Accept the pure blood from this girls lovely neck! And you, you will carry the honour of my deed wherever you go! I shall speak clearly for you. I see a throng of men approaching. Euripides (c.480-c.406 BC) - Iphigenia In Aulis: Translated by George Its not my fault she left you for another man, so why should I pay for your mistakes? Iphigeneia rushes and embraces Agamemnon. Run! The name of Tyndareus stands high among the Greeks and one shouldnt demean it. Iphigeneia Youve been so long here in the harbours ofAulis! His baby sounds will make no sense but theyll be full of meaning. And then am I mad if I had changed my mind about something which I later realised I was wrong? And Helen, Zeus daughter, will shed bitter tears, too, for betraying her husband. Iphigenia at Aulis Review I attended Iphigenia in Aulis at the Getty Villa on Thursday, September 21 at 8:00 PM. It has burdened me with lack of sleep and with overactive eyes. 1000. Well! No, there are hundreds of women who want my wedding bed! The goddess would much rather have this animal offered to her than the girl so that her altar would not be defiled by shedding the blood of a human. Achilles Whos that? She will be saved if you will it. Obedient child. 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. I am forced to do it! His wifes doing, so, let him kill his wifes daughter. No tomb, no tombstone! Finally, he picks up the scroll and gets up and moves away from the table. See this letter, this contemptible letter with the contemptible message inside it? Ive changed, youll say! I would have given it for the sake of my fellow soldiers. Go! Klytaimestra Is it your wish to kill our child? PDF Cite Share. The trilogy won first prize at the City Dionysia at Athens. Id only be speaking lies and Id be adding disgrace to my miserable Fate! 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. Im not talking like this because Im missing out on this wedding. I shall do as you say. Agamemnon Here, at the harbour, near our beautiful Greek ships. Godless! Klytaimestra May joy be with you for ever, Achilles. 110. Click anywhere in the I, the destroyer of Priams city and its people! I would have given it to serve the greater good of our soldiers. Rather, I have an amazing story to tell you about your daughter. Klytaimestra What? Daddy, do you want to kill me? Klytaimestra Our other daughters are looked after well and they are safe in their quarters. Chorus Then the Greeks shall tie a garland around your fair hair and stain your human throat with your own blood. If you really want to do something againstTroythen do it, or else just take us all back home. To Dardanos house, in Troy, to bring back Menelaos wife, Helen. Agamemnon Sisyphus son, Odysseus, knows our whole story. Chorus Gods laws are ruled by lawlessness and mortals dont unite to stand against the wrath of Heaven. 70. And thats why the whole ofGreecerose up in arms with great fervour. And Im very pleased to see you, too! Indeed no! Now the strength rests with Irreverence and Virtue is now scorned by the mortals. Youve forgotten them and so, now, you want to kill me. Not mine, thats for sure. Accept this sacrifice which we, the Greek army and Agamemnon, offer to you! Figure 2.2: Black-figure lekythos showing Iphigenia 89 led to the altar, c. 470 BCE. What shocking news of disaster is this? Shelley Dean Milman. Helen, the sister of the Heaven-dwelling twins, the Dioscuri. Whos calling through that half-opened door? Ah, yes! IPHIGENIA IN AULIS - Monologue (Clytemnestra) - Mighty Actor It is a glory that will never wither in the minds of the Greeks. Holy Spirit of mine! I want no one to lose tears over my grave. Let that stand for me in place of the children and the marriage I could have had. My own heart aches more for poor Hellas than for you because Hellas was about to achieve something great against the barbarians when you and your daughter stopped her; and now these insignificant barbarians will be allowed to go free! How could I possibly express my gratitude to you in a modest way? Youll be back inArgos, taking care of our other daughters. I know about your plans. The only other Greeks who know about this are Calchas, Odysseus and Menelaos. 411, Menelaos Enjoy the glory of your sceptre then! You will say that youve killed our daughter so that Menelaos, your brother, can get back his Helen! If youre wise youll heed them; if not then, have no fear, I know how to settle my own affairs well. Hell have the whole army eating out of his hand and then make them kill us and sacrifice the girl anyway! Come, friends, sing with me in praise of the goddess whose temple faces Chalkis, the place where the spears of war are waiting for me in anger! We also let the horses loose to drink and to graze at a meadow nearby. Achilles I do, my lady and I can see its a horrible thing for you to endure. Achilles Her father had promised her to me! The thought that you would no longer lead our thousand ships against Priam, that you would no longer conquer his city with our soldiers all that filled you with utter distress and dismay! What does your Iphigeneia have to do with my Helen? Iphigeneia hands baby Orestes to her mother, Iphigeneia If only I could sing like Orpheus, father! 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. They will reach the silvery eddies of the Simois river that runs through Apollos stronghold, the rocky plains ofTroy. Go inside now! Youd greet anyone and everyone, hoping with this behaviour to gain their approval and thus become their leader. Dont waste any time! On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore If any barbarian dared to bring his ships against these hed never see his home again. Enough! Agamemnon to trick Iphigenia into coming to Aulis. It is our custom to bury sacrificial offerings. The Old Man fearfully pokes his head through the flaps of the tent. Euripides seemed to like this approach to duty, as the character who ends up with the ultimate compliment in the end-being whisked away by a goddess-portrays these ideals perfectly. Agamemnon And if she has already left the safety of her home and if you chance to meet her retinue on the road, send them back again take the reins from their hands and hasten the horses towards the shrines of the Cyclopes. 910. Klytaimestra And you will abandon your mother like this? First Chorus Oh, Lady, goddess of love, Aphrodite! Its a common thing for a man to be shy when he meets his relatives for the first time and theyre talking about marriage! Orpheus, who could charm even the heartless rocks into following him! First Chorus Moored next to them was an equal number of Argive ships, headed by two chiefs, Euryalus, the son of Mecisteus, who was raised by his grandfather, Talaus and Sthenelus, Capaneus son. The returned soldier has been a central figure in the first wave of Canadian plays to deal with the War in Afghanistan. Youre the son of a god and I am a mere mortal! View a map of the most frequently mentioned places in this document. 1590, He spoke and he said, Chiefs of the Greek army, can you see this offering? Its not Menelaos whos in control here, Iphigeneia. Hes gone mad only so far as your daughter and you are concerned. Klytaimestra What, Achilles? 180. Soldiers, go and tear down Troy! All of them, here inAulis. $3.99 delivery March 10 - 14. 751. For such a young girl you are so intelligent! Let me make it absolutely clear, my lady: I was there and I saw it with my own eyes! Achilles, stay! You are, indeed, a noble soul and you leave me speechless and unable to argue against your views. Klytaimestra So, my darling will not be put to the sword? How could I, a mortal, go against that? Both of us, darling! Called me slave to a wedding bed! She runs her hand over his chin, over his right hand. Effie (Sophie Melville) is a hard-nosed . Iphigeneia If only it were possible to take me with you, father. Intelligence, brother, can turn any man into a head of State. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Youve murdered Tantalus, my first husband and with even more brutal violence, youve torn my baby from my breast and dashed it hard against the ground! Soon youll wake up a happy young man, my son. Klytaimestra Thats not what the laws of the custom say. Its good that the children will be spared. Menelaos is carrying a staff and has nearly finished reading Agamemnons letter which he has torn from the Old Mans hands. Klytaimestra I am not so insensitive, Agamemnon. 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. On my part, I wish you all happiness and may you return to the land of your fathers victorious. My death will bring about all this liberation and my good name will live into eternity. Look at him for the last time. Reg. They hate me the most! Menelaos See this? He has used it to lure and snare his daughter and to convince Klytaimestra to bring her here, to me, to be presented as my wife! Agamemnon That will be his decision. A kiss to remember you by in the underworld, since my words have not convinced you. 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? Agamemnon Yes. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to meemerald sea vessel mcdermott. Miserable, Agamemnon says he has no choice. Then Achilles, Peleas son, took the golden basket and the holy water in his hands and ran around the goddess altar, chanting 1570. Well then, tell me: what will your prayer, your plea to the gods be? For a while, Iphigenia in Splott (a district of Cardiff about 20 minutes' walk from the the theatre) seems like a pretty normal contemporary monologue. Let hers be the last one to do so! 1050. 350. Consistently, Is it a good wife youre after? I know too well that this awful plight is mine and mine alone you have nothing to do with it 980. Paristook it and carried her off back to his own home, in Ida, a place where the cows graze in luxurious pastures. Chorus Youre a brave girl, Iphigeneia. Old Man You have dared to do a most frightening thing, my lord, Agamemnon! As she imagines Agamemnon killing Iphigenia, Clytemnestra. 1340. [1375] Let our friends here see how happy you make me. 480. Ive changed because of my love for my mothers son. Poor, poor child! Enter Iphigeneia holding the baby in her arms. Old Man Yes, tell me so that what I say to your wife agrees with what youve written in there. An introduction to a classic play. I envy any man whose life passes quietly, unnoticed by fame. They live at a place, darling, where I wish Paris, Priams son, never lived! His head falls into his arms and he begins sobbing. They will sail over to our home, to Argos and kill our children and the two of us as well! Well, Helen, unfortunately, old man, chose Menelaos! Klytaimestra You have the impudence to ask me that? Exit Achilles. Would you like her to plead at your knees? Moderate. She had vanished, my lady! 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. On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore Iphigenia's father is Agamemnon and his brother is King Menelaus. Klytaimestra But youre saying that I can not mourn your death, my darling! 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. Agamemnon No need to tell me to answer you honestly. For a mere woman? Klytaimestra My question is nothing but reasonable. Not before I tell all the Greeks what it says! London: J.M. 821. This breath that quieted the breezes in the Greek sails! Klytaimestra O, my darling daughter! We must do what we must do, to please the gods. Here comes Agamemnon! One of the most performed Greek tragedies, the play explores the breakdown of social norms in times of war and how war breeds inhuman habits in the most human of men. My life, mummy, my life has been saved! I was a very good house keeper for you. Commentary. Here! 560. First Chorus Words worthy of Tantalus, Zeus son. Paris! 210, First Chorus The two horses in the centre, those that took the weight of the yoke, were dappled with spots of white; the two on the outside carried the traces and they had to negotiate the turns on the track. You felt a great deal of joy when you came in that house, and when you went out of it you felt a wealthy man. line to jump to another position: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License, Pleiades ancient places geospacial dataset for this text, http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1:1374-1401, http://data.perseus.org/texts/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1, http://data.perseus.org/texts/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018, http://data.perseus.org/catalog/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1. No, mother, let one of daddys servants accompany me to Artemis woods, the place where I shall be sacrificed. Let us pray for a good fortune! What about your own soldiers, Achilles, what about your Myrmidons? 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! However, it is considered to be not an authentic part of the original text. 378. By the gods, Agamemnon! A nanny is holding the baby Orestes in her arms. Euripides died before completing this late masterpiece and it was prepared for its enthusiastically received first performance by his son or nephew. The first one to call you father, the first one you called daughter. Your Fate and mine and hers, too! CineMan-8 20 April 1999. Am I not allowed to manage the affairs of my own home, in my own way, now? But wholl carry the bridal torch? It was upon the forests of Trojan Ida, its woods covered thickly by the shroud of snow where King Priam once abandoned his child boy, Paris. The Plot of Iphigeneia at Aulis. Iphigenia in Aulis Summary - eNotes.com Klytaimestra Dear Achilles! I would have given it if the Greeks couldnt get to Troy without my doing so. Gods forbid that I should choose to lose a brother to win a Helen! Agamemnon Holy Fate and Fortune! Menelaos Listen to me, Agamemnon! Master! Iphigenia at Aulis (the title is sometimes rendered as Iphigenia in Aulis) has been criticised for its melodrama, but its portrayal of the central character's decision to agree to renounce her life for the 'greater good', and Agamemnon's ambivalence about sacrificing his own daughter, make it a curious and satisfying play which repays close analysis . You, girls! Please, in the name of Pelops and of Atreas, who is your father, I beg you! 440. 1010. You havent given birth to me simply for your own sake! 290. Achilles Yes. Iphigeneia Of course. Then Talthybius stood up amongst them all and told them to be silent. 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. Youve done all you could to help your big sister, havent you? Ah! Klytaimestra Listen then and listen to me well! We shall make the wedding celebrations another time., Old Man But how will Achilles take this? Ah! Old Man Menelaos! Leave now, Achilles. Chorus There goes the girl with garlands on her hair and holy water upon her head! But my brother, using all sorts of arguments, finally persuaded me to commit this dreadful deed! Enter Second Chorus of men and women, Attendants of Klytaimestra, Second Chorus Indicating behind the curtains (Stage Left) 590. Achilles Slave to whom? 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? Achilles Yes, it might be just that. Old Man anxiously takes Klytaimestras hand and kisses it. Looking over the baby. Difficult. London: J.M. What an awful Fate the gods have delivered to you! Iphigeneias scream of grief is suddenly heard from within the tent. Volume II. Her unexpected arrival has added to my ruin. Let someone go and prepare the sacrificial basket and may the blessed fire burn high with the purifying barley. July 4, 2022 . A Monologue from the play Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides - Actorama First Chorus Helen was given as a gift toParis, by Aphrodite, one day when, near the cool springs, she won the beauty contest from her rivals, Hera and Palas Athena. 250. Indicating the skyLook up there! Well, then, may you and your friends also enjoy a marriage such as mine! She will say to me! Iphigeneia Pelasgia! First Chorus I sped through Artemis woods, a place rich with sacrifices, my youthful shyness blushing my cheeks, anxious to see the armys might, the tents of the Greeks and their countless horses. 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. Stay here. By the goddess Hera, protector ofArgosand of marriage, I shall not do so! Theyd love to go precisely because they are mad. Agamemnon Little girls should not be bothered with such things. Old Man That? 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! Where will I find you? Only your knees. Such good wives are rare, Agamemnon! And there, along the white sands below, Nereus fifty daughters whirled and weaved their dance circles and made splendid the wedding of the Nereid. He said that it must be done if the expedition is ever to make it to, Klytaimestra Expedition? Help us, Achilles! So, tell me, my brother: What is all this violent fury? Achilles But, dont worry, Ill certainly make it hard for him! 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. 940. Can you see what the goddess has placed upon her altar? And how is it that you, a woman, is here, where the whole army of the Greek men and their shields is gathered? Think again, Iphigeneia! This is a happy day for Iphigeneia! Think about your daughter for once, Agamemnon and make a fair proposal to your army: Ask them all if they really want to go to Troy and if they do, well then, let them draw lots that will include their own children also! What a price to pay for the sake of saving a slut! Achilles Yes. Iphigenia in Splott five-star review - a whirlwind of aggression and Klytaimestra What would you like me to do? You, Agamemnon, are doing what countless others have also done in public life: While theyre in power they put up enormous efforts to keep it but then, when the public makes a stupid decision sometimes understandably so because the leader is too weak to lead the State- these public figures fall all in a heap and they disgrace themselves! You know very well how humble you were during the days you wanted to be the leader of the Trojan expedition. An XML version of this text is available for download, When is the wedding? Achilles No, Iphigeneia! Next to him was Myriones, son of Ares, a marvel to all men and Odysseus, Laertes son, who came from the hills of his island,Ithaca. Brothers fight because of lust and because of greed in their inheritance. My mother! Or else let Menelaos kill Hermione, his own daughter. Iphigeneia No, mother! Agamemnon and I have separate properties. 1140. In the beginning of the play, Agamemnon . Full search He was the one responsible for that job. Now come out of Agamemnons tent. Why are we wasting our time around here? Spare me! Iphigenia in Aulis demonstrates how conflict and choices based around pride can lead to tragic results. Agamemnon You? If I try to stop them they will kill us all. Other men may have different views but let me give you my own. You, Paris, you son of Priam! 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. What? Iphigenia in Aulis: A Monologue Chorus Oh, I hope Ill never see the day, nor should my children nor my grand children, should see the day when I suffer the torture that the golden Lydian women will suffer, the wives of those Trojan men, who will be suffering when, years later, working at their looms theyd be talking of this! What a terrible shame! Iphigeneia I am a fortunate girl, mother. What a sweet joy! Agamemnon approaches Iphigeneia and tries to console her. The Greek warriors are waiting for you, anxious to start off for Troy! 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. Go away old man! Agamemnon A king, darling, a General is always worried. Agamemnon My thoughts exactly, my darling. Please dont be offended now! And, do I not also have the right to make my own prayer to the gods about you? Or fastest delivery March 8 - 10. Iphigeneia Whats wrong, daddy? Klytaimestra And he will achieve this by trickery. Poor, poor girl! Iphigenia in Aulis | PDF - Scribd Its young Orestes, a baby still. You groan but you say nothing. The Aenians brought twelve ships, captained by their king, Gouneus; and beside them were moored the lords ofEliswhom everyone called Epeians.