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Euripides · Iphigenia in Tauris Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις

Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris 533–569: Second episode: Orestes tells of Agamemnon's death

Ancient Sources / Euripides / Iphigenia in Tauris / 533–569

Iphigenia asks what became of Odysseus and Achilles, and then of Agamemnon, whom Orestes says was killed by his own wife. He tells her that Orestes killed his mother to avenge his father, and that Electra is still alive. In answer to her question about the daughter who was sacrificed, he says that she is dead, and that the son lives nowhere and everywhere.

Lines 533–569 · 395 words · click a number to copy its link
533–539
Ἰφιγένεια 533ὦ πότνιʼ, ὡς εὖ. — τί γὰρ ὁ Λαέρτου γόνος; Ὀρέστης οὔπω νενόστηκʼ οἶκον, ἔστι δʼ, ὡς λόγος. Ἰφιγένεια 535ὄλοιτο, νόστου μήποτʼ ἐς πάτραν τυχών. Ὀρέστης μηδὲν κατεύχου· πάντα τἀκείνου νοσεῖ. Ἰφιγένεια Θέτιδος δʼ ὁ τῆς Νηρῇδος ἔστι παῖς ἔτι; Ὀρέστης οὐκ ἔστιν· ἄλλως λέκτρʼ ἔγημʼ ἐν Αὐλίδι. Ἰφιγένεια δόλια γάρ, ὡς ἴσασιν οἱ πεπονθότες.

Iphigenia O goddess, how good that is! What about Odysseus?

Orestes He has not yet returned, but is alive, they say.

Iphigenia May he die and never achieve a return to his country!

Orestes Do not pray against that man; all is misery for him.

Iphigenia But is the son of Thetis the Nereid still alive?

Orestes He is not; his marriage at Aulis was in vain.

Iphigenia Yes, for it was a cheat, as those who experienced it know.

540–569
Ὀρέστης 540τίς εἶ ποθʼ; ὡς εὖ πυνθάνῃ τἀφʼ Ἑλλάδος. Ἰφιγένεια ἐκεῖθέν εἰμι· παῖς ἔτʼ οὖσʼ ἀπωλόμην. Ὀρέστης ὀρθῶς ποθεῖς ἄρʼ εἰδέναι τἀκεῖ, γύναι. Ἰφιγένεια τί δʼ ὁ στρατηγός, ὃν λέγουσʼ εὐδαιμονεῖν; Ὀρέστης τίς; οὐ γὰρ ὅν γʼ ἐγᾦδα τῶν εὐδαιμόνων. Ἰφιγένεια 545Ἀτρέως ἐλέγετο δή τις Ἀγαμέμνων ἄναξ. Ὀρέστης οὐκ οἶδʼ· ἄπελθε τοῦ λόγου τούτου, γύναι. Ἰφιγένεια μὴ πρὸς θεῶν, ἀλλʼ εἴφʼ, ἵνʼ εὐφρανθῶ, ξένε. Ὀρέστης τέθνηχʼ ὁ τλήμων, πρὸς δʼ ἀπώλεσέν τινα. Ἰφιγένεια τέθνηκε; ποίᾳ συμφορᾷ; τάλαινʼ ἐγώ. Ὀρέστης 550τί δʼ ἐστέναξας τοῦτο; μῶν προσῆκέ σοι; Ἰφιγένεια τὸν ὄλβον αὐτοῦ τὸν πάροιθʼ ἀναστένω. Ὀρέστης δεινῶς γὰρ ἐκ γυναικὸς οἴχεται σφαγείς. Ἰφιγένεια ὦ πανδάκρυτος ἡ κτανοῦσα […] χὡ κτανών. Ὀρέστης παῦσαί νυν ἤδη μηδʼ ἐρωτήσῃς πέρα. Ἰφιγένεια 555τοσόνδε γʼ, εἰ ζῇ τοῦ ταλαιπώρου δάμαρ. Ὀρέστης οὐκ ἔστι· παῖς νιν ὃν ἔτεχʼ, οὗτος ὤλεσεν. Ἰφιγένεια ὦ συνταραχθεὶς οἶκος. ὡς τί δὴ θέλων; Ὀρέστης πατρὸς θανόντος τήνδε τιμωρούμενος. Ἰφιγένεια φεῦ· ὡς εὖ κακὸν δίκαιον εἰσεπράξατο. Ὀρέστης 560ἀλλʼ οὐ τὰ πρὸς θεῶν εὐτυχεῖ δίκαιος ὤν. Ἰφιγένεια λείπει δʼ ἐν οἴκοις ἄλλον Ἀγαμέμνων γόνον; Ὀρέστης λέλοιπεν Ἠλέκτραν γε παρθένον μίαν. Ἰφιγένεια τί δέ; σφαγείσης θυγατρὸς ἔστι τις λόγος; Ὀρέστης οὐδείς γε, πλὴν θανοῦσαν οὐχ ὁρᾶν φάος. Ἰφιγένεια 565τάλαινʼ ἐκείνη χὡ κτανὼν αὐτὴν πατήρ. Ὀρέστης κακῆς γυναικὸς χάριν ἄχαριν ἀπώλετο. Ἰφιγένεια ὁ τοῦ θανόντος δʼ ἔστι παῖς Ἄργει πατρός; Ὀρέστης ἔστʼ, ἄθλιός γε, κοὐδαμοῦ καὶ πανταχοῦ. Ἰφιγένεια ψευδεῖς ὄνειροι, χαίρετʼ· οὐδὲν ἦτʼ ἄρα.

Orestes Who are you? How well you ask about Hellas!

Iphigenia I am from there; while still a child I was lost.

Orestes Then rightly you desire to know what has happened there, lady.

Iphigenia What about the general, who is said to be happy?

Orestes Who? The one I knew was not happy.

Iphigenia There was said to be a certain lord, Agamemnon, son of Atreus.

Orestes I do not know; leave this subject, lady.

Iphigenia No, by the gods, but tell me, stranger, to delight me.

Orestes The wretched man is dead, and in addition he destroyed another.

Iphigenia Dead? By what fate? I am unhappy!

Orestes Why do you mourn for this? It doesn’t concern you, does it?

Iphigenia I grieve for his former prosperity.

Orestes Yes, for he was dreadfully murdered by a woman.

Iphigenia O miserable the slayer . . . and the slain!

Orestes Stop now, and do not ask further.

Iphigenia Only this much, if the wife of the wretched man is alive.

Orestes She is not; she was killed by the son that she bore.

Iphigenia O house thrown into confusion! What was his intent?

Orestes To avenge on her the death of his father.

Iphigenia Ah! How well he exacted an evil justice!

Orestes Though he is just, he does not have good fortune from the gods.

Iphigenia Did Agamemnon leave any other children in his house?

Orestes He left one virgin daughter, Electra.

Iphigenia What else? Is there any report of the daughter who was sacrificed?

Orestes None, except that she is dead and does not see the light.

Iphigenia Unhappy girl, and also the father that killed her!

Orestes As a thankless favor to an evil woman, she died.

Iphigenia Does the dead father’s son live at Argos?

Orestes He lives, the miserable one, both nowhere and everywhere.

Iphigenia False dreams, farewell; after all, you were nothing.

People and places in this passage

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

  1. Euripides, Iphigenia at Aulis 1433–1531Exodos: Iphigenia bids her mother farewell and goes to the altar
  2. Euripides, Iphigenia at Aulis 631–676Second episode: Iphigenia greets her father
  3. Sophocles, Electra 1171–1287Fourth episode (cont.): the recognition of Orestes
  4. Sophocles, Electra 1442–1510Exodos: Aegisthus is led in to die
  5. Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 479–584End of the kommos: Clytaemestra's dream and Orestes' plan
  6. Aeschylus, Libation Bearers 892–930Episode: Orestes confronts Clytaemestra

English translation by Edward P. Coleridge (1891). Original text: Greek text: Gilbert Murray (ed.), Euripidis Fabulae, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913, 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.