First Chorus Come, children of Chalkis, let us go and give the Argive Queen our gentle and firm hand to help her step down safely from her carriage and let us look welcoming towards Agamemnons glorious daughter lest she be afraid of having arrived here at this place and at this time; and let us also make sure that the Argive women feel no distress or concern for being strangers in a strange place. The suitors should all swear a solemn oath, by giving their right hand and by making sacred sacrifices, that each and every one of them would defend the man who won Helens hand in marriage, no matter who that would be and to come to his aid in case someone stole her from their home and thus deprived that man of his legal conjugal bed. Your Fate and mine and hers, too! Fate gave me nothing to be proud of. Clytemnestra It is the goddess' son you see, child, for whom you came here. Then thats the end, my sweetheart! Stay! 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. Its a natural thing for men with decent hearts to do the decent thing. The whole army and both the sons of Atreas stood there in silence, their eyes downcast. Can I not mourn my daughters loss? And, do I not also have the right to make my own prayer to the gods about you? Ive changed my mind, brother. Iphigeneia Stop! Well then, tell me: what will your prayer, your plea to the gods be? The play was set in the small amphitheater at the Getty Villa. I am resolved to die; and this I want to do with honor, dismissing from me what is mean. Chiron, the wise teacher, was entrusted by a wiser parent! I just couldnt get through to them! He, madam, hes the cause of all your torment, madam. This might turn out to be a blessing for us -. I am forced to do it! Chorus Come back to us once youve taken from that city her fairest spoils! Wont you cry with me, Orestes? My friend, neither kill nor be killed because of me. 710. Youre overdoing your loyalty to your master! First Chorus Women protect it well by avoiding immoderate love and men by bringing civil order in their city, thus making it great. Most treacherously wronged by your closest friends. You win, I cry. From Kahil (1990). Menelaos First, look at me in the eye and then Ill tell you! Now let go of my letter! Chorus Go, young girl! Spare my young life, father. I will not have you crying! Iphigeneia Pelasgia! He has used it to lure and snare his daughter and to convince Klytaimestra to bring her here, to me, to be presented as my wife! Menelaos If you dont let go of it I shall crack your skull open with this staff! Current location in this text. Klytaimestra Falls down and clasps Achilles knees. She leans before him and embraces his knees. 330. You have chosen logic and good intentions to that of continuing a war against Fate and against Necessity. My lady your daughter her father he is about to kill her! 1318. Give her your arms and bring her down safely. Ah! 870. 378. You mean, the son of Sisyphus? [1375] They will sail over to our home, to Argos and kill our children and the two of us as well! Ha! Then Achilles, Peleas son, took the golden basket and the holy water in his hands and ran around the goddess altar, chanting. My home! No, he gave you life so that you may understand pain, as well as pleasure. But listen to me, Iphigeneia. 280. This is desperate behaviour, my lord and it leaves no doubt to anyone who sees you, my lord, that youve gone mad! No mother, no father. Anger and impatience which I must control. 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. Details. Klytaimestra May joy be with you for ever, Achilles. Dent & Sons, 1920. Them and their pine sterns and their shiny bronze prows! Menelaos is carrying a staff and has nearly finished reading Agamemnons letter which he has torn from the Old Mans hands. Chorus Let Agamemnons name live for ever in glory! 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. Enter Menelaos and the OldMan. The play is co-produced by the Court Theatre of Chicago, directed by Charles Newell, and translated by Nicholas Rudall. 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. Chorus A man whose body will be clothed in golden armour, fashioned by Hephaistos himself and given as a gift to him by his divine mother. 1070. 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. The whole place glitters with the bronze armour of the warriors. I wrap its limbs around your knees and beg you: Please father, do not cut off my life short. Clytemnestra But why? It is improper for tears to be shed during holy rites. 1200. I have brought this bride here with strong hopes for a wonderful marriage. A real miracle! Agamemnon He lives in Phthia, by the river Apidanus. Go inside now! Oh, my sweet daughter! Christoph Willibald Gluck: Overture to "Iphigenia in Aulis" (orch. They fuse into one. Klytaimestra Darling, no! Not unless I obey the priests demand, not unless I sacrifice you. You know very well how humble you were during the days you wanted to be the leader of the Trojan expedition. The Greeks were then enabled to set sail. Old Man My lady, you know who I am and just how loyal Ive been to you and your children. It was there, at that meadow that Pallas Athena and Aphrodite, whose heart was full of cunning, came with Hera and Hermes, Zeus messenger. I no longer want to be your enemy. Iphigenia in Aulis is an Attic, or Greek, tragedy composed by Euripides (circa 480-406 BCE). Now you know the whole thing. 1171, I would be there, alone, Agamemnon, wailing, crying bitter tears, yelling, Darling Iphigeneia! Achilles First, let us try and bring her father back to his senses. View a map of the most frequently mentioned places in this document. I was given as a gift to her father, Tyndareus. 700. 27. Achilles Yes, madam and I too, am furious at your husband. You havent given birth to me simply for your own sake! And so, the Greeks ordered you to let them board their ships and go back home and to stop wasting their efforts here. Iphigeneia Separation? Achilles Whos that? The whole thing is a game played by the heavens! Old Man The priest, my lady. Awful! Think about your daughter for once, Agamemnon and make a fair proposal to your army: Ask them all if they really want to go to Troy and if they do, well then, let them draw lots that will include their own children also! And Ill list them all, if you dont start getting angry or begin to deny them. You know the dread that Agamemnon has brought upon us. Iphigenia at Aulis Review I attended Iphigenia in Aulis at the Getty Villa on Thursday, September 21 at 8:00 PM. For use by any theatrical, educational or cinematic organisation, however, including a non-commercial one, permission must be sought. My words were brief, blunt and clear. My Mycenae! No one was ever born to a life free of misery. Hes gone mad only so far as your daughter and you are concerned. 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. Klytaimestra Thats what a mob is like! Achilles Yes. Now make your answer reasonable also! 220, First Chorus I came to take a look at the great number of ships, a sight most pleasant and most able to satisfy my girlish eyes. No, thats not a good idea, Klytaimestra Ill hold you tight, by your clothes, Iphigeneia No, mother. Achilles Yes. Klytaimestra Yes. But as for you, daughter of Agamemnon! Surely I could find another wife elsewhere! Agamemnon What? 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. Then the priest lets out a huge roar and the whole army roared with him as they saw the most unbelievable sight, a sight that must have been sent by Heaven, a sight that made them question their very eyes. Free to mock her! Then Achilles, Peleas son, took the golden basket and the holy water in his hands and ran around the goddess altar, chanting 1570. 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! What shall I do now? you asked me. Dont force me to become evil! Enough! Do you hear them, Helen? Achilles I told them that if thats what they thought, then they should not kill my intended wife. If youre wise youll heed them; if not then, have no fear, I know how to settle my own affairs well. Iphigeneia Make your worries go away, daddy. Rolls her hand gently through her own hair. Chorus Alas! If this works out well, then the result will be good for you and your family without my getting mixed up in the affair. Where is the leader of the Greek army? "I envy you old man. Agamemnon approaches Iphigeneia and tries to console her. What a dreadful thought to have in your mind! For a mere woman? Chorus And so, the blessed couple were wed by the gods: The nobly born oldest daughter of Nereas and Peleas. Old Man Because Menelaos took it away from me, my lady. Under no circumstances should any of this work be used as part of a collage, which includes the work of other writers or translators. 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. I swear by my mother, the goddess Thetis, that I shall fight the Greeks to save you! 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. She was the Queen of the gods. I envy the man with the quiet life, the safe life. It is what a mother must do! Things that should best be kept away from a brides ear. Well! How could I? Other men may have different views but let me give you my own. You are, indeed, a noble soul and you leave me speechless and unable to argue against your views. Thats Achilles, my darling. It is a horrible thing for one to lose a child! It is for Hellas that I am forced to sacrifice you. Whats in your mind, this time, my lord Agamemnon? But I have no such skill. She takes the baby Orestes from Iphigeneias hands. 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. The gods are no fools and they know when oaths are falsely pledged or forced upon people. 350. With his own sword, madam he will make bloody the young girls white neck bloody it with her own blood! Promise me, mummy! Menelaos True. You began and ended your speech with fine sentiments. Tell us whats wrong! The play has been translated and adapted for various media, from other plays to paintings, operas, novels, and films. First Chorus I, too, feel pity for you if it is at all proper for a foreigner to feel pity for the plight of kings. How much suffering, how much pain has Helen, Tyndareus daughter, brought upon us, upon the children of Danaus! Oh, this is a terrible thing youre doing! Brighter Bayside > Blog > Uncategorized > iphigenia in aulis monologue mother listen to me. So, calm yourself now, Klytaimestra. 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! Iphigeneia Mother, Im too ashamed to face Achilles. Your words are good, worthy of our country. 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? Come, my darling daughter, come, Iphigeneia, come and stand near me. Iphigeneia I am ashamed because my marriage has turned out to be such a dismal failure. Agamemnon I envy you, old man! Klytaimestra And leave my darling behind? There is a small oil lamp on the table as well as various writing implements. Godless! I will never permit your husband to perform such treacherous deeds! Iphigeneia Do not hate daddy my daddy, your husband. Its a common thing for a man to be shy when he meets his relatives for the first time and theyre talking about marriage! It is a glory that will never wither in the minds of the Greeks. Old Man Yes, my lady. I would have given it to serve the greater good of our soldiers. Iphigeneia Youre going off on a long journey daddy and youre living me behind! Achilles He was elected, all right, but he didnt say no! Let that stand for me in place of the children and the marriage I could have had. Here I am. IPHIGENIA Had I, my father, the persuasive voice Of Orpheus, and his skill to charm the rocks Come, darling Iphigeneia, come down from the carriage now. That will be very easy to accomplish. And then theres yet this: We are asking this good friend of ours here to fight with the whole Greek army and be killed for what? What a dreadful thing to say! Give thanks to the goddess Hope! 1211. Come, tell me, share your story with me. Menelaos Who gave me the right? 128. Agamemnon Youll be able to see the sacrifice. Klytaimestra Theyve tricked my daughter to her death by promising her to you in marriage. Chorus Ah! 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. 751. I see. Ah! Iphigenia has arrived in Aulis, and soon the army will be demanding her death. What ruin, what catastrophe youve brought upon me by running off with Helen! 370. That! 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! But Iphigenia, having determined to die nobly on behalf of the Greeks, was snatched away by the Goddess, and a stag substituted in her place. And so, soldiers, take heart and head for your ships because today we must leave behind the deep harbours of Aulis and cross our way through the vast Aegean sea!, And when the animal was thoroughly burned in the flames of the god of fire, Hephaistus, and when the holy rites were completed, Calchas prayed for our safe return. We took Iphigeneia to the forest of Zeus daughter, Artemis. By the gods, Agamemnon! He said that it must be done if the expedition is ever to make it to, Klytaimestra Expedition? Iphigeneia She runs her fingers gently through her mothers hair. What do you think I and the rest of your family will feel towards you? But go! And if only Zeus had not breathed his contrary wind upon Euripus, this wind that stopped this expedition from leaving for Troy! Full of joy and yet tears flow from your eyes 650. 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). Forget your old age and run! 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! 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. Your father has gone, my darling and abandoned you to Hades! Who can help me here? You were terrified of losing face and authority! Women, help her. Iphigeneia Damn all these spears of Menelaos! Agamemnon Here, Menelaos. The only other Greeks who know about this are Calchas, Odysseus and Menelaos. Chorus There goes the destroyer of Troy and her people! Old Man Yes, tell me so that what I say to your wife agrees with what youve written in there. Klytaimestra Dear Achilles! Make sure this golden hair god stays far away from my bed chamber! Achilles They were the worst of them all! How dreadful! They live at a place, darling, where I wish Paris, Priams son, never lived! You, grandchild of Aeacus you, too Ledas daughter, stay! Klytaimestra Thats not what the laws of the custom say. His baby sounds will make no sense but theyll be full of meaning. options are on the right side and top of the page. 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.