mvp-comment-829-1 ἦ μὴ φύγω σε ¹

mvp-comment-829-2 μὲν οὖν ²

mvp-comment-829-3 καθ’ ἡδονὴν θάνῃς ³

mvp-comment-830-1 The imperf. χρῆν ⁴ εἶναι ⁵

mvp-comment-830-2 εὐθὺς ⁶

mvp-comment-830-3 θέλει ⁷ θέλοι ⁸ τοῖς πᾶσιν … ὅστις ⁹

mvp-comment-830-4 πράσσειν γε ¹⁰

mvp-comment-830-5 κτείνειν ¹¹

mvp-comment-830-6 τὸ πανοῦργον ¹²

mvp-comment-830-7 Nicephorus Vasilákes (

), a professor of rhetoric at Constantinople in the latter part of the twelfth century, places these three verses of Sophocles at the head of a short piece in his rhetorical ‘Exercises’ ( ), and makes them the text of a discourse evidently prompted by the evils of his own time. The verses remind us, he says, how well Sophocles understood the function of Tragedy as a , or vehicle of moral teaching. After setting forth in action the warning example of Aegisthus, the poet here , i.e., generalises the lesson. From a literary and aesthetic point of view the remark deserves the notice of those who, like Dindorf, think the verses spurious. If the speech of Orestes ended with v. 1504, the effect would manifestly be too abrupt.

mvp-comment-831-1 ὦ σπέρμ’ Ἀτρέως ¹³

mvp-comment-832-1 δἰ ἐλευθερίας … ἐξῆλθες ¹⁴

mvp-comment-833-1 ὁρμῇ ¹⁵ τελεωθέν ¹⁶

mvp-comment-833-2 This play contains no presage of trouble to come, and fitly ends with the word

. Contrast the closing words of the Choephori (1075 f.):

ποῖ δῆτα κρανεῖ, ποῖ καταλήξει | μετακοιμισθὲν μένος ἄτης;

1501. mvp-comment-708-1 ἡ δ᾽ ὁδὸς βραδύνεται] Cp. Ο. C. 1628, πάλαι δὴ τἀπὸ σοῦ βραδύνεται.

1505-1507. mvp-comment-709-1 These lines appear commonplace to modern readers. But so do many other γνῶμαι in Greek tragedy. And Orestes' speech ends too abruptly if they are omitted.

1506. mvp-comment-710-1 γε may be explained as confirmatory of the preceding sentence, 'Ay, -whosoever chooses to transgress the law, to slay him. Although θέλει is quite admissible, θέλοι is preferable with the past tenses ἐχρῆν ἦν, as the more subtle construction.

1508-1510. mvp-comment-711-1 'O seed of Atreus, how, after many woes, thou hast hardly won thy way into the path of freedom, being made perfect by the effort of to-day!' δι᾽ ἐλευθερίας ἐξῆλθες is a pregnant expression, equivalent to ἐξῆλθες ὥστε δι᾿ ἐλευθερίας ἰέναι.