iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me

I will never permit your husband to perform such treacherous deeds! Promise me that you wont cut even a strand of your hair in mourning nor wear black! Old Man Dying for my master will be a glorious thing. Old Man Psssst! I do not envy those in authority." Context:: This line comes near the very beginning of the play. Why are you arguing with this man? Chorus Let Agamemnons name live for ever in glory! Do you not want to fight for her? 340. - Taken from "Iphigenia in Aulis" written by Euripides Read more Previous page Print length 94 pages Language English Publication date February 10, 2022 Dimensions Ask me, what is it? Shes about to be slaughtered by the hand of her own father! Up there is my final argument. Youre the one, after all, who, even though the gods have helped you rid yourself of a bad wife, there you are, still intent on getting her back! Who on earth could force you to murder your own child? My home! Menelaos Who gave me the right? Helen, wife of Menelaus, king of Sparta, had eloped to Troy with Paris, son of King Priam. Just before Dawn. 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. Iphigeneia Then I shall be stupid and make you laugh! Where will I find you? Married and single alike? Directing his question to the chorus. He and no one else! 1180. Be careful not to disgrace your ancestors house. Chorus Go, young girl! Whats going on? some of them ask. Menelaos And you should not be bringing so much trouble to the Greeks! Tell me what plan I should adopt! Iphigeneia Damn all these spears of Menelaos! I would have given it to serve the greater good of our soldiers. I know too well that this awful plight is mine and mine alone you have nothing to do with it 980. Help my girl. 691. Achilles No, my lady, dont call your daughter out to see me. Iphigeneia hugs her mother. He sounds frightened. Come, look up there! 490. 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. Perhaps were both being deceived. 940. Klytaimestra What is it? 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? They hate me the most! Klytaimestra She stretches her right hand 830. 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! This breath that quieted the breezes in the Greek sails! Youve done all you could to help your big sister, havent you? A dreadful sickness! Another, Pallas, was proud of her war spear and the third, Hera, proud of the fact that she shared her bed with Lord Zeus. Ah! Helen, the sister of the Heaven-dwelling twins, the Dioscuri. The whole army and both the sons of Atreas stood there in silence, their eyes downcast. You became a nobody. From now on I will live there in that other world. Then seiz'd and sever'd me from those I lov'd, And wrench'd with iron grasp the beauteous bands. Dont bother making a long speech about it, husband! Ive changed, youll say! Now come out of Agamemnons tent. Stay! Now call her out here so she can follow me to the altar. She runs her hand over his chin, over his right hand. Every one of them is just as unbearable! Which of your children will dare even look at you? From now on, think only of me. On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore The Greek army is getting ready to sail. Then Agamemnon came to me and ordered me to come here and tell you what Fate the gods have granted to your daughter. 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. Someone has exposed my plans! The play has been translated and adapted for various media, from other plays to paintings, operas, novels, and films. That in itself is your admission. You are, indeed, a noble soul and you leave me speechless and unable to argue against your views. 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. You have been wronged, madam. Menelaos is carrying a staff and has nearly finished reading Agamemnons letter which he has torn from the Old Mans hands. His head falls into his arms and he begins sobbing. 250. 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. Weve never met before. Achilles Then listen to me carefully, madam so that well achieve our aim. 480-406 BC) and being performed in the Outdoor Theater at the Getty Villa from September 7 to 30. Klytaimestra Did they? I shall think of nothing else but you from now on. This way, I hope, my pain will be lessened a little. Klytaimestra Im not surprised you dont recognise me. Ha! 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. George Bell and Sons. You shouldnt go against them! Iphigeneia Youll come right back after youre done withTroy, wont you? Now go inside, my good man and everything will happen according to the will of Fate. Will he not get furious with you and with your wife if you deprive him of his bride? Daughter of Tyndareus! 1279. Old Man No, madam! Iphigeneia Mother, he will sacrifice me for the sake of our country, for Hellas, against his will. Its been such a long time! The single men have left their houses empty and uncared for and the married ones have left their wives and children behind. It has burdened me with lack of sleep and with overactive eyes. We are a free people, whereas they are slaves. 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! Klytaimestra Answer me honestly, my husband! 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 1050. My lady your daughter her father he is about to kill her! 9.1", "denarius"). Where has the strength of the face of Modesty or of Virtue gone? Iphigeneia Shall we set up choruses around it, daddy? Iphigeneia How wonderful it is to see you again, daddy! Euripides. What is all this loud brawling in front of my tent? You locked yourself up indoors and became totally unapproachable to everyone. What a disgraceful behaviour! It all starts at the wedding of Peleus and Thetis (Achilles' parents) Thetis is divine, so they invite all the gods and goddesses, except Strife. A garland for my head a garland for my hair some holy water from the sacred basins! You were only too glad to take up that offer! Your voice has horrified me! The Old Man fearfully pokes his head through the flaps of the tent. Here comes the king himself, my lady. Achilles, initially, vows to defend Iphigenia. How can I insult all those countless brave warriors and their shields, all those myriads of men, clasping hard at the oars men with courage enough to attack our enemy and die for our country, to clear her name? 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. Now the strength rests with Irreverence and Virtue is now scorned by the mortals. Klytaimestra! Ill have none of it! iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. Klytaimestra Oh, Gods! Buy used: $6.99. Where did you catch him? The Greek warriors are waiting for you, anxious to start off for Troy! 471. 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. Her unexpected arrival has added to my ruin. Give me your hand, my dear child. Come, my darling daughter, come, Iphigeneia, come and stand near me. Thats what theyll be saying; and all this because of you, Helen! Chorus And so the Greek ships will sail. They want me to. But wholl carry the bridal torch? Happy to be at your sisters wedding. To the lowly and weak mortals, the fortunate always appear like gods. With his own sword, madam he will make bloody the young girls white neck bloody it with her own blood! Let that act be what Ill be remembered by. I know what you want to do to me Go on! Poor, poor girl! Achilles Yes. No, Id rather see the death of a thousand women than that of a single man! And you, dear wife, daughter of Leda, I ask forgiveness from you, too, for all my tears. Stay here with us, with all your children! Thats Achilles, my darling. November 1, 2021 . Here I am. First Chorus Our husbands told us they are all gathered here, under the helm of Agamemnon and his fair haired brother, Menelaos, noblemen both, preparing to launch an expedition againstTroy. 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! The play was produced in a trilogy that also included The Bacchae and was presented by Euripides' son or nephew. Klytaimestra Elected to commit a murder! If you really want to do something againstTroythen do it, or else just take us all back home. Iphigeneia Mother, Im too ashamed to face Achilles. 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! Those with dignity are respected, those without are shamed, though defending ones dignity is not always possible. Iphigenia in Aulis. Enter Menelaos and the OldMan. Enter Achilles with fellow soldiers in full armour. Klytaimestra Dear Achilles! I must go. Sacrifice me. Messenger My dear lady I shall. My armed comrades will be there with me to save your life, to stop your execution. Begging you by his silence. From Kahil (1990). Stay here. For such a young girl you are so intelligent! 810, Achilles, they say. Agamemnon Alone, darling. 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? She had vanished, my lady! Achilles Her father had promised her to me! My friend, neither kill nor be killed because of me. Klytaimestra So, my darling will not be put to the sword? Are you here to add to the mountain of dread I have to endure already? 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! Klytaimestra Oh, no, child! Achilles My lady, I have never proposed to your daughter Atreas sons have never talked to me about a marriage! Can you see what the goddess has placed upon her altar? But then, suddenly a miracle happened, my lady! Agamemnon Zeus. Menelaos Listen to me, Agamemnon! Agamemnon Thank you, friend. Help us for that reason and help us, too, because if my daughter is killed on the altar that would be a bad omen for your future marital prospects, an omen you should try and avoid. 890, Old Man He had sent me off to bring you a letter, madam about the first message. I will be led to a godless slaughter by a godless father! You can see it! Chorus Go, young girl! Hear my first attack on you: Youve married me by brutal force and by murder. Agamemnon I would, but some god has made both you andGreeceinsane! He kept pace with the rail and with the wheels of the chariot. Do you hear them, Helen? Agamemnon Here, Menelaos. Old Man That womans there. Klytaimestra Go ahead then, speak. Why are we wasting our time around here? Come, disband the army and leaveAulismy brother and stop your tears and mine! I have no one else to turn to, no other friend, no other altar to pray upon. If this works out well, then the result will be good for you and your family without my getting mixed up in the affair. First Chorus Ships fromPhocisand Locris were also there in similar numbers and their captain was Oileus whose city is the famous Thronium. If any barbarian dared to bring his ships against these hed never see his home again. Chorus They tell me that Cassandra, Apollos priestess is there. He is writing a letter (on a scroll) an exercise which, it seems, is difficult for him. Shhhh listen to me! 210, First Chorus The two horses in the centre, those that took the weight of the yoke, were dappled with spots of white; the two on the outside carried the traces and they had to negotiate the turns on the track. Are we not all wasting our time here, by the banks ofEpirus? An introduction to a classic play. In fact, had he asked me for my permission to use my name for this, I would have given it. Old Man Menelaos! Achilles What do you mean, madam? These are things you should know nothing about! Such good wives are rare, Agamemnon! If your pleas work and they save the girls life, then my intervention will not be necessary. You were totally bewildered by the change of your luck! Enter from Stage Left Klytaimestra and Iphigeneia, accompanied by an entourage of men and women, some of whom are carrying gifts into Agamemnons tent. Klytaimestra What was the second message? Listen, mother; hear what thoughts have passed across my mind. Iphigeneia at Aulis. What sort of a welcome do you think youll receive on you return? Oh, my sweet daughter! But they cant, my darling daughter. Soon youll wake up a happy young man, my son. 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. You began and ended your speech with fine sentiments. The returned soldier has been a central figure in the first wave of Canadian plays to deal with the War in Afghanistan. Tell me the reason you will give no let me speak on your behalf, because I know what you will say. Essay Sample Check Writing Quality. Difficult. The name of Tyndareus stands high among the Greeks and one shouldnt demean it. Old Man Yes, dear lady! The opportunity was made for him to elope with her, since Menelaos was absent at the time. Achilles! 378. No tomb, no tombstone! I had put a wedding wreath on her head and brought her here to be your wife. CineMan-8 20 April 1999. Klytaimestra But what about the marriage? Achilles Alone? IPHIGENIA A T A ULIS presents many problems to the literary and textual critic. This is a happy day for Iphigeneia! 1020. No, mother, let one of daddys servants accompany me to Artemis woods, the place where I shall be sacrificed. 990. Step gently down, onto the earth. Iphigeneia Do not hate daddy my daddy, your husband. Well, then, may you and your friends also enjoy a marriage such as mine! She will say to me! A good man, my brother, must not change his manner just because his life is going well. Agamemnon Yes, I see it and, before you start youd better hand it back to me! 1460. 900. Klytaimestra And the feast for us women? If Im right, do the sensible thing and dont kill out darling. The most interesting alteration for me is that at the end of the play it seems that Artemis had replaced Iphigenia with a deer. This is the very same sky that heard your words then and the words you chose to write afterwards, reversing your message to your wife, telling her this time, in words to the effect that Ill no longer be my daughters murderer! 360. Consistently, Where inGreecedoes he live? Iphigeneia Looking into the distance behind curtains. No, he gave you life so that you may understand pain, as well as pleasure. And so, the Greeks ordered you to let them board their ships and go back home and to stop wasting their efforts here. Dont look at me for that, I cant give you one! The whole thing is a game played by the heavens! Iphigenia begs her father not to kill her. Why all this violence? Orestes is begging you, too! Achilles You must grab her and not let go of her. Achilles They want to stone me to death, Klytaimestra! Menelaos No, they can do nothing if you secretly send her back toArgos. Iphigeneia rushes and embraces Agamemnon. The future of our Greek women rests upon my actions. Agamemnon approaches Iphigeneia and tries to console her. Tell me, Agamemnon: Tell me what will you say to someone who asks you why youve killed your daughter? And, do I not also have the right to make my own prayer to the gods about you? Then, the moment you became one, all this nice behaviour changed and you had turned your back on all your friends. Old Man Yes, my lady and so, I am more loyal to you than I am to your husband. 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. Only fools would pray to go down there. Agamemnon shall never lay a finger on your daughter not even to touch her robes! Achilles Yes, madam and I too, am furious at your husband. Are you still sleeping my baby? His wifes doing, so, let him kill his wifes daughter. Theyre bound to serve someone well, sometime. 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! 1010. And thats when shell discover my treachery! Agamemnon Make sure you dont break the seal of the scroll! That will be very easy to accomplish. He walks slowly about the stage for a moment, anxiously searching the starry sky. Iphigenia in Aulis has been added to your Cart . Menelaos Act according to your position, or youll be very sorry, old man! Then, you arrived here, inAulis, with the whole of the Greek army and immediately you lost every virtue you had. Chiron, they cried out, Chiron who knows well the meaning of Apollos words, foretells that youll give Thessaly a son, a boy wholl be its brightest light. Agamemnon We are brothers when we are doing what is reasonable, not when we do what is madness. 1140. 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. 280. Agamemnon Where, darling? Arent you ashamed of yourself? It is a madness I cannot control. Old Man anxiously takes Klytaimestras hand and kisses it. When I first thought you were going to be my son-in-law, I had high hopes vain hopes as it turned out but hopes nevertheless. I wrote a letter to my wife, Klytaimestra. I would have given it for the sake of my fellow soldiers. Summary. Agamemnon You, too, Iphigeneia, you also have a journey to make. You know very well how humble you were during the days you wanted to be the leader of the Trojan expedition. Whos calling through that half-opened door? When is the wedding? 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. Go, now! Come, give me your right hand and lets make this the beginning of a blessed marriage! Soldiers, go and tear down Troy! Agamemnon Odysseus has a shifty mind and hes a rabble-rouser. I always have! Iphigenia at Aulis Review I attended Iphigenia in Aulis at the Getty Villa on Thursday, September 21 at 8:00 PM. Thus, like a significant number of Euripidean lyrics,' the third stasimon of the Iphigenia in Aulis stands out in contrast to the dramatic 260. 510. Chorus Friends, let us sing our prayer to Artemis! Has the carriage lulled you to sleep? Your fathers holy water is waiting for you! Your own baby! 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? They will say that even though you werent wedded to her, you were still the poor virgins promised husband. Klytaimestra These are lovely words, Agamemnon but what of your deeds? The Theme of Heroism Achilles is often regarded as a great and mighty hero in Greek. A wise man must keep in his house a good and faithful woman, or else he should never marry! Here! Still, by then it is too late. Iphigeneia Youve been so long here in the harbours ofAulis! How I pity you! changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. Not mine, thats for sure. The girl deserves better still, may the gods be with us! Here, take him into your arms for the last time. Son of the Nereid, you are marrying my daughter. 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 in Aulis is the last extant work of the playwright Euripides. 303. Copyright 2000-2023 A. S. Kline, All Rights Reserved. Klytaimestra May joy be with you for ever, Achilles. 231. He knows nothing of my scheme, nothing of the marriage and nothing of my supposed wish to give my daughter to him, to have him take her into his arms and into his marital bed. Calchas will find out for me what it is the goddess will be satisfied with though, I know, it will be something which will bring me misery and a great deal of hard suffering for the rest of Greece. Now, that was the first of my complaints against your character. 1290. Give you my right hand? I am here, madam, as I will be in Troy also, to defend with my shield and with my spear my honour as a man and to do my best to glorify the god of war, Ares. First Chorus Oh, Lady, goddess of love, Aphrodite! Iphigeneia Dont let them wear black either! My lord! Chorus There goes the destroyer of Troy and her people! I wrap its limbs around your knees and beg you: Please father, do not cut off my life short. I envy any man whose life passes quietly, unnoticed by fame. "Iphigenia at Aulis" (Gr: "Iphigeneia en Aulidi") is the last extant tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. There will be no grave. For use by any theatrical, educational or cinematic organisation, however, including a non-commercial one, permission must be sought. Klytaimestra But Achilles, think again! Brothers fight because of lust and because of greed in their inheritance. In the beginning of the play, Agamemnon . Agamemnon to trick Iphigenia into coming to Aulis. 389. Later, he becomes so angry that he picks up the wooden frame upon which the scroll rests and throws it violently to the ground. After all, what is it exactly that I want? Agamemnon Yes, my darling. The girl is with the gods! Related Characters: The Old Man (speaker), Agamemnon , Clytemnestra Related Themes: Figure 2.3: Iphigenia being dragged toward the altar for sacrifice, 91 430-420 BCE. Rather, I have an amazing story to tell you about your daughter. Prepare my sacrifice. 1380. Iphigenia in Aulis (a.k.a. Attic tragedies were performed in Athens about the 5th century BC. Agamemnon Damn them, indeed as I am damned, Iphigeneia, I and many others! Agamemnon He covers his face with his hands in shame and groans. As is common, there is a dowry, here brought by her mother from the household of Agamemnon (lines 612-13). Chorus Enjoy now the sacrifice of blood and then help the Greek army launch its expedition to the land of the Phrygians, Troy the treacherous! Agamemnon What? Come! This light is the sweetest thing that can fill the eyes! The whole of Greece. There, my lady, there, upon the ground, lay a large animal, a beautiful stag, letting out its last breaths. We shall make the wedding celebrations another time., Old Man But how will Achilles take this? All this is his own doing. I envy the man with the quiet life, the safe life. Klytaimestra Yes! Lets think through this together, my lady. The looks your face took up at that suggestion! A safe return? Dent & Sons, 1920. Old Man You have dared to do a most frightening thing, my lord, Agamemnon! On thy knees I hang, A suppliant wreath, this body, which she bore Accept the pure blood from this girls lovely neck! Klytaimestra My question is nothing but reasonable. Conditions and Exceptions apply. Indicating the skyLook up there! Horses can panic if theres no one to soothe them. Stop waiting for those indecisive sons of Atreas to tell you what to do. Your current position in the text is marked in blue. You know the dread that Agamemnon has brought upon us. Come, son of the goddess, lend us a hand, help us, or else we are doomed! Klytaimestra I am not so insensitive, Agamemnon. Chorus That is, if what they say about you being Ledas daughter is true. Dont suppose for one minute that Ill be asking them to treat you well. 290. He embraces and then steps back to look at her sadly. Daddy, do you want to kill me? 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! Old Man Tries to take the letter from Menelaos. Famously, they partnered on Seamus Heaney's "The Burial at Thebes" at the Guthrie in fall 2011. Enough! But I see a letter in your hand. Ah, heres your father, go to him, darling! Were working on it right now. Klytaimestra But it is rightfully yours, Achilles! 'Iphigenia' is the great achievement of Michael Cacoyannis. line to jump to another position: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License, Pleiades ancient places geospacial dataset for this text, http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1:1374-1401, http://data.perseus.org/texts/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1, http://data.perseus.org/texts/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018, http://data.perseus.org/catalog/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0006.tlg018.perseus-eng1. Euripides died before completing this late masterpiece and it was prepared for its enthusiastically received first performance by his son or nephew.