departing from this house, he harass another clan with kindred murders. me a small share of wealth sufficeth, if deeds infuriate of mutual bloodshed from our halls I banish. EXODOS. 1560 (1501) [Aegisthus, the accomplice and paramour of Clytemnestra, now enters the proscenium by the door on the (spectator's) right hand of the central one, leading from the city. Whether he is accompanied by guards cannot be certainly determined: but his words at line 1636 imply that he has an armed force within call.] AEGISTHUS. O cheerful sunlight of a day that brings redress! Exodos. Aegisthus begins and ends his first and longest speech with language of fierce exultation over the slain Agamemnon. He recounts the wrongs and cruelties which his father Thyestes and himself had received from Atreus, the father of Agamemnon, and relies on these as justifying the plot, of which he avows himself the author, to circumvent and kill the son of Atreus, Agamemnon himself. The Chorus threaten him with a public sentence of stoning to death. He replies in language of defiance and counter-menace. The Chorus renew their upbraiding, and are again met by threatening words from Aegisthus. When they taunt him with cowardice in not executing the deed himself, he tells them that circumvention was evidently the woman's part: and once more he threatens them with bonds and starvation. They continue their reproaches, and anticipate the return of Orestes to take vengeance for his father's murder, The calmer iambic metre is now superseded, -to the end of the drama-by the more vehement and rapid rhythm of the Trochaic Tetrameter, Aegisthus calls to his guards: the Chorus to the citizens of their party: but Clytaemnestra interferes, and forbidding further bloodshed, advises a pacific compromise. Nevertheless Aegisthus and the Chorus do not at once desist from mutual recriminations: and the play ends with two lines, in which the queen entreats Aegisthus to disregard the anger of the old men, for that they themselves, as sovereigns, would have the entire management of affairs. Mr Paley justly remarks that the cowardly selfishness of Aegisthus, with his invectives and threats, places his character on a lower level than that of the ruthlessly revengeful, but deeply injured Clytemnestra. now can I say at last that gods avenging men from realms supernal look upon the woes of earth, since in the woven robes of the Erinyes this man laid prostrate I behold to my delight, atoning of his father's hand the subtle deeds. 1565 for Atreus this man's sire, when ruler of this land, 1570 (1512) drove from his country and his home to banishment Thyestes (to relate the simple fact) my sire and his own brother, wrangling with him for the sway. as with his own blood not to stain his native ground: a joyous feast-day celebrating seemingly, 1575 served up to him a banquet of his children's flesh. 1580 (1522) seated himself in higher place apart, the toes and fingers he was hiding; tto that hapless one t the undistinguishable parts he sent to eat, which het forthwith received in ignorance, and ate a meal destructive to his race, as you behold. soon as he learned the abominable truth, aloud 1585 he shrieked, and fell back sickened from the murder-feast; then on the sons of Pelops calling down a fate unbearable, the spurnèd board he justly made 1573 (20). wrangling. Aegisthus suppresses the graver charge against his father Thyestes. See 1177. 1576 (23). We prefer Blomfield's reading avrbs, himself, to the vulg. auroû, on the spot. 1579 (26). feast-day, кρеovрydν ĥμаp, "a day on which meat (xpéas) was distributed after a solemn sacrifice." Pal. 1582 (29). he was hiding, EкpуTTE. We have fully concurred with Mr Paley and other editors in adopting this emendation of Casaubon for ë0ρUπтe, the reading of Codd. 1588 (35). the spurnèd board, λáктɩσμa delπvov, kicking-over of the banquet (i.e. of the table on which it was laid). We follow Hermann and Mr Paley in adopting apàv for åpâ. his curse-'thus perish all the race of Pleisthenes !' from hence it cometh that you see this man laid low: 1590(1532) and I with justice am the planner of his death. for with my wretched father me, third after these, CHORUS. Aegisthus, I respect not insult after ill: 1596 this man thou slewest (such thy tale) with full intent, 1600 (1542) and singly didst contrive this piteous deed of blood. I ween thou canst not righteously (be sure) escape the execrations of a people stoning thee. AEGISTHUS. These words dost thou speak, sitting at the lowest oar, while those upon the middle bench control the ship? 1605 old as thou art, thou'lt find how painful 'tis to learn such lessons at that age, when told to be discreet. best mediciners of wisdom e'en to teach the old 1589. race of Pleisthenes. Mr Paley says: "the commentators have remarked that the Pelopidae, Tantalidae, and Pleisthenidae are synonyms by which the poet describes the family of the Atreidae: but who Pleisthenes was, is not recorded." The conjectures are so baseless that we give it up as one of the unsolved problems of history. 1592. third after these, TpiтOV èπì TOîvde. We adopt this reading for eri deka, because the notion of twelve children served up seems too monstrous for even Greek fable. 1604-5. In a Greek trireme, the lowest of the three ranks of rowers were called θαλαμῖται, those above them ζυγῖται, the highest θρανῖται. We know that the aλaμîraι had the poorest pay: and this place seems to prove that the guyîraι were the most dignified class. See Boeckh's Public Econ. of Athens, p. 383 &c. (Transl.). are bonds and hunger: see'st not, having eyes, this truth— 'kick not against the goads, lest striking cost thee woe?' 1610 (1553) CHORUS. Thou, keeping this man's dwelling, didst defile his bed, and with his wife, in dread of those from war returned, for husband and for army-chief foul murder plan. AEGISTHUS. These words again will gender bitter penalties: the tongue of Orpheus was the opposite of thine : 1615 he all things dragged behind his voice for very joy; thou rousing us with silly barkings wilt be dragged: a tamer creature, thus o'erpowered, thou'lt show thyself. CHORUS. As if forsooth our Argive sovereign thou shalt be, who hadst not, even after scheming this man's death, courage to do the deed by killing him thyself! 1621 (1564) AEGISTHUS. No: to deceive him plainly was a woman's part: I stood suspected as an old familiar foe. but I'll endeavour with the aid of this man's wealth the citizens to rule: and one that hearkeneth not 1625 I'll yoke with heavy collar, not a high-fed colt, nor by light traces pulling: him to mildness tamed shall hateful hunger, that with darkness dwells, behold. CHORUS. 'Twas from thy base soul'd cowardice thou didst not kill this man thyself, but him a woman with thee slew, 1630 (1573) pollution of her country and her country's gods. doth not Orestes somewhere see the light of day, that hither he with favouring fortune may return, and of this pair become the slaying conqueror? AEGISTHUS Since not words but acts thou meanest, speedy shall thy lesson be. CHORUS. 1635 +Aged as we are, yet will we to the wicked ne'er submit.† AEGISTHUS. Ho! what ho! my friendly guardsmen; not far off this work of ours. CHORUS. Ho! what ho! let each have ready to his hand the hilted sword. AEGISTHUS. I too verily refuse not hand upon the hilt to die. CHORUS. 'Die' thou say'st: we take the omen; fortune's doom it is we choose. CLYTAEMNESTRA. Let us not, o my belovèd, further evils execute: 1640 (1583) surely to have reaped so many makes a doleful harvest now. large enough our crop of mischief; let us keep ourselves from blood. go thyself, and ye too, elders, unto your appointed homes, ere ye suffer for your actions: what is done should satisfy: 1645 if your share of these afflictions be sufficient, we're content, thus unfortunately smitten by the heavy hoof of fate. such the counsels of a woman, if there be that deign to learn. AEGISTHUS. And are these to fling upon me flowers of an unbridled tongue, language of this sort to sputter, putting fortune to the test, and from wise discretion erring, offer insult to the prince? 1651 (1594) |