Its going past those seven stars, the Pleiades, my lord straight through the very centre of the heavens. . Agamemnon I know well about pity I know well who deserves it and who does not and I -I love my children! First Chorus Words that will not shame your ancestors. How could I possibly express my gratitude to you in a modest way? You groan but you say nothing. You are the cause of it! 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! She leads her mother into the tent and returns to centre stage. You, grandchild of Aeacus you, too Ledas daughter, stay! They hate me the most! Another, Pallas, was proud of her war spear and the third, Hera, proud of the fact that she shared her bed with Lord Zeus. Volume II. What, youll be performing a mothers duties now? Klytaimestra turns away angrily and enters the tent. Click anywhere in the First Chorus What an awful thing it is for brothers whose views differ to come to insults! Forget your old age and run! This is the letter which you saw me writing in the dark, opening it and shutting it, labouring over it. My Pelasgia! Accept the pure blood from this girls lovely neck! They first worked. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me2825 airview blvd kalamazoo, mi 49002. On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore Klytaimestra bursts into tears. 710. First Chorus Once there, a maddened gaze of love from each of you had sent you both into Eros confusion and sent Greece to Troy with strife-searching ships and spears. He embraces and then steps back to look at her sadly. Free to mock her! Messenger My dear lady I shall. Ultimately, Euripides uses Iphigenia at Aulis to argue that the ancient Greek impulse to revere one's lineage or parentage while effectively ignoring the duty one has to one's living, breathing family is one which creates sadness, discord, anger, and even the impulse for revenge. Do you think Im some slave of yours? What a shocking thing that would be! All of us? Think nothing of it! Menelaos First, look at me in the eye and then Ill tell you! My mother! Were working on it right now. In revenge for Agamemmnon killing one of her sacred stags, the goddess Artemis demands the sacrifice of his eldest daughter . Ah! Please dont be offended now! It is for Hellas that I am forced to sacrifice you. Klytaimestra But Achilles, think again! They will sail over to our home, to Argos and kill our children and the two of us as well! By the goddess Hera, protector ofArgosand of marriage, I shall not do so! 450. But go! Ah! Ha! Those worthy of praise find it a hateful thing when they are praised too profusely. Iphigeneia Oh, Im so happy youve brought me here to see you. Iphigeneias scream of grief is suddenly heard from within the tent. Still, the girl came up close to him and said, Daddy, here I am, ready to do as you say. Klytaimestra And kept his promise by bringing her here, to you, all the way from Argos! 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! I just couldnt get through to them! I swear by my mother, the goddess Thetis, that I shall fight the Greeks to save you! I envy the man who knows no fame; and I dont envy the man whose life is heavy with the trappings of office. Enter Achilles with fellow soldiers in full armour. "Iphigenia" marks Steele and Lorca's fourth collaboration on a Greek tragedy. Old Man The army is heading to Troy, my lady. 1160. Where will I find you? You had come with me to Argos and stayed with me as my servant. Chorus Alas! Still, if I fail? 65. Just before Dawn. 58. Where shall I begin? 670. Menelaos True. Tears that come about from making our daughter a bride to Achilles. 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! 720. Menelaos Not if he dies first. No, thats not a good idea, Klytaimestra Ill hold you tight, by your clothes, Iphigeneia No, mother. Chiron, the wise teacher, was entrusted by a wiser parent! Iphigeneia No, mother. Iphigeneia Mother, he will sacrifice me for the sake of our country, for Hellas, against his will. He kept pace with the rail and with the wheels of the chariot. 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? The trilogy won first prize at the City Dionysia at Athens. Oh, goddess who lets her brilliant light roll along through the gloomy darkness of the night! I know about your plans. 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. The choruses "Que d'attraits" and "Non, jamais, jamais aux regards" are full of grace. A kiss to remember you by in the underworld, since my words have not convinced you. Up there is my final argument. I see. 940. It is a glory that will never wither in the minds of the Greeks. These are things you should know nothing about! Iphigeneia Father! 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. And I shall here where the groom is, I shall. 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. London: J.M. Achilles But who are you, madam? George Bell and Sons. Chorus He is the Trojan Ganymede, the loving delight of Zeus bed! Let us pray for a good fortune! Vile trickery, unworthy of his father, Atreas! No man is blessed or happy for ever. But then, suddenly a miracle happened, my lady! I wonder who her groom is. 430. Perseus provides credit for all accepted If your pleas work and they save the girls life, then my intervention will not be necessary. 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. Klytaimestra Will he try and come here and drag my darling away, just like that, against her will? 1279. Hear my first attack on you: Youve married me by brutal force and by murder. There is no need! What should I call your deeds to make them also sound lovely? Ah, there he is! So, tell me, my brother: What is all this violent fury? / Malvaux > Non class > iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me / 15.02.22 iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me . He is writing a letter (on a scroll) an exercise which, it seems, is difficult for him. Agamemnon Sisyphus son, Odysseus, knows our whole story. Iphigenia's father is Agamemnon and his brother is King Menelaus. Would you like her to plead at your knees? . Agamemnon Zeus himself gave her to him. I know, Im behaving as if I were some god towards you though Im a mere mortal. I shall look elsewhere for friends and help. Menelaos Yes, but an unstable mind is an evil thing, something which befuddles the minds of ones friends. There is a small oil lamp on the table as well as various writing implements. Promise me that you wont cut even a strand of your hair in mourning nor wear black! Chorus There goes the girl wholl soon stain the altar of the murderous goddess with the gushing blood of her beautiful throat! You, Paris, you son of Priam! Klytaimestra I am not so insensitive, Agamemnon. And thats when shell discover my treachery! Achilles Words, logic, can fight off fear. 1470. Youll go to a place where youll forget about your father. However, it is considered to be not an authentic part of the original text. One goddess, Aphrodite, was proud of her insatiable love. Thats Sirius, my lord. Menelaos I was waiting to see if your daughter would leaveArgosto come to the army camp. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. Her expedition to Troy and its destruction depends upon me. The whole Greek army, Klytaimestra, thats who! Raise a hymn now to the goddess Artemis, Zeus daughter, for the sad honour she has asked me to endure and let the women of Argos, the daughters of Danaus, hold a silence of reverence. Enter from Stage Left Klytaimestra and Iphigeneia, accompanied by an entourage of men and women, some of whom are carrying gifts into Agamemnons tent. That is, if my brain doesnt falter and make my tongue trip over its words! Holy Spirit of mine! IPHIGENIA IN AULIS - Monologue (Clytemnestra) A monologue from the play by Euripides NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Plays of Euripides in English, vol. As for the other sort, the bad ones, they are everywhere! They will say that even though you werent wedded to her, you were still the poor virgins promised husband. For such a young girl you are so intelligent! A real miracle! Chorus And there it was that Dardanos poured the heavenly nectar into the deep golden cups of the gods. Cover the baby with one of your cloaks. Help my girl. Klytaimestra who was married to whom? Klytaimestra Darling, no! Think again, Iphigeneia! Klytaimestra Really? 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. Agamemnon and I have separate properties. Id only be speaking lies and Id be adding disgrace to my miserable Fate! Now go inside, my good man and everything will happen according to the will of Fate. Iphigeneia Youve been so long here in the harbours ofAulis! Shhhh listen to me! To the lowly and weak mortals, the fortunate always appear like gods. Menelaos If you dont let go of it I shall crack your skull open with this staff! Buy used: $6.99. Now, you must take with you our newborn son from here and go back home. Iphigeneia Of course. She leans before him and embraces his knees. But I see a letter in your hand. I want no one to lose tears over my grave. The very last thing you do. What was the point of bringing us up here for a marriage that. She has flown away to the Heavens! Agamemnon Asopus, the river god, had a daughter,Aegina. Old Man Yes, tell me so that what I say to your wife agrees with what youve written in there. 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! Here, then, I have suffered the greatest misfortune yet I am ashamed to cry just as I am also ashamed to hold back my tears. Clytemnestra and Iphigenia try to Klytaimestra Oh, no, child! Indeed no! He is the very reason you are here! Achilles Whos that? 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. Dent & Sons, 1920. Klytaimestra May the gods give your heart strength! Menelaos How else, then, can you, Agamemnon, prove that we are brothers? I acted like a stupid child before but now I thought more deeply about what its really like to kill your own children. Then Agamemnon came to me and ordered me to come here and tell you what Fate the gods have granted to your daughter. Women, help her. He was the one responsible for that job. (A father's conduct here I blame), A joyless victim bred; When o'er the strand of Aulis, in the pride. Finally, my old friend, he came upon the answer. Its young Orestes, a baby still. We will soon reveal Agamemnons sacrilegious schemes against his very own children! Chorus Go, young girl! Here, friends, take this baby to his father, Agamemnon. Agamemmnon's fleet is stranded by bad weather in the bay of Aulis and his troops are growing mutinous. 290. Old Man I I dont approve of words like these coming out of the mouths of leaders. 220, First Chorus I came to take a look at the great number of ships, a sight most pleasant and most able to satisfy my girlish eyes. Not unless I obey the priests demand, not unless I sacrifice you. Otherwise why should we bother being just? Believe me, I wont be exaggerating. Hes gone out a while ago and Iphigeneia, in the meantime, has heard how her father is planning to kill her. First Chorus Joy will come to those who share their marriage bed with the calm of Aphrodites love and not with the frenzy of Eros stinging arrows! An introduction to a classic play. The only voice I have, father, my only skill, is in my tears and, here, father, Im giving them to you! You say youre happy to see me but your face looks worried! Youll be back inArgos, taking care of our other daughters. Oh, Achilles! Helen, wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, had eloped to Troy with Paris, son of King Priam. Iphigenia in Aulis is an Attic, or Greek, tragedy composed by Euripides (circa 480-406 BCE). Klytaimestra What? Let no Greek touch my body with his hand. Bring him up to be a man. If you really want to do something againstTroythen do it, or else just take us all back home. I know everything! Thats true, Ive changed and Ive changed because I love you, brother. You are indeed a brave, noble person, Iphigeneia and for that reason I want you to be my wife. Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 390). The Chorus turns in the direction of the scream and responds! This is a dreadful thing for me to do but it is just as dreadful not to do it. Perhaps were both being deceived. Ive changed, youll say! Achilles First, plead with him. The altar of Zeus daughter. Me, father! Menelaos Why is that? 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. The whole of Greece is gathered here and they all want one thing: to go to the famous city of Troy and tear down her towers. Klytaimestra What is it? 1000. No, mother, let one of daddys servants accompany me to Artemis woods, the place where I shall be sacrificed. In fact, had he asked me for my permission to use my name for this, I would have given it. Be careful of one thing, Menelaos: Be careful when youre walking among the men not to let Klytaimestra find out anything about the sacrifice; at least not until after Ive sent my daughter to Hades. Thats Achilles, my darling. They were sitting together on stools, joyfully immersed in a game of draughts, a game full of complex moves. Its a meadow full of bright and beautiful flowers. Which of your children will dare even look at you? I clasp your knees without shame! 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. AGAMEMNON Old man, come hither and stand before my dwelling. Klytaimestra Listen then and listen to me well! The true leader of a city and of an army is not merely brave but intelligent. What a terrible shame! My armed comrades will be there with me to save your life, to stop your execution. Achilles I did but theyre shouting at me, too! 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. Or else let Menelaos kill Hermione, his own daughter. Agamemnon Little girls should not be bothered with such things. My sacrifice will bring about a victory for the Greeks and secure their safety. Agamemnon Here, at the harbour, near our beautiful Greek ships. 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! What sort of a welcome do you think youll receive on you return? Cry! Its good that the children will be spared. 700. Iphigenia I am ashamed to face Achilles. Agamemnon to trick Iphigenia into coming to Aulis. Enter Second Messenger running excitedly. Klytaimestra But why didnt you deliver that message to me, if it was in your hand? Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Rest assured, we are alone. The Iphigenia at Aulis Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. My baby boy, Orestes, will also be there and he, too, will cry. Klytaimestra You? Then, the moment you became one, all this nice behaviour changed and you had turned your back on all your friends. His wifes doing, so, let him kill his wifes daughter. 190. 610. 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! Let my pity be a protective blanket over you; it is the pity of a young man but it is a sincere pity, nevertheless and one brought about by the fact that I have been the one named as your daughters husband. The opportunity was made for him to elope with her, since Menelaos was absent at the time. Its covered with a cloak. Here! 303. Agamemnon You, too, Iphigeneia, you also have a journey to make. Thats what theyll be saying; and all this because of you, Helen! Thank you, my sweet daughter! I dont want anyone to think despicable things about me. Klytaimestra I know well that you are an old servant of my house. One of the myths in the Cypria inspired the tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis, written by Euripides (ca. Klytaimestra I am Klytaimestra, Ledas daughter and Agamemnons wife. Dont look at me for that, I cant give you one! 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. Youll soon hear it all. CineMan-8 20 April 1999. Stop waiting for those indecisive sons of Atreas to tell you what to do. However, when he tries to rally the Greeks against the sacrifice, he discovers that the entirety of the Greek soldiers demand that Agamemnon's wishes be carried out. Both of us, darling! Enter Klytaimestra. Chorus And so the Greek ships will sail. Klytaimestra A cold hope, that one, Achilles. Achilles Not if Ill have anything to say about it! But tell me what I must do. Iphigenia at Aulis seems to have been constructed in a society in which it was ideal to put nation and family ahead of oneself. "I envy you old man. First Chorus It is wise to be modest because modesty gives you the rare gift of circumspection, the ability to judge what is right, what is your duty; an ability that will give you respect and will remain with you for ever. The whole thing is a game played by the heavens! Agamemnon The entire Greek army, Menelaos! Why are you arguing with this man? Klytaimestra Peers into the distance anxiously for a moment but is finally relieved. He writes a few words, then scratches them out and begins again. The goddess son. Im angry because King Agamemnon has insulted me so gravely. Klytaimestra You? Chorus Let Agamemnon place a crown upon the head of Greece and let him be crowned in turn! Consistently, Enter AGAMEMNON and ATTENDANT. Her unexpected arrival has added to my ruin. Achilles, initially, vows to defend Iphigenia. Come, my lord, lets go back inside! Old Man He tricked you about the marriage with Achilles, my lady, so that youd be willing to come here. Old Man Dying for my master will be a glorious thing. Old Man A slave. Where inGreecedoes he live? How I wish he never lived near the gurgling white waters of those springs, the springs where nymphs gathered. 280. And Im very pleased to see you, too! Agamemnon I have failed miserably! On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore Hes gone mad only so far as your daughter and you are concerned. Klytaimestra Whats wrong? 1080. Which one will not wonder if it will be the next one you take to the slaughter? 471. Im not too proud to do so. Image from Vermeule and Chapman (1971) Plate 71. The girl is with the gods! 680. You were still the man she loved. Chorus There goes the destroyer of Troy and her people! Klytaimestra You, alone? He said that it must be done if the expedition is ever to make it to, Klytaimestra Expedition? What does my life have to do with the marriage of Paris and Helen father? Here, take it now and carry it over toArgos. Someone must be playing games with both of us for some reason! There, alongside of them, ran Achilles, Peleas son, in his full armour. The Greek fleet is waiting at Aulis, Boeotia, with its ships ready to sail for Troy, but it is unable to depart due to a strange lack of wind. Download Pleiades ancient places geospacial dataset for this text. We are in front of Agamemnons lavish tent which has two entrances, one of which is the larger and used only by Agamemnon and his family. Stay here with us, with all your children! 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. Open navigation menu. Klytaimestra Ahhh! IPHIGENIA IN AULIS - Monologue (Iphigenia) A monologue from the play by Euripides NOTE: This monologue is reprinted from The Plays of Euripides in English, vol. Do you think that I, son of Atreas the fearless, will be afraid to raise my eyes and look at you in the eye? Klytaimestra Did they? Poor, poor child! You know very well how humble you were during the days you wanted to be the leader of the Trojan expedition. Exit Achilles. You win, I cry. You will be away from me for a very long time. 1171, I would be there, alone, Agamemnon, wailing, crying bitter tears, yelling, Darling Iphigeneia! She decides to ruin the party by tossing in a golden apple that says "To the . Look there! Why run away? Im not talking like this because Im missing out on this wedding.