Iphigenia in Aulis by Andy Hinds

Author:Andy Hinds
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: eBook ISBN: 9781786821362
Publisher: Oberon Books Ltd
Published: 2017-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

IPHIGENIA IN AULIS

Performance Version

Scene

The camp of the Greeks at Aulis, before Agamemnon’s quarters

Characters

AGAMEMNON King of Argos

CLYTEMNESTRA Wife of Agamemnon

IPHIGENIA Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra

MENELAUS King of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon

OLD MAN Servant of Agamemnon

ACHILLES Leader of the Myrmidons

MESSENGER from Clytemnestra’s entourage

MESSENGER from the Greek army

A CHORUS Women of Chalcis in Euboea

AGAMEMNON Old man, come here!

Before my quarters!

OLD MAN I am coming!

What on earth is this about,

Lord Agamemnon?

AGAMEMNON Hurry!

OLD MAN I am hurrying!

Since sleep begs off with age,

My eyes are wide awake and watchful.

AGAMEMNON What foreboding star is that?

Passing by the Seven Pleiades –

Up high there in the sky?

And still no murmur

From the birds,

Or from the sea;

The windless quiet

Reigning still

Along these straits of Euripus.

OLD MAN But why, Lord Agamemnon,

Do you come so restless

From your quarters?

Not a sound, as ever,

Here in Aulis.

Nor a guard astir yet

On the ramparts.

Let us go inside.

AGAMEMNON How much I envy you, old man;

Envy any man

Who moves through life so,

Unassailed by fame

And all the perils that it brings.

I envy less

Those burdened with authority.

OLD MAN But they have all

That might be coveted in life.

AGAMEMNON It is a treacherous thing,

This ‘might be coveted’.

High honour’s sweetness comes

Forever mixed with pain.

At times the gods

Withhold success,

Or you are ground to pieces

By the many peevish notions

Of the people.

OLD MAN In a prince,

Such talk is unbecoming.

Atreus did not beget you

For a life of ease and blessings.

You are mortal –

Liable to pain

As much as pleasure.

Please you, it may not,

But it remains the way

The gods lay down.

My lord, that letter in your hand –

You drafted it

By fall of lamplight,

Striking, then rewriting,

What you wrote.

You seal it,

Then, with showers of tears,

Tear off the seal,

And hurl it to the ground.

Your agitation bounds

On raving madness.

What calamity, my King,

Has brought you such distress?

Disclose your woes to me:

You will be talking

To a good and loyal man.

Did not Tyndareus

Give me as trusted servant

To his daughter,

When you took her as your wife?

AGAMEMNON Leda, child of Thestius,

Brought forth three daughters:

CHORUS They were Phoebe,

AGAMEMNON Clytemnestra, whom I married,

CHORUS And the beauty, Helen.

AGAMEMNON For this last,

Not one young man of wealth

In all of Greece

Who did not flock to Sparta

Vying for her hand,

CHORUS Each suitor vowing direful harm

On any other who might win her.

AGAMEMNON What a fearful impasse

For Tyndareus, her father:

CHORUS Should he give her hand to one

And risk disaster?

AGAMEMNON Or, for life, decline

To let her marry any man?

CHORUS He found an answer:

AGAMEMNON Swearing on the embers

Of a sacrifice,

CHORUS Their hands joined right to right,

AGAMEMNON The suitors were to make a pact:

That each would rally

To defend whichever man

Won Helen as his bride.

CHORUS They vowed,

If anyone should rob him of his wife,

And carry her from home,

AGAMEMNON That they would raise a power

And, barbarian or Greek,

Would crush by arms

The city of the guilty man.

CHORUS When all had sworn –

AGAMEMNON For guileful old Tyndareus

Persuaded every suitor to the pact –

CHORUS He freed his daughter

To select the one to whom

The goddess Aphrodite’s pleasing breezes

Would direct her.

AGAMEMNON Helen pinned her choice

On Menelaus;

If only she had not!

Then Paris –

CHORUS He who, as the story tells it,

Judged which goddess’ beauty

Shone the most –

Arrived from Troy

As honoured

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