Sophocles Electra 1422

mvp-comment-176-1 ὑλακτεῖ ¹

mvp-comment-176-2 σὺν ²

mvp-comment-176-3 πέλας ³ παρών ⁴

mvp-comment-176-4 301 The adv. πάντα ⁵

mvp-comment-176-5 ἄναλκις ⁶

mvp-comment-176-6 ἡ πᾶσα βλάβη ⁷

mvp-comment-177-1 σὺν γυναιξὶ ⁸

mvp-comment-177-2 τὰς μάχας ⁹

mvp-comment-178-1 ἐφήξειν ¹⁰

mvp-comment-179-1 μέλλων … δρᾶν τι ¹¹

mvp-comment-179-2 τὰς οὔσας τε … καὶ τὰς ἀπούσας ¹²

mvp-comment-179-3 μου ¹³ μοι ¹⁴

mvp-comment-179-4 διέφθορεν ¹⁵

mvp-comment-180-1 σωφρονεῖν ¹⁶ εὐσεβεῖν ¹⁷

mvp-comment-180-2 ἔν τοι κακοῖς ¹⁸

mvp-comment-180-3 πολλή )στ’ ἀνάγκη ¹⁹ κἀπιτηδεύειν κακά ²⁰

mvp-comment-180-4 I place only a comma, not a colon, after πάρεστιν ²¹

mvp-comment-181-1 ὄντος … βεβῶτος ²²

mvp-comment-182-1 ἦ κάρτα ²³

mvp-comment-182-2 θυραῖον ²⁴

mvp-comment-182-3 οἰχνεῖν ²⁵

mvp-comment-182-4 ἀγροῖσι ²⁶

mvp-comment-182-5 τυγχάνει ²⁷

mvp-comment-183-1 ἦ κἂν … ἱκοίμην ²⁸ ἦ τ<*>ν ²⁹ ἦ δἂν ³⁰

mvp-comment-183-2 ἐς λόγους τοὺς σοὺς ἱκοίμην ³¹

mvp-comment-184-1 ὡς νῦν ³² ὥς νυν ³³

mvp-comment-184-2 ἱστόρει· τί σοι φίλον ³⁴ τό ³⁵ τά ³⁶

mvp-comment-184-3 With the other punctuation, ἱστόρει τί σοι φίλον ³⁷

mvp-comment-185-1 καὶ δὴ ³⁸

mvp-comment-185-2 τοῦ κασιγνήτου τί φής ³⁹

mvp-comment-185-3 ἥξοντος ⁴⁰ ἢ μέλλοντος ⁴¹

mvp-comment-186-1 φησίν γε ⁴²

mvp-comment-186-2 ποεῖ ⁴³

mvp-comment-187-1 καὶ μὴν ἔγωγ’ ⁴⁴ γε ⁴⁵

mvp-comment-187-2 οὐκ ὄκνῳ ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-188-1 ἀρκεῖν ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-189-1 ἐπεί ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-189-2 μακρὰν ⁴⁹

mvp-comment-189-3 324 Here, as in 316, νῦν ⁵⁰ νυν ⁵¹

mvp-comment-189-4 δόμων ⁵² φέρουσαν ⁵³

mvp-comment-190-1 ὅμαιμον ⁵⁴

mvp-comment-190-2 φύσιν ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-191-1 Χρυσόθεμιν ⁵⁶

mvp-comment-192-1 οἷα ⁵⁷ νομίζεται ⁵⁸

mvp-comment-193-1 πρὸς θυρῶνος ἐξόδοις ⁵⁹ φωνεῖς ⁶⁰ ἐλθοῦσα ⁶¹ αὖ ⁶²

mvp-comment-193-2 330 For the absence of caesura, cp. Ph. 101 n.

mvp-comment-194-1 θυμῷ … χαρίζεσθαι ⁶³

mvp-comment-195-1 καίτοι τοσοῦτόν γ’ οἶδα ⁶⁴

mvp-comment-195-2 κἀμαυτήν, ὅτι ⁶⁵

mvp-comment-195-3 333 f. For the repeated ἄν ⁶⁶

mvp-comment-195-4 οἶ) αὐτοῖς φρονῶ ⁶⁷

mvp-comment-196-1 ὑφειμένῃ ⁶⁸ πλεῖν ⁶⁹

mvp-comment-196-2 For the image, cp. Eur. Med. 524

(with close-reefed sails) | : Ar. Ran. 997 , | , | | : and conversely Soph. Ant. 715 | . Ovid Epist. 1. 8. 71

moderatius opta, | Et voti, quaeso, contrahe vela tui.

Shakesp. Henry VI., pt. iii, act 3 sc. 3. 5

‘Now Margaret | Must strike her sail, and learn awhile to serve | Where kings command.’

mvp-comment-197-1 καὶ μὴ δοκεῖν ⁷⁰

mvp-comment-198-1 τοιαῦτα δ’ ἄλλα ⁷¹ ἀλλὰ ⁷² ἄλλα ⁷³

mvp-comment-199-1 καίτοι τὸ μὲν δίκαιον ⁷⁴

mvp-comment-199-2 κρίνεις ⁷⁵

mvp-comment-199-3 εἰ … με δεῖ ⁷⁶

mvp-comment-199-4 ἐλευθέραν ⁷⁷

mvp-comment-199-5 ζῆν ⁷⁸

mvp-comment-199-6 πάντ’ ⁷⁹

mvp-comment-199-7 ἀκουστέα ⁸⁰

mvp-comment-200-1 δεινόν γε ⁸¹

mvp-comment-201-1 τῆς … τικτούσης ⁸²

mvp-comment-201-2 μέλειν ⁸³

mvp-comment-202-1 τἀμὰ νουθετήματα ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-202-2 κείνης διδακτά ⁸⁵

mvp-comment-202-3 ἐκ σαυτῆς ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-203-1 The text, which has been suspected (cr. n.), is sound; but the train of thought is somewhat obscured by compression.

mvp-comment-203-2 ‘You forget your father, and care only for your mother. All your counsels to me come from her. Then (

),—that being so,—give up the attempt at a compromise. Make a choice ( ). You can be imprudent ( ),—as you say that I am,—and loyal to your dead father. Or you can be prudent ( ), and forgetful of him,—as you actually are; you who ( ) say, indeed, that you would show your hatred of the murderers if you could; and yet, when I do resist them, you try to turn me from my purpose. You merely add the shame of cowardice to our woes.’

mvp-comment-203-3 ἔπειθ’ ⁸⁷

mvp-comment-203-4 ἑλοῦ γε ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-203-5 φρονεῖν κακῶς ⁸⁹

mvp-comment-203-6 Other explanations are:—(1) ‘Choose to be thought either lost to right feeling, or, if you have such feeling, then at least forgetful of your duty.’ (2) ‘Choose to seem either unintelligent (if you are merely the blind instrument of our rulers); or, if you act with clear understanding (

),—thinking to benefit me,—at least forgetful of your father.’ Both these views assume that the question is merely between two interpretations which might be placed on the present conduct of Chrysothemis. But Electra is putting the dilemma between imprudent loyalty and prudent disloyalty.

mvp-comment-204-1 τῶν φίλων ⁹⁰

mvp-comment-205-1 ἥτις ⁹¹ φρονοῦσα ⁹² μῖσος ⁹³

mvp-comment-206-1 πάντα ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-206-2 τιμωρουμένης ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-207-1 οὔτε … τε ⁹⁶

mvp-comment-207-2 τήν τε δρῶσαν ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-208-1 πρὸς κακοῖσι ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-208-2 δειλίαν ἔχει ⁹⁹

mvp-comment-209-1 ἐπεὶ ¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-209-2 ἢ μάθ’ ἐξ ἐμοῦ ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-210-1 ἐπαρκούντως ¹⁰²

mvp-comment-211-1 προσάπτειν ¹⁰³

mvp-comment-211-2 εἴ τις ἔστ’ ἐκεῖ χάρις ¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-212-1 ἡμὶν ¹⁰⁵ ξύνει ¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-213-1 τὰ σὰ … δῶῤ ¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-213-2 ἐφ’ οἶσι ¹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-213-3 χλιδᾷς ¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-214-1 ὑπεικάθοιμι ¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-214-2 πλουσία ¹¹¹

mvp-comment-214-3 περιρρείτω ¹¹²

mvp-comment-215-1 τοὐμὲ μὴ λυπεῖν ¹¹³

mvp-comment-215-2 Remark the resemblance to the passage where Antigone—summing up her position—compares the moral pain of neglecting her duty with those penalties which she contemns:—

( Ant. 468 ). There, too, we have a Sophoclean triad of clauses, the third echoing the first,—as here reiterates the sense of (n. on Ant. 465 ff.).

mvp-comment-215-3 One of the scholia recognises the traditional reading, and explains it correctly: —

(‘as I should do, if’) .—The conjectures have been numerous: see Appendix.

mvp-comment-216-1 οὐδ’ ἂν σὺ ¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-217-1 παῖδα ¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-217-2 κεκλῆσθαι ¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-218-1 πλείστοις ¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-219-1 μηδὲν ¹¹⁸ πρὸς ὀργὴν ¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-220-1 ἀμφοῖν ¹²⁰ τοῖς λόγοις ¹²¹

mvp-comment-221-1 τῆσδε … αὕτη ¹²² πάλιν ¹²³

mvp-comment-222-1 ἐγὼ μὲν ¹²⁴

mvp-comment-222-2 πως ¹²⁵

mvp-comment-222-3 μύθων ¹²⁶

mvp-comment-223-1 οὐδ’ ¹²⁷ κοὐδ’ ¹²⁸ ποτέ ¹²⁹

mvp-comment-224-1 ἰὸν ¹³⁰

mvp-comment-224-2 σχήσει ¹³¹

mvp-comment-225-1 τὸ δεινὸν ¹³²

mvp-comment-225-2 εἰ γὰρ τῶνδέ μοι ¹³³ εἰ ¹³⁴

mvp-comment-226-1 γὰρ ¹³⁵

mvp-comment-226-2 γόων ¹³⁶ λόγων ¹³⁷

mvp-comment-227-1 ἐνταῦθα ¹³⁸

mvp-comment-227-2 ἔνθα μή ποτε … προσόψει ¹³⁹

mvp-comment-227-3 ζῶσα ¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-227-4 κατηρεφεῖ ¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-227-5 χθονὸς τῆσδ’ ἐκτὸς ¹⁴²

mvp-comment-227-6 ὑμνήσεις ¹⁴³

mvp-comment-228-1 πρὸς ταῦτα ¹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-228-2 Nauck reads κοὔ ¹⁴⁵ καί ¹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-228-3

schol.: H. 4. 3. 5 : so, too, Eur. Heracl. 971 , etc. Cp. ( )= in Soph. Ph. 1155 ; and = in O.T. 78.

mvp-comment-229-1 ἦ ταῦτα δὴ ¹⁴⁷ ἦ … δὴ ¹⁴⁸ ἦ … γὰρ ¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-229-2 καὶ βεβούλευνται ¹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-230-1 ἀλλ’ ἐξίκοιτο ¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-230-2 τοῦδέ γ’ οὕνεκ’ ¹⁵²

mvp-comment-231-1 τίνα … τόνδ’ ¹⁵³

mvp-comment-231-2 τάλαινα ¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-232-1 εἴ τι τῶνδε ¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-233-1 ποῦ ποτ’ εἶ φρενῶν ¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-234-1 ὅπως ¹⁵⁷ ὑμῶν ¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-234-2 προσώτατ’ ¹⁵⁹ προσωτάτω φύγω ¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-235-1 βίου … τοῦ παρόντος ¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-236-1 καλὸς γὰρ ¹⁶²

mvp-comment-236-2 θαυμάσαι ¹⁶³

mvp-comment-237-1 τοῖς φίλοις ¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-238-1 εἰκαθεῖν ¹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-239-1 ταῦτα ¹⁶⁶ οὐκ ἐμοὺς ¹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-240-1 γε ¹⁶⁸ μέντοι ¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-240-2 μὴ )ξ ¹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-240-3 πεσεῖν ¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-240-4 399 A woman, speaking of herself in the plur., uses the masc.: Ant. 926

.

mvp-comment-241-1 συγγνώμην ¹⁷²

mvp-comment-242-1 τἄπη ¹⁷³

mvp-comment-242-2 πρὸς κακῶν ¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-243-1 μή πω ¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-244-1 οἷπερ … ὁδοῦ ¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-245-1 τῷ φέρεις ¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-245-2 ἔμπυρα ¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-246-1 τυμβεῦσαι χοάς ¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-247-1 βροτῶν ¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-248-1 ὃν ἔκταν’ αὐτή ¹⁸¹ ὅν γ’ ¹⁸²

mvp-comment-249-1 τῷ τοῦτ’ ἤρεσεν ¹⁸³

mvp-comment-250-1 δείματος ¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-250-2 δοκεῖν ἐμοί ¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-251-1 θεοὶ πατρῷοι ¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-251-2 συγγένεσθέ γ’ ¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-251-3 ἀλλὰ νῦν ¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-252-1 εἴποιμ’ ἂν τότε ¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-253-1 ἐπὶ σμικρὸν ¹⁹⁰ ἐπὶ σμικρῶν ¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-253-2 φράσαι ¹⁹²

mvp-comment-254-1 σμικροὶ λόγοι ¹⁹³

mvp-comment-255-1 πατρὸς … δευτέραν ὁμιλίαν ¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-255-2 ἐφέστιον πῆξαι ¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-255-3 This sceptre is described in the Iliad (2. 101 f.) as the work of Hephaestus, who gave it Zeus; Hermes transmitted it to Pelops, from whom it passed to Atreus and Agamemnon. The Homeric sceptre is often called

( Il. 2. 268 , etc.), prob. as being ornamented with gold foil, or studded with gold nails ( Il. 1. 246 ). Among the objects found at Mycenae are some supposed remains of such sceptres (Schliem., Myc. 201, etc.).

mvp-comment-255-4 οὑφόρει ποτέ ¹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-256-1 ἔκ τε ¹⁹⁷ ἐκ δὲ ¹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-256-2 βρύοντα ¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-256-3 ᾧ … γενέσθαι ²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-256-4 The vision resembles that of Astyages, who dreamed that a vine sprang from his daughter Mandanè, the wife of Cambyses,

. The explained this to mean that her son (Cyrus) should reign in his grandfather's stead. ( Her. 1. 108. ) The spreading branches figure also in the dream of Xerxes (7. 19): .

mvp-comment-256-5 In choosing the sceptre of Agamemnon as the stock from which the wondrous growth is put forth, Sophocles may have had in mind the words of Achilles ( Il. 1. 234 ff.);

| , | .

mvp-comment-257-1 του παρόντος ²⁰¹ τοῦ ²⁰² παρόντος ²⁰³ του ²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-257-2 Ἡλίῳ δείκνυσι τοὖναρ ²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-258-1 οὐ κάτοιδα, πλὴν ²⁰⁶

mvp-comment-258-2 πέμπει με κείνη ²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-259-1 These three verses, which the MSS. give to Electra, and which several recent critics reject (cr. n.), clearly belong to Chrysothemis, and are genuine. Electra's exclamation of joy (411) caused Chrysothemis to ask if her sister had any ground for hope (412). Electra replied that, when she had heard the dream, she would say. This showed her sister that Electra relied merely on the fact that Clytaemnestra had seen some fearful vision. Now, therefore, instead of asking for Electra's interpretation, she merely repeats her counsel (383 f.) before proceeding on her errand. The words

(428 ff.) show the train of her thought. To Chrysothemis, the alarm of Clytaemnestra (427) is more important than the apparition of Agamemnon. The dream is only a new reason why Electra should be cautious,—not why she should hope.

mvp-comment-259-2 The current ascription of the verses to Electra was doubtless prompted by verse 413. It was supposed that the recital of Chrysothemis must be immediately followed by the comments of Electra. But, as Hermann observed, the phrase

would alone suffice to show that the verses belong to Chrysothemis ( cp. 398 ). Nor could the warning, , be fitly uttered by Electra.

mvp-comment-259-3 τῶν ἐγγενῶν ²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-260-1 ἀβουλίᾳ ²⁰⁹

mvp-comment-260-2 σὺν κακῷ ²¹⁰

mvp-comment-260-3 μέτει ²¹¹

mvp-comment-261-1 ἀλλ’ ²¹²

mvp-comment-261-2 ὦ φίλη ²¹³ τούτων μὲν ²¹⁴

mvp-comment-262-1 οὐ … θέμις ²¹⁵ οὐδ’ ὅσιον ²¹⁶

mvp-comment-262-2 ἐχθρᾶς ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ²¹⁷

mvp-comment-262-3 κτερίσματ’ ²¹⁸

mvp-comment-262-4 λουτρὰ ²¹⁹

mvp-comment-263-1 ἀλλ’ ἢ πνοαῖσιν ²²⁰ ῥοαῖσιν ²²¹

mvp-comment-263-2 κρύψον ²²²

mvp-comment-263-3 νιν ²²³

mvp-comment-263-4 ἔνθα μή ποτ’ ²²⁴ ἔνθεν ²²⁵

mvp-comment-263-5 εὐνὴν ²²⁶

mvp-comment-264-1 ἀλλ’ ὅταν θάῃν ²²⁷

mvp-comment-264-2 The conjecture ἔστ’ ἂν ²²⁸ ὅταν ²²⁹ σῳζέσθω ²³⁰

mvp-comment-264-3 κειμήλἰ ²³¹

mvp-comment-265-1 ἀρχὴν ²³² τλημονεστάτη ²³³

mvp-comment-266-1 ἔβλαστε ²³⁴

mvp-comment-267-1 ὅν γ’ … τῷδ’ ²³⁵

mvp-comment-267-2 ἐπέστεφε ²³⁶

mvp-comment-267-3 442 f. The position of αὐτῇ ²³⁷

mvp-comment-267-4 δέξεσθαι ²³⁸

mvp-comment-267-5 It seems, then, a reasonable inference that here, where the reference is to future time, he would have written δέξεσθαι ²³⁹ δέξασθαι ²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-267-6 444 ff. Join θανὼν ἄτιμος ²⁴¹

mvp-comment-267-7 ἐμασχαλίσθη ²⁴²

mvp-comment-267-8 Two different motives are assigned by the Greek commentators; viz.:—(1) the desire to render the dead incapable of wreaking vengeance (

): (2) the desire to make an atonement ( ). There can be little doubt that the first of these motives was the primitive origin of the custom. If the second was afterwards blended with it, the idea may have been that of offering the severed portions to the gods below,—as a victim was devoted to death by cutting off a lock of hair ( Eur. Alc. 75 ). Apollonius Rhodius seems to present the practice in this light (4. 477): Jason, having slain a foe, . Cp. Etym. Magn.: .

mvp-comment-267-9 κἀπὶ λουτροῖσιν ²⁴³

mvp-comment-267-10 ἐξέμαξ ν ²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-267-11 ἆρα μὴ ²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-268-1 οὐκ ἔστιν ²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-268-2 ταῦτα μὲν μέθες· σὺ δὲ ²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-269-1 βοστρύχων ἄκρας φόβας ²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-269-2 κἀμοῦ ταλαίνης ²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-270-1 †ἀλιπαρῆ ²⁵⁰ λιπαρῆ ²⁵¹

mvp-comment-270-2 We come, therefore, to a dilemma. (1) The words

may conceal some corruption: ought possibly to be τήνδε τ’ ²⁵² ἀλίπαρον ²⁵³

mvp-comment-270-3 (2) Or else, if the text be sound,

may mean . There is no doubt that , ‘fat,’ is the root both of , ‘shining,’ and of , ‘sticking’; cp. Plat. Crat. 427 B

τὸ λιπαρὸν καὶ τὸ κολλῶδες

( Curt. Etym. § 340 ). Similarly , ‘sticky,’ came to mean ‘importunate.’ It is barely possible that, in coining a new negative compound, the poet may have transferred the sense of to : but it seems improbable.

mvp-comment-271-1 ζῶμα ²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-271-2 χλιδαῖς ²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-272-1 προσπίτνουσα ²⁵⁶ αὐτὸν ²⁵⁷

mvp-comment-273-1 ἐξ ὑπερτέρας χερός ²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-273-2 ζῶντ’ ²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-274-1 ἀφνεωτέραις ²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-274-2 στέφωμεν ²⁶¹

mvp-comment-274-3 δωρούμεθα ²⁶²

mvp-comment-275-1 οἶμαι μὲν οὖν ²⁶³

mvp-comment-275-2 If μέλον ²⁶⁴ μέλειν ²⁶⁵ μέλον ²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-276-1 σοί ²⁶⁷

mvp-comment-277-1 βροτῶν ²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-278-1 πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-279-1 δράσω ²⁷⁰

mvp-comment-279-2 τὸ γὰρ δίκαιον ²⁷¹

mvp-comment-279-3 (1)

is an acc. of general reference, and is impersonal. ‘With regard to what is (clearly) right, it is unreasonable for two persons to dispute; rather both should hasten on the doing (of it).’ With we supply the notion from the negative (as from in O. C. 1402 ff.; cp. O. T. 817 ff.). For the form of the sentence, cp. H. 7. 3. 7 . So here the acc. , which represents the object of , is separated from it by the parenthesis . (The first scholium gives substantially this view: .)

mvp-comment-279-4 (2) Or

might be nom.: ‘that which is clearly right does not afford any ground ( ) for two persons to dispute,’ etc. So the second schol.: . So far as the verb is concerned, this sense is quite admissible: cp. Thuc. 2. 41 ( ). The objection is that the phrases , which are very common, regularly mean, ‘to be reasonable,’ ‘to be unreasonable.’ This is so both in the personal and in the impersonal constr.; as Plat. Phaedop. 62 D : Dem. or. 36 § 54 ; The supposed sense, ‘not to afford a reason,’ is unexampled.

mvp-comment-279-5 δυοῖν ²⁷²

mvp-comment-280-1 παρ’ ὑμῶν ²⁷³

mvp-comment-281-1 πικρὰν ²⁷⁴ δοκῶ με … τολμήσειν ²⁷⁵ ἔτι ²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-282-1 εἰ μὴ )γὼ ²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-282-2 γνώμας λειπομένα ²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-283-1 ἁ πρόμαντις Δίκα ²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-283-2 δίκαια φερομένα χεροῖν κράτη ²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-284-1 μέτεισιν ²⁸¹

mvp-comment-284-2 οὐ μακροῦ χρόνου ²⁸²

mvp-comment-285-1 ὕπεστί μοι θράσος ²⁸³ κλύουσαν ²⁸⁴

mvp-comment-285-2 ἁδυπνόων … ὀνειράτων ²⁸⁵

mvp-comment-286-1 ἀμναστεῖ γ’ ὁ φύσας ς’ ²⁸⁶

mvp-comment-287-1 χαλκόπλακτος ²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-287-2 γένυς ²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-287-3 The very axe (

, 99) with which the blow was dealt is imagined as nourishing a grudge against the murderers who had set it such a task. Such a personification recalls that practice of Athenian law by which inanimate objects which had caused death were brought to a formal trial in the court called , and, after sentence, cast beyond the boundaries, in the presence of the Archon Basileus and the sacrificial officers of the tribes ( ). Aeschin. or. 3 § 244 . (Cp. Dem. or. 23 § 76 .) A like conception was implied in the English law (repealed in 1846) of ‘deodands’ (Deo danda), i.e., personal chattels (whether animals or things) which, having caused the death of a human being, were forfeited to the Crown for pious uses.

mvp-comment-288-1 ἐν αἰκίαις ²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-289-1 καὶ πολύπους καὶ πολύχειρ ²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-290-1 λόχοις ²⁹¹

mvp-comment-290-2 χαλκόπους ²⁹²

mvp-comment-291-1 ἄλεκτρ’ ἄνυμφα ²⁹³

mvp-comment-291-2 γάμων ἁμιλλήμαθ’ ²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-291-3 ἐπέβα ²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-292-1 πρὸ τῶνδέ τοι … συνδρῶσιν ²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-292-2 Verses 495—497 (

) answer metrically to vv. 479—481 , where the text is certain, save for the doubt whether or should stand in 479. Here we must first decide two points.

mvp-comment-292-3 (1) Are the words πρὸ τῶνδε ²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-292-4 (2) Could

(etc.) mean, ‘ the belief possesses me, that’ etc.? Surely not. No real parallel for so strange a phrase has been produced. It is irrelevant to quote those impersonal verbs which directly express the occurrence of a thought to the mind; as Xen. An. 6. 1. 17 (‘the thought came to them, how they might,’ etc.): Thuc. 6. 78. § 1 Either, then, the subject to has dropped out, or the words conceal a corruption.

mvp-comment-292-5 The following remedies are possible: I incline to the first, as involving least change. (1) Reading in 479

, we may read here | etc. (It may be remarked that is in harmony with the tone of in 479.) Another available word is (cp. Ant. 279 ). (2) Or, reading in 479 , we could read here . On either view, the of in 480 is long (as several critics have assumed). It should be noted that (1) involves a different constitution of the verses: see p. lxxxii.

mvp-comment-292-6 In those MSS. which have μή ποτε μή ποθ’ ἡμῖν ²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-293-1 ἀψεγές ²⁹⁹ ἀψεφές ³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-293-2 πελᾶν ³⁰¹

mvp-comment-294-1 τοῖς δρῶσι ³⁰² τοῖς συνδρῶσιν ³⁰³

mvp-comment-295-1 μαντεῖαι βροτῶν ³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-296-1 εὖ κατασχήσει ³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-297-1 ἱππεία ³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-297-2 Oenomaüs, king of Pisa in Elis, had promised the hand of his daughter Hippodameia to the suitor who should defeat him in a chariot-race; the penalty of failure being death. The young Pelops, son of Tantalus, offered himself as a competitor. Myrtilus, the charioteer of Oenomaüs, was persuaded (either by Hippodameia or by Pelops) to betray his master. He did so by leaving out one or both of the linch-pins by which the naves of the chariot-wheels were secured to the axles. Tzetzes on Lycophron 156

(= , the naves) . According to another story, he substituted a linch-pin of wax for a real one ( schol. Apoll. Rh. 752 ). So Pelops won the race, and the bride. But Oenomaüs was soon avenged on the traitor; for Myrtilus insulted Hippodameia, and was thrown into the sea by Pelops; upon whose house he invoked a curse, as he sank.

mvp-comment-297-3 Euripides, too, ( Or. 990 ff., Helen. 386 f.) refers to this chariot-race as the event with which the troubles of the Pelopidae began. Apollonius Rhodius briefly describes the critical moment of the race as one of the subjects embroidered on the cloak of Jason (1. 752 ff.); there Oenomaüs was seen, ‘falling sideways, as the axle broke at the naves of the wheels,’—

| .

mvp-comment-297-4 The eastern pediment of the temple of Zeus at Olympia ( circ. 450 B.C.) was adorned with sculptures by Paeonius, representing the preparation for this contest ( Paus. 5. 10. 6 ). The fragments found on the site have sufficed for a reconstruction of the group. Zeus occupied the centre; to the right of him were Pelops and Hippodameia; to the left, Oenomaüs and his wife Steropè. On each side was a chariot drawn by four horses. Myrtilus was sitting in front of his team, with his face turned away from his master.

mvp-comment-297-5 In the older and nobler form of the myth, Pelops won, not by a fraud, but by the grace of Poseidon, who gave him winged horses (Pindar O. 1. 87

). On the chest ( ) of Cypselus, seen by Pausanias in the Heraeum at Olympia ( Paus. 5. 17. 5 ), Pelops was driving two winged horses.

mvp-comment-298-1 αἰανὴς ³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-298-2 The form

has the best authority, and some critics hold that (Hesych.) was a Byzantine invention. But in Aesch. Eum. 416 , (so L, schol., and Tzetzes on Lycophron 406), is far less suitable.

mvp-comment-299-1 εὖτε ³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-299-2 ὁ ποντισθεὶς Μυρτίλος ³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-299-3 A vase found at Capua shows Pelops and Hippodameia in a ship, from which Myrtilus is falling backwards into the water. A winged Erinys hovers in the air above, brandishing a sword over the head of Pelops (Baumeister, Denkmäler p. 1204, referring to Mon. Inst. x. 25).

mvp-comment-299-4 ἐκοιμάθη ³¹⁰

mvp-comment-300-1 παγχρυσέων δίφρων ³¹¹

mvp-comment-301-1 πρόρριζος ³¹²

mvp-comment-301-2 ἐκριφθείς ³¹³

mvp-comment-302-1 ἔλειπεν ³¹⁴ ἔλιπεν ³¹⁵ οἴκου ³¹⁶ οἴκους ³¹⁷ πω ³¹⁸

mvp-comment-303-1 πολύπονος ³¹⁹ αἰκία ³²⁰

mvp-comment-304-1 ἀνειμένη ³²¹ μέν ³²²

mvp-comment-304-2 ὡς ἔοικας ³²³

mvp-comment-304-3 στρέφει ³²⁴

mvp-comment-304-4 Clytaemnestra begins in the same strain as Chrysothemis, who likewise emphasised her reproof by the word αὖ ³²⁵

mvp-comment-305-1 μή τοι θυραίαν γ’ ³²⁶

mvp-comment-305-2 αἰσχύνειν φίλους ³²⁷

mvp-comment-306-1 καίτοι ³²⁸

mvp-comment-306-2 δὴ ³²⁹ πολλούς ³³⁰

mvp-comment-306-3 ἐξεῖπάς με … ὡς ³³¹

mvp-comment-306-4 θρασεῖα ³³² τραχεῖα ³³³

mvp-comment-306-5 ἄρχω ³³⁴

mvp-comment-307-1 ὕβριν … οὐκ ἔχω ³³⁵ κακῶς κλύουσα ³³⁶

mvp-comment-308-1 πατὴρ γάρ ³³⁷

mvp-comment-308-2 πρόσχημα ³³⁸

mvp-comment-309-1 ἡ γὰρ Δίκη ³³⁹

mvp-comment-310-1 ᾗ χρῆν σ’ ἀρήγειν ³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-311-1 The order of words in the MSS.,

, is probably right; the words would then fall from her with a certain deliberate bitterness. Cp. 542 : Ant. 44 (n.): Ph. 101 .

mvp-comment-312-1 μοῦνος ³⁴¹ Ἑλλήνων ³⁴²

mvp-comment-312-2 Nauck requires

instead of , because Agamemnon's unique crime was the slaughter of his own child: as if the text did not convey this. Clytaemnestra means, ‘while mourning a father, you forget a sister.’

mvp-comment-312-3 532 f. The regular mode of expression would be,

. But, having written , the poet explains by repeating the comparison in a new form, . (For or after , cp. Lys. or. 19 § 36

ἡγοῦντο... τὰ ἐκεῖ...εἶναι ἴσα ὥσπερ τὰ ἐνθάδε

.) Those who reject v. 533 omit to notice that, without it, the words would be unintelligible. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 1417 | .

mvp-comment-312-4 This assertion of the mother's superior claim is a counterpart to the doctrine of Athena in Aesch. Eum. 658 f.,

| . Cp. above, Aesch. Eum. 366 n.

mvp-comment-313-1 τοῦ χάριν, τίνων ³⁴³

mvp-comment-313-2 The alternative, which most editors have preferred, is to take

as the participle. But there is an insuperable objection to this, which seems to have escaped notice. The words, ; could mean only, ‘paying a debt of gratitude for what?’ They could not mean, ‘paying a debt of gratitude to whom?’ The latter would be ; See ( e.g.) Aesch. P. V. 985 : Aesch. Ag. 821 | . Hence the question, ; could not possibly be answered by . For, evidently, the latter word could not mean, (‘for a benefit conferred by) the Greeks.’ A scholiast in the Baroccian MS. (cr. n. on 545), who explains by , plainly meant, ‘showing gratitude for what?’—and his paraphrase was correct; only he overlooked the context.

mvp-comment-314-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ μετῆν ³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-315-1 ἀλλ’ ἀντ’ ἀδελφοῦ δῆτα ³⁴⁵ κτανὼν ³⁴⁶

mvp-comment-315-2 ἀντὶ ἀδελφοῦ ³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-315-3 τἄμ’ ³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-316-1 παῖδες … διπλοῖ ³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-316-2 540 f. Nauck would prefer a single verse in place of these two, viz.

.

mvp-comment-317-1 ἢ ³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-317-2 ἢ τῶν ἐμῶν Ἅιδης ³⁵¹

mvp-comment-318-1 δαίσασθαι ³⁵²

mvp-comment-318-2 The conj. λῄσασθαι ³⁵³

mvp-comment-319-1 πανώλει ³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-319-2 παρεῖτο ³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-319-3 The sense does not absolutely require us to take Μενέλεω δ’ ³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-320-1 ἀβούλου ³⁵⁷

mvp-comment-320-2 κακοῦ γνώμην ³⁵⁸

mvp-comment-321-1 δοκῶ μέν ³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-321-2 εἰ καὶ ³⁶⁰

mvp-comment-322-1 εἰ φωνὴν λάβοι ³⁶¹

mvp-comment-323-1 τοῖς πεπραγμένοις ³⁶²

mvp-comment-324-1 γνώμην δικαίαν σχοῦσα ³⁶³

mvp-comment-325-1 ἐρεῖς μὲν οὐχὶ ³⁶⁴ ἐρεῖς ³⁶⁵ ἐρεῖς … μ’ ὡς ³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-325-2 ἄρξασά τι λυπηρὸν ³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-325-3 τάδ’ ἐξήκους’ ³⁶⁸

mvp-comment-326-1 τοῦ τεθνηκότος θ’ ὕπερ ³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-327-1 καὶ μὴν ³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-327-2 λόγους ἐξῆρχές με ³⁷¹

mvp-comment-328-1 Clytaemnestra has argued that she was justified in slaying Agamemnon, because he had slain Iphigeneia. The topics of Electra's reply are as follows.

mvp-comment-328-2 (1) 558—562. The wife who slew her husband would be a criminal, even if the motive had been just retribution; but the real motive was her love for Aegisthus. (2) 563—576. Agamemnon was not a free agent in slaying Iphigeneia; the act was forced upon him by Artemis. (3) 577—583. Suppose, however, that he was a free agent, and wished to please his brother; still she was not justified in taking his life. (4) 584—594. And in any case her plea does not excuse her for living with the man who helped to slay her husband.—The speech then closes in a strain of reproach and defiance (595 —609).

mvp-comment-328-3 καὶ δὴ λέγω σοι ³⁷² πατέρα ³⁷³ φὴς ³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-329-1 εἴτ’ οὖν … εἴτε ³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-329-2 λέξω ³⁷⁶ δείξω ³⁷⁷

mvp-comment-330-1 ὡς οὐ δίκῃ γ’ ³⁷⁸ ἔσπασεν ³⁷⁹ πειθὼ ³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-331-1 κυναγὸν ³⁸¹

mvp-comment-331-2 ποινὰς ³⁸²

mvp-comment-331-3 τὰ πολλὰ πνεύματ’ ἔσχ’ ³⁸³ τὰ πολλὰ ³⁸⁴ ἔσχε ³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-331-4 Acc. to Aesch. ( Aesch. Ag. 149 f., Aesch. Ag. 192 ), the Greeks were detained by adverse winds, blowing from the N.E. : and this seems to have been the account given in the Cypria ( c. 776 B.C.), Proclus Chrest. p. 455:

. But other authorities speak of a calm. Thus I. A. 9 ff. | | . Schol. Eur. Or. 647 . Tzetzes on Lycophron 183 . Ovid ( Met. 13. 183 ) combines both versions:

mvp-comment-331-5 It has been objected that vessels provided with oars need not have been detained by a calm. But the ships of the Greek fleet were not light craft. Each carried from 50 to 120 armed men, besides

: and the warriors were also the rowers (cp. Thuc. 1. 10 ). It is intelligible, then, that they should await the aid of wind before attempting the passage of the Aegaean. We must remember, too, the strong and shifting currents in the Euripus ( , Soph. Ant. 1145 : , Aesch. Ag. 191 ).

mvp-comment-331-6 We cannot well render:—(1)‘He suffered those tedious winds,’—supplying

from v. 558. Nor: (2) ‘She directed those tedious winds at Aulis,’—a version which would at least require . Cp. Ph. 1119 | .

mvp-comment-331-7 The conjecture πλοῖα ³⁸⁶

mvp-comment-331-8 Αὐλίδι ³⁸⁷

mvp-comment-332-1 ἢ )γὼ φράσω ³⁸⁸ κείνης ³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-333-1 ὡς ἐγὼ κλύω ³⁹⁰

mvp-comment-333-2 θεᾶς … κατ’ ἄλσος ³⁹¹

mvp-comment-333-3 παίζων ³⁹²

mvp-comment-333-4 ποδοῖν ³⁹³

mvp-comment-334-1 ἔλαφον ³⁹⁴

mvp-comment-334-2 στικτὸν ³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-334-3 κεράστην ³⁹⁶

mvp-comment-334-4 οὗ κατὰ σφαγὰς ³⁹⁷

mvp-comment-335-1 ἐκκομπάσας ἔπος τι τυγχάνει ³⁹⁸ βαλών ³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-335-2 This is the reason against taking

with , as=‘he shoots and hits’; cp. Il. 15. 581 : Her. 3. 35 . The vaunt must then precede the hit.

mvp-comment-335-3 Others take βαλὼν ⁴⁰⁰ ἔπος ⁴⁰¹

mvp-comment-335-4 Monk, with Musgrave, took σφαγὰς ⁴⁰²

mvp-comment-336-1 ἐκ τοῦδε ⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-336-2 μηνίσασα ⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-336-3 Λητῴα κόρη ⁴⁰⁵

mvp-comment-337-1 ὡς ⁴⁰⁶ ἀντίσταθμον ⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-337-2 ἐκθύσειε ⁴⁰⁸

mvp-comment-338-1 ὧδ’ ἦν ⁴⁰⁹

mvp-comment-338-2 τὰ … θύματ’ ⁴¹⁰

mvp-comment-338-3 λύσις ⁴¹¹

mvp-comment-338-4 πρὸς οἶκον ⁴¹²

mvp-comment-339-1 πολλὰ ⁴¹³

mvp-comment-339-2 ἀντιβὰς ⁴¹⁴

mvp-comment-339-3 μόλις ⁴¹⁵

mvp-comment-340-1 εἰ δ’ οὖν ⁴¹⁶

mvp-comment-340-2 ἐρῶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ σόν ⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-341-1 τούτου … οὕνεκ’ ⁴¹⁸

mvp-comment-341-2 νόμῳ ⁴¹⁹

mvp-comment-342-1 ὅρα ⁴²⁰ μὴ … τιθῇς ⁴²¹ τίθης ⁴²²

mvp-comment-342-2 Here, either

or would be suitable. (1) With :—‘See that, in making this rule, you are not making woe for yourself.’ This means that to make the rule (as she is doing) is at once (logically) to make the woe. (2) With : —‘See lest, in making this rule, you make woe for yourself’: i.e., the rule may have the woe as a consequence. The woe is a future contingency (583 ), against which Electra warns her. On the whole, I now prefer . Cp. 1003 | : fr. 82 .

mvp-comment-342-3 τιθεῖσα … νόμον ⁴²³

mvp-comment-343-1 εἰ γὰρ κτενοῦμεν ⁴²⁴

mvp-comment-343-2 πρώτη ⁴²⁵

mvp-comment-344-1 εἰσόρα ⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-344-2 οὐκ οὖσαν ⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-344-3 τίθης ⁴²⁸

mvp-comment-344-4 εἰ … θέλεις ⁴²⁹

mvp-comment-345-1 τῷ παλαμναίῳ ⁴³⁰

mvp-comment-345-2 πρόσθεν ἐξαπώλεσας ⁴³¹

mvp-comment-346-1 παιδοποιεῖς ⁴³²

mvp-comment-346-2 Erigonè, daughter of Aegisthus and Clytaemnestra (Tzetzes on Lyc. 1374 ), was mentioned by the early cyclic poet Cinaethon ( Paus. 2. 18. 6 ), and was the theme of Sophocles in his

. Hyginus ( Hyg. Fab. 122 ) notices a son of Aegisthus named Aletes, who gives his name to a play by Sophocles, but does not record the mother: see p. xliii note 4.

mvp-comment-346-3 εὐσεβεῖς ⁴³³

mvp-comment-346-4 κἀξ εὐσεβῶν ⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-346-5 By

Electra means Orestes and herself. Both are ‘cast out’ of their just rights. Cp. O.T. 611 . Eur. El. 62 |

mvp-comment-346-6 βλαστόντας ⁴³⁵

mvp-comment-346-7 ἐκβαλοῦσ’ ἔχεις ⁴³⁶

mvp-comment-347-1 πῶς ταῦτ’ ἐπαινέσαιμ’ ἄν ⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-347-2 ἢ ⁴³⁸ ἦ ⁴³⁹ καὶ τοῦτ’ ⁴⁴⁰ ἄποινα ⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-348-1 αἰσχρῶς δ’ ⁴⁴² δ’ ⁴⁴³

mvp-comment-348-2 ἐάν περ καὶ λέγῃς ⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-348-3 ἐχθροῖς γαμεῖσθαι ⁴⁴⁵

mvp-comment-348-4 These two verses, though not indispensable, seem genuine. Were they omitted, the transition from 592 to 595 would be somewhat abrupt.

mvp-comment-349-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ γὰρ ⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-349-2 πᾶσαν ἵης γλῶσσαν ⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-350-1 κακοστομοῦμεν ⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-350-2 καί σ’ ἔγωγε δεσπότιν ⁴⁴⁹

mvp-comment-350-3 εἰς ἡμᾶς ⁴⁵⁰ ἣ ⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-351-1 βίον μοχθηρόν ⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-351-2 ἔκ τε σοῦ ⁴⁵³ κακοῖς … ξυνοῦσα ⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-351-3 συννόμου ⁴⁵⁵

mvp-comment-352-1 ὁ δ’ ἄλλος ⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-352-2 χεῖρα σὴν ⁴⁵⁷

mvp-comment-352-3 τρίβει βίον ⁴⁵⁸

mvp-comment-352-4 603 The reason for writing δή με σοὶ ⁴⁵⁹ δή μέ σοι ⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-352-5 μιάστορα ⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-353-1 τοῦδέ γ’ οὕνεκα ⁴⁶²

mvp-comment-354-1 εἰς ἅπαντας ⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-354-2 χρῇς ⁴⁶⁴

mvp-comment-354-3 στόμαργον ⁴⁶⁵

mvp-comment-355-1 τῶνδε τῶν ἔ|ργων ἴδρις ⁴⁶⁶

mvp-comment-355-2 σχεδόν τι ⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-355-3 οὐ καταισχύνω ⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-356-1 ὁρῶ μένος πνέουσαν ⁴⁶⁹ μένος πνέουσαν ⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-356-2 σὺν δίκῃ ξύνεστι ⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-356-3 Other interpretations are:—(1) ‘I see that Electra is wroth; but as to whether she is in the right, I see no concern (anywhere),’—a timid way of saying that Clytaemnestra shows no such concern. So the schol. (2) ‘I see that Clytaemnestra is angry, but not that she cares whether she is right’:—an inference from some gesture. Both these versions rely on the fact that

(612) is plainly an echo of (611). But: ( a) it does not follow that is not Electra's thought. ( b) It is surely clear that must be Electra; and ( c) as in Ant. 471 f., the second clause naturally refers to the same person.

mvp-comment-357-1 ποίας δ’ ἐμοὶ δεῖ ⁴⁷² ἐμοὶ ⁴⁷³ μοι ⁴⁷⁴ δεῖ ⁴⁷⁵

mvp-comment-357-2 Others understand: (1) ‘If Electra has no consideration for justice, why should I have any consideration for her,— i.e., show her any tenderness?’ Or: (2) ‘If she heeds not justice, why should I heed her?’ Neither view seems well suited to the context.

mvp-comment-358-1 καὶ ταῦτα ⁴⁷⁶

mvp-comment-358-2 τηλικοῦτος ⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-358-3 ἆρα ⁴⁷⁸

mvp-comment-358-4 χωρεῖν ἂν ⁴⁷⁹ εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ⁴⁸⁰

mvp-comment-359-1 εὖ νυν ἐπίστω ⁴⁸¹

mvp-comment-359-2 ἔξωρα ⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-359-3 προσεικότα ⁴⁸³

mvp-comment-360-1 ἀλλὰ … γὰρ ⁴⁸⁴

mvp-comment-360-2 ἡ … ἐκ σοῦ δυσμένεια ⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-360-3 ἐξαναγκάζει ⁴⁸⁶ αἰσχροῖς ⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-360-4 622 f. The word θρέμμα ⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-360-5 ἦ σ’ ἐγὼ ⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-361-1 νιν ⁴⁹⁰

mvp-comment-361-2 εὑρίσκεται ⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-361-3 Cp. Milton, Apology for Smectymnuus (in his Prose Works, ed. Symmons, vol. I. p. 236): ‘I might also tell them [the prelates], what Electra in Sophocles, a wise virgin, answered her wicked mother, who thought herself too violently reproved by her the daughter: ‘' Tis you that say it, not I; you do the deeds, | And your ungodly deeds find me the words.’’

mvp-comment-362-1 οὐ μὰ ⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-362-2 δέσποιναν ⁴⁹³

mvp-comment-362-3 Ἄρτεμιν ⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-362-4 θράσους τοῦδ’ οὐκ ἀλύξεις ⁴⁹⁵ μόλῃ ⁴⁹⁶

mvp-comment-363-1 ὁρᾷς ⁴⁹⁷

mvp-comment-363-2 ἐκφέρει ⁴⁹⁸

mvp-comment-363-3 The v. l. παρεῖσα ⁴⁹⁹

mvp-comment-364-1 οὐδὲ ⁵⁰⁰

mvp-comment-364-2 ὑπ’ εὐφήμου βοῆς ⁵⁰¹

mvp-comment-364-3 ἐπειδὴ σοί γ’ ⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-364-4 πᾶν λέγειν ⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-365-1 κελεύω ⁵⁰⁴

mvp-comment-365-2 τοὐμὸν στόμ’ ⁵⁰⁵

mvp-comment-365-3 634 f. An altar, and probably an image, of Apollo stand before the palace. The attendant of Clytaemnestra carries offerings of various fruits, which she is now commanded to raise, as with a gesture of solemn oblation ( ἔπαιρε ⁵⁰⁶

mvp-comment-365-4 ἡ παροῦσά μοι ⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-365-5 θύματα … πάγκαρπα ⁵⁰⁸

mvp-comment-366-1 λυτηρίους … δειμάτων ⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-366-2 ἀνάσχω ⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-367-1 κλύοις ἂν ⁵¹¹

mvp-comment-367-2 προστατήριε ⁵¹²

mvp-comment-368-1 κεκρυμμένην ⁵¹³

mvp-comment-368-2 οὐ γὰρ ἐν φίλοις ⁵¹⁴

mvp-comment-369-1 πρὸς φῶς ⁵¹⁵

mvp-comment-370-1 πολυγλώσσῳ ⁵¹⁶

mvp-comment-370-2 σπείρῃ ⁵¹⁷

mvp-comment-370-3 ματαίαν ⁵¹⁸

mvp-comment-371-1 ὧδ’ ⁵¹⁹

mvp-comment-372-1 γὰρ ⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-372-2 δισσῶν ὀνείρων ⁵²¹

mvp-comment-372-3 Jacobs Fr.( ap. Wunder) understood, ‘ two dreams,’—as if Clyt.'s vision consisted of two parts,—the return of Agamemnon, and the growth from the sceptre (417—423). This seems forced. Still less can we assume that there was some second dream which Clyt. did not relate even to the Sun-god (425).

mvp-comment-372-4 Λύκεἰ ἄναξ ⁵²²

mvp-comment-373-1 ἐσθλά … ἐχθρά ⁵²³

mvp-comment-373-2 Cp. Aesch. Pers. 217 , where the Chorus are advising Atossa how to propitiate the gods after her dream:

, |

mvp-comment-373-3 ἔμπαλιν μέθες ⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-374-1 εἴ τινες ⁵²⁵

mvp-comment-375-1 ἀλλ’ ὧδε ⁵²⁶

mvp-comment-375-2 ἀβλαβεῖ βίῳ ⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-376-1 δόμους ⁵²⁸

mvp-comment-376-2 ἀμφέπειν ⁵²⁹

mvp-comment-376-3 φίλοισι ⁵³⁰

mvp-comment-377-1 εὐημεροῦσαν ⁵³¹

mvp-comment-377-2 καὶ τέκνων ⁵³² ὅσων ⁵³³

mvp-comment-377-3 We might also take

as standing, by attraction, for . When the antecedent is thus attracted, it usually comes after the relative ( O.C. 56); but sometimes precedes it, as in Tr. 151 f. ... | ... (for ) . In examples of the latter kind, however, the acc. (and not, as it would be here, the dat.) is elsewhere the case attracted. In favour of taking as partitive, it may be added that this suits the distinction between two groups of . By she means Chrysothemis, Iphianassa, and the offspring o<*> her union with Aegisthus (157; 589).

mvp-comment-377-4 ἐμοὶ … πρόσεστιν ⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-378-1 πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ⁵³⁵

mvp-comment-379-1 τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πάντα ⁵³⁶

mvp-comment-379-2 660 Following the directions given in vv. 39 ff., the Paedagogus now appears as a

. Cp. O.T. 924 ff., where the messenger from Corinth presents himself to Iocasta and the Chorus.

mvp-comment-379-3 πῶς ἂν εἰδείην ⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-380-1 ἦ καὶ ⁵³⁸

mvp-comment-380-2 ἐπεικάζων κυρῶ ⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-380-3 πρέπ<*> γὰρ ⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-381-1 μάλιστα πάντων ⁵⁴¹

mvp-comment-381-2 ἥδε σοι κείνη πάρα ⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-381-3 666 f. The ὦ ⁵⁴³ χαῖρε ⁵⁴⁴

mvp-comment-382-1 ἐδεξάμην τὸ ῥηθέν ⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-382-2 Instant recognition of an utterance as well-omened was a way of appropriating the omen. The proper formula was

or ( Her. 9. 91 ; Ar. Pl. 63 ). But alone was enough ( Xen. An. 1. 8. 17 : cp. Aesch. Ag. 1653 ). The phrase used here recurs in Her. 8. 114 : cp. also Eur. El. 622

προσηκάμην τὸ ῥηθέν

.

mvp-comment-382-3 εἰδέναι … σου ⁵⁴⁶

mvp-comment-383-1 Φανοτεὺς ⁵⁴⁷

mvp-comment-383-2 πρᾶγμα πορσύνων μέγα ⁵⁴⁸

mvp-comment-384-1 τὸ ποῖον ⁵⁴⁹

mvp-comment-385-1 ἐν βραχεῖ ξυνθεὶς ⁵⁵⁰

mvp-comment-386-1 τί φής, τί φής ⁵⁵¹ ξεῖνε ⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-386-2 ταύτης ⁵⁵³

mvp-comment-387-1 νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι ⁵⁵⁴

mvp-comment-388-1 οὐδέν εἰμ’ ἔτι ⁵⁵⁵

mvp-comment-389-1 τὰ σαυτῆς πρᾶσς’ ⁵⁵⁶

mvp-comment-389-2 διόλλυται ⁵⁵⁷

mvp-comment-390-1 κἀπεμπόμην ⁵⁵⁸ καὶ … φράσω ⁵⁵⁹

mvp-comment-391-1 γὰρ ⁵⁶⁰

mvp-comment-392-1 πρόσχημ’ ἀγῶνος ⁵⁶¹ Ἑλλάδος ⁵⁶²

mvp-comment-392-2 πρόσχημα ⁵⁶³

mvp-comment-392-3 Δελφ. ἄθλων ⁵⁶⁴

mvp-comment-393-1 ὀρθίων ⁵⁶⁵

mvp-comment-393-2 δρόμον … οὗ πρώτη κρίσις ⁵⁶⁶

mvp-comment-394-1 εἰσῆλθε ⁵⁶⁷

mvp-comment-395-1 ἰσώσας * τἀφέσει ⁵⁶⁸ τῇ φύσει ⁵⁶⁹

mvp-comment-395-2 Now there is evidence that the customary order for the foot-races was, 1.

, 2. , 3. . See Boeckh C. I. G. no. 1590 and 1591 (referring to games at Thespiae, circ. 240 B.C.): also no. 2214 (games at Chios, circ. 100—80 B.C.). Paus. 6. 13. 3 (of the athlete Polites at Olympia), . It would agree, then, with the words (684) if the were meant here. [As to Legg. 833 D, see Appendix.]

mvp-comment-395-3 For

as=‘starting-place,’ cp. Suidas ( s.v. ): : Paus. 6. 20. 9 : id. 5. 15. 5 —Dindorf notes that in Aristeides vol. I. p. 339 the words were corrupted to .

mvp-comment-395-4 The proposed versions of the vulgate τῇ φύσει ⁵⁷⁰

mvp-comment-396-1 νίκης … γέρας ⁵⁷¹

mvp-comment-397-1 χὥπως μὲν ⁵⁷²

mvp-comment-397-2 Others explain:—

: ‘I do not know how to describe his deeds to you briefly, when they were so many.’ The place of can be justified by O.T. 1251. But: (1) thus construed, the words ought to mean, ‘I do not know how to describe his deeds as few.’ The other meaning would require , or the like. And (2) is then awkward.

mvp-comment-398-1 ὅσων ⁵⁷³

mvp-comment-398-2 εἰσεκήρυξαν ⁵⁷⁴

mvp-comment-398-3 βραβῆς ⁵⁷⁵

mvp-comment-399-1 δρομων διαύλων ⁵⁷⁶

mvp-comment-399-2 On the whole, I should incline to delete 691, and alter

in 692 to .

mvp-comment-400-1 ἐνεγκὼν ⁵⁷⁷

mvp-comment-400-2 τἀπινίκια ⁵⁷⁸

mvp-comment-401-1 ὠλβίζετ’ ⁵⁷⁹ ἀνακαλ ⁵⁸⁰

mvp-comment-401-2 Ἀγαμέμνονος ⁵⁸¹

mvp-comment-401-3 ἀγείραντος ⁵⁸²

mvp-comment-402-1 καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τοιαῦθ’ ⁵⁸³

mvp-comment-402-2 βλάπτῃ ⁵⁸⁴

mvp-comment-402-3 ἰσχύων ⁵⁸⁵

mvp-comment-403-1 ἄλλης ἡμέρας ⁵⁸⁶

mvp-comment-403-2 ἱππικῶν ⁵⁸⁷

mvp-comment-404-1 ἡλίου τέλλοντος ⁵⁸⁸

mvp-comment-404-2 The Pythian hippodrome was in the Crisaean plain (180 n.), near its upper or northern end, where the rocky gorge of the river Pleistus opens upon a level tract. The site of Crisa, on a spur of Parnassus, overlooked it from the north, and Delphi from the north-east. Beautiful as was Olympia, the scene of the Pythian festival was unrivalled in the grandeur of its natural surroundings.

mvp-comment-405-1 Ἀχαιός ⁵⁸⁹

mvp-comment-406-1 Λίβυες ⁵⁹⁰

mvp-comment-406-2 ζυγωτῶν ⁵⁹¹ ἐπιστάται ⁵⁹²

mvp-comment-407-1 κἀκεῖνος ⁵⁹³

mvp-comment-407-2 ἐν τούτοισι ⁵⁹⁴ ἐπὶ ⁵⁹⁵

mvp-comment-407-3 Θεσσαλὰς … ἵππους ⁵⁹⁶

mvp-comment-408-1 ξανθαῖσι ⁵⁹⁷

mvp-comment-408-2 πώλοις ⁵⁹⁸

mvp-comment-408-3 Μάγνης ⁵⁹⁹

mvp-comment-409-1 λεύκιππος ⁶⁰⁰

mvp-comment-409-2 Αἰνιὰν ⁶⁰¹

mvp-comment-410-1 τῶν θεοδμήτων ⁶⁰²

mvp-comment-411-1 ἄλλος ⁶⁰³ ἐκπληρῶν ⁶⁰⁴

mvp-comment-412-1 στάντες ⁶⁰⁵

mvp-comment-412-2 †ὅθ’ αὐτοὺς ⁶⁰⁶ ὅθ’ ⁶⁰⁷ ἵν’ ⁶⁰⁸ ὅτ’ ⁶⁰⁹

mvp-comment-412-3 βραβῆς ⁶¹⁰ οἱ τεταγμένοι ⁶¹¹

mvp-comment-412-4 710 *

. I should much prefer to read in 709: but is defensible, and I refrain from change. Two views are possible; the first is generally received, and is perhaps simplest. (1) depends on as= : cp. Ar. Eccl. 683 , ‘I will place them all by lot,’ | See above on 123, Ar. Eccl. 556. (2) = , a parenthetic construction ( ), so that is governed by only, and is a second acc., defining , as in ( Soph. Ph. 1301 ). See on 466

f.

mvp-comment-412-5 ἔπηλαν ⁶¹²

mvp-comment-413-1 χαλκῆς ⁶¹³

mvp-comment-413-2 ὑπαὶ ⁶¹⁴

mvp-comment-413-3 οἱ δ’ ⁶¹⁵

mvp-comment-414-1 ὁμοκλήσαντες ⁶¹⁶

mvp-comment-415-1 ἐν δὲ ⁶¹⁷

mvp-comment-415-2 κροτητῶν ⁶¹⁸

mvp-comment-415-3 I formerly took

as=‘welded,’ ‘hammered,’ with ref. to the metal-work of the chariots: cp. Il. 23. 503 : 10. 438 : 4. 226 . (Cp. Helbig, H. E. p. 90.) For this sense of , cp. Pind. fr. 194 .

mvp-comment-416-1 φορεῖθ’ ⁶¹⁹

mvp-comment-417-1 κέντρων ⁶²⁰

mvp-comment-417-2 ὡς ὑπερβάλοι ⁶²¹ τις ⁶²²

mvp-comment-417-3 χνόας ⁶²³

mvp-comment-417-4 φρυάγμαθ’ ἱππικά ⁶²⁴

mvp-comment-418-1 ὁμοῦ γὰρ ἀμφὶ νῶτα ⁶²⁵

mvp-comment-418-2 τροχῶν βάσεις ⁶²⁶

mvp-comment-418-3 εἰσέβαλλον ⁶²⁷

mvp-comment-419-1 ὑπ’ αὐτὴν ⁶²⁸

mvp-comment-419-2 ἐσχάτην στήλην ⁶²⁹

mvp-comment-420-1 ἔχριμπτ’ ἀεὶ σύριγγα ⁶³⁰ ἔχριμπτ’ ⁶³¹

mvp-comment-420-2 δεξιὸν δ’ ἀνεὶς κ.τ.λ. ⁶³²

mvp-comment-420-3 Sophocles has in mind the words of Nestor to Antilochus, Il. 23. 336

| | , | | (‘so that just the nave of the well-wrought wheel may seem to graze it’).

mvp-comment-421-1 πρὶν μὲν ⁶³³ ἔπειτα δ’ ⁶³⁴

mvp-comment-421-2 ἕστασαν ⁶³⁵

mvp-comment-422-1 ἄστομοι ⁶³⁶

mvp-comment-422-2 βίᾳ φέρουσιν ⁶³⁷

mvp-comment-422-3 ἐκ δ’ ὑποστροφῆς ⁶³⁸

mvp-comment-423-1 τελοῦντες κ.τ.λ. ⁶³⁹

mvp-comment-423-2 The Aenian, closely followed by the others, had just completed his sixth

, or double course, in the hippodrome: i.e., he had just passed, for the sixth time, round the goal nearest to the starting-place, and was on the point of beginning his seventh course. Just as he was passing the goal, his horses bolted. Hence he could not work them quite round into the track. They turned out of the left-ward curve ( ), and ran straight on. Meanwhile, one of the two Libyan chariots had swept round the goal in a wider circle, on the Aenian's right. The Aenian's horses dashed head-foremost into the Libyan's team, striking it on the left side.

mvp-comment-423-3 In the four - horse chariot - race at Olympia the number of double courses was twelve. Hence the goal farthest from the starting-place is

| ( Pind. O. 3. 33 : cp. Pind. O. 2. 55 , Pind. O. 6. 75 , Pind. P. 5. 33 ). If the (=4 stadia) be taken as the length of one double course in the hippodrome, twelve such courses give about 51/2 English miles. (Cp. art. Hippodromus in Smith's Dict. Ant., 3rd ed., p. 965 a.)

mvp-comment-423-4 Βαρκαίοις ὄχοις ⁶⁴⁰

mvp-comment-424-1 ἐξ ἑνὸς κακοῦ ⁶⁴¹ ἔθραυε καὶ ἐνέπιπτε ⁶⁴²

mvp-comment-424-2 ναυαγίων ⁶⁴³

mvp-comment-424-3 Κρισαῖον … πέδον ⁶⁴⁴

mvp-comment-425-1 γνοὺς δ’ ⁶⁴⁵

mvp-comment-425-2 κἀνοκωχεύει ⁶⁴⁶

mvp-comment-425-3 κλύδων’ ⁶⁴⁷

mvp-comment-426-1 ἔσχατος μὲν ⁶⁴⁸

mvp-comment-426-2 ὑστέρας ἔχων ⁶⁴⁹ φέρων ⁶⁵⁰ πίστιν φέρων ⁶⁵¹

mvp-comment-426-3 Those who read

understand, ‘last, indeed, but last by his own choice.’ This is possible, but less simple. The after probably led to the insertion of .

mvp-comment-426-4 Wunder cp. Acad. Pr. 2. 29. 94 Ego enim, ut agitator callidus, prius quam ad finem veniam, equos sustinebo.

mvp-comment-427-1 ὅπως δ’ ὁρᾷ ⁶⁵²

mvp-comment-428-1 ἐνσείσας. ⁶⁵³

mvp-comment-429-1 κἀξισώσαντε ζυγὰ ⁶⁵⁴

mvp-comment-429-2 τότ’ … ἄλλοθ’ ⁶⁵⁵

mvp-comment-429-3 ἄλλος … ἅτερος ⁶⁵⁶

mvp-comment-429-4 κάρα προβάλλων ⁶⁵⁷

mvp-comment-429-5 For προβάλλων ⁶⁵⁸

mvp-comment-430-1 τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους πάντας ⁶⁵⁹

mvp-comment-430-2 ἀσφαλεῖς ⁶⁶⁰

mvp-comment-430-3 ὠρθοῦθ’ ⁶⁶¹ ὀρθὸς ἐξ ὀρθῶν δί‐ ⁶⁶² φρων ⁶⁶³

mvp-comment-431-1 λύων ἡνίαν ἀριστερὰν ⁶⁶⁴

mvp-comment-432-1 χνόας ⁶⁶⁵ μέσας ⁶⁶⁶

mvp-comment-433-1 ἀντύγων ⁶⁶⁷

mvp-comment-433-2 σὺν δ’ ἑλίσσεται ⁶⁶⁸ τμητοῖς ⁶⁶⁹

mvp-comment-434-1 διεσπάρησαν εἰς μέσον δρόμον ⁶⁷⁰

mvp-comment-434-2 Cp. Il. 23. 467

, | [ sc. ] (‘rushed out of the course’).

mvp-comment-435-1 στρατὸς ⁶⁷¹

mvp-comment-435-2 δίφρων ⁶⁷²

mvp-comment-435-3 ἀνωλόλυξε ⁶⁷³

mvp-comment-435-4 οἷ’ … οἷα ⁶⁷⁴

mvp-comment-436-1 φορούμενος πρὸς οὖδας ⁶⁷⁵

mvp-comment-436-2 ἄλλοτ’ ⁶⁷⁶

mvp-comment-436-3 οὐρανῷ σκέλη προφαίνων ⁶⁷⁷

mvp-comment-437-1 διφρηλάται ⁶⁷⁸

mvp-comment-437-2 κατασχεθόντες ⁶⁷⁹

mvp-comment-438-1 κέαντες ⁶⁸⁰

mvp-comment-438-2 ἐν βραχεῖ χαλκῷ ⁶⁸¹

mvp-comment-438-3 μέγιστον ⁶⁸²

mvp-comment-438-4 σῶμα … σποδοῦ ⁶⁸³

mvp-comment-438-5 Cp. Aesch. Ag. 440 (Ares)

| | . Suppl. 1130 | . Propert. 2. 9. 13 (Briseïs with the ashes of Achilles), et tanti corpus Achillei | Maximaque in parva sustulit ossa manu.

mvp-comment-439-1 ἄνδρες Φωκέων ⁶⁸⁴

mvp-comment-439-2 ἐκλάχῃ ⁶⁸⁵

mvp-comment-440-1 τοιαῦτά σοι ⁶⁸⁶ ταῦτ’ ἐστίν ⁶⁸⁷

mvp-comment-440-2 ὡς μὲν ἐν λόγῳ ⁶⁸⁸

mvp-comment-440-3 τοῖς δ’ ἰδ., οἵπερ εἴδομεν ⁶⁸⁹

mvp-comment-440-4 764 f. The word δεσπόταισι ⁶⁹⁰

mvp-comment-440-5 πρόρριζον ⁶⁹¹

mvp-comment-441-1 ὦ Ζεῦ ⁶⁹²

mvp-comment-441-2 λέγω ⁶⁹³

mvp-comment-442-1 τῷ νῦν λόγῳ ⁶⁹⁴

mvp-comment-443-1 δεινὸν ⁶⁹⁵

mvp-comment-443-2 πάσχοντι ⁶⁹⁶ ὧν τέκῃ ⁶⁹⁷

mvp-comment-444-1 μάτην ἄρ’ ἡμεῖς κ.τ.λ. ⁶⁹⁸

mvp-comment-445-1 μάτην λέγοις ⁶⁹⁹

mvp-comment-446-1 ψυχῆς ⁷⁰⁰

mvp-comment-447-1 μαστῶν κ.τ.λ. ⁷⁰¹

mvp-comment-447-2 ἀποστὰς ⁷⁰²

mvp-comment-447-3 ἀπεξενοῦτο ⁷⁰³

mvp-comment-448-1 φόνους ⁷⁰⁴

mvp-comment-449-1 ὥστ’ οὔτε … στεγάζειν ⁷⁰⁵

mvp-comment-449-2 ἐξ ἡμέρας ⁷⁰⁶

mvp-comment-449-3 στεψάζειν ⁷⁰⁷

mvp-comment-449-4 ὁ προστατῶν χρόνος ⁷⁰⁸

mvp-comment-449-5 διῆγε ⁷⁰⁹

mvp-comment-449-6 783 f. The perf. ἀπήλλαγμαι ⁷¹⁰

mvp-comment-449-7 μείζων ⁷¹¹

mvp-comment-450-1 τοὐμὸν ⁷¹²

mvp-comment-450-2 ἐκπίνους’ ⁷¹³

mvp-comment-450-3 ἄκρατον ⁷¹⁴

mvp-comment-450-4 νῦν δ’ ⁷¹⁵

mvp-comment-450-5 ἕκηλα ⁷¹⁶

mvp-comment-450-6 οὕνεχ’ ⁷¹⁷

mvp-comment-450-7 ἡμερεύσομεν ⁷¹⁸

mvp-comment-451-1 οἴμοι τάλαινα ⁷¹⁹

mvp-comment-451-2 οἰμῶξαι ⁷²⁰

mvp-comment-452-1 ἆρ’ ἔχει καλῶς ⁷²¹

mvp-comment-453-1 οὔτοι σὺ ⁷²²

mvp-comment-454-1 Νέμεσι ⁷²³

mvp-comment-454-2 τοῦ θανόντος ἀρτίως ⁷²⁴

mvp-comment-454-3 Nemesis is the goddess who requires that each man should receive his due (

, Mund. 7. p. 401 b. 13). The ‘Nemesis of the dead man’ is the avenger of wrong done to him; as the Greeks said ( Aesch. Ag. 1432 ), . Cp. Aesch. fr. 266 (‘ our Nemesis’) , | . At Athens were certain rites in honour of the dead ( Dem. or. 41 § 11 ), (Bekker Anecd. I. 282). Nemesis appears in art, too, as a goddess of the dead (Baumeister, Denkm., p. 1008).

mvp-comment-455-1 ἤκουσεν ὧν δεῖ ⁷²⁵

mvp-comment-455-2 κἀπεκύρωσεν ⁷²⁶

mvp-comment-456-1 οὔκουν … τάδε ⁷²⁷

mvp-comment-457-1 οὐχ ὅπως σε παύσομεν ⁷²⁸

mvp-comment-458-1 πολλῶν ἂν ἥκοις ⁷²⁹ ἔπαυσας ⁷³⁰ παύσαις ⁷³¹

mvp-comment-458-2 πολλῶν ⁷³² ἄξιος ⁷³³ τυχεῖν ⁷³⁴

mvp-comment-459-1 εὖ κυρεῖ ⁷³⁵

mvp-comment-459-2 800 f. With πράξειας ⁷³⁶

mvp-comment-459-3 The emendations which aim at introducing

seem, then, superfluous. The change of καταξίως ⁷³⁷ πράξειας ⁷³⁸

mvp-comment-459-4 τοῦ πορεύς. ξένου ⁷³⁹

mvp-comment-460-1 τῶν φίλων ⁷⁴⁰

mvp-comment-461-1 ἆρ’ ὑμὶν ⁷⁴¹

mvp-comment-461-2 ὧδ’ ⁷⁴²

mvp-comment-462-1 ὥς μ’ ἀπώλεσας θανών ⁷⁴³

mvp-comment-463-1 ἀποσπάσας ⁷⁴⁴ αἵ ⁷⁴⁵

mvp-comment-464-1 μολεῖν ⁷⁴⁶

mvp-comment-465-1 δουλεύειν ⁷⁴⁷

mvp-comment-465-2 πάλιν ⁷⁴⁸

mvp-comment-466-1 ἆρά μοι καλῶς ἔχει ⁷⁴⁹

mvp-comment-467-1 τοῦ λοιποῦ χρόνου ⁷⁵⁰

mvp-comment-467-2 818 *

, Hermann's correction of , is made certain by . No dative is needed to explain ξύνοικος ⁷⁵¹

mvp-comment-468-1 παρεῖσ’ ἐμαυτὴν ⁷⁵²

mvp-comment-468-2 αὐανῶ ⁷⁵³

mvp-comment-469-1 χάρις ⁷⁵⁴

mvp-comment-470-1 Kommos. 1st strophe, 823—835, =1st antistr., 836—848: 2nd str., 849—859, =2nd antistr., 860—870. For metres see Metrical Analysis. Changes of person occur within a verse (as in 829 ff.,

; ). This indicates that the Chorus is here represented by the coryphaeus; it is, in fact, a lyric duet between the leader and Electra. Similar duets occur in O. T. 649 —697 and O. C. 510 —548, passages which further resemble this as being inserted in : also in the parodos of the O. C.(as at 178 ff.), and its exodos (as at 1677 ff.): and in Ph. 1081 —1217 (as at 1184 f.).

mvp-comment-470-2 These lyrics mark the climax of Electra's grief. The comforter vainly seeks to rouse her from despair.

mvp-comment-470-3 ποῦ ποτε ⁷⁵⁵

mvp-comment-470-4 φαέθων ⁷⁵⁶

mvp-comment-470-5 ἐφορῶντες ⁷⁵⁷

mvp-comment-470-6 κρύπτουσιν ⁷⁵⁸

mvp-comment-471-1 τί δακρύεις ⁷⁵⁹

mvp-comment-472-1 μηδὲν μέγ’ ἀΰσῃς ⁷⁶⁰

mvp-comment-472-2 ἀΰσῃς ⁷⁶¹

mvp-comment-473-1 ἀπολεῖς ⁷⁶²

mvp-comment-474-1 τῶν … οἰχομένων ⁷⁶³ φανερῶς ⁷⁶⁴ ἐλπίδα ⁷⁶⁵

mvp-comment-475-1 κατ’ ἐμοῦ τακομένας ⁷⁶⁶ ἐπεμβάσει ⁷⁶⁷ κατ’ ἐμοὶ τακομένᾳ ⁷⁶⁸

mvp-comment-476-1 οἶδα γὰρ ⁷⁶⁹

mvp-comment-476-2 Ἀμφιάρεων ⁷⁷⁰ ἄνακτα ⁷⁷¹

mvp-comment-477-1 χρυσοδέτοις ἕρκεσι ⁷⁷² γυναικῶν ⁷⁷³

mvp-comment-477-2 κρυφθέντα ⁷⁷⁴

mvp-comment-477-3 Some vase-paintings, representing the departure of Amphiaraüs for Thebes, show Eriphylè carrying the bribe in her hand. In one of these, on a very ancient vase from Caere, it appears as a necklace of large white pearls (Baumeister, Denkm. p. 67): in another, on a lekythos from Cervetri (Roscher, Lex.p. 295), it is a collar, with projecting rays.

mvp-comment-478-1 ἒ ἔ· ἰώ ⁷⁷⁵

mvp-comment-479-1 πάμψυχος ⁷⁷⁶

mvp-comment-479-2 The cult of Amphiaraüs had its chief seat in Boeotia, but afterwards spread thence to Argos, and throughout Greece. He was a chthonian deity, like Melampus; associated with Dionysus, and then with the Apollinar

. The near Thebes, a dream-oracle, was consulted by Mardonius ( Her. 8. 134 ). In later times the shrine near Oropus was more famous ( I. Paus. 34. 2 ).

mvp-comment-480-1 φεῦ ⁷⁷⁷

mvp-comment-480-2 φεῦ δῆτ’ ⁷⁷⁸ ὀλοὰ γὰρ ⁷⁷⁹ ἐδάμη ⁷⁸⁰ ὀλοὰ ⁷⁸¹

mvp-comment-480-3 ἐδάμη ⁷⁸² ναί ⁷⁸³

mvp-comment-481-1 μελέτωρ ⁷⁸⁴

mvp-comment-481-2 Amphiaraüs was avenged by his son Alcmaeon ,—the counterpart, in this story, of Orestes. Before setting out for Thebes, the seer had charged him with this duty. Eriphylè, bribed once more, prevailed upon her son to lead the Epigoni against Thebes. After its fall, he returned to Argos, and slew her. Pursued by the Erinyes, he fled to Psophis in Arcadia, and there was purified. He was the subject of a play by Sophocles, and of two by Euripides,—the first,

(produced in 438 B.C.), dealing with his absolution, and the second, , with a later episode. Acc. to a grammarian in Anecd. Oxon. II. p. 337, 4, the form of the name used by Eur. was .

mvp-comment-482-1 τὸν ἐν πένθει ⁷⁸⁵

mvp-comment-483-1 ἀναρπασθείς ⁷⁸⁶

mvp-comment-484-1 δειλαία δειλαίων ⁷⁸⁷

mvp-comment-485-1 ἴστωρ ⁷⁸⁸

mvp-comment-486-1 πανσύρτῳ … αἰῶνι ⁷⁸⁹ αἰῶνι ⁷⁹⁰

mvp-comment-486-2 The literal sense then is:—‘(I know this) by a life which, through all the months, is a turbid torrent of many things dread and horrible.’

seems rightly explained in one scholium as : i.e., it has an active sense, like (484 n.), ( Ph. 688 ), ( , Aesch. Ag. 361 ). The genitive, , may depend upon it, as in Soph. Ant. 1184 f. = . But we might also join the genitive with , as=‘a life of’ (made up of) these things. For the verb in ref. to a torrent, cp. Ar. Eq. 527 | : Plut. Mor.p. 5 F . Thus παμμήνῳ ⁷⁹¹

mvp-comment-486-3 This view gives

a more forcible and more poetical sense than if it be taken as=‘swept together from every side.’ The meaning then would be, ‘a life, through all the months, of many dread horrors, accumulated from every quarter,’—the epithet being transferred from the troubles to the life itself. It would still, indeed, be possible to make active; ‘a life which draws troubles together from all sides’; but such an active sense would be somewhat harsher, on this interpretation, than on that which supposes the image of a torrent.

mvp-comment-487-1 ἁθρήνεις ⁷⁹² ἃ θροεῖς ⁷⁹³ ἃ θρηνεῖς ⁷⁹⁴

mvp-comment-488-1 μή μέ νυν ⁷⁹⁵

mvp-comment-488-2 παραγάγῃς ⁷⁹⁶

mvp-comment-488-3 ἵν’ ⁷⁹⁷

mvp-comment-489-1 τί φής ⁷⁹⁸

mvp-comment-490-1 πάρεισιν ἐλπίδων ἔτι ⁷⁹⁹

mvp-comment-490-2 With the other reading,

, both epithets belong to , and mean, ‘hopes from brothers and princes,’— i.e., ‘hopes from a princely brother’: the sense is unchanged, but the phrase is more artificial.

mvp-comment-490-3 That the MSS. have

is more significant than that they also have , which might easily creep in. Suidas, who omits , has , or (in codd. A and C) : but the latter variant can hardly be said to confirm .—At 162 Orestes is called . The fem. occurs at 1081.

mvp-comment-491-1 ἔφυ ⁸⁰⁰

mvp-comment-492-1 χαλαργοῖς ⁸⁰¹

mvp-comment-493-1 τμητοῖς ⁸⁰²

mvp-comment-494-1 ἄσκοπος ⁸⁰³

mvp-comment-494-2 ἁ λώβα ⁸⁰⁴

mvp-comment-495-1 ξένος ⁸⁰⁵

mvp-comment-496-1 ἄτερ ἐμᾶν χερῶν ⁸⁰⁶

mvp-comment-497-1 κέκευθεν ⁸⁰⁷

mvp-comment-497-2 οὔτε του ⁸⁰⁸

mvp-comment-497-3 ἀντιάσας ⁸⁰⁹

mvp-comment-497-4 τάφου … γόων ⁸¹⁰

mvp-comment-498-1 ὑφ’ ἡδονῆς τοι ⁸¹¹ τοι ⁸¹² σοι ⁸¹³

mvp-comment-499-1 τὸ κόσμιον ⁸¹⁴

mvp-comment-499-2 873 For the place of ὦν ⁸¹⁵

mvp-comment-500-1 σὺ ⁸¹⁶ ἴασιν οὐκ ἔνεστ’ ἰδεῖν ⁸¹⁷

mvp-comment-501-1 ἐναργῶς ⁸¹⁸

mvp-comment-502-1 ἀλλ’ ἦ ⁸¹⁹

mvp-comment-502-2 τοῖς ⁸²⁰

mvp-comment-503-1 μὰ τὴν πατρῴαν ἑστίαν ⁸²¹

mvp-comment-503-2 ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὕβρει ⁸²²

mvp-comment-503-3 ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνον ⁸²³ ὡς ⁸²⁴

mvp-comment-503-4 The v.l.

for νῷν ⁸²⁵

mvp-comment-504-1 ἐξ ἐμοῦ ⁸²⁶ τε καί ⁸²⁷

mvp-comment-505-1 ἰδοῦσα πίστιν ⁸²⁸

mvp-comment-505-2 εἰς τί μοι ⁸²⁹

mvp-comment-505-3 ἀνηκέστῳ ⁸³⁰

mvp-comment-505-4 πυρί ⁸³¹

mvp-comment-506-1 σὺ δ’ οὖν ⁸³²

mvp-comment-506-2 τῷ λόγῳ ⁸³³

mvp-comment-507-1 καὶ δὴ ⁸³⁴

mvp-comment-507-2 κατειδόμην ⁸³⁵

mvp-comment-508-1 ἀρχαῖον τάφον ⁸³⁶

mvp-comment-509-1 κολώνης ἐξ ἄκρας ⁸³⁷

mvp-comment-509-2 γάλακτος ⁸³⁸

mvp-comment-509-3 περιστεφῆ … ἀνθέων ⁸³⁹

mvp-comment-509-4 ἔστιν ⁸⁴⁰

mvp-comment-509-5 θήκην ⁸⁴¹

mvp-comment-510-1 ἔσχον θαῦμα ⁸⁴²

mvp-comment-510-2 ἐγχρίμπτῃ ⁸⁴³ ἐγχρίμπτει ⁸⁴⁴

mvp-comment-511-1 ἐν γαλήνῃ ⁸⁴⁵

mvp-comment-512-1 ἐσχάτης … πυρᾶς ⁸⁴⁶

mvp-comment-512-2 νεώρη ⁸⁴⁷

mvp-comment-513-1 ἐμπαίει κ.τ.λ. ⁸⁴⁸ ὄμμα ⁸⁴⁹

mvp-comment-513-2 σύνηθες ⁸⁵⁰ ὁρᾶν ⁸⁵¹

mvp-comment-513-3 The intrans.

(a stronger ) occurs only here; but cp. O. T. 1252 . In Aesch. Ag. 187 are ‘the fortunes which have suddenly struck him’: cp. ib. 347

mvp-comment-513-4 ψυχῇ ⁸⁵²

mvp-comment-513-5 The scholium in L runs thus:—

] : i.e., the writer took to mean ‘a sight’; a sense possible for it only when, as here, it denotes the human face or form ( Ai. 977 : ib. 1004: Aesch. Ch. 238 ). This scholium cannot be claimed, however, as indicating that the scholiast read φάσμα ⁸⁵³

mvp-comment-514-1 βαστάσασα ⁸⁵⁴

mvp-comment-514-2 δυσφηυῶ μὲν οὔ ⁸⁵⁵ οὔ ⁸⁵⁶

mvp-comment-515-1 νῦν θ’ ὁμοίως καὶ τότ’ ⁸⁵⁷

mvp-comment-515-2 μή του ⁸⁵⁸

mvp-comment-515-3 ἀγλάϊσμα ⁸⁵⁹

mvp-comment-515-4 911 f. The elliptical πῶς γὰρ ⁸⁶⁰ ᾗ γε ⁸⁶¹ μηδὲ ⁸⁶² πρὸς θεοὺς ⁸⁶³

mvp-comment-515-5 ἀκλαύστῳ ⁸⁶⁴

mvp-comment-516-1 ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ μὲν δὴ ⁸⁶⁵

mvp-comment-517-1 οὔτε δρῶσ’ ἐλάνθαν’ ἄν ⁸⁶⁶

mvp-comment-517-2 It is quite true that such elision was rare; the

more usually averted it. The mistake is to deny that it was admissible. Porson's keen observation and fine instinct led him to no such rule; he found no offence ( e.g.) in Eur. Hec. 1113 ( MSS.; Heath).

mvp-comment-517-3 But is ἐλάνθανεν ⁸⁶⁷ δρῶσα ⁸⁶⁸

mvp-comment-517-4 If ἐλάνθαν’ ἄν ⁸⁶⁹ ἔληθεν ἄν ⁸⁷⁰

mvp-comment-517-5 915 *

is Dindorf's certain correction of τἀπιτίμια ⁸⁷¹

mvp-comment-518-1 θάρσυνε ⁸⁷²

mvp-comment-518-2 οὐχ αὑτὸς ἀεί ⁸⁷³

mvp-comment-519-1 νῷν ἧν ⁸⁷⁴ δ’ ⁸⁷⁵

mvp-comment-519-2 κῦρος ⁸⁷⁶

mvp-comment-520-1 φεῦ τῆς ἀνοίας ὥς ⁸⁷⁷

mvp-comment-521-1 ὅποι γῆς … φέρει ⁸⁷⁸

mvp-comment-522-1 πῶς δ’ οὐκ ἐγὼ κάτοιδ’ ⁸⁷⁹

mvp-comment-523-1 τἀκείνου … σωτήρια ⁸⁸⁰

mvp-comment-524-1 καὶ ποῦ ⁸⁸¹

mvp-comment-524-2 ὑπέρχεται ⁸⁸²

mvp-comment-525-1 μητρὶ ⁸⁸³

mvp-comment-526-1 τὰ πολλὰ ⁸⁸⁴ πρὸς τάφον ⁸⁸⁵

mvp-comment-527-1 μάλιστ’ ⁸⁸⁶

mvp-comment-527-2 μνημεἶ ⁸⁸⁷

mvp-comment-528-1 ὦ δυστυχής ⁸⁸⁸

mvp-comment-528-2 τοιούσδ’ ⁸⁸⁹

mvp-comment-529-1 ἵν’ ἦμεν ἄτης ⁸⁹⁰

mvp-comment-530-1 λύσεις ⁸⁹¹

mvp-comment-531-1 οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὅ γ’ εἶπον ⁸⁹²

mvp-comment-532-1 φερέγγυος ⁸⁹³

mvp-comment-533-1 τλῆναι … δρῶσαν ⁸⁹⁴

mvp-comment-534-1 ὠφέλειά γ’ ⁸⁹⁵

mvp-comment-535-1 ὅρα ⁸⁹⁶

mvp-comment-535-2 πόνου … εὐτυχεῖ ⁸⁹⁷

mvp-comment-536-1 ξυνοίσω ⁸⁹⁸

mvp-comment-537-1 ποεῖν ⁸⁹⁹

mvp-comment-538-1 παρουσίαν ⁹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-538-2 καὶ σύ που ⁹⁰¹

mvp-comment-539-1 λελείμμεθον ⁹⁰²

mvp-comment-540-1 θάλλοντ’ ἔτ’ ⁹⁰³ βίῳ ⁹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-541-1 πράκτοῤ ⁹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-542-1 εἰς σὲ δὴ βλέπω ⁹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-543-1 κατοκνήσεις ⁹⁰⁷ κατοκνήσῃς ⁹⁰⁸

mvp-comment-543-2 Brunck's comment, ‘ soloece vulgo

,’ alludes to the rule laid down by R. Dawes (ob. 1766) in Miscellanea Critica (p. 227), and once known as the canon Davesianus, that could not be used with the first aor. subjunct. act. or midd. Among many examples that refute it are in the passage just quoted from Xen. (the fut. being ), and in 1122 (the fut. being ).

mvp-comment-544-1 κρύπτειν ⁹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-544-2 In this play the fate of Aegisthus forms the climax. Electra has already said that Clytaemnestra shared in the murderous deed (97 ff., 206), and has avowed that she would have wished Orestes to wreak vengeance on her (604). But she does not suggest that she herself or her sister should slay their mother; even the plur.

in 979 need not mean more than Aegisthus. Sophocles avoids everything that could qualify our sympathy with Electra; while it suits the different aim of Euripides to make her plan the matricide. See Introduction.

mvp-comment-545-1 ποῖ … μενεῖς ⁹¹⁰

mvp-comment-545-2 βλέψας’ ⁹¹¹

mvp-comment-546-1 κτῆσιν ⁹¹² ἐστερημένῃ ⁹¹³

mvp-comment-547-1 ἐς τοσόνδε τοῦ χρόνου ⁹¹⁴

mvp-comment-548-1 ἄλεκτρα … ἀνυμέναια ⁹¹⁵

mvp-comment-548-2 γηράσκουσαν ⁹¹⁶

mvp-comment-549-1 τῶνδε ⁹¹⁷

mvp-comment-549-2 ὅπως ⁹¹⁸

mvp-comment-550-1 ἢ κἀμὸν ⁹¹⁹ πημονὴν ⁹²⁰

mvp-comment-551-1 ἐπίσπῃ ⁹²¹

mvp-comment-552-1 εὐσέβειαν … οἴσει ⁹²² θανόντος ⁹²³ κάτω ⁹²⁴

mvp-comment-552-2 970 ff. The compound ἐξέφυς ⁹²⁵

mvp-comment-552-3 καλεῖ ⁹²⁶

mvp-comment-552-4 τὰ χρηστὰ ⁹²⁷

mvp-comment-553-1 λόγων γε μὴν εὔκλειαν ⁹²⁸ λόγων ⁹²⁹

mvp-comment-554-1 ἀστῶν ἢ ξένων ⁹³⁰

mvp-comment-554-2 δεξιώσεται ⁹³¹

mvp-comment-555-1 ἴδεσθε ⁹³²

mvp-comment-556-1 εὖ βεβηκόσιν ⁹³³

mvp-comment-556-2 ἀφειδήσαντε ⁹³⁴

mvp-comment-556-3 προὐστήτην φόνου ⁹³⁵ ἐχθροῖς ⁹³⁶ φόνου ⁹³⁷

mvp-comment-556-4 981 f. For τούτω … τώδε ⁹³⁸ ἑορταῖς ⁹³⁹ πανδήμῳ πόλει ⁹⁴⁰ τοι ⁹⁴¹

mvp-comment-557-1 συμπόνει ⁹⁴² σύγκαμνε ⁹⁴³

mvp-comment-557-2 Electra has already declared her faith that Agamemnon, in the nether world, is the ally of his children (454

: cp. 459 ). Orestes also, as she believes, is now there, working in the same cause. She asks her sister to aid their efforts.

mvp-comment-557-3 Nauck miserably defaces this passage by adopting the corrupt v. l. ἀδελφῇ ⁹⁴⁴ ἐμέ ⁹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-557-4 παῦσον ἐκ κακῶν ⁹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-557-5 989 In τοῖς καλῶς πεφυκόσιν ⁹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-558-1 ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ⁹⁴⁸ καὶ κλύοντι ⁹⁴⁹ σύμμαχος ⁹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-558-2 993 For the place of μὴ ⁹⁵¹

mvp-comment-558-3 ἐσῴζετ’ ⁹⁵²

mvp-comment-559-1 ἐμβλέψασα ⁹⁵³ θράσος … ὁπλίζει ⁹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-560-1 εἰσορᾷς ⁹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-560-2 γυνὴ μὲν ⁹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-560-3 σθένεις δ’ ἔλασσον … χερί ⁹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-561-1 ἀπορρεῖ ⁹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-561-2 κἀπὶ μηδὲν ἔρχεται ⁹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-562-1 τοιοῦτον ⁹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-562-2 ἄλυπος ἄτης ⁹⁶¹

mvp-comment-563-1 κτησώμεθ’ ⁹⁶²

mvp-comment-564-1 λύει ⁹⁶³ ἡμᾶς ⁹⁶⁴ ἡμῖν ⁹⁶⁵

mvp-comment-564-2 δυσκλεῶς θανεῖν ⁹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-565-1 οὐ γἀρ θανεῖν ⁹⁶⁷ γὰρ ⁹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-566-1 κἀξερημῶσαι γένος ⁹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-567-1 ἄρρητα … κἀτελῆ ⁹⁷⁰ σοι ⁹⁷¹

mvp-comment-568-1 ἀλλὰ τῷ χρόνῳ ποτέ ⁹⁷²

mvp-comment-569-1 The difference between πείθου ⁹⁷³ πιθοῦ ⁹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-570-1 καλῶς δ’ ⁹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-571-1 αὐτόχειρί μοι ⁹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-571-2 μόνῃ τε ⁹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-571-3 οὐ γὰρ δὴ ⁹⁷⁸ γε ⁹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-571-4 κενόν ⁹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-572-1 εἴθ’ ὤφελες ⁹⁸¹

mvp-comment-572-2 πᾶν γὰρ ἂν κατειργάσω ⁹⁸²

mvp-comment-573-1 φύσιν γε ⁹⁸³ τότε ⁹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-574-1 ὡς οὐχὶ συνδράσουσα ⁹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-574-2 νουθετεῖς ⁹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-575-1 εἰκὸς γὰρ ⁹⁸⁷ ἐγχειροῦντα ⁹⁸⁸ πράσσειν ⁹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-576-1 ζηλῶ ⁹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-577-1 ἀνέξομαι ⁹⁹¹

mvp-comment-578-1 μὴ πάθῃς τόδε ⁹⁹²

mvp-comment-579-1 τὸ κρῖναι ⁹⁹³ μακρὸς ⁹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-579-2 χὡ λοιπὸς χρόνος ⁹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-580-1 μητρὶ … σῇ ⁹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-581-1 οὐδ’ αὖ ⁹⁹⁷ οὐδ’ ⁹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-581-2 ἔχθος ⁹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-582-1 ἀλλ’ οὖν … γ’ ¹⁰⁰⁰

mvp-comment-582-2 οἷ … ἀτιμίας ¹⁰⁰¹

mvp-comment-583-1 ἀτιμίας μὲν οὔ ¹⁰⁰²

mvp-comment-584-1 τῷ σῷ δικαίῳ ¹⁰⁰³ δῆτ’ ¹⁰⁰⁴

mvp-comment-585-1 ἦ δεινὸν ¹⁰⁰⁵

mvp-comment-585-2 εὖ λέγουσαν ¹⁰⁰⁶ ἐξαμαρτάνειν ¹⁰⁰⁷

mvp-comment-586-1 ᾧ σὺ πρόσκεισαι κακῷ ¹⁰⁰⁸

mvp-comment-587-1 τί δ); οὐ δοκῶ σοι ¹⁰⁰⁹

mvp-comment-588-1 εἰ ποήσεις ¹⁰¹⁰

mvp-comment-589-1 καὶ μὴν ¹⁰¹¹

mvp-comment-590-1 βουλεύσει πάλιν ¹⁰¹²

mvp-comment-591-1 φρονεῖν ¹⁰¹³

mvp-comment-592-1 ταῦτα ¹⁰¹⁴ νεωστί ¹⁰¹⁵ ι ¹⁰¹⁶

mvp-comment-593-1 τολμᾷς ¹⁰¹⁷

mvp-comment-594-1 οὔ σοι μὴ μεθέψομαι ¹⁰¹⁸

mvp-comment-595-1 καὶ τὸ θηρᾶσθαι κενά ¹⁰¹⁹ καὶ ¹⁰²⁰

mvp-comment-595-2 κενά ¹⁰²¹

mvp-comment-596-1 ὅταν γὰρ ¹⁰²²

mvp-comment-596-2 βεβήκῃς ¹⁰²³

mvp-comment-597-1 ἄνωθεν ¹⁰²⁴

mvp-comment-597-2 οἰωνοὺς ¹⁰²⁵

mvp-comment-598-1 ἐσορώμενοι ¹⁰²⁶ ἀφ’ ὧν ¹⁰²⁷

mvp-comment-599-1 εὕρωσι ¹⁰²⁸

mvp-comment-599-2 ἐπ’ ἴσας ¹⁰²⁹

mvp-comment-600-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ τὰν ¹⁰³⁰

mvp-comment-601-1 τὰν οὐρανίαν Θέμιν ¹⁰³¹

mvp-comment-602-1 ἀπόνητοι ¹⁰³²

mvp-comment-603-1 χθονία ¹⁰³³ βροτοῖσι ¹⁰³⁴

mvp-comment-603-2 φάμα ¹⁰³⁵

mvp-comment-603-3 Some write Φάμα ¹⁰³⁶

mvp-comment-604-1 κατά … βόασον ¹⁰³⁷

mvp-comment-604-2 μοι ¹⁰³⁸

mvp-comment-605-1 Ἀτρείδαις ¹⁰³⁹

mvp-comment-605-2 ἀχόρευτα ¹⁰⁴⁰ ὀνείδη ¹⁰⁴¹

mvp-comment-606-1 νοσεῖ ¹⁰⁴² δή ¹⁰⁴³

mvp-comment-607-1 τὰ δὲ πρὸς τέκνων ¹⁰⁴⁴

mvp-comment-607-2 διπλῆ φύλοπις ¹⁰⁴⁵

mvp-comment-607-3 οὐκέτ’ ἐξισοῦται ¹⁰⁴⁶ φιλοτασίῳ διαίτᾳ ¹⁰⁴⁷

mvp-comment-607-4 It is also possible, though (I think) less natural, to take the dat.

as depending on (‘is no longer compatible with friendly intercourse’).

mvp-comment-608-1 σαλεύει ¹⁰⁴⁸

mvp-comment-609-1 Ἠλέκτρα, †τὸν ἀεὶ πατρὸς ¹⁰⁴⁹

mvp-comment-609-2 Hence it is now generally held that this verse is corrupt. But no certain correction has yet been proposed. The word ἀεὶ ¹⁰⁵⁰ πατρὸς ¹⁰⁵¹

mvp-comment-609-3 Far the best conjecture is Heath's, ἁ παῖς, οἶτον ἀεὶ πατρὸς ¹⁰⁵²

mvp-comment-610-1 πάνδυρτος ¹⁰⁵³

mvp-comment-611-1 οὔτε … τε ¹⁰⁵⁴

mvp-comment-611-2 τὸ … μὴ βλέπειν ¹⁰⁵⁵

mvp-comment-612-1 διδύμαν … Ἐρινύν ¹⁰⁵⁶

mvp-comment-613-1 τίς ἂν εὔπατρις ¹⁰⁵⁷

mvp-comment-614-1 οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν <γὰρ> ¹⁰⁵⁸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ¹⁰⁵⁹

mvp-comment-615-1 ζῶν κακῶς ¹⁰⁶⁰

mvp-comment-615-2 νώνυμος ¹⁰⁶¹

mvp-comment-616-1 πάγκλαυτον αἰῶνα κοινὸν ¹⁰⁶²

mvp-comment-616-2 εἵλου ¹⁰⁶³

mvp-comment-617-1 τὸ μὴ καλὸν καθοπλίσασα ¹⁰⁶⁴ ἀπολακτίσασα ¹⁰⁶⁵

mvp-comment-617-2 If καθοπλίσασα ¹⁰⁶⁶

mvp-comment-617-3 (1) ‘Having vanquished dishonour’ (schol.

), i.e., having overcome the temptation of ignoble ease and security. elsewhere means to ‘arm’ or ‘equip,’ never ‘to subdue by arms’; if it has the latter sense here, it follows the analogy of such compounds as .

mvp-comment-617-4 (2) ‘Having made ready an unlovely deed’: i.e., the vengeance on the murderers.—See Appendix.

mvp-comment-618-1 φέρειν ¹⁰⁶⁷

mvp-comment-618-2 ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ ¹⁰⁶⁸

mvp-comment-619-1 καθύπερθεν ¹⁰⁶⁹

mvp-comment-619-2 τεῶν ¹⁰⁷⁰ τῶν ¹⁰⁷¹ τοσόνδ’ ¹⁰⁷²

mvp-comment-620-1 ὑπόχειρ ¹⁰⁷³

mvp-comment-621-1 μοίρᾳ … οὐκ ἐν ἐσθλᾷ βεβῶσαν ¹⁰⁷⁴

mvp-comment-622-1 μέγιστα … νόμιμα ¹⁰⁷⁵

mvp-comment-622-2 ἔβλαστε ¹⁰⁷⁶

mvp-comment-622-3 τῶνδε φερομέναν ἄριστα ¹⁰⁷⁷ τῶνδε ¹⁰⁷⁸

mvp-comment-622-4 I formerly understood:—‘in respect to these laws, prospering full well’:

being then an adv., while is used as in Thuc. 2. 60 § 3 : 5. 15 § 2 : 5. 16 § 1 . This view is recommended by the fact that then forms a clear antithesis to . But two points are against it. (1) , as a genitive of relation, is somewhat awkward; though we might compare Thuc. 3. 92 § 4 : and id. 1. 36 § 2 . (2) The poet's usage, as we have seen, favours the other sense of .

mvp-comment-623-1 τᾷ Ζηνὸς εὐσεβείᾳ ¹⁰⁷⁹ Διὸς ¹⁰⁸⁰ Ζηνὸς ¹⁰⁸¹

mvp-comment-624-1 εἰσηκούσαμεν ¹⁰⁸²

mvp-comment-624-2 ὀρθῶς θ’ ¹⁰⁸³ δ’ ¹⁰⁸⁴ θ’ ¹⁰⁸⁵ τε ¹⁰⁸⁶ δέ ¹⁰⁸⁷

mvp-comment-624-3 ἔνθα ¹⁰⁸⁸

mvp-comment-625-1 Αἴγισθον ¹⁰⁸⁹ ᾤκηκεν ¹⁰⁹⁰

mvp-comment-626-1 ἀλλ’ ¹⁰⁹¹

mvp-comment-626-2 χὡ φράσας ¹⁰⁹²

mvp-comment-626-3 ἀζήμιος ¹⁰⁹³

mvp-comment-627-1 τίς … φράσειεν ἄν ¹⁰⁹⁴

mvp-comment-627-2 ποθεινὴν ¹⁰⁹⁵

mvp-comment-627-3 κοινόπουν ¹⁰⁹⁶

mvp-comment-628-1 τὸν ἄγχιστον ¹⁰⁹⁷

mvp-comment-629-1 ἴθ’, ὦ γύναι ¹⁰⁹⁸

mvp-comment-630-1 οὐ δή ποθ’ ¹⁰⁹⁹

mvp-comment-631-1 τὴν σὴν κληδόν’ ¹¹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-631-2 Στρόφιος ¹¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-632-1 φέροντες ¹¹⁰² κομίζομεν ¹¹⁰³

mvp-comment-633-1 τοῦτ’ ἐκεῖν’ ¹¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-633-2 πρόχειρον ¹¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-633-3 ἄχθος ¹¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-634-1 κέκευθεν ¹¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-634-2 1122 Cp. Aesch. P. V. 637

.

mvp-comment-635-1 δότε ¹¹⁰⁸ ἥτις ἐστί ¹¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-635-2 ἐπαιτεῖται ¹¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-635-3 πρὸς αἵματος ¹¹¹¹

mvp-comment-635-4 φύσιν ¹¹¹²

mvp-comment-636-1 ψυχῆς Ὀρέστου λοιπόν ¹¹¹³

mvp-comment-636-2 ἀπ’ ἐλπίδων ¹¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-636-3 Then οὐχ ὧνπερ ¹¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-636-4 Other possibilities are the following. (1) Keeping both

and , to take as=‘ with hopes.’ The prep. would then be used as when it denotes a resource: 1378 : Thuc. 1. 91 § 7 . (Observe that in Soph. Tr. 667 is not really similar; it means, ‘as the outcome of a fair hope.’) The prevailing usage of condemns this view.

mvp-comment-636-5 (2) Still keeping

, to change , with Schaefer, to . Cp. Eur. Hec. 351 . This is possible; though , when thus used, commonly denotes an external accompaniment ( Soph. Tr. 419 n.); as, indeed, even in Hec. l. c., the hopes are not merely Polyxena's own, but those of her friends. Further: meaning ‘contrary to’—strikes the note of despair more forcibly.

mvp-comment-636-6 (3) Keeping

as=‘contrary to,’ to alter either to οὐχ ὅνπερ ¹¹¹⁶ οὐχ ὥσπερ ¹¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-636-7 On the whole, I retain the traditional reading, though not without a suspicion that either

or is unsound.

mvp-comment-637-1 νῦν μὲν γὰρ ¹¹¹⁸

mvp-comment-637-2 οὐδὲν ὄντα ¹¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-637-3 βαστάζω ¹¹²⁰

mvp-comment-637-4 λαμπρὸν ¹¹²¹

mvp-comment-638-1 ὡς ὤφελον ¹¹²²

mvp-comment-638-2 The v.l. ὤφελες ¹¹²³ κλέψασα ¹¹²⁴

mvp-comment-638-3 τοῖνδε ¹¹²⁵

mvp-comment-638-4 κἀνασώσασθαι ¹¹²⁶

mvp-comment-638-5 φόνου ¹¹²⁷

mvp-comment-639-1 ὅπως … ἔκεισο ¹¹²⁸

mvp-comment-639-2 τύμβου πατρῴου ¹¹²⁹

mvp-comment-640-1 φυγὰς ¹¹³⁰

mvp-comment-641-1 ἐν ¹¹³¹

mvp-comment-641-2 φίλαισι ¹¹³²

mvp-comment-642-1 λουτροῖς σ’ ἐκόσμης’ ¹¹³³

mvp-comment-643-1 ἄθλιον βάρος ¹¹³⁴

mvp-comment-644-1 ἐν ξέναισι χερσὶ κηδευθεὶς ¹¹³⁵

mvp-comment-644-2 σμικρὸς … ὄγκος ¹¹³⁶

mvp-comment-645-1 τῆς ἐμῆς … τρ. ἀνωφελήτου ¹¹³⁷

mvp-comment-645-2 παρέσχον ¹¹³⁸

mvp-comment-646-1 ἢ κἀμοῦ ¹¹³⁹

mvp-comment-646-2 μητρὸς … φίλος ¹¹⁴⁰

mvp-comment-646-3 The schol. on 1146 has,

. But P. N. Papageorgius corrects to ( Scholia in Soph. Trag. Vetera, Leipsic, 1888). And this is confirmed by the first part of the same scholium: : i.e., the scholiast understood, ‘for thou didst not belong to thy mother more than to me,’ and took as=a vocative.

mvp-comment-647-1 οἱ κατ’ οἶκον ¹¹⁴¹ ἦσαν ¹¹⁴²

mvp-comment-647-2 ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ τροφός ¹¹⁴³

mvp-comment-648-1 ἀδελφὴ σοὶ ¹¹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-648-2 προσηυδώμην ¹¹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-649-1 ἐκλέλοιπε ¹¹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-649-2 θανόντι ¹¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-649-3 συναρπάσας ¹¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-649-4 θύελλ’ ¹¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-650-1 τέθνηκ’ ἐγὼ σοί ¹¹⁵⁰ σοί ¹¹⁵¹ τέθνηκ’ ἐγώ σοι ¹¹⁵²

mvp-comment-650-2 Others explain: (1) ‘I am dead because of thee’; ‘thou hast been the death of me.’ The dat. is then like that in Ai. 1128

(‘in his purpose, I am dead’). But this is less suitable to the context. (2) ‘I am dead to thee, as thou to me,’— i.e., we are now parted from each other by the barrier between earth and Hades.—The objection to τέθνηκ’ ἐγώ· σὺ ¹¹⁵³

mvp-comment-651-1 μήτηρ ἀμήτωρ ¹¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-651-2 ἧς ¹¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-651-3 1160—

mvp-comment-652-1 οἴμοι μοί ¹¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-653-1 κελεύθους ¹¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-653-2 ἀπώλεσας ¹¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-653-3 δῆτ’ ¹¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-654-1 τοιγὰρ σὺ δέξαι μ’ ¹¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-654-2 τὴν μηδὲν ¹¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-654-3 τὸ μηδὲν ¹¹⁶²

mvp-comment-655-1 μετεῖχον τῶν ἴσων ¹¹⁶³

mvp-comment-655-2 μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι ¹¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-656-1 τοὺς ¹¹⁶⁵ θανόντας ¹¹⁶⁶

mvp-comment-657-1 θνητοῦ ¹¹⁶⁷ θνητὸς ¹¹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-657-2 φρόνει ¹¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-658-1 πᾶσιν γὰρ ἡμῖν ¹¹⁷⁰ τοῦτ’ ¹¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-659-1 φεῦ φεῦ, τί λέξω ¹¹⁷²

mvp-comment-659-2 λόγων ¹¹⁷³ ποῖ ¹¹⁷⁴ ἀμηχανῶν ¹¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-660-1 It is well to observe the delicately gradual process which leads up to the recognition.

mvp-comment-660-2 (i) 1176—1187. She is surprised that her woes should affect the stranger, and he hints that they are his own. (ii) 1188 —1198. She is thus led to speak more in detail of her sorrows, and of her despair,—caused by her brother's death. (iii) 1199—1204. He once more expresses his pity,—and this time in words which cause her to ask whether he can be a kinsman. He does not give a direct answer, but inquires whether the Chorus are friendly, and is assured that they are so.

mvp-comment-660-3 The preparation is now complete: the actual disclosure follows. (i) 1205— 1210. He asks her to give him the urn which is in her hands: she entreats that she may be allowed to keep it, and to pay it the last honours. (ii) 1211—1217. He tells her that she ought not to mourn for her brother. ‘Why,’ she asks: ‘if these are his ashes?’ ‘They are not so,’ he replies,—taking the urn from her hands. (iii) 1218—1221. ‘Where, then,’ she asks, ‘is his grave?’ ‘The living have no grave.’ ‘He lives?’ ‘Yes,—as surely as I live.’

mvp-comment-660-4 ἔσχες ἄλγος ¹¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-661-1 κλεινὸν ¹¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-662-1 Bergk has an ingenious (though, I think, mistaken) theory concerning this passage. Seeing that v. 1180 resembles v. 1184, he suggests that 1180 was an inferior variant for 1184: and, on similar grounds, that 1183 was a feebler substitute for 1179. That is, there were two different texts of this passage. ( a) In one of them, the better, verses 1180 and 1183 were absent, and the rest stood in this order, 1178, 1181, 1182, 1179, 1184. ( b) In the other, verses 1179 and 1184 were absent, and the rest stood in this order, 1178, 1181, 1182, 1183, 1180. The present text arose from an attempt to harmonise the other two.

mvp-comment-662-2 We have only to read the dialogue with attention to perceive that this hypothesis of variants is arbitrary. Verse 1183 expresses sympathy in a more definite and emphatic manner than v. 1179: verse 1184 expresses surprise more directly and decidedly than v. 1180. There is a gradual accentuation of the stranger's interest and of Electra's perplexity. This development is the internal proof that our text has not arisen from a dittographia.

mvp-comment-662-3 καὶ μάλ’ ¹¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-663-1 ταλαίνης ¹¹⁷⁹ συμφορᾶς ¹¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-664-1 οὐ ¹¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-665-1 ἀτίμως ¹¹⁸² κἀθέως ¹¹⁸³

mvp-comment-666-1 ἢ )μὲ ¹¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-666-2 δυσφημεῖς ¹¹⁸⁵ ἄλλην ¹¹⁸⁶ ξένε ¹¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-667-1 ἀνύμφου ¹¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-667-2 τροφῆς ¹¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-668-1 τί δή ποτ’ ¹¹⁹⁰ μοι ¹¹⁹¹ ἐπισκοπῶν ¹¹⁹² τί ¹¹⁹³

mvp-comment-669-1 ἐν τῷ … τῶν εἰρημένων ¹¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-670-1 ὁρῶν σὲ ¹¹⁹⁵ σὲ ¹¹⁹⁶ σε ¹¹⁹⁷ τῶν ἐμῶν ¹¹⁹⁸ σέ ¹¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-670-2 ἐμπρέπουσαν ¹²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-671-1 πόθεν ¹²⁰¹

mvp-comment-672-1 εἶτα ¹²⁰²

mvp-comment-672-2 δουλεύω ¹²⁰³

mvp-comment-673-1 ἀνάγκῃ … προτρέπει ¹²⁰⁴

mvp-comment-674-1 ἐξισοῖ ¹²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-675-1 χερσὶν ¹²⁰⁶ λύμη βίου ¹²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-676-1 οὑπαρήξων ¹²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-677-1 προὔθηκας ¹²⁰⁹

mvp-comment-678-1 ποτέ ¹²¹⁰ ἐμέ ¹²¹¹ νύν μ’ ¹²¹²

mvp-comment-679-1 τοῖσι σοῖς ¹²¹³ τοῖς ἴσοις ¹²¹⁴

mvp-comment-679-2 The word ξυγγενὴς ¹²¹⁵ τοῖσι σοῖς ¹²¹⁶ τοῖς ἴσοις ¹²¹⁷

mvp-comment-680-1 τὸ τῶνδε ¹²¹⁸

mvp-comment-681-1 νυν ¹²¹⁹

mvp-comment-682-1 πιθοῦ ¹²²⁰ πείθου ¹²²¹

mvp-comment-683-1 πρὸς γενείου ¹²²²

mvp-comment-683-2 The reading of the MSS., μ<*> )ξέλη ¹²²³ μ’ ἐξέλῃ ¹²²⁴

mvp-comment-683-3 ἐξέλῃ ¹²²⁵

mvp-comment-683-4 τὰ φίλτατα ¹²²⁶

mvp-comment-684-1 οὐ φήμ’ ἐάσειν ¹²²⁷

mvp-comment-684-2 The division of the trimeter (

) marks agitation, as again in 1220—1226, 1323, etc. Cp. also O. T. 627 , O. C. 722 , Ph. 54 , etc.

mvp-comment-684-3 τάλαιν’ ἐγὼ σέθεν ¹²²⁸

mvp-comment-685-1 εἰ στερήσομαι ¹²²⁹

mvp-comment-686-1 ὦ φίλτατον φῶς ¹²³⁰

mvp-comment-687-1 ὦ φθέγμ’ ¹²³¹

mvp-comment-687-2 μηκέτ’ ἄλλοθεν πύθῃ ¹²³²

mvp-comment-688-1 ἔχω … ἔχοις ἀεί ¹²³³

mvp-comment-689-1 πολίτιδες ¹²³⁴

mvp-comment-690-1 μηχαναῖσι ¹²³⁵

mvp-comment-690-2 σεσωσμένον ¹²³⁶

mvp-comment-691-1 συμφοραῖσι ¹²³⁷

mvp-comment-691-2 γεγηθὸς … δάκρυον ¹²³⁸

mvp-comment-692-1 A

between Electra and Orestes. Strophe, 1232—1352,=antistr. 1253—1272 (a verse being lost after 1264). Epode, 1273— 1287. For metres see Metrical Analysis.

mvp-comment-693-1 γοναὶ σωμάτων ¹²³⁹

mvp-comment-694-1 ἀρτίως ¹²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-694-2 οὓς ¹²⁴¹

mvp-comment-694-3 ἐχρήζετε ¹²⁴²

mvp-comment-695-1 σῖγ’ ἔχουσα ¹²⁴³

mvp-comment-696-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ μὰ ¹²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-696-2 τὴν ἄδμητον ¹²⁴⁵

mvp-comment-696-3 Ἄρτεμιν ¹²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-697-1 τόδε μὲν … ὂν ἀεί ¹²⁴⁷

mvp-comment-697-2 περισσὸν ἄχθος ¹²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-697-3 ἔνδον … ὂν ἀεί ¹²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-698-1 γε μὲν δὴ ¹²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-698-2 Ἄρης ¹²⁵¹

mvp-comment-698-3 εὖ δ’ ἔξοισθα ¹²⁵²

mvp-comment-699-1 ἀνέφελον … κακόν ¹²⁵³

mvp-comment-699-2 The author of the scholium on 1245 read ἐνέβαλες ¹²⁵⁴ ἐπέβαλες ¹²⁵⁵ ὑπέβαλες ¹²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-699-3 καταλύσιμον ¹²⁵⁷

mvp-comment-699-4 λησόμενον ¹²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-699-5 The usual explanation is, ‘that cannot be forgotten’; but

is nowhere passive. There is, indeed, no classical fut. pass. of , for ( ) occurs only in later Greek (LXX. Ps. ix. 19 , etc.). Even =‘will forget,’ Eur. Alc. 198. — could mean, ‘that cannot escape notice’; for, though the act. is more usual in this sense ( Soph. Tr. 455 , Il. 23. 416 ), the midd. is so used by Hippocrates (2. 170), Arist. ( Pr. Anal. 2. 19), Lucian, etc. But here, especially after , such a sense would evidently be too weak.

mvp-comment-700-1 ἔξοιδα καὶ ταῦτ’ ¹²⁵⁹ καὶ ¹²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-700-2 παρουσία ¹²⁶¹ φράζῃ ¹²⁶² ἔργων τῶνδε ¹²⁶³

mvp-comment-700-3 The scholia attest

as the traditional reading, and suggest two explanations. (1) : i.e., = , the circumstances of the moment. Cp. cum res ipsa feret. (2) . Here is evidently neuter, and the meaning is, ‘when these topics come before us,’—when it is the fitting time to discuss them. Neither view is satisfactory.

mvp-comment-700-4 The v.l. παρρησία ¹²⁶⁴ φράζῃ ¹²⁶⁵

mvp-comment-701-1 ὁ πᾶς … χρόνος ¹²⁶⁶ παρὼν ¹²⁶⁷ δίκᾳ ¹²⁶⁸ ἐννέπειν ¹²⁶⁹ πρέποι ¹²⁷⁰

mvp-comment-701-2 μόλις γὰρ ¹²⁷¹ ἔσχον ¹²⁷²

mvp-comment-702-1 σῴζου τόδε ¹²⁷³

mvp-comment-703-1 μακρὰν … λέγειν ¹²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-704-1 τίς οὖν ¹²⁷⁵ ἀξίαν ¹²⁷⁶ σοῦ πεφηνότος ¹²⁷⁷ λόγων ¹²⁷⁸ μεταβάλοιτ’ ¹²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-704-2 <*>δε ¹²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-704-3 1264 After τότ’ εἶδες ¹²⁸¹ ὅτε ¹²⁸² εὖτε ¹²⁸³ ὅτε ¹²⁸⁴ θεοὶ ¹²⁸⁵ ὅτε ¹²⁸⁶ τότ’ ¹²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-704-4 ἐπώτρυναν ¹²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-705-1 χάριτος ¹²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-705-2 ἐπόρισεν ¹²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-706-1 δαιμόνιον ¹²⁹¹

mvp-comment-706-2 τίθημ’ ¹²⁹²

mvp-comment-706-3 Electra remembers the warning dream (417 ff.), in which she had already surmised a supernatural agency (411: 459). It is indeed

that Orestes, sent by Apollo, should arrive at this moment.

mvp-comment-706-4 The punctuation given in the text seems best. The Aldine has only a comma after

: but then we should need a colon after .

mvp-comment-707-1 τὰ μὲν … τὰ δὲ ¹²⁹³

mvp-comment-708-1 ὁδὸν … φανῆναι ¹²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-709-1 τί μὴ ποήσω ¹²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-710-1 μή μ’ ἀποστερήσῃς … ἁδονὰν ¹²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-710-2 μεθέσθαι ¹²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-711-1 ξυναινεῖς ¹²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-711-2 τί μὴν οὔ ¹²⁹⁹

mvp-comment-712-1 ὦ φίλαι ¹³⁰⁰ ὦ φίλ’, ὅτ’ ¹³⁰¹ φίλαι ¹³⁰²

mvp-comment-712-2 αὐδάν ¹³⁰³ οὐδ’ ἂν ἤλπις’ ¹³⁰⁴

mvp-comment-712-3 1283 f. There can be no doubt that something has been lost before ἔσχον ¹³⁰⁵ οὐδ’ ἂν ¹³⁰⁶ ὁρμὰν ¹³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-712-4

in Sophocles means either (1) ‘anger,’ or (2) ‘disposition’: Ant. 875 : ib. 355 : Ai. 639 . Neither sense can be fitted into any probable interpretation. Some have supposed the meaning to be that Electra ‘restrained her anger in silence,’ when Clyt. was exulting in the death of Orestes; but, in fact, her anger found a voice (see 792). Others understand that she ‘restrained her emotion’ (of grief), on hearing the sad news; but she did not do so (see 823—870): nor could mean ‘emotion’ in that sense.

mvp-comment-712-5 On the other hand

and were easily confused in MSS. Thus in Tr. 720 , where is right, has been written over in L, and is actually the reading of A, and of the Aldine. Cp. also O. T. 337.

mvp-comment-712-6 The context is the best guide to the sense which should be restored. Through out these lyrics, Orestes has been endeavouring to repress Electra's cries, lest she should be overheard (1236, 1238, 1251 f., 1257, 1259, 1271 f.). The corrupt words probably referred to this. ὁρμὰν ¹³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-712-7 οὐδ’ ἂν ἔσχον ¹³⁰⁹ ἄναυδον ¹³¹⁰

mvp-comment-712-8 Other interpretations and conjectures will be found in the Appendix.

mvp-comment-713-1 τάλαινα ¹³¹¹

mvp-comment-714-1 The first part of the third

began, at 1098, with the entrance of Orestes. Now, after the (1232—1287), comes the second part, going down to the point at which the avengers pass into the house, followed by Electra.

mvp-comment-714-2 τὰ … περισς. τῶν λόγων ¹³¹²

mvp-comment-715-1 καὶ μήτε μήτηρ ¹³¹³

mvp-comment-715-2 Conington ( Journ. of Philology, I. p. 156) supposes an allusion to Eur. El. 300—338 , where Electra, speaking to the disguised Orestes, mentions her own sufferings, her mother's splendours, and the insolence of Aegisthus. But such an allusion seems improbable: that speech is not long; it comes in with dramatic fitness; nor does it refer to the wasteful profusion of Aegisthus, which is the main point here. A later speech of Electra's in the same play ( Eur. El. 907—951 ) would in some respects suit the words here better; but that is spoken over the corpse of Aegisthus, and could scarcely be regarded as delaying the action.

mvp-comment-715-3 Another theory, that Sophocles alludes to the earlier part of the Choephori, is certainly mistaken. Possibly he had no particular work in view, but was merely glancing at a tendency which he had noticed in contemporary drama.

mvp-comment-716-1 πατρῴαν ¹³¹⁴ δόμων ¹³¹⁵ ἀντλεῖ, τὰ δ’ ἐκχεῖ ¹³¹⁶

mvp-comment-716-2 ἐκχεῖ ¹³¹⁷ διασπείρει μάτην ¹³¹⁸ ἀντλεῖ ¹³¹⁹

mvp-comment-717-1 χρόνου … καιρὸν ¹³²⁰

mvp-comment-717-2 ἐξείργοι ¹³²¹

mvp-comment-717-3 Hermann took

as= , ‘the opportune moment of time.’ The meaning would then be that the might hinder them from seizing that moment. But the phrase is a strange one, scarcely to be justified by Sertor. 16, where is virtually personified,— .

mvp-comment-717-4 The schol. has:

. This only shows that he took as ‘opportunity,’ not as ‘due limit.’ It does not warrant the view that, instead of , he read or .

mvp-comment-718-1 φανέντες ¹³²² κεκρυμμένοι ¹³²³ γελῶντας ¹³²⁴

mvp-comment-719-1 οὕτω δὲ ¹³²⁵ ὅπως ¹³²⁶

mvp-comment-719-2 )πιγνώσεται ¹³²⁷

mvp-comment-719-3 νῷν ¹³²⁸

mvp-comment-719-4 ἐπελθόντοιν δόμους ¹³²⁹

mvp-comment-720-1 μάτην ¹³³⁰ μὴ ¹³³¹ τῇ ¹³³²

mvp-comment-720-2 εὐτυχησωμεν ¹³³³

mvp-comment-721-1 καὶ σοὶ ¹³³⁴

mvp-comment-721-2 ὧδ’ … τῇδε ¹³³⁵

mvp-comment-721-3 τοὐμὸν ¹³³⁶ φίλον ¹³³⁷

mvp-comment-722-1 κοὐκ ἐμὰς ¹³³⁸

mvp-comment-723-1 κοὐδ’ ¹³³⁹ βραχὺ ¹³⁴⁰ καὶ ¹³⁴¹ λυπήσασα ¹³⁴² δεξαίμην ¹³⁴³

mvp-comment-724-1 ὑπηρετοίην ¹³⁴⁴ ὑπηρετοίμην ¹³⁴⁵ δαίμονι ¹³⁴⁶

mvp-comment-725-1 τἀνθένδε ¹³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-726-1 στέγας ¹³⁴⁸ οἴκοις ¹³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-726-2 δείσῃς … ὡς … ὄψεται ¹³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-727-1 ἐντέτηκε ¹³⁵¹

mvp-comment-728-1 χαρᾷ ¹³⁵² χαρᾶς ¹³⁵³ δακρυρροοῦσα ¹³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-729-1 ἥτις ¹³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-729-2 ἐσεῖδον ¹³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-729-3 ᾶσκοπα ¹³⁵⁷

mvp-comment-730-1 ὅτε ¹³⁵⁸

mvp-comment-730-2 τοιαύτην ¹³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-730-3 ὥς σοι ¹³⁶⁰ ὡς σοὶ ¹³⁶¹

mvp-comment-731-1 οὐκ ἂν δυοῖν ἥμαρτον ¹³⁶²

mvp-comment-732-1 σιγᾶν … χωροῦντος ¹³⁶³

mvp-comment-732-2 ἐπῄνες’ ¹³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-732-3 ἐπ’ ἐξόδῳ ¹³⁶⁵

mvp-comment-732-4 τῶν ἔνδοθεν ¹³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-733-1 ἄλλως τε καὶ φέροντες ¹³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-733-2 οἷ’ ἂν … ἀπώσαιτ’ ¹³⁶⁸

mvp-comment-734-1 τητώμενοι ¹³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-734-2 παρ’ οὐδὲν ¹³⁷⁰

mvp-comment-735-1 οὐ παρ’ αὐτοῖς ¹³⁷¹ αὐτοῖς ¹³⁷²

mvp-comment-736-1 σταθμοῖσι ¹³⁷³

mvp-comment-737-1 ὑμὶν … ὑμῶν ¹³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-737-2 τὰ δρώμεν’ ¹³⁷⁵ τὰ σώματα ¹³⁷⁶

mvp-comment-738-1 νῦν δ’ … καὶ νῦν ¹³⁷⁷

mvp-comment-739-1 σὺν χαρᾷ βοῆς ¹³⁷⁸

mvp-comment-740-1 ἀπηλλάχθαι ¹³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-741-1 It has been held that these verses, or at least 1340—1344, are spurious (cr. n.). Certainly Orestes has already heard from Electra that Clytaemnestra exults in the news of his death (1153—1156). Still, it is natural that he should make some reference (as he does in 1341) to his emissary's performance of the task. Not less natural is the question in 1343, since the old man, who entered the house at v. 803, is the only person who can tell whether the feeling described by Electra still exists.

mvp-comment-741-2 τἀντεῦθεν ¹³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-742-1 ὑπάρχει ¹³⁸¹ σε … τινά ¹³⁸²

mvp-comment-743-1 ὡς ἔοικεν, ὡς τεθν ¹³⁸³

mvp-comment-744-1 εἷς τῶν ἐν Ἅιδου … ἀνήρ ¹³⁸⁴ ἐνθάδε ¹³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-745-1 χαίρουσιν οὖν τούτοισιν ¹³⁸⁶ ἐν ¹³⁸⁷ οὖν ¹³⁸⁸

mvp-comment-746-1 τελουμένων ¹³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-746-2 ὡς δὲ νῦν ἔχει ¹³⁹⁰ τὰ κείνων πάντα καλῶς ¹³⁹¹ καὶ τὰ μὴ καλῶς ¹³⁹²

mvp-comment-747-1 οὐχὶ ξυνίης ¹³⁹³

mvp-comment-747-2 οὐδέ γ’ εἰς θυμὸν φέρω ¹³⁹⁴ οὐδέ ¹³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-748-1 ποίῳ ¹³⁹⁶ ὅτῳ ¹³⁹⁷ οἶσθα ¹³⁹⁸

mvp-comment-748-2 οὗ … χεροῖν ¹³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-748-3 πέδον ¹⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-748-4 ὑπεξεπέμφθην ¹⁴⁰¹

mvp-comment-748-5 σῇ προμηθίᾳ ¹⁴⁰²

mvp-comment-749-1 προσηῦρον πιστὸν ¹⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-750-1 φῶς ¹⁴⁰⁴

mvp-comment-751-1 τόνδε κἄμ’ ¹⁴⁰⁵

mvp-comment-751-2 ἔσωσας ¹⁴⁰⁶ κεῖνος ¹⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-752-1 ὦ … χεῖρες ¹⁴⁰⁸

mvp-comment-753-1 οὐδ’ ἔφαινες ¹⁴⁰⁹ ἀλλά με ¹⁴¹⁰

mvp-comment-754-1 ἔργ’ ἔχων ¹⁴¹¹ ἐμοί ¹⁴¹² με ¹⁴¹³

mvp-comment-755-1 πατέρα ¹⁴¹⁴ χαῖῤ, ὦ πάτερ ¹⁴¹⁵ πατέρα ¹⁴¹⁶

mvp-comment-756-1 τοὺς … ἐν μέσῳ λόγους ¹⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-756-2 The acc. τοὺς … λόγους ¹⁴¹⁸ ταῦτα ¹⁴¹⁹

mvp-comment-756-3 κυκλοῦνται ¹⁴²⁰ κυκλοῦσι ¹⁴²¹

mvp-comment-757-1 σφῷν δ’ ἐννέπω γε ¹⁴²² γε ¹⁴²³

mvp-comment-758-1 τούτοις ¹⁴²⁴ ἄλλοισι ¹⁴²⁵ σοφωτέροις ¹⁴²⁶ τούτων ¹⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-758-2 Another view is that

in 1369 refers to Aegisthus and his armed followers, while τούτοις ¹⁴²⁸

mvp-comment-759-1 οὐδὲν ¹⁴²⁹

mvp-comment-760-1 πατρῷα ¹⁴³⁰

mvp-comment-760-2 ἕδη ¹⁴³¹ πρόπυλα ¹⁴³²

mvp-comment-760-3 προσκύσαντε ¹⁴³³

mvp-comment-761-1 ἀφ’ ὧν ¹⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-761-2 ἔχοιμι ¹⁴³⁵

mvp-comment-761-3 λιπαρεῖ ¹⁴³⁶

mvp-comment-761-4 Blaydes and Wecklein read )πέστην ¹⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-762-1 ἐξ οἵων ἔχω ¹⁴³⁸ αἰτῶ ¹⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-762-2 1380 I read προπίπτω ¹⁴⁴⁰ προπίτνω ¹⁴⁴¹ ι^ ¹⁴⁴² ι— ¹⁴⁴³

mvp-comment-763-1 τἀπιτίμια ¹⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-764-1 ἴδεθ’ ¹⁴⁴⁵ ὅπου ¹⁴⁴⁶

mvp-comment-764-2 προνέμεται ¹⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-764-3 Campbell suggests that the image in

is from fire ‘eating its way’ forward, and compares Her. 5. 101 . This hardly agrees so well with the idea of a stealthy advance.

mvp-comment-765-1 τὸ δυσέριστον αἷμα ¹⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-765-2 φυσῶν ¹⁴⁴⁹

mvp-comment-766-1 δωμάτων ὑπόστεγοι ¹⁴⁵⁰

mvp-comment-767-1 μετάδρομοι … κύνες ¹⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-768-1 ἀμμενεῖ ¹⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-769-1 τοὐμὸν φρενῶν ὄνειρον ¹⁴⁵³

mvp-comment-769-2 αἰωρούμενον ¹⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-770-1 ἐνέρων … ἀρωγός ¹⁴⁵⁵

mvp-comment-771-1 ἀρχαιόπλουτα ¹⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-772-1 νεακόνητον αἷμα χειροῖν ἔχων ¹⁴⁵⁷

mvp-comment-772-2 The bold use of αἷμα ¹⁴⁵⁸ χειροῖν ἔχων ¹⁴⁵⁹ αἷμα ¹⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-772-3 If νεάκονητον ¹⁴⁶¹ α ¹⁴⁶²

mvp-comment-773-1 ὁ Μαίας δὲ παῖς ¹⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-773-2 Ἑρμῆς σφ’ ἄγει ¹⁴⁶⁴ ς ¹⁴⁶⁵ σφ’ ¹⁴⁶⁶

mvp-comment-774-1 A kommos. It falls into two principal parts. (1) 1398—1421; the death of Clytaemnestra. (2) 1422— 1441; Orestes and Pylades re-enter; Aegisthus approaches; and they prepare to receive him.

mvp-comment-774-2 The general structure of this kommos is clearly strophic; but critics differ on details. The simplest view is that of Dindorf and others, that vv. 1398—1421 form a single strophe,=antistr. 1422— 1441. The lyric verses 1407, 1413—4, and 1419—1421, correspond respectively with 1428, 1433—4, and 1439—1441: for these, see Metrical Analysis. It is usually held, with Hermann, that the correspondence of the iambic trimeters also must be exact. This makes it necessary to assume a gap in our text after v. 1427 (n.), and a second after 1429 (n.), besides the defect in 1432. See Appendix.

mvp-comment-774-3 Electra hastens out of the house. She performs the part of an

, so far as to describe the situation at this moment in the house: then Clytaemnestra's cry is heard, like that of the dying king in Aesch. Ag. 1343 ff. In the Orestes (408 B.C.) Electra has a similar part, perhaps suggested by this. Helen's cry is heard within, and Electra says to the Chorus (1297), .

mvp-comment-775-1 τελοῦσι ¹⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-776-1 τάφον ¹⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-776-2 λέβητα ¹⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-776-3 κοσμεῖ ¹⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-777-1 αἰαῖ· ἰὼ στέγαι ¹⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-778-1 ἀνήκουστα ¹⁴⁷²

mvp-comment-779-1 ἰδού ¹⁴⁷³

mvp-comment-779-2 μάλ’ αὖ ¹⁴⁷⁴

mvp-comment-780-1 ἐκ σέθεν ¹⁴⁷⁵

mvp-comment-780-2 ὁ γεννήσας πατήρ ¹⁴⁷⁶

mvp-comment-780-3 1413 f. The traditional reading φθίνει φθίνει ¹⁴⁷⁷ σε ¹⁴⁷⁸ σοι ¹⁴⁷⁹ μοῖρα καθαμερία ¹⁴⁸⁰ φθίνει ¹⁴⁸¹

mvp-comment-780-4 Others explain as follows. (1) Keeping both σε ¹⁴⁸² φθίνει φθίνει ¹⁴⁸³ σε ¹⁴⁸⁴ φθίνειν φθίνειν ¹⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-780-5 Nor is the objection to these interpretations merely verbal. They represent the Chorus as deploring that doom of the race which entails yet another deed of bloodshed. But, as Whitelaw well observes, this commits Sophocles to the Aeschylean view of the vengeance ‘as a new crime in the series of crimes’ (Translation, p. 437). The Chorus are in the fullest sympathy with the avengers. They regard the slaying of Clytaemnestra not as a new calamity, but as a welcome retribution: cp. 1434

, and 1508 ff. The words express the feeling of these (1227) that the cause of the house is that of the city. They hail the approaching deliverance of Mycenae from the tyrants. The change of into (cr. n.) is equally rash and infelicitous.

mvp-comment-780-6 1415 f. Cp. Aesch. Ag. 1343

... 1345

mvp-comment-780-7 διπλῆν ¹⁴⁸⁶

mvp-comment-780-8 εἰ γὰρ Αἰγίσθῳ γ’ ὁμοῦ ¹⁴⁸⁷

mvp-comment-781-1 τελοῦς ἀραί ¹⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-781-2 οἱ … κείμενοι ¹⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-781-3 ὑπαὶ ¹⁴⁹⁰

mvp-comment-782-1 παλίρρυτον ¹⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-782-2 ὑπεξαιροῦσι ¹⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-783-1 καὶ μὴν ¹⁴⁹³

mvp-comment-783-2 στάζει θυηλῆς ¹⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-783-3 ψέγειν ¹⁴⁹⁵ λέγειν ¹⁴⁹⁶