Achilles Alone? The strength of the minor characters in Agamemnon distinguishes this play from a number of Aeschylus' other works. How could I possibly express my gratitude to you in a modest way? Agamemnon My thoughts exactly, my darling. Old Man He tricked you about the marriage with Achilles, my lady, so that youd be willing to come here. The sacrifice of Iphigenia would be covered by Euripides in 'Iphigenia at Aulis' and in this version Agamemnon has second thoughts. Agamemnon, her father will sacrifice her to the goddess Artemis. But Iphigenia, having determined to die nobly on behalf of the Greeks, was snatched away by the Goddess, and a stag substituted in her place. Surely I could find another wife elsewhere! First Chorus And fast-footed Achilles, too, whose feet fly faster than the wind. Mahathma Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital > Blog Classic > Uncategorized > iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. Its young Orestes, a baby still. 480-406 BC) and being performed in the Outdoor Theater at the Getty Villa from September 7 to 30. Achilles I told them that if thats what they thought, then they should not kill my intended wife. Old Man Yes, dear lady! Menelaos And what would that be? Has the carriage lulled you to sleep? Come, son of the goddess, lend us a hand, help us, or else we are doomed! I also feel ashamed Iturns towards the tent. See that there are no wheel marks on the road. Chorus Your words are worthy of you, Achilles and of your mother who is a splendid goddess. Your father has gone, my darling and abandoned you to Hades! Listen to Books & Original Audio Performances : Book Depository Books With Free Delivery Worldwide: Box Office Mojo Find Movie Box Office Data: ComiXology 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. Klytaimestra! Chorus A man whose body will be clothed in golden armour, fashioned by Hephaistos himself and given as a gift to him by his divine mother. 1070. Let us pray for a good fortune! Please lend me your arms, so that I may get down from the seat of this carriage modestly. I was a very good house keeper for you. My life, mummy, my life has been saved! The gods are no fools and they know when oaths are falsely pledged or forced upon people. All this is his own doing. A terrible love." Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis tags: euripides , greek-tragedy , iphigenia-at-aulis , power , power-hungry 11 likes Like Me, father! 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! 720. Chorus What an awful, pitiful fate you must endure, child! changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. 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. Klytaimestra Was he picked by the army to do this or is this his own private doing? I just heard your voice from inside and came out to greet you. Checking out the situation carefully. Klytaimestra And is that where hell take our daughter? Agamemnon Yes, so you see what sort of a man your future son-in-law is! No fancy, confusing words for you. Agamemnon What? His baby sounds will make no sense but theyll be full of meaning. 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! 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. I shall give it to her for the sake of Greece. 620. It is a horrible thing for one to lose a child! Looking over the baby. Achilles You must grab her and not let go of her. Can I not mourn my daughters loss? In the beginning of the play, Agamemnon . Still, the girl came up close to him and said, Daddy, here I am, ready to do as you say. 1340. Chorus What joyful news that messenger has brought you, my lady! Tyndareus, her father was in a dreadful dilemma: should he allow her daughter to marry or not? First Chorus Women protect it well by avoiding immoderate love and men by bringing civil order in their city, thus making it great. Ha, ha, ha! Dont force me to become evil! And this, my lady, this is no lie, believe 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! Well, old man, Menelaos was outraged by this! I wont let anyone take your life even though it would be against your wish. Klytaimestra Ill certainly try that if thats the last thing I do! No man is blessed or happy for ever. What shall I say to my wife, then? Helen fell in love with him and he fell in love with Helen. 666 words. Menelaos True. Old Man My lady, you know who I am and just how loyal Ive been to you and your children. Iphigenia in Aulis. If this works out well, then the result will be good for you and your family without my getting mixed up in the affair. You will kill the one whos loved by all so as to save the one whos hated by all! I shall do as you say. 773. CLYTEMNESTRA: Now hear me, for my thoughts will I unfold In no obscure and coloured mode of speech. Shes about to be slaughtered by the hand of her own father! But then, suddenly a miracle happened, my lady! He is the very reason you are here! I beg you, father! 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. Agamemnon I praise you, Menelaos for these unexpected words, proper words, words truly worthy of you. Well, old man, Ive reconsidered all those dreadful decisions Ive made back then and wrote another letter in which I am correcting them. Have no fear, the pain will soften with custom and with the passage of time. Still, by then it is too late. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. Then seiz'd and sever'd me from those I lov'd, And wrench'd with iron grasp the beauteous bands. Think nothing of it! Shelley Dean Milman. 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. Pleas or no pleas the result will be the same with me because I have only one thing in mind, now: to save you both from this disaster! Klytaimestra But who on earth would dare touch you, Achilles? Calchas. Agamemnon Yes, I shall say nothing in my defence. 20. Agamemnon So you broke its seal and read its contents? Hell grab her by her blond hair, if he has to and. Here is the body that your wife has given birth to. Look there! Godless! Image from Vermeule and Chapman (1971) Plate 71. Klytaimestra So, my sweet darling must face this horrible fate because of the need to bring Helen back? Iphigeneia Shall we set up choruses around it, daddy? 450. What a terrible shame! 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! She leans before him and embraces his knees. After that, Paris, the man who, according to the legend, judged the three goddesses, Hera, Aphrodite and Athena, for their beauty, arrived atSparta. Other men may have different views but let me give you my own. They might be from the wagon that is bringing the girl here, to the Greek ships. Menelaus appears to be the caring brother. Now go inside, my good man and everything will happen according to the will of Fate. I know, Im behaving as if I were some god towards you though Im a mere mortal. For use by any theatrical, educational or cinematic organisation, however, including a non-commercial one, permission must be sought. 560. And I? I want no one to lose tears over my grave. Then Talthybius stood up amongst them all and told them to be silent. London. Here she is but Ill do the talking for both of us. Here comes the king himself, my lady. No, its not me whos gone mad, brother but you. She will be saved if you will it. Has my husband gone insane? Iphigeneia But but look at you, father! Why run away? I do not envy those in authority." Context:: This line comes near the very beginning of the play. Iphigenia I am ashamed to face Achilles. Forget your old age and run! Be a leader! The play has been translated and adapted for various media, from other plays to paintings, operas, novels, and films. But I have no such skill. Agamemnon Achilles is acting in name only and not in deed. This is a dreadful thing for me to do but it is just as dreadful not to do it. Once you see the knife approaching your neck you might well call for my help. Chorus Let Agamemnon place a crown upon the head of Greece and let him be crowned in turn! . Still, its not proper for me to be talking with a woman. Paristook it and carried her off back to his own home, in Ida, a place where the cows graze in luxurious pastures. Dont waste any time! If he doesn't go through with the sacrifice, the army will rise up, sacrifice her, and kill their entire family. This surely is nothing more than drivel spat out of the mouth of a mad old man! Ah! Things that should best be kept away from a brides ear. 860. What a hateful, bitter sight is Helen! Thats Sirius, my lord. - Taken from "Iphigenia in Aulis" written by Euripides Read more Previous page Print length 94 pages Language English Publication date February 10, 2022 Dimensions The play was set in the small amphitheater at the Getty Villa. Menelaos No! Its obvious that theres no escaping my death; so now, I want to die nobly. You both know the size of the army gathered here. My mother! It is the wish of the Heavens. Perseus provides credit for all accepted My death will bring about all this liberation and my good name will live into eternity. Help us! He sends all sorts of winds to sailors: winds to make them happy to lift their sails and plunge into the sea, winds to make them sad because they must furl their sails; and winds that make other sailors crazy because theyre forced to move too slowly. Iphigeneia begins towards the tent but is stopped by her father. Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 390). Id only be speaking lies and Id be adding disgrace to my miserable Fate! Yet it is right that she should come with her sweet daughter to give her away as a bride. A city built by the Cyclopes! Old Man I I dont approve of words like these coming out of the mouths of leaders. Agamemnon The heir was Peleas. How I cry for you! No, thats not a good idea, Klytaimestra Ill hold you tight, by your clothes, Iphigeneia No, mother. The King feared the prophets words that the boy would grow up to destroy him him and his city and so he tore the baby away from its mothers arms and cast him on the mountainside, hoping that he would die. 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! Achilles First, let us try and bring her father back to his senses. Believe me, madam: Agamemnon will not slaughter her! 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. It is a madness I cannot control. To the lowly and weak mortals, the fortunate always appear like gods. And you, you will carry the honour of my deed wherever you go! Where did you catch him? No, you look after everything outside the household and I shall take care of things within it! Chorus Ah! You may accept or manage cookie usage at any time. There is nothing that I would not do for my darling Iphigeneia. 1540. 1090. Promise me, mummy! Fate gave me nothing to be proud of. Agamemnon dares to commit a most dreadful deed! Old Man The priest, my lady. Who on earth could force you to murder your own child? I have brought with me your daughter, Iphigeneia and her mother -your wife- Klytaimestra, as well as your young son, Orestes. Helen, the sister of the Heaven-dwelling twins, the Dioscuri. So you will sacrifice your daughter! Her unexpected arrival has added to my ruin. Come and hear my news! This light is the sweetest thing that can fill the eyes! Gone are the harsh words, suddenly! Klytaimestra Have you made the pre-natal offerings to the goddess yet? Achilles, stay! Oh, your poor cheeks, your poor beautiful, golden hair, your youthful breasts! Rather, I have an amazing story to tell you about your daughter. Klytaimestra She stretches her right hand 830. 1318. But, alas, the road was long, my lord and so the women are now having a rest by the refreshing waters of a spring. 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.Written between 408, after Orestes, and 406 BC, the year of Euripides' death, the play was first produced the following year in a trilogy . Come out! With his own sword, madam he will make bloody the young girls white neck bloody it with her own blood! 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. Arent you ashamed of yourself? 1040. . Klytaimestra Thats not what the laws of the custom say. Im giving you my tears! Because the workings of your mind always have been, are now and always will be, deceitful. Agamemnon What? 150. Because youre trying to save my girl? Second Chorus They are the offspring of a great and most fortunate family. 0 rating. In fact, had he asked me for my permission to use my name for this, I would have given it. Menelaos Act according to your position, or youll be very sorry, old man! 43. With blessings or with force? Some madness has overtaken their hearts and they want to sail immediately over to Troy to the land of those barbarians and to put an end to this raping and stealing of our women, to tearing them away from their marital beds. You were totally bewildered by the change of your luck! I need to tell you things that our daughter should not hear. Iphigenia in Aulis demonstrates how conflict and choices based around pride can lead to tragic results. On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore Tell me Agamemnon! We must do what we must do, to please the gods. 370. Can you not see these men in full armour? And, do I not also have the right to make my own prayer to the gods about you? That would be bad for both of us. That child was Paris. Let me make it absolutely clear, my lady: I was there and I saw it with my own eyes! Accept it and let our spears sack the tall towers of Troy!. Youll fight them all? They say that Zeus had transformed himself into a bird and then slept with your mother. Now, you must take with you our newborn son from here and go back home. Iphigeneia is crying. Iphigeneia Pelasgia! Agamemnon I was out of my wits, old man! Chorus And so, the blessed couple were wed by the gods: The nobly born oldest daughter of Nereas and Peleas. See this letter, this contemptible letter with the contemptible message inside it? Who is this exquisite looking woman I see here? with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Oh, my sweet daughter! His head falls into his arms and he begins sobbing. Chiron, the wise teacher, was entrusted by a wiser parent! The Greeks were then enabled to set sail. Rest assured, we are alone. Klytaimestra Yes. 330. However, when Agamemnon breaks down in tears, Menelaus relents. First Chorus We saw him, racing in full armour upon the shells of the shore, in a contest against a chariot pulled by a team of four horses, a contest out of which he came victorious. I Im not so sure. Then, the moment you became one, all this nice behaviour changed and you had turned your back on all your friends. Let me tell you why I am angry. Klytaimestra turns away angrily and enters the tent. 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. 280. I must go. Why where do they say the Phrygians live, father? Klytaimestra And leave my darling behind? Agamemnon It will take place after I make the sacrifice. What, youll be performing a mothers duties now? Sadly, softly so that she wont hear him. Chorus Go, young girl! There is no point. Klytaimestra I am Klytaimestra, Ledas daughter and Agamemnons wife. Menelaos Useless when you need them and a curse when you dont. Your daughter, my lady, has today seen both death and life! Klytaimestra And were they married in the sea? Me, Leda's daughter, hapless dame, First blooming offspring of her bed. As she imagines Agamemnon killing Iphigenia, Clytemnestra. They cry when they wish and speak their mind freely, something which a leader cannot do: its undignified, its an insult to the splendour of his position and his whole life is controlled by it. Iphigeneia Mother, he will sacrifice me for the sake of our country, for Hellas, against his will. We your children and I- will give you the return that an evil man deserves. . 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? You know very well how humble you were during the days you wanted to be the leader of the Trojan expedition. By the goddess Hera, protector ofArgosand of marriage, I shall not do so! Tell me what it is you want, now. She goes to the door of the tent and opens it so that the servant may hear her. He has abandoned me to deal with this dreadful calamity all on my own! For a slave you have just too much to say! Achilles But who are you, madam? She leads her mother into the tent and returns to centre stage. To stop me from coming here or to urge me to do so? How could I, a mortal, go against that? Agamemnon I would, but some god has made both you andGreeceinsane! But now? Do you not want to fight for her? What is a prophet? The one in control here is Hellas. Let me hug him tightly against my breast before you do! Go, now! One of the myths in the Cypria inspired the tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis, written by Euripides (ca. 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. Come, disband the army and leaveAulismy brother and stop your tears and mine! What does your Iphigeneia have to do with my Helen? Old Man How can you say such a thing, my lord? You just cant imagine Calchas joy, madam! This got me so angry that the very next moment I ordered Talthybius to use his powerful voice and call the army to disband. Save your child! Cheiron, the centaur did, so that the child might be brought up not knowing the behaviour of evil men. Klytaimestra O, my darling daughter! A wise man must keep in his house a good and faithful woman, or else he should never marry! During those days you shook the hand of everyone you came across and, whether they wanted it or not, your doors were always wide open and ready to receive everyone. Those with dignity are respected, those without are shamed, though defending ones dignity is not always possible. Chorus Go, young girl! 1110. Why are we wasting our time around here? Argue with others about that. July 4, 2022 . This is something I wont tolerate. And how can I be certain that this isnt just an idle little story to cheer me up, to ease my dreadful grief for you? King Agamemnon is talking to a old man and says that he envies the poor man's situation in life. Soon youll wake up a happy young man, my son. IPHIGENIA Had I, my father, the persuasive voice Of Orpheus, and his skill to charm the rocks Agamemnon Sisyphus son, Odysseus, knows our whole story. My lord! 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. Agamemnon Thank goodness youre out here, Ledas daughter. My baby boy, Orestes, will also be there and he, too, will cry. Not mine, thats for sure. All of them, here inAulis. A god or a mortal? It is improper for tears to be shed during holy rites. From now on I will live there in that other world. Protect your name. The only voice I have, father, my only skill, is in my tears and, here, father, Im giving them to you! The whole of Greece. The Chorus turns in the direction of the scream and responds! 402. Vile trickery, unworthy of his father, Atreas! For a moment a great deal of shouting by men is heard behind the curtains. Whether I do it or I dont, the consequences for me will be the same. Or else let Menelaos kill Hermione, his own daughter. Youll be back inArgos, taking care of our other daughters. An introduction to a classic play. 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. One of his servants go and tell him that Achilles, Peleas son is here, waiting for him, at the entrance of his tent! Just before Dawn. But, my brother, we can do nothing now but go on with the bloody murder of my darling daughter. I wrap its limbs around your knees and beg you: Please father, do not cut off my life short. 1380. Figure 2.3: Iphigenia being dragged toward the altar for sacrifice, 91 430-420 BCE. Free to mock her! Old Man To stop you By then he had come back to his senses. I would have given it to serve the greater good of our soldiers. She reminds him of how they used to plan her future and tells him how much she wants to live. What about your own soldiers, Achilles, what about your Myrmidons? 128. I dont want anyone to think despicable things about me. I was given as a gift to her father, Tyndareus. Chorus How the dance-loving lyre and the enchanting notes of the reedy flute brought the fair haired Muses up from their home, the Pierian Springs, to the top of Mount Pelios! 1460. Youre both in such a state of distress and confusion! Cry! Christoph Willibald Gluck: Overture to "Iphigenia in Aulis" (orch. That! Old Man Both of you have pitiable fates, my lady! And if only Zeus had not breathed his contrary wind upon Euripus, this wind that stopped this expedition from leaving for Troy! Then you scratch away the seal and then you throw its pine frame onto the ground and then you begin to cry profusely! Klytaimestra Hes an evil man, my husband. Iphigeneia Of course. 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. Agamemnon And when you come across some fork in the road, check it carefully. Chorus There they will arrive with their war-whetted spears and shields to wrest Helen from Priams city and bring her back toGreece. You, girls! Well, Helen, unfortunately, old man, chose Menelaos! (A father's conduct here I blame), A joyless victim bred; When o'er the strand of Aulis, in the pride. Now come out of Agamemnons tent. I want to marry you, to take you to my home and to protect you. Iphigeneia hugs her mother. $3.99 delivery March 10 - 14. Tell me, Agamemnon: Tell me what will you say to someone who asks you why youve killed your daughter? Klytaimestra goes into the tent. Agamemnon shall never lay a finger on your daughter not even to touch her robes! Here! Open navigation menu. Agamemnon and I have separate properties. I wrote a letter to my wife, Klytaimestra. 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 . 'Iphigenia' is the great achievement of Michael Cacoyannis. options are on the right side and top of the page. You win, I cry. line to jump to another position: The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text. Enough! Its not proper for young girls to be in the public eye for too long. 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 Youve forgotten them and so, now, you want to kill me. Klytaimestra I hear you, I hear you! 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! Greece is lucky to have you as one of her daughters I envy her and I envy you because you are lucky to have Greece as your mother. They live at a place, darling, where I wish Paris, Priams son, never lived! Dear women of Argos, this death, my death, this sacrifice to Artemis, will speed the Greeks to Troy and bring honour to the Greeks. You, grandchild of Aeacus you, too Ledas daughter, stay! Well, you pretended you didnt want the job but you did. 910. Here I am. Iphigeneia Looking into the distance behind curtains. Enter a Perseus citation to go to another section or work. But why girl? Why do I not call her a woman? Will she not be made Hades bride soon? Achilles Me, too! Orestes is begging you, too! Menelaos See this? He announced that if we did make that offering to the goddess, we would be able to sail away and we would succeed in sacking the Phrygian capital,Troy; otherwise we would fail. Achilles I do, my lady and I can see its a horrible thing for you to endure. Iphigeneia Yes, mother. She decides to ruin the party by tossing in a golden apple that says "To the . 1400. Enter AGAMEMNON and ATTENDANT. Agamemnon to trick Iphigenia into coming to Aulis. Brighter Bayside > Blog > Uncategorized > iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. But as for you, daughter of Agamemnon! Agamemnon Pleasure! Come, darling Iphigeneia, come down from the carriage now. 58. Some of you stand by at the front of the horses to quieten them. How can I endure your death? Old Man You have dared to do a most frightening thing, my lord, Agamemnon! Soldiers, go and tear down Troy! Old Man That womans there. Agamemnon We are brothers when we are doing what is reasonable, not when we do what is madness. Hold on! What star could that be, that one, gliding across the sky up there? 260. Is it a good wife youre after? Then Achilles, Peleas son, took the golden basket and the holy water in his hands and ran around the goddess altar, chanting. Figure 2.2: Black-figure lekythos showing Iphigenia 89 led to the altar, c. 470 BCE. You had come with me to Argos and stayed with me as my servant. This is the first English edition with commentary of the play since 1891. Come, my darling daughter, come, Iphigeneia, come and stand near me.

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