Iphigenia in Aulis demonstrates how conflict and choices based around pride can lead to tragic results. I ask only for a modest share of Aphrodites love; let it be not excessive! Hell have the whole army eating out of his hand and then make them kill us and sacrifice the girl anyway! Come on, Orestes, even babies know when theres trouble around! My death will bring about all this liberation and my good name will live into eternity. Figure 2.3: Iphigenia being dragged toward the altar for sacrifice, 91 430-420 BCE. Here! Agamemnon Zeus himself gave her to him. . The very last thing you do. Believe me, madam: Agamemnon will not slaughter her! 'Iphigenia at Aulis' features new works by J.D. Steele, 40-voice choir The gods do strange things, madam, things that baffle us mortals but they save those they love. Menelaos First, look at me in the eye and then Ill tell you! 500. Come, disband the army and leaveAulismy brother and stop your tears and mine! 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. I shall think of nothing else but you from now on. Orpheus, who could charm even the heartless rocks into following him! Married and single alike? We also let the horses loose to drink and to graze at a meadow nearby. Gods forbid that I should choose to lose a brother to win a Helen! That way, not only will I not lose a friend but the army will also not be angry with me when it sees that Ive used my brains rather than my brawn. Whatever do you mean? It seems that the generals do as they please with me. Madam, let this sword of mine bear witness to what Im about to say! Let me enjoy the sweet light of day and do not force me to enter the world beneath the earth. I would have given it if the Greeks couldnt get to Troy without my doing so. Women, help her. Those worthy of praise find it a hateful thing when they are praised too profusely. Iphigenia hoped for but now lacks, and which the chorus explicitly offers as a measure of Iphigenia's cruel fate: she should not be a sacrificial animal but a bride for kings (1085 ff.). 660. IPHIGENIA Had I, my father, the persuasive voice Of Orpheus, and his skill to charm the rocks To follow me, and soothe whome'er I please With winning words, I would make trial of it; But I have nothing to present thee now Save tears, my only eloquence; and those I can present thee. Ive missed you so much. You write down some words, then you scratch them out and write other words in their place. He writes a few words, then scratches them out and begins again. After a while, Calchas, our prophet, came up to us and suggested much to our dismay- that we should sacrifice my own daughter, Iphigenia, to the goddess Artemis, whose shrine is in these parts! Agamemnon Achilles is acting in name only and not in deed. Chorus Go, young girl! Begging you by his silence. See, father? 1421. Enter Menelaos and the OldMan. No, there are hundreds of women who want my wedding bed! Klytaimestra Was he picked by the army to do this or is this his own private doing? He is barely visible. Its an unbearable, harsh dread. I am forced to do it! I could not. 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. This breath that quieted the breezes in the Greek sails! Agamemnon An eloquent covering of a shameful act! Old Man That womans there. Old Man A slave. But they cant, my darling daughter. Ill have none of it! iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. Iphigeneia Of course. I envy the man who knows no fame; and I dont envy the man whose life is heavy with the trappings of office. This is a dreadful thing for me to do but it is just as dreadful not to do it. He is writing a letter (on a scroll) an exercise which, it seems, is difficult for him. Messenger Agamemnon, leader of all the Greeks! I wrote a letter to my wife, Klytaimestra. Come out here immediately! The barbarians will no longer abduct them and carry them off from our wealthy shores, once Helens abduction by Paris has been avenged. PDF STUDY GUIDE - Court Theatre AGAMEMNON Old man, come hither and stand before my dwelling. The whole city ofAulisis quiet and the guard on the walls has yet to change. Chorus That is, if what they say about you being Ledas daughter is true. Achilles Then listen to me carefully, madam so that well achieve our aim. Then Talthybius stood up amongst them all and told them to be silent. Next to him was Nireas, first among the Greeks in beauty. Hes gone mad only so far as your daughter and you are concerned. Agamemnon You? Clytemnestra hears that Achilles is faithless, whereupon she at once urges Iphigenia to leave Aulis and return home. Which of the gods has stolen you? Iphigenia begs her father not to kill her. 785, Chorus Do you hear them, Helen? Iphigenia I am ashamed to face Achilles. Iphigenia at Aulis (the title is sometimes rendered as Iphigenia in Aulis) has been criticised for its melodrama, but its portrayal of the central character's decision to agree to renounce her life for the 'greater good', and Agamemnon's ambivalence about sacrificing his own daughter, make it a curious and satisfying play which repays close analysis . Iphigeneia hands baby Orestes to her mother, Iphigeneia If only I could sing like Orpheus, father! Old Man The army is heading to Troy, my lady. Click anywhere in the Iphigeneia hugs her mother. First Chorus Moored next to them was an equal number of Argive ships, headed by two chiefs, Euryalus, the son of Mecisteus, who was raised by his grandfather, Talaus and Sthenelus, Capaneus son. Agamemnon I, with all the Greeks as witnesses shall give Iphigeneia away. 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! Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides | Analysis & Themes | Study.com Dont waste time kissing my hand. Dire to me because it brought about my death. 389. You locked yourself up indoors and became totally unapproachable to everyone. Dont force me to become evil! Ha! Agamemnon Holy Fate and Fortune! Your voice has horrified me! After that, Paris, the man who, according to the legend, judged the three goddesses, Hera, Aphrodite and Athena, for their beauty, arrived atSparta. 1110. Klytaimestra You? 520. Achilles Yes. First Chorus Diomedes, too, was there amusing himself, throwing a discus. 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! My lord! The girl is with the gods! Klytaimestra May they be happy there! Klytaimestra You? 950. Klytaimestra So, my sweet darling must face this horrible fate because of the need to bring Helen back? Iphigeneia Dont leave home, daddy. 20. Eloquence, brother, begets hatred! I dont have to do anything he says and I didnt. 1590, He spoke and he said, Chiefs of the Greek army, can you see this offering? Or else let Menelaos kill Hermione, his own daughter. Menelaos is carrying a staff and has nearly finished reading Agamemnons letter which he has torn from the Old Mans hands. Commentary. The Greeks were then enabled to set sail. It is unjust that you should be mourning while Im living a life full of joy. Calchas. Tell me Agamemnon! Klytaimestra Ive come out here looking for my husband. Weve never met before. Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis, line 1338 - Perseus Project Iphigeneia Im not afraid to say this in front of everyone: Helen, Tyndareus daughter, has caused wars and the endless spilling of blood because of her body. 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. The altar of Zeus daughter. Klytaimestra Stop your shouting. Are we not all wasting our time here, by the banks ofEpirus? Very difficult. Shes about to be slaughtered by the hand of her own father! Iphigenia in Aulis: Clytemnestra's Monologue Chorus There goes the girl wholl soon stain the altar of the murderous goddess with the gushing blood of her beautiful throat! Look! Iphigeneia How wonderful it is to see you again, daddy! What shall I do now? you asked me. As Iphigeneia approaches her, Agamemnon enters. All of us we all heard the awful thud of the striking sword but when we looked up, we could not see the girl anywhere! Agamemnon Yes, so you see what sort of a man your future son-in-law is! Oh, goddess who lets her brilliant light roll along through the gloomy darkness of the night! What a hateful, bitter sight is Helen! You will be doing so to a man whos loyal and faithful to you. Youve forgotten them and so, now, you want to kill me. And then I also realised that were brothers and my heart went out for the poor girl who would be sacrificed for the sake of my own marriage. Klytaimestra What? Poor, poor girl! If Im right, do the sensible thing and dont kill out darling. He lifted his cloak up and dug his face deep into it, trying to hide the tears that flooded his eyes. Agamemnon Zeus. Old Man Old age! I feel too humiliated to face you after the lies Ive uttered, after the dreadful way Ive been treated! 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. 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. Dear women of Argos, this death, my death, this sacrifice to Artemis, will speed the Greeks to Troy and bring honour to the Greeks. Agamemnon Very soon. 90. Checking out the situation carefully. Iphigenia - Greek Mythology Link Iphigeneia Whats wrong, daddy? You are the cause of this miserable conflict between the sons of Atreas and their children! 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. You had come with me to Argos and stayed with me as my servant. 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. I envy any man whose life passes quietly, unnoticed by fame. Now, you must take with you our newborn son from here and go back home. Figure 2.2: Black-figure lekythos showing Iphigenia 89 led to the altar, c. 470 BCE. Achilles Slave to whom? 640. 490. I want neither to overwhelm you by its excess nor insult you by its timidity. 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. iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to meemerald sea vessel mcdermott. The only voice I have, father, my only skill, is in my tears and, here, father, Im giving them to you! Menelaos Who gave me the right? Youll fight them all? Now come out of Agamemnons tent. We will soon reveal Agamemnons sacrilegious schemes against his very own children! Where will I find you? The sun should rise slowly until full daylight is reached just before line 164. He alone did it, he, alone, with his very own hand! Tell him not to kill his daughter. The Theme of Heroism Achilles is often regarded as a great and mighty hero in Greek. So this is the armada I saw here and about which I had heard back home earlier. You can see it! I had put a wedding wreath on her head and brought her here to be your wife. 860. Give me a big hug! Iphigenia in Aulis Plot Summary | Course Hero Klytaimestra I am Klytaimestra, Ledas daughter and Agamemnons wife. Klytaimestra Did they? IPHIGENIA IN AULIS - Monologue (Clytemnestra) - Mighty Actor 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. Does no one speak against it? Agamemnon Yes, dear because our separation will be a long one. Full search 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! Agamemnon Alone, darling. 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? Old Man But, surely, my lord, surely it is there, in the trappings of office and power, that we find pleasure! Chorus Awesome is the power of giving birth! Now you know the whole thing. Oh, Achilles! Chorus And there it was that Dardanos poured the heavenly nectar into the deep golden cups of the gods. Dying for a marriage about which her lunatic suitors swore Tyndareus oaths. options are on the right side and top of the page. No, mother, let one of daddys servants accompany me to Artemis woods, the place where I shall be sacrificed. Details. The whole Greek army, Klytaimestra, thats who! Klytaimestra Who then was the heir to the House of Aeacus? You are the cause of it! Klytaimestra Dear Achilles! Menelaos Why is that? Leaders are but slaves to the common folk. That will be very easy to accomplish. 990. 1410. All of them, here inAulis. 9.1", "denarius"). I will be led to a godless slaughter by a godless father! How dreadful! 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. Iphigeneia But there is no loss, mummy! What does the army want? That would be bad for both of us. So now, go on, take them all, take all these lunatics, all these soldiers and lead them on to the expedition. Vile trickery, unworthy of his father, Atreas! Here I am. He was her lord. This got me so angry that the very next moment I ordered Talthybius to use his powerful voice and call the army to disband. Iphigenia (1977) - Iphigenia (1977) - User Reviews - IMDb Overview. Iphigeneia Youre going off on a long journey daddy and youre living me behind! Agamemnon approaches Iphigeneia and tries to console her. I shall be accompanying our girl with the wedding song. 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. The play is co-produced by the Court Theatre of Chicago, directed by Charles Newell, and translated by Nicholas Rudall. Please, father! I want no one to lose tears over my grave. Klytaimestra Good idea. Come on, wont you beg your father not to kill your big sister? 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. 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. But in an emotional solo scene, she has a vision of the sacrifice. You are, indeed, a noble soul and you leave me speechless and unable to argue against your views. It is a madness I cannot control. Agamemnon And when you come across some fork in the road, check it carefully. All this is his own doing. PDF Iphigenia at Aulis Myth, Performance and Reception 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. With him also was his close friend, Adrastus, their commander, ready to exact vengeance forHellas sake, against the woman who fled her husbands halls so as to marry a barbarian. I shall obey your directions. Forget your old age and run! Agamemnon And you shouldnt be hanging around here, among all the soldiers!