Old Man No, madam! Accomplish your tasks, old man! Under no circumstances should any of this work be used as part of a collage, which includes the work of other writers or translators. Gods forbid that I should choose to lose a brother to win a Helen! It is a madness I cannot control. I can talk no more. Klytaimestra Well? 1100. 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? Leave now, Achilles. Family and Duty Theme in Iphigenia at Aulis | LitCharts 785, Chorus Do you hear them, Helen? So you will sacrifice your daughter! Old Man You should not have opened this letter! 100. Good bye. The play was produced in a trilogy that also included The Bacchae and was presented by Euripides' son or nephew. 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! 1010. 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. Klytaimestra And were they married in the sea? Because, even though it would be improper for a little girl to plead at a mans knees, she will put aside her sense of modesty and do it, if you wish. Iphigeneia Do not hate daddy my daddy, your husband. And Ill list them all, if you dont start getting angry or begin to deny them. Gather the baskets for the sacrifices, place wreaths on your head. All of them, here inAulis. 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. Agamemnon It will take place after I make the sacrifice. The sparkling water of your ancestral streams is waiting for you! Its blood spattered about, saturating the goddess altar! No, he gave you life so that you may understand pain, as well as pleasure. He managed to film a Greek tragedy to screen without losing its effectiveness and importance. 90. Your wit is truly far greater than mine. Well, Helen, unfortunately, old man, chose Menelaos! My lord! How I wish this herdsman, this boy who was brought up to care for cows, had never lived! I told her to bring our daughter here so that she may marry Achilles. Old Man The priest, my lady. That is, if my brain doesnt falter and make my tongue trip over its words! So, tell me, my brother: What is all this violent fury? I dont have to do anything he says and I didnt. Its going past those seven stars, the Pleiades, my lord straight through the very centre of the heavens. 1421. On my part, I wish you all happiness and may you return to the land of your fathers victorious. I envy any man whose life passes quietly, unnoticed by fame. But they cant, my darling daughter. How full of torment is life for us ephemeral creatures! Who can help me here? You were terrified of losing face and authority! Our friend here should certainly be thanked for his efforts but we should be careful not to put his life in jeopardy against the army with no advance in our predicament. That will be very easy to accomplish. This man has forcefully and unjustly ripped your letter from my hands, my lord! Ive changed my mind, brother. You are the cause of this miserable conflict between the sons of Atreas and their children! Just before Dawn. 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! Klytaimestra Thats where they say the centaurs live. Agamemnon We are brothers when we are doing what is reasonable, not when we do what is madness. That light, this light all around us, will cut all other arguments to pieces. Give you my right hand? Written between 408, after Orestes, and 406 BC, the year of Euripides' death, the play was first produced the following year in a trilogy . You saw the endless ships. Klytaimestra My question is nothing but reasonable. Klytaimestra The whole of the Greek army? I must go. So, we have all gathered here and here we are still, tied down by the weather! Please, father! 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). Eumelus, Pheres grandson was the driver of the chariot who, with a goad in his hand, he urged on and shouted at his beautiful steeds whose reins were a work of wondrous design, wrought in lustrous gold. with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. What is a prophet? Come, then, Lord Agamemnon, make a start on the celebrations. Iphigenia begs her father not to kill her. This got me so angry that the very next moment I ordered Talthybius to use his powerful voice and call the army to disband. Iphigeneia Wish them joy for me and take good care of my little brother, Orestes for me. I am going to go and speak with your husband. Agamemnon Zeus. My hair! Chorus Come back to us once youve taken from that city her fairest spoils! Because youre trying to save my girl? PDF Cite Share. I wonder who her groom is. 430. Klytaimestra How can there be a death and not a grave? 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! But I have no such skill. Menelaos And what would that be? 1410. Iphigenia's father is Agamemnon and his brother is King Menelaus. Whos calling through that half-opened door? 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. Klytaimestra And kept his promise by bringing her here, to you, all the way from Argos! And may my father work well his right hand upon me at the altar! Im angry because King Agamemnon has insulted me so gravely. Chorus And they will surround the cityPergamum, all about its stone towers with murderous war-men wholl smash the heads of the Trojans, cut through their necks and tear their city down to its foundations. Then Achilles, Peleas son, took the golden basket and the holy water in his hands and ran around the goddess altar, chanting. All these troubles he has caused! Here! Your voice has horrified me! Cheiron, the centaur did, so that the child might be brought up not knowing the behaviour of evil men. I, being Menelaos brother and for his own good, was chosen by them to be their leader How I wish this honour were given to someone else, my old friend! Agamemnon approaches Iphigeneia and tries to console her. They hate me the most! I saw you trying to write it by the light of that lamp there. 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! Fate gave me nothing to be proud of. Do not send our daughter here, inAulis, the place whose harbours are well protected from the harsh seas and which juts out towardsColchis. Give me your hand, my dear child. Agamemnon Here, Menelaos. And then theres yet this: We are asking this good friend of ours here to fight with the whole Greek army and be killed for what? What should I call them? Agamemnon Here, at the harbour, near our beautiful Greek ships. She takes the baby Orestes from Iphigeneias hands. Her unexpected arrival has added to my ruin. 1279. All of us we all heard the awful thud of the striking sword but when we looked up, we could not see the girl anywhere! Agamemnon Lines 1-257 Summary & Analysis | SparkNotes Old Man To stop you By then he had come back to his senses. Agamemnon I have failed miserably! Agamemnon My old friend, Thestius daughter, Leda, had three daughters: Phoebe, Klytaimestra (my wife) and Helen. Where is the leader of the Greek army? Have no fear, the pain will soften with custom and with the passage of time. What shocking news of disaster is this? Words escape me! No, there are hundreds of women who want my wedding bed! Oh, goddess who lets her brilliant light roll along through the gloomy darkness of the night! First Chorus Ships fromPhocisand Locris were also there in similar numbers and their captain was Oileus whose city is the famous Thronium. 420, The soldiers talk and they ask questions. You began and ended your speech with fine sentiments. It has burdened me with lack of sleep and with overactive eyes. Klytaimestra You have the impudence to ask me that? Now go inside, my good man and everything will happen according to the will of Fate. He said that it must be done if the expedition is ever to make it to, Klytaimestra Expedition? 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. Agamemnon I praise you, Menelaos for these unexpected words, proper words, words truly worthy of you. Iphigeneia No, mother! 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. Let me hug him tightly against my breast before you do! Iphigenia (1977) - Iphigenia (1977) - User Reviews - IMDb Iphigeneia Father! Klytaimestra Listen then and listen to me well! These ships, too, were adorned with emblems at their high sterns, this time of Cadmus, holding a golden serpent in his hands. Ill have none of it! Klytaimestra But Achilles, think again! I have brought with me your daughter, Iphigeneia and her mother -your wife- Klytaimestra, as well as your young son, Orestes. Surely I could find another wife elsewhere! But go! Soon youll wake up a happy young man, my son. Old Man Dying for my master will be a glorious thing. 1460. Word Count: 1230. 700. Iphigenia At Aulis By Euripides Written 410 B.C.E Dramatis Personae Agamemnon Attendant, an old man Chorus of Women of Chalcis Menelaus Clytaemnestra Iphigenia Achilles Scene The sea-coast at Aulis. Chorus He said your daughter is still alive, my lady! 440. All right, youve stopped me Im waiting. Agamemnon Thank goodness youre out here, Ledas daughter. Me, Leda's daughter, hapless dame, First blooming offspring of her bed. Klytaimestra May joy be with you for ever, Achilles. I could not. It is a horrible thing for one to lose a child! He has abandoned me to deal with this dreadful calamity all on my own! CineMan-8 20 April 1999. They should bring you great joy after such a long absence from your home. I offer my body to my country and to the rest of Greece, willingly. 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. Old Man Yes, dear lady! Theyre all just sitting idly around by the shore. I envy the man who knows no fame; and I dont envy the man whose life is heavy with the trappings of office. And how is it that you, a woman, is here, where the whole army of the Greek men and their shields is gathered? And tell me another thing, Agamemnon: when you return home, when you come back to Argos, will you have the gall to put your arms around any of your children? Palermo, Mus. 670. And thats when shell discover my treachery! Its not my fault she left you for another man, so why should I pay for your mistakes? Klytaimestra who was married to whom? Of beauty kindling flames of love, High on my splendid car I move, Betrothed to Thetis' son a bride: Ah hapless bride, to all the train. First Chorus And I saw Gerenian Nestor who came from Pylos. Klytaimestra Oh, Gods! There will be no grave. "Iphigenia" marks Steele and Lorca's fourth collaboration on a Greek tragedy. Chorus There goes the girl wholl soon stain the altar of the murderous goddess with the gushing blood of her beautiful throat! The Chorus turns in the direction of the scream and responds! Let her keep her dignity intact. Achilles I did but theyre shouting at me, too! Old man, come out here! 1531. The suitors should all swear a solemn oath, by giving their right hand and by making sacred sacrifices, that each and every one of them would defend the man who won Helens hand in marriage, no matter who that would be and to come to his aid in case someone stole her from their home and thus deprived that man of his legal conjugal bed. 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. No! Its not Menelaos whos in control here, Iphigeneia. Klytaimestra And leave my darling behind? Perhaps were both being deceived. And you can see how I, a woman, have come here to the camp of soldiers, tough men, brave and ready for war and violence. Menelaos True. My daughters life hangs on your will. Hell be the man wholl take his army of spear-loving Myrmidons and turn Priams city into rubble. Thats where all the gods held the wedding feast. He embraces and then steps back to look at her sadly. By your chin, Achilles, by your right hand and by your mother, stand by us! 1230. Its been such a long time! So this is the armada I saw here and about which I had heard back home earlier. Save your child! Overview. As the play opens, Iphigenia introduces herself. Remember, father? The most interesting alteration for me is that at the end of the play it seems that Artemis had replaced Iphigenia with a deer. 471. You were still the man she loved. Menelaos And what aboutGreece? What horror! Agamemnon That will be his decision. Run! options are on the right side and top of the page. Achilles But who are you, madam? Agamemnon By the gods! 101. Iphignie en Aulide (Gluck) - The Opera Scribe And then am I mad if I had changed my mind about something which I later realised I was wrong? We cant go on fighting against Necessity! Chorus Hell be able to confirm the messengers words. Death is a dreadful thing! Weddings are blessed things but still very tough on the hearts of the brides parents. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me Ah! Look at him for the last time. Are you here to add to the mountain of dread I have to endure already? Its a common thing for a man to be shy when he meets his relatives for the first time and theyre talking about marriage! Klytaimestra A cold hope, that one, Achilles. Your current position in the text is marked in blue. Tell me what it is you want, now. Thats Achilles, my darling. Old Man Yes, my lady and so, I am more loyal to you than I am to your husband. What sort of a welcome do you think youll receive on you return? Here we are, eagerly obedient to your wish! Achilles Ill be watching out for you. Klytaimestra And he will achieve this by trickery.