos, brought with him fromMycenae, the city built by the Cyclopes, one hundred ships and all the sailors to man them. Then the priest took hold of the sword and, after a few words of prayer, began searching the girls neck looking for the best place to strike. May it be with you always, for helping the unfortunate! 1171, I would be there, alone, Agamemnon, wailing, crying bitter tears, yelling, Darling Iphigeneia! And if only Zeus had not breathed his contrary wind upon Euripus, this wind that stopped this expedition from leaving for Troy! 821. As Iphigeneia approaches her, Agamemnon enters. Please dont do it! Is being a General the only thing in your head? Pensively, anxiously. What shall I do now? you asked me. Menelaos No! The young heifers that will be sacrificed and that will deliver their abundant dark blood to the goddess Artemis are ready. Tell me what is this secret thats worrying you so much. What is all this loud brawling in front of my tent? I accepted my fortune and youll admit that I have always been a good wife to you. Achilles He was elected, all right, but he didnt say no! The Greek warriors are waiting for you, anxious to start off for Troy! Iphigeneia Youre going off on a long journey daddy and youre living me behind! First Chorus This god, this god with the golden hair, lifts his bow and shoots two arrows of passion, one to bring us lifes greatest joy, the other to send us into a whirlwind of confusion. What did you say? You find my words strange but I find yours equally odd! Agamemnon Yes, my darling. Iphigeneia Artemis altar will be my grave. 773. The whole city ofAulisis quiet and the guard on the walls has yet to change. Chorus There, upon the citys towers and round about its high walls, the Trojan folk will stand when the warriors with their bronze shields bring their ships closer, over the rivers waters, after their long journey over the ocean. Agamemnon You? Iphigeneias scream of grief is suddenly heard from within the tent. Happy to be at your sisters wedding. Dont look at me for that, I cant give you one! I shall give it to her for the sake of Greece. Iphigeneia at Aulis. 990. Agamemnon Yes, dear because our separation will be a long one. He is barely visible. Then Agamemnon came to me and ordered me to come here and tell you what Fate the gods have granted to your daughter. Agamemnon Yes, I shall say nothing in my defence. Klytaimestra bursts into tears. Klytaimestra And is that where hell take our daughter? Should I exchange the good for bad? 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. Euripides - "Greek Dramas" (p251, 1900): Internet Archive Book Images, Translated by George Theodoridis Copyright 2007, all rights reserved - Bacchicstage. Our daughters marriage is my concern! My Pelasgia! Iphigenia in Aulis. You were still the man she loved. He and no one else! 1180. Come on, Orestes, even babies know when theres trouble around! And it was with this lie, about the girls mock-marriage, that I tried to persuade my wife to bring her here. 1150. Klytaimestra You have the impudence to ask me that? Your old father-in-law, Tyndareus, gave me to your wife, Klytaimestra, as part of her dowry, to be her loyal servant. We use cookies for essential site functions and for social media integration. But they cant, my darling daughter. Your father, my lord, Atreas, didnt bring you into this world so that you may taste only its pleasures, my lord. He, too, loves glory. The altar of Zeus daughter. 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. Of all of my children, you, Iphigeneia, have always loved your father the most! Iphigenia in Aulis has been added to your Cart . Spare me! We would be treating gods as fools if we thought that they would act kindly towards murderers. Menelaos If you dont let go of it I shall crack your skull open with this staff! Oh! Klytaimestra I know well that you are an old servant of my house. Agamemnon Asopus, the river god, had a daughter,Aegina. Menelaos And you should not be bringing so much trouble to the Greeks! And if I tried to run off toArgos, the whole lot of them will come over and destroy the place, raze the whole city to the ground, Cyclopean walls and all! This surely is nothing more than drivel spat out of the mouth of a mad old man! Old Man How can you say such a thing, my lord? Thats true, Ive changed and Ive changed because I love you, brother. Agamemnon By the gods! Old Man My lady, you know who I am and just how loyal Ive been to you and your children. He lifted his cloak up and dug his face deep into it, trying to hide the tears that flooded his eyes. 320. It is my name that he will be using as his sword to slaughter Iphigeneia and this awful man will disgrace my body if I let your daughter, who was about to marry me and who has suffered this insufferable fete die because of me. Its an unbearable, harsh dread. Klytaimestra turns away angrily and enters the tent. I am forced to do it! Weve been robbed! First Chorus We have left behind our land, Chalkis, a land washed by the salty waters of glorious Arethousa and weve travelled through the narrow straights of Euripus to come here, toAulis, to this sandy peninsula. Cassandra who shakes loose her golden hair beneath the green garland of laurel whenever the god grips her with his prophetic gasp. He was her lord. Under no circumstances should any of this work be used as part of a collage, which includes the work of other writers or translators. She goes over to her mother and takes baby Orestes in her arms. Old Man Your very reprimand shows the extent of my virtue! Mother, wholl come with me when theyll come and drag me by my hair? There, alongside of them, ran Achilles, Peleas son, in his full armour. These are things you should know nothing about! This last one, Helen, had received the most famous, the greatest sons of the whole ofHellasas her suitors ferocious threats of murder were uttered by those who had missed out on her. . Agamemnon Alone, darling. Why are you leaving? Klytaimestra What I should be doing as a mother- is to be the one who gives Iphigeneia, my daughter, away to her groom. Please lend me your arms, so that I may get down from the seat of this carriage modestly. Please, father! What was the point of bringing us up here for a marriage that. You were totally bewildered by the change of your luck! Menelaos Let go! IPHIGENIA Had I, my father, the persuasive voice Of Orpheus, and his skill to charm the rocks To follow me, and soothe whome'er I please With winning words, I would make trial of it; But I have nothing to present thee now Save tears, my only eloquence; and those I can present thee. We also let the horses loose to drink and to graze at a meadow nearby. Here, take it now and carry it over toArgos. Promise me, mummy! On my part, I wish you all happiness and may you return to the land of your fathers victorious. All this is his own doing. When Agamemnon tries to avoid sacrificing Iphigenia, Menelaus calls Agamemnon a traitor to both Greece and his own brother. I see a throng of men approaching. Klytaimestra Odysseus? Here! Iphigenia at Aulis Review I attended Iphigenia in Aulis at the Getty Villa on Thursday, September 21 at 8:00 PM. It is what a mother must do! 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? Old Man Dear Fortune, help my brain to save those I love. Save your child! Im not talking like this because Im missing out on this wedding. Chorus Agamemnon, son of Atreas, begin now your journey to Troy and may it be a happy one! 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. That will be very easy to accomplish. Whether I want to do so or not, I must obey Hellas. Agamemnon Here, at the harbour, near our beautiful Greek ships. Chorus What joyful news that messenger has brought you, my lady! Oh, goddess who lets her brilliant light roll along through the gloomy darkness of the night! Klytaimestra Why? Iphigeneia Shall we set up choruses around it, daddy? It makes the mother love her child most deeply and she will defend it with her life. Shell be his wife. Out of my senses! 751. Dent & Sons, 1920. Our daughter now lives among the gods. Helen, the sister of the Heaven-dwelling twins, the Dioscuri. I was beaten by all the noise. If the gods are just, then they should reward just men like you. A goddess, mother, the goddess Artemis has called for my body. July 4, 2022 . I will be led to a godless slaughter by a godless father! Achilles No, my lady, dont call your daughter out to see me. IPHIGENIA A T A ULIS presents many problems to the literary and textual critic.