iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me
Click anywhere in the 1340. That child was Paris. Paristook it and carried her off back to his own home, in Ida, a place where the cows graze in luxurious pastures. I would have given it if the Greeks couldnt get to Troy without my doing so. 1470. I shall speak clearly for you. There is nothing that I would not do for my darling Iphigeneia. Later, he becomes so angry that he picks up the wooden frame upon which the scroll rests and throws it violently to the ground. Klytaimestra Dear Achilles! Enough! Your father has gone, my darling and abandoned you to Hades! It seems Im eagerly preparing for an imaginary wedding! Introduction. Achilles Yes, many and theyll be lead by Odysseus! Dont be so afraid of the masses! Klytaimestra Sounds ideal to me. That! Why should you be the only one to offer our child as a victim to the altar? Im lost! Weve been robbed! Dire to me because it brought about my death. 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. What a shocking thing that would be! Menelaos Listen to me, Agamemnon! 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. 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. I shall do as you say. 543. The whole city ofAulisis quiet and the guard on the walls has yet to change. With his own sword, madam he will make bloody the young girls white neck bloody it with her own blood! Here I am. Old Man Psssst! Before the play begins: The background of Iphigeneia at Aulis is the Trojan War. I can see that youre angry at your husband but I think youre wrong about that. But, no, instead of that, I have brought her to her slaughter! No! Agamemnon And when you come across some fork in the road, check it carefully. Then the priest took hold of the sword and, after a few words of prayer, began searching the girls neck looking for the best place to strike. Details. The lustral water, the barley, everything is ready for the holy flame. Klytaimestra No, what hes done to you will cost him a great deal of trouble! Ill have none of it! May it be with you always, for helping the unfortunate! 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. In front of the tent is a small table at which sits Agamemnon. She is in there, crying and falling from one abyss of misery into another. 1050. They hate me the most! Where inGreecedoes he live? Or else let Menelaos kill Hermione, his own daughter. 320. Come, darling Iphigeneia, come down from the carriage now. At the tip of their sterns stood the golden statues of Nereids, the emblem of Achilles army. Iphigeneia Separation? Iphigeneia Stop! 1380. Old Man The priest, my lady. He is interrupted by Klytaimestras entrance. 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 a terrible shame! In revenge for Agamemmnon killing one of her sacred stags, the goddess Artemis demands the sacrifice of his eldest daughter . line to jump to another position: The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text. Then, you arrived here, inAulis, with the whole of the Greek army and immediately you lost every virtue you had. 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. Achilles Her father had promised her to me! Iphigeneia Come, now, mother, dont make me lose heart! Iphigenia calling into the tent. The sparkling water of your ancestral streams is waiting for you! And, no, I will not murder my children and certainly wont do it so that you can wrongfully enjoy some sort of vengeance exacted from a disgraceful wife, while I waste away in tears day and night because I had committed such a godless crime against them, against my own flesh and blood. Achilles, stay! This last one, Helen, had received the most famous, the greatest sons of the whole ofHellasas her suitors ferocious threats of murder were uttered by those who had missed out on her. She has accepted this offering gladly and has granted us a safe journey for our expedition against Troy. Iphigeneia No, mother. Ive missed you so much. You locked yourself up indoors and became totally unapproachable to everyone. Klytaimestra Why? Then Talthybius stood up amongst them all and told them to be silent. Menelaos is carrying a staff and has nearly finished reading Agamemnons letter which he has torn from the Old Mans hands. You, grandchild of Aeacus you, too Ledas daughter, stay! Let our friends here see how happy you make me. Begging you by his silence. Agamemnon And dont waste any time hanging about some watering hole in the woods and dont fall victim to the magic of sleep! Klytaimestra She stretches her right hand 830. Im shaking with fear. No, there are hundreds of women who want my wedding bed! How can you prove that you and I have the same father? This man has forcefully and unjustly ripped your letter from my hands, my lord! Klytaimestra The whole army? Come out! No! Klytaimestra goes into the tent. They say that Zeus had transformed himself into a bird and then slept with your mother. I no longer want to be your enemy. For a slave you have just too much to say! Menelaus appears to be the caring brother. And you, you will carry the honour of my deed wherever you go! 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. The play was set in the small amphitheater at the Getty Villa. Agamemnon Make sure you dont break the seal of the scroll! Fate gave me nothing to be proud of. I offer my neck quietly and with no fear for the knife. 1550, Thats what she said and every man there was amazed at the bravery and the virtue of the young girl. The world beneath the earth is a world of nothing. He married her and they had a son, Aeacus who became King of the island Oenone. Whether they treat me well or appallingly makes no difference to them. 1613. Dawns light is already being taken over by the fire of the Suns brilliant chariot! But go! Enter Second Chorus of men and women, Attendants of Klytaimestra, Second Chorus Indicating behind the curtains (Stage Left) 590. 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 . Menelaos Yes, but an unstable mind is an evil thing, something which befuddles the minds of ones friends. Its obvious that theres no escaping my death; so now, I want to die nobly. Agamemnon No need to tell me to answer you honestly. Stop waiting for those indecisive sons of Atreas to tell you what to do. The whole Greek army, Klytaimestra, thats who! This is desperate behaviour, my lord and it leaves no doubt to anyone who sees you, my lord, that youve gone mad! That light, this light all around us, will cut all other arguments to pieces. She was the Queen of the gods. Not unless I obey the priests demand, not unless I sacrifice you. Agamemnon My thoughts exactly, my darling. Can you not see these men in full armour? Have you thought of any of this, or do you just go wandering about the army camp proudly waving about the sceptre of a General? Exit Achilles. There is no need! Agamemnon Look at you? Accomplish your tasks, old man! Have no fear, the pain will soften with custom and with the passage of time. Youre the son of a god and I am a mere mortal! He is writing a letter (on a scroll) an exercise which, it seems, is difficult for him. i. Trans. Agamemnon saw his child on her way to her slaughter and immediately groaned with horrible pain. Its covered with a cloak. 471. What a disgraceful behaviour! 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. Klytaimestra I am Klytaimestra, Ledas daughter and Agamemnons wife. I dont have to do anything he says and I didnt. You are the cause of it! Looking over the baby. Iphigeneia Yes, mother. I, the destroyer of Priams city and its people! Klytaimestra I hear you, I hear you! Please, father! Here is the body that your wife has given birth to. Enter Klytaimestra. Iphigeneia Damn all these spears of Menelaos! What a hateful, bitter sight is Helen! Old Man The army is heading to Troy, my lady. Achilles Alone? Bring him up to be a man. Iphigeneia begins towards the tent but is stopped by her father. Old Man And, my lord, if I say all these things youve just told me, will your daughter and your wife believe me? 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. Iphigenia I am ashamed to face Achilles. Finally, he picks up the scroll and gets up and moves away from the table. And it was with this lie, about the girls mock-marriage, that I tried to persuade my wife to bring her here. A good man, my brother, must not change his manner just because his life is going well. What star could that be, that one, gliding across the sky up there? Achilles They were the worst of them all! Prepare my sacrifice. We also let the horses loose to drink and to graze at a meadow nearby. My baby boy, Orestes, will also be there and he, too, will cry. You are the cause of this miserable conflict between the sons of Atreas and their children! And you, foreign ladies, say nothing about this. As the play opens, Iphigenia introduces herself. Agamemnon My old friend, Thestius daughter, Leda, had three daughters: Phoebe, Klytaimestra (my wife) and Helen. She leads her mother into the tent and returns to centre stage. Euripides. Old Man Yes, tell me so that what I say to your wife agrees with what youve written in there. 389. Agamemnon Curse Calchas and his whole horde of glory-loving prophets! Do you hear them, Helen? Can you pronounce this word better. And thats when shell discover my treachery! But listen to me, Iphigeneia. You were only too glad to take up that offer! You already know your fathers intentions, poor love. Agamemnon Thank goodness youre out here, Ledas daughter. You already had one and you couldnt control her. You have been wronged, madam. This is the first English edition with commentary of the play since 1891. Someone must be playing games with both of us for some reason! Can you see what the goddess has placed upon her altar? That is, if my brain doesnt falter and make my tongue trip over its words! Klytaimestra But Achilles, think again! Do you think Im some slave of yours? No, you look after everything outside the household and I shall take care of things within it! Its blood spattered about, saturating the goddess altar! For a mere woman? Iphigenia in Aulis is an Attic, or Greek, tragedy composed by Euripides (circa 480-406 BCE). Last Updated on July 14, 2022, by eNotes Editorial. Every one of them is just as unbearable! Old Man That? London: J.M. Arent you ashamed of yourself? Things that should best be kept away from a brides ear. 550. Accept the pure blood from this girls lovely neck! 190. Yet it is right that she should come with her sweet daughter to give her away as a bride. 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. It is a bitter thing for a father to take, a father who has worked hard but who must send his daughters away away to another household. Iphigeneia hugs her mother. What a wonderful excuse! Whos calling through that half-opened door? 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. November 1, 2021 . 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. Now you know the whole thing. Is it marriage? 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? Klytaimestra Stop your shouting. Me, Leda's daughter, hapless dame, First blooming offspring of her bed. / Malvaux > Non class > iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me / 15.02.22 iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me . Daddy, do you want to kill me? My father, my own father has left me! Stay! Give me a big hug! Death is a dreadful thing! Well, old man, Ive reconsidered all those dreadful decisions Ive made back then and wrote another letter in which I am correcting them. Well, then, may you and your friends also enjoy a marriage such as mine! She will say to me! He was her lord. 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 Can you not see him standing in the midst of all the Greeks, telling them all about Calchas prophesies and all about how Ive promised to sacrifice my daughter to Artemis but then went back on my word? How I cry for you! As is common, there is a dowry, here brought by her mother from the household of Agamemnon (lines 612-13). Now come out of Agamemnons tent. This is the letter which you saw me writing in the dark, opening it and shutting it, labouring over it. I dont understand, father. I know what you want to do to me Go on! Accept this sacrifice which we, the Greek army and Agamemnon, offer to you! Klytaimestra But why? 660. Rolls her hand gently through her own hair. He sounds frightened. And, do I not also have the right to make my own prayer to the gods about you? 20. Hell have the whole army eating out of his hand and then make them kill us and sacrifice the girl anyway! Famously, they partnered on Seamus Heaney's "The Burial at Thebes" at the Guthrie in fall 2011. Vile trickery, unworthy of his father, Atreas! Ha! 560. Agamemnon Where, darling? Still, the girl came up close to him and said, Daddy, here I am, ready to do as you say. Obedient child. Klytaimestra who was married to whom? You began and ended your speech with fine sentiments. It is, in fact, at that time when his friends should be able to rely on him because it is at that time, the time when things are going well with him, that he can help them the most. ancient Greek wedding ritual, Iphigenia comes to Aulis accompanied by her mother and brother. Iphigeneia Youll come right back after youre done withTroy, wont you? Good bye. No one in the world can deny that the act of saving a child is a blessed act. Youve come to your death you and me also! Klytaimestra bursts into tears. Klytaimestra A cold hope, that one, Achilles. And the gods will see to that, whether you like it or not. There, alongside of them, ran Achilles, Peleas son, in his full armour. Out of my senses! Listen to their words: 790, Who will it be, I wonder, who will bring tears to my eyes, drag me by my beautiful hair and pluck me from my ruined land?. Hell grab her by her blond hair, if he has to and. Menelaos Leave! Come, disband the army and leaveAulismy brother and stop your tears and mine! Unjustly but I must! Klytaimestra My dear Lord, Agamemnon! 870. Please dont be offended now! Klytaimestra Ah! 520. Ill now stand by you and so I advise you not to kill your daughter or put my own interests before yours. Here, friends, take this baby to his father, Agamemnon. Ive rushed here before them so that you can be ready to receive them. Come on, wont you beg your father not to kill your big sister? Agamemnon I have failed miserably! I shall be accompanying our girl with the wedding song. I envy any man whose life passes quietly, unnoticed by fame. But as for you, daughter of Agamemnon! Old Man So, my lord, why on earth are you wandering about out here, then? From now on I will live there in that other world. ("Agamemnon", "Hom. Chorus Youre a brave girl, Iphigeneia. Then Achilles, Peleas son, took the golden basket and the holy water in his hands and ran around the goddess altar, chanting. Dying for a marriage about which her lunatic suitors swore Tyndareus oaths. Come, my darling daughter, come, Iphigeneia, come and stand near me. Chorus He is the Trojan Ganymede, the loving delight of Zeus bed! Now make your answer reasonable also! Cheiron, the centaur did, so that the child might be brought up not knowing the behaviour of evil men. View a map of the most frequently mentioned places in this document. Achilles Weighty words, old man! Then you scratch away the seal and then you throw its pine frame onto the ground and then you begin to cry profusely! Chorus Where has the strength of your face gone? 1110. Iphigeneia But there is no loss, mummy! Only your knees. As she imagines Agamemnon killing Iphigenia, Clytemnestra. Oh, my sweet daughter! (A father's conduct here I blame), A joyless victim bred; When o'er the strand of Aulis, in the pride. If this works out well, then the result will be good for you and your family without my getting mixed up in the affair. 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? Klytaimestra Oh, no, child! It is a madness I cannot control. I, too feel the same pain so I wont be angry with you. Will he not get furious with you and with your wife if you deprive him of his bride? The gods deserted you and they wouldnt give you a favourable wind for our sails. Achilles I told them that if thats what they thought, then they should not kill my intended wife. Reg. Open Document. You may accept or manage cookie usage at any time. Well then, tell me: what will your prayer, your plea to the gods be? Hold on! Old Man A slave. Once you see the knife approaching your neck you might well call for my help. Let them all see which one should be sacrificed. Think nothing of it! Do not send our daughter here, inAulis, the place whose harbours are well protected from the harsh seas and which juts out towardsColchis. Such is "Iphigenia" (1977), by Greek director Mikhali (Michael) Cacoyannis, based on Euripedes' tragedy, "Iphigenia in Aulis." "Iphigenia" relates the story of an incident that took place just prior to the Trojan War. Agamemnon What? It makes the mother love her child most deeply and she will defend it with her life. Clytemnestra But why? 110. Shelley Dean Milman. Think again, Iphigeneia! He walks slowly about the stage for a moment, anxiously searching the starry sky. Old Man Yes, dear lady! 1410. Details. See, father? 929. Iphigeneia Dont let them wear black either! The Greek warriors are waiting for you, anxious to start off for Troy! Messenger No, my lady! I want to marry you, to take you to my home and to protect you. You write down some words, then you scratch them out and write other words in their place. Thats Sirius, my lord. This surely is nothing more than drivel spat out of the mouth of a mad old man! On my part, I wish you all happiness and may you return to the land of your fathers victorious. Who gave you the right to spy upon my affairs? Come out here and bring your little brother, Orestes with you. No, mother, let one of daddys servants accompany me to Artemis woods, the place where I shall be sacrificed. 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! The more I hold you in my arms the more the tears rush to my eyes. Achilles Slave to whom? Achilles You must grab her and not let go of her. Soon youll wake up a happy young man, my son. Where shall I go to find your hand, to ask you to help me in my hour of despair? The second, Iphigenia at Aulis, so vastly different as to highlight the playwright's Protean invention, centres on the ultimate dysfunctional family, that of Agamemnon, as natural emotion is. Klytaimestra Yes! Indicating the skyLook up there! She is the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra . Iphigeneia I am ashamed because my marriage has turned out to be such a dismal failure. First Chorus And fast-footed Achilles, too, whose feet fly faster than the wind. Now call her out here so she can follow me to the altar. Please, in the name of Pelops and of Atreas, who is your father, I beg you! How much suffering, how much pain has Helen, Tyndareus daughter, brought upon us, upon the children of Danaus! At one point he is satisfied with what hes written, seals it with his ring but then, a moment later, he scratches away the seal and re-reads the letter. A black Fate for all three of us! Chorus Let Agamemnon place a crown upon the head of Greece and let him be crowned in turn! 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! 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! Has my husband gone insane? 785, Chorus Do you hear them, Helen? However, when Agamemnon breaks down in tears, Menelaus relents. Oh, what a joy it is to see you, Iphigeneia! We are a free people, whereas they are slaves. Should I exchange the good for bad? Dont suppose for one minute that Ill be asking them to treat you well. You will be away from me for a very long time. A member of the chorus rushes into the tent. Now the strength rests with Irreverence and Virtue is now scorned by the mortals. Tell me Agamemnon! July 4, 2022 . 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. This is a happy day for Iphigeneia! The whole thing is a game played by the heavens! 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. Eloquence, brother, begets hatred! Agamemnon An eloquent covering of a shameful act! Abominable creature! I do not envy those in authority." Context:: This line comes near the very beginning of the play. Agamemnon This is scandalous! Look! He is barely visible. What? His servants use the other. Which of the gods has stolen you? What a dreadful thing to say! Old man, come out here! I am resolved to die; and this I want to do with honor, dismissing from me what is mean. Agamemnon That will be his decision. 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. Orestes is begging you, too! Poor, poor girl! 1250. Gods forbid that I should choose to lose a brother to win a Helen! 370. A real miracle! NI 1886. Iphigenia at Aulis was first performed in 405 B.C.E., the year after Euripides' death. 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. Shelley Dean Milman. They will say that even though you werent wedded to her, you were still the poor virgins promised husband. The decision is yours and it is a brave one, I admit that. Over the centuries other hands have contributed to the text we now have but even so for the most part it shows Euripides at his finest. Iphigeneia Artemis altar will be my grave. These are wicked pleasures for a wicked man! Agamemmnon's fleet is stranded by bad weather in the bay of Aulis and his troops are growing mutinous. Enter Achilles with fellow soldiers in full armour. Achilles No, Iphigeneia! George Bell and Sons. An XML version of this text is available for download, Klytaimestra What? Then Agamemnon came to me and ordered me to come here and tell you what Fate the gods have granted to your daughter. Rather, I have an amazing story to tell you about your daughter. Agamemnon Yes, dear because our separation will be a long one. 150. Achilles Then listen to me carefully, madam so that well achieve our aim. Chorus And so the Greek ships will sail. 630. When our esteemed prophet, Calchas, conducts his next sacrifice, when he will mingle his barley and his holy water upon the altar, he will pay bitterly for it! Old Man Your very reprimand shows the extent of my virtue! Why has their marriage brought about my death, father? If the oracle has given me some say into your daughters fate then I pass that say over to you. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. There will be no grave. 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. 420, The soldiers talk and they ask questions. What do you think I and the rest of your family will feel towards you? Whats going on? some of them ask. She will be saved if you will it. Iphigenia in Aulis is the last extant work of the playwright Euripides. Thats what Im afraid of! For such a young girl you are so intelligent! How full of torment is life for us ephemeral creatures! Klytaimestra You? Which of your children will dare even look at you? Ah, yes! Chorus Even though you were not raised among the sounds of the shepherds flute, even though you were raised, instead, by your mothers side, raised to be adorned one day as a bride to one of Iachus descendants, you, my young girl, will be dragged down like a spotted deer, or like a young heifer is dragged down from some rocky mountains cave, dragged down there to the goddess altar.
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