1. Euripides, Alcestis, 64-69, 348-354, 357-362, 962-972, 1143-1146 (5th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE)
Tagged with subjects: • Alcestis • Alcestis, anthropomorphism and • Alcestis, death in • Alcestis, innovative use of music in • Apollo, in Alcestis • Dido, intertexutal identities, Alcestis • Euripides, Alcestis • death, Thanatos in Alcestis
Found in books: Bernabe et al (2013) 153; Farrell (2021) 174; Lipka (2021) 84; Pucci (2016) 4, 5, 7, 8, 85, 192; Steiner (2001) 149, 192
| 64. Ah! kind companion of my bondage, for such thou art to her, who, erst thy queen, is now sunk in misery; what are they doing? What new schemes are they devising in their eagerness to take away my wretched life? Maid 68. Alas! poor lady, they intend to slay thy son, whom thou hast privily conveyed from out the house. Andromache
348. ay when seeking to betroth her to another? wilt say her virtue made her leave a worthless lord? Nay, that will be false. Who then will wed her? wilt thou keep her without a husband in thy halls, grown grey in widowhood? Unhappy wretch! dost not see the flood-gates of trouble opening wide for thee? 350. How many a wrong against a wife wouldst thou prefer thy daughter to have found to suffering what I now describe? We ought not on trifling grounds to promote serious mischief; nor should men, if we women are so deadly a curse, bring their nature down to our level.
357. No! if, as thy daughter asserts, I am practising sorcery against her and making her barren, right willingly will I, without any crouching at altars, submit in my own person to the penalty that lies in her husband’s hands, 360. eeing that I am no less chargeable with injuring him if I make him childless. This is my case; but for thee, there is one thing i.e. I am afraid, even if I prove the malice and falseness of her charges against me, you will not punish her, for your partiality and weakness in such cases is well known. I fear in thy disposition; it was a quarrel for a woman that really induced thee to destroy poor Ilium’s town. Choru
962. the quarrel between thee and Hector’s wife, waited awhile and watched to see whether thou wouldst stay here or from fear of that captive art minded to quit these halls. Now it was not so much regard for thy message that brought me hither, 965. as the intention of carrying thee away from this house, if, as now, thou shouldst grant me a chance of saying so. For thou wert mine formerly, but art now living with thy present husband through thy father’s baseness; since he, before invading Troy’s domains, betrothed thee to me, and then Reading ἐμοὶ δοὺς, εἴθ . afterwards promised thee 970. to thy present lord, provided he captured the city of Troy. 971. So, as soon as Achilles’ son returned hither, I forgave thy father, but entreated the bridegroom to forego his marriage with thee, telling him all I had gone through and my present misfortune; I might get
1143. and they turned and fled like doves when they see the hawk. Many fell in the confusion; some wounded, and others trodden down by one another along the narrow passages; and in that hushed holy house uprose unholy din'1144. and they turned and fled like doves when they see the hawk. Many fell in the confusion; some wounded, and others trodden down by one another along the narrow passages; and in that hushed holy house uprose unholy din 1145. and echoed back from the rocks. Calm and still my master stood there in his gleaming harness like a flash of light, till from the inmost shrine there came a voice of thrilling horror, stirring the crowd to make a stand. Then fell Achilles’ son, '. None |
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