A wise man must keep in his house a good and faithful woman, or else he should never marry! First Chorus The left flank of the Greek armada ended with the twelve trim and fast ships, led byAjaxwhose birthplace isSalamis. After all, what is it exactly that I want? Perhaps were both being deceived. Agamemnon I was out of my wits, old man! Leave! 1171, I would be there, alone, Agamemnon, wailing, crying bitter tears, yelling, Darling Iphigeneia! Klytaimestra What, Achilles? Achilles Yes, many and theyll be lead by Odysseus! Which of the gods has stolen you? That I could never do! 100. Achilles Me, too! Well, then, may you and your friends also enjoy a marriage such as mine! She will say to me! There is no point. 20. 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? Still, if I fail? Which of your children will dare even look at you? I also feel ashamed Iturns towards the tent. 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. Every one of them is just as unbearable! Klytaimestra Thats where they say the centaurs live. Iphigeneia Youre going off on a long journey daddy and youre living me behind! 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. You ask me what theyve done to me? Agamemnon Yes. I told her to bring our daughter here so that she may marry Achilles. With what face shall I receive hers? Iphigenia in Aulis. Then Calchas, the priest, took out a sharp sword out of its sheath and placed it in a basket made of gold. Are you here to add to the mountain of dread I have to endure already? Clytemnestra It is the goddess' son you see, child, for whom you came here. Buy used: $6.99. Where are we going to set it up? Then Agamemnon came to me and ordered me to come here and tell you what Fate the gods have granted to your daughter. Chorus Go, young girl! But tell me what I must do. with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Chorus Let Agamemnons name live for ever in glory! Achilles But who are you, madam? You, Paris, you son of Priam! 1560. Word Count: 1230. Son of the Nereid, you are marrying my daughter. 'Iphigenia' is the great achievement of Michael Cacoyannis. 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 In Aulis - Read online for free. Introduction. Klytaimestra And kept his promise by bringing her here, to you, all the way from Argos! i. Trans. Klytaimestra And leave my darling behind? Why should you be the only one to offer our child as a victim to the altar? Klytaimestra Why? This is a happy day for Iphigeneia! We use cookies for social media and essential site functions. She goes over to her mother and takes baby Orestes in her arms. If only I could! Chorus That is the city of Perseus, youre calling to! Cheiron, the centaur did, so that the child might be brought up not knowing the behaviour of evil men. Otherwise why should we bother being just? All right, youve stopped me Im waiting. So, tell me, my brother: What is all this violent fury? Other men may have different views but let me give you my own. Iphigenia in Aulis (a.k.a. Klytaimestra Listen then and listen to me well! A sensible man usually speaks to others with respect. Who can help me here? You were terrified of losing face and authority! Achilles They want to stone me to death, Klytaimestra! A city built by the Cyclopes! But now? You might still change your mind. Why are we wasting our time around here? It is Hellas I must obey, darling, not Menelaos. I envy the man who knows no fame; and I dont envy the man whose life is heavy with the trappings of office. Ive changed my mind, brother. Achilles No, my lady, dont call your daughter out to see me. If the sons of Atreas practice honesty then I shall obey them but if they dont, rest assured, madam that Ill defy them. You havent given birth to me simply for your own sake! I know what you want to do to me Go on! It was there, at that meadow that Pallas Athena and Aphrodite, whose heart was full of cunning, came with Hera and Hermes, Zeus messenger. Figure 2.3: Iphigenia being dragged toward the altar for sacrifice, 91 430-420 BCE. 773. Achilles I do, my lady and I can see its a horrible thing for you to endure. I want no one to lose tears over my grave. I beg you, father! Klytaimestra I am Klytaimestra, Ledas daughter and Agamemnons wife. Klytaimestra Yes. Please dont get angry with me. Arent you ashamed of yourself? Christoph Willibald Gluck: Overture to "Iphigenia in Aulis" (orch. Youve murdered Tantalus, my first husband and with even more brutal violence, youve torn my baby from my breast and dashed it hard against the ground! From now on, think only of me. Oh, goddess who lets her brilliant light roll along through the gloomy darkness of the night! Daddy, do you want to kill me? What a dreadful thing to say! 1020. Agamemnon Pleasure! Agamemnon Call on me when you want me to do something reasonable, not when you want to ruin me. They want me to. Next to him was Nireas, first among the Greeks in beauty. Your Fate and mine and hers, too! You, Agamemnon, are doing what countless others have also done in public life: While theyre in power they put up enormous efforts to keep it but then, when the public makes a stupid decision sometimes understandably so because the leader is too weak to lead the State- these public figures fall all in a heap and they disgrace themselves! Iphigenia in Aulis is the last extant work of the playwright Euripides. Looking over the baby. 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. Youll be standing right there at the altar. Pleasure, my old friend, is a dubious thing, an unstable thing; and as for all the trappings of office, all the power that goes with it, sure they might look sweet from the distance but once you get them, they become unbearable pains! Or else, we might as well call Mount Sipylus, the Asian city where his barbarous ancestors came from a great city and wipe out of our mind the name of Phthia! Chorus They tell me that Cassandra, Apollos priestess is there. Forget your old age and run! Agamemnon Yes, dear because our separation will be a long one. I can see that youre angry at your husband but I think youre wrong about that. Klytaimestra I know well that you are an old servant of my house. Let her keep her dignity intact. For a while, Iphigenia in Splott (a district of Cardiff about 20 minutes' walk from the the theatre) seems like a pretty normal contemporary monologue. 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! Menelaos See this? Chorus Listen to her, Agamemnon! 420, The soldiers talk and they ask questions. Klytaimestra What shall I tell your little sisters? Poor, poor child! Menelaos Let go! Agamemnon saw his child on her way to her slaughter and immediately groaned with horrible pain. Youve forgotten them and so, now, you want to kill me. Iphigeneia Damn all these spears of Menelaos! Overview. Our daughter now lives among the gods. 110. Klytaimestra May the gods give your heart strength! Forget it, madam! Klytaimestra goes into the tent. 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. 43. So, calm yourself now, Klytaimestra. Menelaos Brother, give me your right arm! Stop waiting for those indecisive sons of Atreas to tell you what to do. And then theres also this: what right do I have to love my life so much? Horrible Fate, what a dreadful yoke youve locked me into! How dare you! Iphigeneia begins towards the tent but is stopped by her father. Klytaimestra No, what hes done to you will cost him a great deal of trouble! 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! First Chorus We have come to watch the army of the divine Greeks and their thousand ships. Old Man You have dared to do a most frightening thing, my lord, Agamemnon! This got me so angry that the very next moment I ordered Talthybius to use his powerful voice and call the army to disband. 280. Here she is but Ill do the talking for both of us. Tears of pity came into my eyes just now, when I saw your own tears roll from yours. Can you see what the goddess has placed upon her altar? Messenger Agamemnon, leader of all the Greeks! Who on earth could force you to murder your own child? Klytaimestra My dear Lord, Agamemnon! Close suggestions Search Search 1318. Agamemnon That will be his decision. The choruses "Que d'attraits" and "Non, jamais, jamais aux regards" are full of grace. Hold on! Chorus What joyful news that messenger has brought you, my lady! Old Man Your very reprimand shows the extent of my virtue! Give thanks to the goddess Hope! Mother, wholl come with me when theyll come and drag me by my hair? You were totally bewildered by the change of your luck! . Which one will not wonder if it will be the next one you take to the slaughter? Menelaos Yes, you may well suffer now because I did break your seal and yes, I do know the secret trickery you were concocting! How much more time do we need to waste on this expedition toTroy? 411, Menelaos Enjoy the glory of your sceptre then! Very difficult. I acted like a stupid child before but now I thought more deeply about what its really like to kill your own children. The gods do strange things, madam, things that baffle us mortals but they save those they love. Achilles He was elected, all right, but he didnt say no! Full of joy and yet tears flow from your eyes 650. Iphigeneia Dont let them wear black either! Wagner) / Akira Mori, conductor - Drake Symphony Orchestra / Recorded at Drake University, (date) Show more Show more Gluck. Chorus And so, the blessed couple were wed by the gods: The nobly born oldest daughter of Nereas and Peleas. As Iphigeneia approaches her, Agamemnon enters. Where shall I go to find your hand, to ask you to help me in my hour of despair? Old Man Yes, dear lady! A god or a mortal? Pensively, anxiously. Old Man Tries to take the letter from Menelaos. Klytaimestra So, my sweet darling must face this horrible fate because of the need to bring Helen back? iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. I would have given it if the Greeks couldnt get to Troy without my doing so. Klytaimestra Dear Achilles! What was the point of bringing us up here for a marriage that. I was the first to play on your knees, the first one of your children to enjoy your love and the first one to give you a childs love. Rather, I have an amazing story to tell you about your daughter. Iphigeneia hands baby Orestes to her mother, Iphigeneia If only I could sing like Orpheus, father! I, too feel the same pain so I wont be angry with you. You, girls! Agamemnon A king, darling, a General is always worried. Klytaimestra Did they? What demon has taken possession of his mind? Let me tell you of your faults, Agamemnon! I have left Pharsalia and Peleas, my father, to come here. You locked yourself up indoors and became totally unapproachable to everyone. Oh, what a joy it is to see you, Iphigeneia! Go! 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? When Agamemnon tries to avoid sacrificing Iphigenia, Menelaus calls Agamemnon a traitor to both Greece and his own brother. Someone has exposed my plans! 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. It is unjust that you should be mourning while Im living a life full of joy. Dance around the temple of the blessed goddess! But let me try and persuade you and let her stay inside the tent. I can see you there now: a nobleman becoming a brother-in-law to a nobleman, to the divine Achilles, the son of Thetis the Nereid. IPHIGENIA A T A ULIS presents many problems to the literary and textual critic. What is a prophet? And others, is there going to be a wedding? Yet others again, did the king call his daughter here because hes missed her? Then there were others who said, the girl will be presented to the goddess Artemis, protector ofAulis, before the wedding. 680. Klytaimestra Was he picked by the army to do this or is this his own private doing? Im not too proud to do so. In the beginning of the play, Agamemnon . Your father has gone, my darling and abandoned you to Hades! Mother, I see a group of men coming towards us! Klytaimestra Ive come out here looking for my husband. Hell have the whole army eating out of his hand and then make them kill us and sacrifice the girl anyway! Download Pleiades ancient places geospacial dataset for this text. Can you pronounce this word better. Old Man To stop you By then he had come back to his senses. Menelaos is carrying a staff and has nearly finished reading Agamemnons letter which he has torn from the Old Mans hands. So this is the armada I saw here and about which I had heard back home earlier. If the oracle has given me some say into your daughters fate then I pass that say over to you. Iphigeneia Yes, mother. You already know your fathers intentions, poor love. Come, folks come and take down from the carriage the wedding gifts Ive brought and carefully carry them into the tent. Klytaimestra The whole of the Greek army? Here, friends, take this baby to his father, Agamemnon. Chorus Let Agamemnons spear see victory! What a sweet joy! How I wish he never lived at that meadow where all the flowers bloomed: roses and hyacinths, all those flowers that the goddesses plucked. Image from Vermeule and Chapman (1971) Plate 71. Menelaos Yes, but an unstable mind is an evil thing, something which befuddles the minds of ones friends. And then, if his prophesies are found to be false, he vanishes! Agamemnon Achilles is acting in name only and not in deed. i. Trans. It seems Im eagerly preparing for an imaginary wedding! Can you not see these men in full armour? Full search The sacrifice of Iphigenia would be covered by Euripides in 'Iphigenia at Aulis' and in this version Agamemnon has second thoughts. Let the Greeks win, mother, not the barbarians. Let that act be what Ill be remembered by. Am I not allowed to manage the affairs of my own home, in my own way, now? You, grandchild of Aeacus you, too Ledas daughter, stay! Your father, my lord, Atreas, didnt bring you into this world so that you may taste only its pleasures, my lord. Iphigeneia Then I shall be stupid and make you laugh! We your children and I- will give you the return that an evil man deserves. Agamemnon He lives in Phthia, by the river Apidanus. Theyre bound to serve someone well, sometime. 1380. Klytaimestra What? Chorus Ah! We use cookies for essential site functions and for social media integration. 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! 1600. An introduction to a classic play. Now let go of my letter! Come, go into my tent now. i. Trans. Have no fear, the pain will soften with custom and with the passage of time. Think again, Iphigeneia! Iphigeneia I am ashamed because my marriage has turned out to be such a dismal failure. The gods deserted you and they wouldnt give you a favourable wind for our sails. Klytaimestra Darling, no! My friend, neither kill nor be killed because of me. Me, Leda's daughter, hapless dame, First blooming offspring of her bed. Tell me what it is you want, now. 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. But, no, instead of that, I have brought her to her slaughter! Oh, Achilles! He, too, loves glory. Agamemnon Thank goodness youre out here, Ledas daughter. Agamemnon I envy you, old man! 821. Agamemnon What? I need to tell you things that our daughter should not hear. Agamemnon I wish I could, my child! Iphigenia in Aulis is an Attic, or Greek, tragedy composed by Euripides (circa 480-406 BCE). I just couldnt get through to them! But why girl? Why do I not call her a woman? Will she not be made Hades bride soon? Agamemnon And still something is holding back the expedition. 1340. Klytaimestra who was married to whom? The Plays of Euripides, translated by E. P. Coleridge. Still, its not proper for me to be talking with a woman. Because youre trying to save my girl? Youll go to a place where youll forget about your father. 164. Let them all see which one should be sacrificed. 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. Agamemnon! Paris! Enter Menelaos and the OldMan. Enough! Palermo, Mus. Where is the leader of the Greek army? Achilles Weighty words, old man! By your chin, Achilles, by your right hand and by your mother, stand by us! And then am I mad if I had changed my mind about something which I later realised I was wrong? I know too well that this awful plight is mine and mine alone you have nothing to do with it 980. Click anywhere in the 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. Please lend me your arms, so that I may get down from the seat of this carriage modestly. 58. Just before Iphigenia in Aulis begins . You both know the size of the army gathered here. Youll soon hear it all. Under no circumstances should any of this work be used as part of a collage, which includes the work of other writers or translators. Klytaimestra Unfortunate, Achilles, yes, that is true! 1250. They will reach the silvery eddies of the Simois river that runs through Apollos stronghold, the rocky plains ofTroy. Things that should best be kept away from a brides ear. [1340] Open the tent-door to me, servants, that I may hide myself Clytemnestra Why seek to escape, my child? The gods are no fools and they know when oaths are falsely pledged or forced upon people. Is it a good wife youre after? No, it will not be necessary. 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?. Here we are, eagerly obedient to your wish! Tell me the reason you will give no let me speak on your behalf, because I know what you will say. 1540. After you have gone gone away on your expedition and you have left me here, alone in the house -and alone for a long time, our darling daughters chair empty her bedroom empty -what sort of heart do you think will be beating in my breast? The whole city ofAulisis quiet and the guard on the walls has yet to change. Come, then, father, turn to me and give me a final kiss. Figure 2.2: Black-figure lekythos showing Iphigenia 89 led to the altar, c. 470 BCE. Has my husband gone insane? Its not proper for young girls to be in the public eye for too long. Iphigeneia If only it were possible to take me with you, father. Agamemnon Asopus, the river god, had a daughter,Aegina. No mother, no father. Klytaimestra Well? Weve been robbed! 330. Give you my right hand? His wifes doing, so, let him kill his wifes daughter. 480. Lift your head up for me, darling, smile for me. I have my army, the famous Myrmidons, wasting their time hanging about the quiet waters ofEpirus, getting angrier and more impatient by the minute. I am too ashamed to tell you this pitiful story of mine. Reg. Klytaimestra What shall I do for you in Argos? First Chorus Words worthy of Tantalus, Zeus son. CineMan-8 20 April 1999. Enter Second Messenger running excitedly. Come, friends, sing with me in praise of the goddess whose temple faces Chalkis, the place where the spears of war are waiting for me in anger! Madam, let this sword of mine bear witness to what Im about to say! Ah, Menelaos! Accept the pure blood from this girls lovely neck! This sword will have blood on it even before I leave for Troy! It seems that the generals do as they please with me. Married and single alike? Iphigenia has arrived in Aulis, and soon the army will be demanding her death. 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. It was written sometime between 408 and 406 BCE (the date of his death) and was first produced in the year following his death, where it won first place at the Athenian City Dionysia contest. Chorus Friends, let us sing our prayer to Artemis! Record the pronunciation of this word in your own voice and play it to listen to how you have pronounced it. Achilles By the goddess Modesty! As is common, there is a dowry, here brought by her mother from the household of Agamemnon (lines 612-13). Iphigeneia The same song, mother, the same words tell both our fates, dear mother and I Ive lost the days sweet light, the sweet light of the suns rays! And, they should also swear that they would attack and destroy the land of the wrongdoer by the force of arms, whether his land is Greek or foreign. Klytaimestra But Achilles, think again! Your fathers holy water is waiting for you! Run! You know very well how humble you were during the days you wanted to be the leader of the Trojan expedition. Agamemnon Holy Fate and Fortune! What would be the best action for him to take? You are, indeed, a noble soul and you leave me speechless and unable to argue against your views. 1010. Its been such a long time! Miserable, Agamemnon says he has no choice. 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). Both of us, darling! If I must then I shall wash away her oracle with my blood, with my sacrifice upon her altar. Let our friends here see how happy you make me. The girl is with the gods! 1580. Finally, my old friend, he came upon the answer. First Chorus We have left behind our land, Chalkis, a land washed by the salty waters of glorious Arethousa and weve travelled through the narrow straights of Euripus to come here, toAulis, to this sandy peninsula. 378. 910. Klytaimestra What about the wedding feast after the ceremony? The opportunity was made for him to elope with her, since Menelaos was absent at the time. Menelaos Not if he dies first. Klytaimestra May joy be with you for ever, Achilles. If I try to stop them they will kill us all. In his frenzy, he rushed about the whole ofGreece, calling upon everyone to remember Tyndareus solemn oath and to help him, since he was the wronged husband. We are doomed now! Please dont do it! Help my girl. Stay here with us, with all your children! I would have given it for the sake of my fellow soldiers. 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? Then he placed a garland upon the girls head and sprinkled holy water on her hair. That light, this light all around us, will cut all other arguments to pieces. Come on, Orestes, even babies know when theres trouble around! Not mine, thats for sure. Vile trickery, unworthy of his father, Atreas! They should bring you great joy after such a long absence from your home.
02 40 14 36 22