PDF Cite Share. 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. I want to marry you, to take you to my home and to protect you. Now make your answer reasonable also! The barbarian blood of the sons of Atreas, of your husband, madam and that of his brother, if either of them snatches your daughter from my hands! Should I exchange the good for bad? The girl deserves better still, may the gods be with us! Shes about to be slaughtered by the hand of her own father! Why should I, a faithful wife, endure the misery of having my daughter killed while she, a slut, gets to rejoice by having her daughter kept safely at home, in Sparta? Iphigeneia Youll come right back after youre done withTroy, wont you? Your own father has slaughtered you with his own hand! Menelaos Leave! Iphegenia at Aulis) was left unfinished at Euripides' death in 406 BCE, and so the beginning and the ending especially are mutilated and choppy.Completed by someone else, it along with The Bacchae and the lost Alcmaeon formed a trio produced in Athens which won Euripides a fifth albeit posthumous first prize.. Agamemnon recounts the recent history of Helen's suitors . Come, give me your right hand and lets make this the beginning of a blessed marriage! 0 rating. An introduction to a classic play. Here comes the king himself, my lady. You have declared the girl to be the bride of a goddess son, yet you bring her here to be a sacrificial offering for the benefit of the Greeks! You shouldnt go against them! Bring him up to be a man. 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! I wrote a letter to my wife, Klytaimestra. Klytaimestra How can there be a death and not a grave? Let no Greek touch my body with his hand. From now on, think only of me. 1230. Ive changed because of my love for my mothers son. Klytaimestra And he will achieve this by trickery. Pensively, anxiously. Come, disband the army and leaveAulismy brother and stop your tears and mine! All the women are frightened and turn towards it. Tell me the reason you will give no let me speak on your behalf, because I know what you will say. The returned soldier has been a central figure in the first wave of Canadian plays to deal with the War in Afghanistan. 1460. I have tried desperately to send Klytaimestra away from here but Ive failed. We must do what we must do, to please the gods. Agamemnon I would, but some god has made both you andGreeceinsane! Klytaimestra My question is nothing but reasonable. Leave! I know, Im behaving as if I were some god towards you though Im a mere mortal. See what troubles the gods have thrown at me, the poor wretch? We are a free people, whereas they are slaves. Chorus That is the city of Perseus, youre calling to! Why are you arguing with this man? Agamemnon You are much happier than me for knowing less than I do. Whether I want to do so or not, I must obey Hellas. In front of the tent is a small table at which sits Agamemnon. Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances : Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide: Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data: ComiXology He, too, loves glory. The barbarians will no longer abduct them and carry them off from our wealthy shores, once Helens abduction by Paris has been avenged. They first worked. You used to ask me, I wonder, my darling, will I get to see you married one day, married and settled happily in your husbands home, your life ever blossoming, making me proud of you? And Id touch your chin, my father, hang from your beard, father, like Im doing now and say, and what about you, father, will I get to see you, father, an old man, visiting me at my house, ready for me to repay you for your hard work in raising me?, No, you dont remember these words, father. Clytemnestra It is the goddess' son you see, child, for whom you came here. Calchas. The whole army and both the sons of Atreas stood there in silence, their eyes downcast. Summary. They might be from the wagon that is bringing the girl here, to the Greek ships. 90. Has my husband gone insane? Old Man That? 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! Vile trickery, unworthy of his father, Atreas! I dont want anyone to think despicable things about me. They picked up their spears, strapped on their armour, and rushed over here, inAulis, with ships, troops, and a huge number of horses and chariots. My Mycenae! Reg. A safe return? And this, my lady, this is no lie, believe me! How can I insult them all -insult their efforts, by trying to save myself I, one, single life? A sensible man usually speaks to others with respect. How can you prove that you and I have the same father? 1290. Agamemnon Here, Menelaos. Klytaimestra Did they? He is the very reason you are here! I shall look elsewhere for friends and help. Achilles, initially, vows to defend Iphigenia. 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? Lets not have the common tongues wag against us. Chorus Let Agamemnon place a crown upon the head of Greece and let him be crowned in turn! Agamemnon And still something is holding back the expedition. The only voice I have, father, my only skill, is in my tears and, here, father, Im giving them to you! The Plot of Iphigeneia at Aulis. 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. Agamemnon I, with all the Greeks as witnesses shall give Iphigeneia away. 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. I am here, madam, as I will be in Troy also, to defend with my shield and with my spear my honour as a man and to do my best to glorify the god of war, Ares. And thats why the whole ofGreecerose up in arms with great fervour. Achilles My lady, I have never proposed to your daughter Atreas sons have never talked to me about a marriage! Me, Leda's daughter, hapless dame, First blooming offspring of her bed. Moderate. All right, youve stopped me Im waiting. 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! And help me, too. Pronunciation of iphigenia in aulis with 1 audio pronunciations. 610. I, the destroyer of Priams city and its people! 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. Christoph Willibald Gluck: Overture to "Iphigenia in Aulis" (orch. No, dont bury your face inside your cloak! 471. No fancy, confusing words for you. Chorus And so the Greek ships will sail. Klytaimestra What is it? The sacrifice of Iphigenia would be covered by Euripides in 'Iphigenia at Aulis' and in this version Agamemnon has second thoughts. 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. These are things you should know nothing about! He knows nothing of my scheme, nothing of the marriage and nothing of my supposed wish to give my daughter to him, to have him take her into his arms and into his marital bed. I bore you this son a son and three daughters and now you tear one of them from my hands so violently! On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore Youre overdoing your loyalty to your master! Chorus And the weeping and wailing of Priams daughters and of his wife will be bitter and piercing. My Pelasgia! i. Trans. Iphigeneia hugs her mother. Looking over the baby. As for the other sort, the bad ones, they are everywhere! She leads her mother into the tent and returns to centre stage. Ive missed you so much. Come, son of the goddess, lend us a hand, help us, or else we are doomed! See, father? And where will I be at the time? Just before Dawn. I can talk no more. Do you not want to fight for her? Klytaimestra So, my sweet darling must face this horrible fate because of the need to bring Helen back? Please lend me your arms, so that I may get down from the seat of this carriage modestly. The opportunity was made for him to elope with her, since Menelaos was absent at the time. Let someone go and prepare the sacrificial basket and may the blessed fire burn high with the purifying barley. Enter Second Messenger running excitedly. I cannot stop crying! It is what a mother must do! 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. 900. Iphigenia at Aulis seems to have been constructed in a society in which it was ideal to put nation and family ahead of oneself. First Chorus Words worthy of Tantalus, Zeus son. Messenger Agamemnon, leader of all the Greeks! And you, foreign ladies, say nothing about this. Here we are, eagerly obedient to your wish! Introduction. Klytaimestra But why? Klytaimestra What shall I do for you in Argos? I also saw the Boetian fleet, fifty in number, led by Leitus, a mortal, born of the Earth. Iphigenia O mother that bore me! 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! Think nothing of it! Details. Can you not see these men in full armour? You have chosen logic and good intentions to that of continuing a war against Fate and against Necessity. Well, old man, Ive reconsidered all those dreadful decisions Ive made back then and wrote another letter in which I am correcting them. Agamemnon Call on me when you want me to do something reasonable, not when you want to ruin me. 860. Which one will not wonder if it will be the next one you take to the slaughter? The sun should rise slowly until full daylight is reached just before line 164. An unrelenting curse. What would be the best action for him to take? And how did you respond to that? This got me so angry that the very next moment I ordered Talthybius to use his powerful voice and call the army to disband. It was there, at that meadow, that these three women came before Paris to put an end to their dire contest about which of them was the most beautiful. How I cry for you! Whatever do you mean? There, my lady, there, upon the ground, lay a large animal, a beautiful stag, letting out its last breaths. options are on the right side and top of the page. On my part, I wish you all happiness and may you return to the land of your fathers victorious. Indeed no! This work is licensed under a This is very dangerous indeed, my lord! Oh, my girl! I shall go to the priest. Klytaimestra May joy be with you for ever, Achilles. No tomb, no tombstone! My lady your daughter her father he is about to kill her! Klytaimestra! 1020. The goddess son. That will be very easy to accomplish. Me, father! No, I will not shed any tears now. Achilles I did but theyre shouting at me, too! Agamemnon And when you come across some fork in the road, check it carefully. Weve never met before. Iphigeneia If only it were possible to take me with you, father. Chorus Then the Greeks shall tie a garland around your fair hair and stain your human throat with your own blood. A coward. Weddings are blessed things but still very tough on the hearts of the brides parents. [1375] He sounds frightened. However, when Agamemnon breaks down in tears, Menelaus relents. Agamemnon approaches Iphigeneia and tries to console her. First Chorus What an awful thing it is for brothers whose views differ to come to insults! Agamemnon You? Iphigenia at Aulis was first performed in 405 B.C.E., the year after Euripides' death. The play provides some backstory to the more well-known classical tales of the Trojan War. What can I possibly say now? 350. 1410. Were working on it right now. Achilles Yes, it would have been some gods blessing had I married you, daughter of Agamemnon! He was her lord. When is the wedding? Old Man Tries to take the letter from Menelaos. I shall be accompanying our girl with the wedding song. Old Man anxiously takes Klytaimestras hand and kisses it. 880. It is the wish of the Heavens. They should bring you great joy after such a long absence from your home. Youre the one, after all, who, even though the gods have helped you rid yourself of a bad wife, there you are, still intent on getting her back! I have left Pharsalia and Peleas, my father, to come here. 260. You will be doing so to a man whos loyal and faithful to you. I will be led to a godless slaughter by a godless father! She goes to her death, so her father won't have to carry the guilt of. My mother! Has the carriage lulled you to sleep? No! Aided and abetted by the gods! When Agamemnon tries to avoid sacrificing Iphigenia, Menelaus calls Agamemnon a traitor to both Greece and his own brother. Come and hear my news! Agamemnon Youll be able to see the sacrifice. The plain truth. Towards this now, mother turn your thoughts, and with me weigh how well I speak; to me the whole of mighty Hellas looks; on me the passage over the sea depends; on me the sack of Troy; [1380] and in my power it lies to check henceforth barbarian raids on happy Hellas, if ever in the days to come they seek to seize her women, when once they have What will you ask the gods to grant you as your knife cuts through your daughters throat? Other men may have different views but let me give you my own. So now, go on, take them all, take all these lunatics, all these soldiers and lead them on to the expedition. They were sitting together on stools, joyfully immersed in a game of draughts, a game full of complex moves. What a terrible shame! Miserable, Agamemnon says he has no choice. Youll go to a place where youll forget about your father.

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