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Euripides · Hecuba Ἑκάβη

Euripides, Hecuba 749–785: Third episode: Hecuba asks Agamemnon to avenge her son

Ancient Sources / Euripides / Hecuba / 749–785

Hecuba says that she cannot avenge her children without Agamemnon's help, and implores him by his knees and his beard to be her ally. Agamemnon at first thinks that she wishes to be set free, and Hecuba says that it is not that. She tells him that the corpse is her son Polydorus, sent with gold to Polymestor, who killed him when Troy fell, and that a maid found the body on the shore.

Lines 749–785 · 387 words · click a number to copy its link
749–766
Ἑκάβη 749οὐκ ἂν δυναίμην τοῦδε τιμωρεῖν ἄτερ 750τέκνοισι τοῖς ἐμοῖσι. τί στρέφω τάδε; τολμᾶν ἀνάγκη, κἂν τύχω κἂν μὴ τύχω. — Ἀγάμεμνον, ἱκετεύω σε τῶνδε γουνάτων καὶ σοῦ γενείου δεξιᾶς τʼ εὐδαίμονος […] Ἀγαμέμνων τί χρῆμα μαστεύουσα; μῶν ἐλεύθερον 755αἰῶνα θέσθαι; ῥᾴδιον γάρ ἐστί σοι. Ἑκάβη οὐ δῆτα· τοὺς κακοὺς δὲ τιμωρουμένη αἰῶνα τὸν σύμπαντα δουλεύειν θέλω. Ἀγαμέμνων καὶ δὴ τίνʼ ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐπάρκεσιν καλεῖς; Ἑκάβη οὐδέν τι τούτων ὧν σὺ δοξάζεις, ἄναξ. — 760ὁρᾷς νεκρὸν τόνδʼ, οὗ καταστάζω δάκρυ; Ἀγαμέμνων ὁρῶ· τὸ μέντοι μέλλον οὐκ ἔχω μαθεῖν. Ἑκάβη τοῦτόν ποτʼ ἔτεκον κἄφερον ζώνης ὕπο. Ἀγαμέμνων ἔστιν δὲ τίς σῶν οὗτος, ὦ τλῆμον, τέκνων; Ἑκάβη οὐ τῶν θανόντων Πριαμιδῶν ὑπʼ Ἰλίῳ. Ἀγαμέμνων 765ἦ γάρ τινʼ ἄλλον ἔτεκες ἢ κείνους, γύναι; Ἑκάβη ἀνόνητά γʼ, ὡς ἔοικε, τόνδʼ ὃν εἰσορᾷς.

Hecuba Without his aid I shall not be able to avenge my children. Why do I still ponder the matter? I must do and dare whether I win or lose. Agamemnon, by your knees, by your beard and conquering hand I implore you—

Agamemnon What is your desire? to be set free? that is easily done.

Hecuba Not that; give me vengeance on the wicked, and I am willing to lead a life of slavery forever.

Agamemnon Well, but why do you call me to your aid?

Hecuba It is a matter you little know of, king. Do you see this corpse, for whom my tears now flow?

Agamemnon I do; but what is to follow, I cannot guess.

Hecuba He was once my child; I bore him in my womb.

Agamemnon Which of your sons is he, poor sufferer?

Hecuba Not one of Priam’s race who fell beneath Ilium’s walls.

Agamemnon Did you indeed have another son besides those, lady?

Hecuba Yes, the one you see here, of whom it seems I have small gain.

767–785
Ἀγαμέμνων 767ποῦ δʼ ὢν ἐτύγχανʼ, ἡνίκʼ ὤλλυτο πτόλις; Ἑκάβη πατήρ νιν ἐξέπεμψεν ὀρρωδῶν θανεῖν. Ἀγαμέμνων ποῖ τῶν τότʼ ὄντων χωρίσας τέκνων μόνον; Ἑκάβη 770ἐς τήνδε χώραν, οὗπερ ηὑρέθη θανών. Ἀγαμέμνων πρὸς ἄνδρʼ ὃς ἄρχει τῆσδε Πολυμήστωρ χθονός; Ἑκάβη ἐνταῦθʼ ἐπέμφθη πικροτάτου χρυσοῦ φύλαξ. Ἀγαμέμνων θνῄσκει δὲ πρὸς τοῦ καὶ τίνος πότμου τυχών; Ἑκάβη τίνος γʼ ὑπʼ ἄλλου; Θρῄξ νιν ὤλεσε ξένος. Ἀγαμέμνων 775ὦ τλῆμον· ἦ που χρυσὸν ἠράσθη λαβεῖν; Ἑκάβη τοιαῦτʼ, ἐπειδὴ συμφορὰν ἔγνω Φρυγῶν. Ἀγαμέμνων ηὗρες δὲ ποῦ νιν; ἢ τίς ἤνεγκεν νεκρόν; Ἑκάβη ἥδʼ, ἐντυχοῦσα ποντίας ἀκτῆς ἔπι. Ἀγαμέμνων τοῦτον ματεύουσʼ ἢ πονοῦσʼ ἄλλον πόνον; Ἑκάβη 780λούτρʼ ᾤχετʼ οἴσουσʼ ἐξ ἁλὸς Πολυξένῃ. Ἀγαμέμνων κτανών νιν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἐκβάλλει ξένος. Ἑκάβη θαλασσόπλαγκτόν γʼ, ὧδε διατεμὼν χρόα. Ἀγαμέμνων ὦ σχετλία σὺ τῶν ἀμετρήτων πόνων. Ἑκάβη ὄλωλα κοὐδὲν λοιπόν, Ἀγάμεμνον, κακῶν. Ἀγαμέμνων 785φεῦ φεῦ· τίς οὕτω δυστυχὴς ἔφυ γυνή;

Agamemnon Where then was he, when his city was being destroyed?

Hecuba His father, fearful of his death, conveyed him out of Troy.

Agamemnon Where did he place him apart from the sons he then had?

Hecuba In this very land, where his corpse was found.

Agamemnon With Polymestor, the king of this country?

Hecuba He was sent here in charge of gold, most bitter trust!

Agamemnon By whom was he slain? What death overtook him?

Hecuba By whom but this man? His Thracian host slew him.

Agamemnon The wretch! could he have been so eager for the gold?

Hecuba Just so, when he heard of the Phrygians’ disaster.

Agamemnon Where did you find him? or did some one bring his corpse?

Hecuba This woman, who happened upon it on the sea-shore.

Agamemnon Was she seeking it, or bent on other tasks?

Hecuba She had gone to fetch water from the sea to wash Polyxena.

Agamemnon It seems then his host slew him and cast his body out to sea.

Hecuba Yes, for the waves to toss, after mangling him in this way.

Agamemnon Woe to you for your measureless troubles!

Hecuba I am ruined; no evil now is left, Agamemnon.

Agamemnon Ah! what woman was ever born to such mischance?

People and places in this passage

Passages in other works that tell of the same people and places, oldest and closest first.

  1. Euripides, Trojan Women 230–293First episode: Talthybius announces the allotment of the captives
  2. Euripides, Trojan Women 1287–1332Exodos: the Trojan women are led away to the Greek ships
  3. Sophocles, Ajax 1316–1375Odysseus persuades Agamemnon to allow the burial
  4. Homer, Iliad 11.163–283Iris to Hector; Agamemnon is wounded
  5. Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome E.3.1–35Paris and Helen; the muster at Aulis and the landing at Troy
  6. Apollodorus, The Library (Bibliotheca), with the Epitome 3.12.1–7Dardanus, Priam and the royal house of Troy

English translation by Edward P. Coleridge (1891). Original text: Greek text: Gilbert Murray (ed.), Euripidis Fabulae, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1902, as digitised by Perseus. English: Edward P. Coleridge, The Plays of Euripides, London: George Bell and Sons, first published 1891 (Bohn's Classical Library; the Perseus header records a later printing).

Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.