Sophocles Electra 310

mvp-comment-244-1 οἷπερ … ὁδοῦ ¹

mvp-comment-245-1 τῷ φέρεις ²

mvp-comment-245-2 ἔμπυρα ³

mvp-comment-246-1 τυμβεῦσαι χοάς ⁴

mvp-comment-247-1 βροτῶν ⁵

mvp-comment-248-1 ὃν ἔκταν’ αὐτή ⁶ ὅν γ’ ⁷

mvp-comment-249-1 τῷ τοῦτ’ ἤρεσεν ⁸

mvp-comment-250-1 δείματος ⁹

mvp-comment-250-2 δοκεῖν ἐμοί ¹⁰

mvp-comment-251-1 θεοὶ πατρῷοι ¹¹

mvp-comment-251-2 συγγένεσθέ γ’ ¹²

mvp-comment-251-3 ἀλλὰ νῦν ¹³

mvp-comment-252-1 εἴποιμ’ ἂν τότε ¹⁴

mvp-comment-253-1 ἐπὶ σμικρὸν ¹⁵ ἐπὶ σμικρῶν ¹⁶

mvp-comment-253-2 φράσαι ¹⁷

mvp-comment-254-1 σμικροὶ λόγοι ¹⁸

mvp-comment-255-1 πατρὸς … δευτέραν ὁμιλίαν ¹⁹

mvp-comment-255-2 ἐφέστιον πῆξαι ²⁰

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 ²¹

mvp-comment-256-1 ἔκ τε ²² ἐκ δὲ ²³

mvp-comment-256-2 βρύοντα ²⁴

mvp-comment-256-3 ᾧ … γενέσθαι ²⁵

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 ²⁶ τοῦ ²⁷ παρόντος ²⁸ του ²⁹

mvp-comment-257-2 Ἡλίῳ δείκνυσι τοὖναρ ³⁰

mvp-comment-258-1 οὐ κάτοιδα, πλὴν ³¹

mvp-comment-258-2 πέμπει με κείνη ³²

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 ³³

mvp-comment-260-1 ἀβουλίᾳ ³⁴

mvp-comment-260-2 σὺν κακῷ ³⁵

mvp-comment-260-3 μέτει ³⁶

mvp-comment-261-1 ἀλλ’ ³⁷

mvp-comment-261-2 ὦ φίλη ³⁸ τούτων μὲν ³⁹

mvp-comment-262-1 οὐ … θέμις ⁴⁰ οὐδ’ ὅσιον ⁴¹

mvp-comment-262-2 ἐχθρᾶς ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ⁴²

mvp-comment-262-3 κτερίσματ’ ⁴³

mvp-comment-262-4 λουτρὰ ⁴⁴

mvp-comment-263-1 ἀλλ’ ἢ πνοαῖσιν ⁴⁵ ῥοαῖσιν ⁴⁶

mvp-comment-263-2 κρύψον ⁴⁷

mvp-comment-263-3 νιν ⁴⁸

mvp-comment-263-4 ἔνθα μή ποτ’ ⁴⁹ ἔνθεν ⁵⁰

mvp-comment-263-5 εὐνὴν ⁵¹

mvp-comment-264-1 ἀλλ’ ὅταν θάῃν ⁵²

mvp-comment-264-2 The conjecture ἔστ’ ἂν ⁵³ ὅταν ⁵⁴ σῳζέσθω ⁵⁵

mvp-comment-264-3 κειμήλἰ ⁵⁶

mvp-comment-265-1 ἀρχὴν ⁵⁷ τλημονεστάτη ⁵⁸

mvp-comment-266-1 ἔβλαστε ⁵⁹

mvp-comment-267-1 ὅν γ’ … τῷδ’ ⁶⁰

mvp-comment-267-2 ἐπέστεφε ⁶¹

mvp-comment-267-3 442 f. The position of αὐτῇ ⁶²

mvp-comment-267-4 δέξεσθαι ⁶³

mvp-comment-267-5 It seems, then, a reasonable inference that here, where the reference is to future time, he would have written δέξεσθαι ⁶⁴ δέξασθαι ⁶⁵

mvp-comment-267-6 444 ff. Join θανὼν ἄτιμος ⁶⁶

mvp-comment-267-7 ἐμασχαλίσθη ⁶⁷

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 ⁶⁸

mvp-comment-267-10 ἐξέμαξ ν ⁶⁹

mvp-comment-267-11 ἆρα μὴ ⁷⁰

mvp-comment-268-1 οὐκ ἔστιν ⁷¹

mvp-comment-268-2 ταῦτα μὲν μέθες· σὺ δὲ ⁷²

mvp-comment-269-1 βοστρύχων ἄκρας φόβας ⁷³

mvp-comment-269-2 κἀμοῦ ταλαίνης ⁷⁴

mvp-comment-270-1 †ἀλιπαρῆ ⁷⁵ λιπαρῆ ⁷⁶

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

may conceal some corruption: ought possibly to be τήνδε τ’ ⁷⁷ ἀλίπαρον ⁷⁸

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 ⁷⁹

mvp-comment-271-2 χλιδαῖς ⁸⁰

mvp-comment-272-1 προσπίτνουσα ⁸¹ αὐτὸν ⁸²

mvp-comment-273-1 ἐξ ὑπερτέρας χερός ⁸³

mvp-comment-273-2 ζῶντ’ ⁸⁴

mvp-comment-274-1 ἀφνεωτέραις ⁸⁵

mvp-comment-274-2 στέφωμεν ⁸⁶

mvp-comment-274-3 δωρούμεθα ⁸⁷

mvp-comment-275-1 οἶμαι μὲν οὖν ⁸⁸

mvp-comment-275-2 If μέλον ⁸⁹ μέλειν ⁹⁰ μέλον ⁹¹

mvp-comment-276-1 σοί ⁹²

mvp-comment-277-1 βροτῶν ⁹³

mvp-comment-278-1 πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ⁹⁴

mvp-comment-279-1 δράσω ⁹⁵

mvp-comment-279-2 τὸ γὰρ δίκαιον ⁹⁶

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 ⁹⁷

mvp-comment-280-1 παρ’ ὑμῶν ⁹⁸

mvp-comment-281-1 πικρὰν ⁹⁹ δοκῶ με … τολμήσειν ¹⁰⁰ ἔτι ¹⁰¹

mvp-comment-282-1 εἰ μὴ )γὼ ¹⁰²

mvp-comment-282-2 γνώμας λειπομένα ¹⁰³

mvp-comment-283-1 ἁ πρόμαντις Δίκα ¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-283-2 δίκαια φερομένα χεροῖν κράτη ¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-284-1 μέτεισιν ¹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-284-2 οὐ μακροῦ χρόνου ¹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-285-1 ὕπεστί μοι θράσος ¹⁰⁸ κλύουσαν ¹⁰⁹

mvp-comment-285-2 ἁδυπνόων … ὀνειράτων ¹¹⁰

mvp-comment-286-1 ἀμναστεῖ γ’ ὁ φύσας ς’ ¹¹¹

mvp-comment-287-1 χαλκόπλακτος ¹¹²

mvp-comment-287-2 γένυς ¹¹³

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 ¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-289-1 καὶ πολύπους καὶ πολύχειρ ¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-290-1 λόχοις ¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-290-2 χαλκόπους ¹¹⁷

mvp-comment-291-1 ἄλεκτρ’ ἄνυμφα ¹¹⁸

mvp-comment-291-2 γάμων ἁμιλλήμαθ’ ¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-291-3 ἐπέβα ¹²⁰

mvp-comment-292-1 πρὸ τῶνδέ τοι … συνδρῶσιν ¹²¹

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 ¹²²

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 ¹²³

mvp-comment-293-1 ἀψεγές ¹²⁴ ἀψεφές ¹²⁵

mvp-comment-293-2 πελᾶν ¹²⁶

mvp-comment-294-1 τοῖς δρῶσι ¹²⁷ τοῖς συνδρῶσιν ¹²⁸

mvp-comment-295-1 μαντεῖαι βροτῶν ¹²⁹

mvp-comment-296-1 εὖ κατασχήσει ¹³⁰

mvp-comment-297-1 ἱππεία ¹³¹

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 ¹³²

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 ¹³³

mvp-comment-299-2 ὁ ποντισθεὶς Μυρτίλος ¹³⁴

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 ¹³⁵

mvp-comment-300-1 παγχρυσέων δίφρων ¹³⁶

mvp-comment-301-1 πρόρριζος ¹³⁷

mvp-comment-301-2 ἐκριφθείς ¹³⁸

mvp-comment-302-1 ἔλειπεν ¹³⁹ ἔλιπεν ¹⁴⁰ οἴκου ¹⁴¹ οἴκους ¹⁴² πω ¹⁴³

mvp-comment-303-1 πολύπονος ¹⁴⁴ αἰκία ¹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-304-1 ἀνειμένη ¹⁴⁶ μέν ¹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-304-2 ὡς ἔοικας ¹⁴⁸

mvp-comment-304-3 στρέφει ¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-304-4 Clytaemnestra begins in the same strain as Chrysothemis, who likewise emphasised her reproof by the word αὖ ¹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-305-1 μή τοι θυραίαν γ’ ¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-305-2 αἰσχύνειν φίλους ¹⁵²

mvp-comment-306-1 καίτοι ¹⁵³

mvp-comment-306-2 δὴ ¹⁵⁴ πολλούς ¹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-306-3 ἐξεῖπάς με … ὡς ¹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-306-4 θρασεῖα ¹⁵⁷ τραχεῖα ¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-306-5 ἄρχω ¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-307-1 ὕβριν … οὐκ ἔχω ¹⁶⁰ κακῶς κλύουσα ¹⁶¹

mvp-comment-308-1 πατὴρ γάρ ¹⁶²

mvp-comment-308-2 πρόσχημα ¹⁶³

mvp-comment-309-1 ἡ γὰρ Δίκη ¹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-310-1 ᾗ χρῆν σ’ ἀρήγειν ¹⁶⁵

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 ¹⁶⁶ Ἑλλήνων ¹⁶⁷

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 ¹⁶⁸

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 ¹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-315-1 ἀλλ’ ἀντ’ ἀδελφοῦ δῆτα ¹⁷⁰ κτανὼν ¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-315-2 ἀντὶ ἀδελφοῦ ¹⁷²

mvp-comment-315-3 τἄμ’ ¹⁷³

mvp-comment-316-1 παῖδες … διπλοῖ ¹⁷⁴

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

.

mvp-comment-317-1 ἢ ¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-317-2 ἢ τῶν ἐμῶν Ἅιδης ¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-318-1 δαίσασθαι ¹⁷⁷

mvp-comment-318-2 The conj. λῄσασθαι ¹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-319-1 πανώλει ¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-319-2 παρεῖτο ¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-319-3 The sense does not absolutely require us to take Μενέλεω δ’ ¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-320-1 ἀβούλου ¹⁸²

mvp-comment-320-2 κακοῦ γνώμην ¹⁸³

mvp-comment-321-1 δοκῶ μέν ¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-321-2 εἰ καὶ ¹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-322-1 εἰ φωνὴν λάβοι ¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-323-1 τοῖς πεπραγμένοις ¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-324-1 γνώμην δικαίαν σχοῦσα ¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-325-1 ἐρεῖς μὲν οὐχὶ ¹⁸⁹ ἐρεῖς ¹⁹⁰ ἐρεῖς … μ’ ὡς ¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-325-2 ἄρξασά τι λυπηρὸν ¹⁹²

mvp-comment-325-3 τάδ’ ἐξήκους’ ¹⁹³

mvp-comment-326-1 τοῦ τεθνηκότος θ’ ὕπερ ¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-327-1 καὶ μὴν ¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-327-2 λόγους ἐξῆρχές με ¹⁹⁶

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 ¹⁹⁷ πατέρα ¹⁹⁸ φὴς ¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-329-1 εἴτ’ οὖν … εἴτε ²⁰⁰

mvp-comment-329-2 λέξω ²⁰¹ δείξω ²⁰²

mvp-comment-330-1 ὡς οὐ δίκῃ γ’ ²⁰³ ἔσπασεν ²⁰⁴ πειθὼ ²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-331-1 κυναγὸν ²⁰⁶

mvp-comment-331-2 ποινὰς ²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-331-3 τὰ πολλὰ πνεύματ’ ἔσχ’ ²⁰⁸ τὰ πολλὰ ²⁰⁹ ἔσχε ²¹⁰

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 ²¹¹

mvp-comment-331-8 Αὐλίδι ²¹²

mvp-comment-332-1 ἢ )γὼ φράσω ²¹³ κείνης ²¹⁴

mvp-comment-333-1 ὡς ἐγὼ κλύω ²¹⁵

mvp-comment-333-2 θεᾶς … κατ’ ἄλσος ²¹⁶

mvp-comment-333-3 παίζων ²¹⁷

mvp-comment-333-4 ποδοῖν ²¹⁸

mvp-comment-334-1 ἔλαφον ²¹⁹

mvp-comment-334-2 στικτὸν ²²⁰

mvp-comment-334-3 κεράστην ²²¹

mvp-comment-334-4 οὗ κατὰ σφαγὰς ²²²

mvp-comment-335-1 ἐκκομπάσας ἔπος τι τυγχάνει ²²³ βαλών ²²⁴

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 ²²⁵ ἔπος ²²⁶

mvp-comment-335-4 Monk, with Musgrave, took σφαγὰς ²²⁷

mvp-comment-336-1 ἐκ τοῦδε ²²⁸

mvp-comment-336-2 μηνίσασα ²²⁹

mvp-comment-336-3 Λητῴα κόρη ²³⁰

mvp-comment-337-1 ὡς ²³¹ ἀντίσταθμον ²³²

mvp-comment-337-2 ἐκθύσειε ²³³

mvp-comment-338-1 ὧδ’ ἦν ²³⁴

mvp-comment-338-2 τὰ … θύματ’ ²³⁵

mvp-comment-338-3 λύσις ²³⁶

mvp-comment-338-4 πρὸς οἶκον ²³⁷

mvp-comment-339-1 πολλὰ ²³⁸

mvp-comment-339-2 ἀντιβὰς ²³⁹

mvp-comment-339-3 μόλις ²⁴⁰

mvp-comment-340-1 εἰ δ’ οὖν ²⁴¹

mvp-comment-340-2 ἐρῶ γὰρ καὶ τὸ σόν ²⁴²

mvp-comment-341-1 τούτου … οὕνεκ’ ²⁴³

mvp-comment-341-2 νόμῳ ²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-342-1 ὅρα ²⁴⁵ μὴ … τιθῇς ²⁴⁶ τίθης ²⁴⁷

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 ²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-343-1 εἰ γὰρ κτενοῦμεν ²⁴⁹

mvp-comment-343-2 πρώτη ²⁵⁰

mvp-comment-344-1 εἰσόρα ²⁵¹

mvp-comment-344-2 οὐκ οὖσαν ²⁵²

mvp-comment-344-3 τίθης ²⁵³

mvp-comment-344-4 εἰ … θέλεις ²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-345-1 τῷ παλαμναίῳ ²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-345-2 πρόσθεν ἐξαπώλεσας ²⁵⁶

mvp-comment-346-1 παιδοποιεῖς ²⁵⁷

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 ²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-346-4 κἀξ εὐσεβῶν ²⁵⁹

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 ²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-346-7 ἐκβαλοῦσ’ ἔχεις ²⁶¹

mvp-comment-347-1 πῶς ταῦτ’ ἐπαινέσαιμ’ ἄν ²⁶²

mvp-comment-347-2 ἢ ²⁶³ ἦ ²⁶⁴ καὶ τοῦτ’ ²⁶⁵ ἄποινα ²⁶⁶

mvp-comment-348-1 αἰσχρῶς δ’ ²⁶⁷ δ’ ²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-348-2 ἐάν περ καὶ λέγῃς ²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-348-3 ἐχθροῖς γαμεῖσθαι ²⁷⁰

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 ²⁷¹

mvp-comment-349-2 πᾶσαν ἵης γλῶσσαν ²⁷²

mvp-comment-350-1 κακοστομοῦμεν ²⁷³

mvp-comment-350-2 καί σ’ ἔγωγε δεσπότιν ²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-350-3 εἰς ἡμᾶς ²⁷⁵ ἣ ²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-351-1 βίον μοχθηρόν ²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-351-2 ἔκ τε σοῦ ²⁷⁸ κακοῖς … ξυνοῦσα ²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-351-3 συννόμου ²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-352-1 ὁ δ’ ἄλλος ²⁸¹

mvp-comment-352-2 χεῖρα σὴν ²⁸²

mvp-comment-352-3 τρίβει βίον ²⁸³

mvp-comment-352-4 603 The reason for writing δή με σοὶ ²⁸⁴ δή μέ σοι ²⁸⁵

mvp-comment-352-5 μιάστορα ²⁸⁶

mvp-comment-353-1 τοῦδέ γ’ οὕνεκα ²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-354-1 εἰς ἅπαντας ²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-354-2 χρῇς ²⁸⁹

mvp-comment-354-3 στόμαργον ²⁹⁰

mvp-comment-355-1 τῶνδε τῶν ἔ|ργων ἴδρις ²⁹¹

mvp-comment-355-2 σχεδόν τι ²⁹²

mvp-comment-355-3 οὐ καταισχύνω ²⁹³

mvp-comment-356-1 ὁρῶ μένος πνέουσαν ²⁹⁴ μένος πνέουσαν ²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-356-2 σὺν δίκῃ ξύνεστι ²⁹⁶

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 ²⁹⁷ ἐμοὶ ²⁹⁸ μοι ²⁹⁹ δεῖ ³⁰⁰

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 ³⁰¹

mvp-comment-358-2 τηλικοῦτος ³⁰²

mvp-comment-358-3 ἆρα ³⁰³

mvp-comment-358-4 χωρεῖν ἂν ³⁰⁴ εἰς πᾶν ἔργον ³⁰⁵

mvp-comment-359-1 εὖ νυν ἐπίστω ³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-359-2 ἔξωρα ³⁰⁷

mvp-comment-359-3 προσεικότα ³⁰⁸

mvp-comment-360-1 ἀλλὰ … γὰρ ³⁰⁹

mvp-comment-360-2 ἡ … ἐκ σοῦ δυσμένεια ³¹⁰

mvp-comment-360-3 ἐξαναγκάζει ³¹¹ αἰσχροῖς ³¹²

mvp-comment-360-4 622 f. The word θρέμμα ³¹³

mvp-comment-360-5 ἦ σ’ ἐγὼ ³¹⁴

mvp-comment-361-1 νιν ³¹⁵

mvp-comment-361-2 εὑρίσκεται ³¹⁶

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 ³¹⁷

mvp-comment-362-2 δέσποιναν ³¹⁸

mvp-comment-362-3 Ἄρτεμιν ³¹⁹

mvp-comment-362-4 θράσους τοῦδ’ οὐκ ἀλύξεις ³²⁰ μόλῃ ³²¹

mvp-comment-363-1 ὁρᾷς ³²²

mvp-comment-363-2 ἐκφέρει ³²³

mvp-comment-363-3 The v. l. παρεῖσα ³²⁴

mvp-comment-364-1 οὐδὲ ³²⁵

mvp-comment-364-2 ὑπ’ εὐφήμου βοῆς ³²⁶

mvp-comment-364-3 ἐπειδὴ σοί γ’ ³²⁷

mvp-comment-364-4 πᾶν λέγειν ³²⁸

mvp-comment-365-1 κελεύω ³²⁹

mvp-comment-365-2 τοὐμὸν στόμ’ ³³⁰

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 ³³¹

mvp-comment-365-4 ἡ παροῦσά μοι ³³²

mvp-comment-365-5 θύματα … πάγκαρπα ³³³

mvp-comment-366-1 λυτηρίους … δειμάτων ³³⁴

mvp-comment-366-2 ἀνάσχω ³³⁵

mvp-comment-367-1 κλύοις ἂν ³³⁶

mvp-comment-367-2 προστατήριε ³³⁷

mvp-comment-368-1 κεκρυμμένην ³³⁸

mvp-comment-368-2 οὐ γὰρ ἐν φίλοις ³³⁹

mvp-comment-369-1 πρὸς φῶς ³⁴⁰

mvp-comment-370-1 πολυγλώσσῳ ³⁴¹

mvp-comment-370-2 σπείρῃ ³⁴²

mvp-comment-370-3 ματαίαν ³⁴³

mvp-comment-371-1 ὧδ’ ³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-372-1 γὰρ ³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-372-2 δισσῶν ὀνείρων ³⁴⁶

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 ³⁴⁷

mvp-comment-373-1 ἐσθλά … ἐχθρά ³⁴⁸

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 ³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-374-1 εἴ τινες ³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-375-1 ἀλλ’ ὧδε ³⁵¹

mvp-comment-375-2 ἀβλαβεῖ βίῳ ³⁵²

mvp-comment-376-1 δόμους ³⁵³

mvp-comment-376-2 ἀμφέπειν ³⁵⁴

mvp-comment-376-3 φίλοισι ³⁵⁵

mvp-comment-377-1 εὐημεροῦσαν ³⁵⁶

mvp-comment-377-2 καὶ τέκνων ³⁵⁷ ὅσων ³⁵⁸

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 ³⁵⁹

mvp-comment-378-1 πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ³⁶⁰

mvp-comment-379-1 τὰ δ’ ἄλλα πάντα ³⁶¹

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 ³⁶²

mvp-comment-380-1 ἦ καὶ ³⁶³

mvp-comment-380-2 ἐπεικάζων κυρῶ ³⁶⁴

mvp-comment-380-3 πρέπ<*> γὰρ ³⁶⁵

mvp-comment-381-1 μάλιστα πάντων ³⁶⁶

mvp-comment-381-2 ἥδε σοι κείνη πάρα ³⁶⁷

mvp-comment-381-3 666 f. The ὦ ³⁶⁸ χαῖρε ³⁶⁹

mvp-comment-382-1 ἐδεξάμην τὸ ῥηθέν ³⁷⁰

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 ³⁷¹

mvp-comment-383-1 Φανοτεὺς ³⁷²

mvp-comment-383-2 πρᾶγμα πορσύνων μέγα ³⁷³

mvp-comment-384-1 τὸ ποῖον ³⁷⁴

mvp-comment-385-1 ἐν βραχεῖ ξυνθεὶς ³⁷⁵

mvp-comment-386-1 τί φής, τί φής ³⁷⁶ ξεῖνε ³⁷⁷

mvp-comment-386-2 ταύτης ³⁷⁸

mvp-comment-387-1 νῦν τε καὶ πάλαι ³⁷⁹

mvp-comment-388-1 οὐδέν εἰμ’ ἔτι ³⁸⁰

mvp-comment-389-1 τὰ σαυτῆς πρᾶσς’ ³⁸¹

mvp-comment-389-2 διόλλυται ³⁸²

mvp-comment-390-1 κἀπεμπόμην ³⁸³ καὶ … φράσω ³⁸⁴

mvp-comment-391-1 γὰρ ³⁸⁵

mvp-comment-392-1 πρόσχημ’ ἀγῶνος ³⁸⁶ Ἑλλάδος ³⁸⁷

mvp-comment-392-2 πρόσχημα ³⁸⁸

mvp-comment-392-3 Δελφ. ἄθλων ³⁸⁹

mvp-comment-393-1 ὀρθίων ³⁹⁰

mvp-comment-393-2 δρόμον … οὗ πρώτη κρίσις ³⁹¹

mvp-comment-394-1 εἰσῆλθε ³⁹²

mvp-comment-395-1 ἰσώσας * τἀφέσει ³⁹³ τῇ φύσει ³⁹⁴

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 ³⁹⁵

mvp-comment-396-1 νίκης … γέρας ³⁹⁶

mvp-comment-397-1 χὥπως μὲν ³⁹⁷

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 ³⁹⁸

mvp-comment-398-2 εἰσεκήρυξαν ³⁹⁹

mvp-comment-398-3 βραβῆς ⁴⁰⁰

mvp-comment-399-1 δρομων διαύλων ⁴⁰¹

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

in 692 to .

mvp-comment-400-1 ἐνεγκὼν ⁴⁰²

mvp-comment-400-2 τἀπινίκια ⁴⁰³

mvp-comment-401-1 ὠλβίζετ’ ⁴⁰⁴ ἀνακαλ ⁴⁰⁵

mvp-comment-401-2 Ἀγαμέμνονος ⁴⁰⁶

mvp-comment-401-3 ἀγείραντος ⁴⁰⁷

mvp-comment-402-1 καὶ ταῦτα μὲν τοιαῦθ’ ⁴⁰⁸

mvp-comment-402-2 βλάπτῃ ⁴⁰⁹

mvp-comment-402-3 ἰσχύων ⁴¹⁰

mvp-comment-403-1 ἄλλης ἡμέρας ⁴¹¹

mvp-comment-403-2 ἱππικῶν ⁴¹²

mvp-comment-404-1 ἡλίου τέλλοντος ⁴¹³

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 ⁴¹⁴

mvp-comment-406-1 Λίβυες ⁴¹⁵

mvp-comment-406-2 ζυγωτῶν ⁴¹⁶ ἐπιστάται ⁴¹⁷

mvp-comment-407-1 κἀκεῖνος ⁴¹⁸

mvp-comment-407-2 ἐν τούτοισι ⁴¹⁹ ἐπὶ ⁴²⁰

mvp-comment-407-3 Θεσσαλὰς … ἵππους ⁴²¹

mvp-comment-408-1 ξανθαῖσι ⁴²²

mvp-comment-408-2 πώλοις ⁴²³

mvp-comment-408-3 Μάγνης ⁴²⁴

mvp-comment-409-1 λεύκιππος ⁴²⁵

mvp-comment-409-2 Αἰνιὰν ⁴²⁶

mvp-comment-410-1 τῶν θεοδμήτων ⁴²⁷

mvp-comment-411-1 ἄλλος ⁴²⁸ ἐκπληρῶν ⁴²⁹

mvp-comment-412-1 στάντες ⁴³⁰

mvp-comment-412-2 †ὅθ’ αὐτοὺς ⁴³¹ ὅθ’ ⁴³² ἵν’ ⁴³³ ὅτ’ ⁴³⁴

mvp-comment-412-3 βραβῆς ⁴³⁵ οἱ τεταγμένοι ⁴³⁶

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 ⁴³⁷

mvp-comment-413-1 χαλκῆς ⁴³⁸

mvp-comment-413-2 ὑπαὶ ⁴³⁹

mvp-comment-413-3 οἱ δ’ ⁴⁴⁰

mvp-comment-414-1 ὁμοκλήσαντες ⁴⁴¹

mvp-comment-415-1 ἐν δὲ ⁴⁴²

mvp-comment-415-2 κροτητῶν ⁴⁴³

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’ ⁴⁴⁴

mvp-comment-417-1 κέντρων ⁴⁴⁵

mvp-comment-417-2 ὡς ὑπερβάλοι ⁴⁴⁶ τις ⁴⁴⁷

mvp-comment-417-3 χνόας ⁴⁴⁸

mvp-comment-417-4 φρυάγμαθ’ ἱππικά ⁴⁴⁹

mvp-comment-418-1 ὁμοῦ γὰρ ἀμφὶ νῶτα ⁴⁵⁰

mvp-comment-418-2 τροχῶν βάσεις ⁴⁵¹

mvp-comment-418-3 εἰσέβαλλον ⁴⁵²

mvp-comment-419-1 ὑπ’ αὐτὴν ⁴⁵³

mvp-comment-419-2 ἐσχάτην στήλην ⁴⁵⁴

mvp-comment-420-1 ἔχριμπτ’ ἀεὶ σύριγγα ⁴⁵⁵ ἔχριμπτ’ ⁴⁵⁶

mvp-comment-420-2 δεξιὸν δ’ ἀνεὶς κ.τ.λ. ⁴⁵⁷

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 ⁴⁵⁸ ἔπειτα δ’ ⁴⁵⁹

mvp-comment-421-2 ἕστασαν ⁴⁶⁰

mvp-comment-422-1 ἄστομοι ⁴⁶¹

mvp-comment-422-2 βίᾳ φέρουσιν ⁴⁶²

mvp-comment-422-3 ἐκ δ’ ὑποστροφῆς ⁴⁶³

mvp-comment-423-1 τελοῦντες κ.τ.λ. ⁴⁶⁴

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 ⁴⁶⁵

mvp-comment-424-1 ἐξ ἑνὸς κακοῦ ⁴⁶⁶ ἔθραυε καὶ ἐνέπιπτε ⁴⁶⁷

mvp-comment-424-2 ναυαγίων ⁴⁶⁸

mvp-comment-424-3 Κρισαῖον … πέδον ⁴⁶⁹

mvp-comment-425-1 γνοὺς δ’ ⁴⁷⁰

mvp-comment-425-2 κἀνοκωχεύει ⁴⁷¹

mvp-comment-425-3 κλύδων’ ⁴⁷²

mvp-comment-426-1 ἔσχατος μὲν ⁴⁷³

mvp-comment-426-2 ὑστέρας ἔχων ⁴⁷⁴ φέρων ⁴⁷⁵ πίστιν φέρων ⁴⁷⁶

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 ⁴⁷⁷

mvp-comment-428-1 ἐνσείσας. ⁴⁷⁸

mvp-comment-429-1 κἀξισώσαντε ζυγὰ ⁴⁷⁹

mvp-comment-429-2 τότ’ … ἄλλοθ’ ⁴⁸⁰

mvp-comment-429-3 ἄλλος … ἅτερος ⁴⁸¹

mvp-comment-429-4 κάρα προβάλλων ⁴⁸²

mvp-comment-429-5 For προβάλλων ⁴⁸³

mvp-comment-430-1 τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους πάντας ⁴⁸⁴

mvp-comment-430-2 ἀσφαλεῖς ⁴⁸⁵

mvp-comment-430-3 ὠρθοῦθ’ ⁴⁸⁶ ὀρθὸς ἐξ ὀρθῶν δί‐ ⁴⁸⁷ φρων ⁴⁸⁸

mvp-comment-431-1 λύων ἡνίαν ἀριστερὰν ⁴⁸⁹

mvp-comment-432-1 χνόας ⁴⁹⁰ μέσας ⁴⁹¹

mvp-comment-433-1 ἀντύγων ⁴⁹²

mvp-comment-433-2 σὺν δ’ ἑλίσσεται ⁴⁹³ τμητοῖς ⁴⁹⁴

mvp-comment-434-1 διεσπάρησαν εἰς μέσον δρόμον ⁴⁹⁵

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

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

mvp-comment-435-1 στρατὸς ⁴⁹⁶

mvp-comment-435-2 δίφρων ⁴⁹⁷

mvp-comment-435-3 ἀνωλόλυξε ⁴⁹⁸

mvp-comment-435-4 οἷ’ … οἷα ⁴⁹⁹

mvp-comment-436-1 φορούμενος πρὸς οὖδας ⁵⁰⁰

mvp-comment-436-2 ἄλλοτ’ ⁵⁰¹

mvp-comment-436-3 οὐρανῷ σκέλη προφαίνων ⁵⁰²

mvp-comment-437-1 διφρηλάται ⁵⁰³

mvp-comment-437-2 κατασχεθόντες ⁵⁰⁴

mvp-comment-438-1 κέαντες ⁵⁰⁵

mvp-comment-438-2 ἐν βραχεῖ χαλκῷ ⁵⁰⁶

mvp-comment-438-3 μέγιστον ⁵⁰⁷

mvp-comment-438-4 σῶμα … σποδοῦ ⁵⁰⁸

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 ⁵⁰⁹

mvp-comment-439-2 ἐκλάχῃ ⁵¹⁰

mvp-comment-440-1 τοιαῦτά σοι ⁵¹¹ ταῦτ’ ἐστίν ⁵¹²

mvp-comment-440-2 ὡς μὲν ἐν λόγῳ ⁵¹³

mvp-comment-440-3 τοῖς δ’ ἰδ., οἵπερ εἴδομεν ⁵¹⁴

mvp-comment-440-4 764 f. The word δεσπόταισι ⁵¹⁵

mvp-comment-440-5 πρόρριζον ⁵¹⁶

mvp-comment-441-1 ὦ Ζεῦ ⁵¹⁷

mvp-comment-441-2 λέγω ⁵¹⁸

mvp-comment-442-1 τῷ νῦν λόγῳ ⁵¹⁹

mvp-comment-443-1 δεινὸν ⁵²⁰

mvp-comment-443-2 πάσχοντι ⁵²¹ ὧν τέκῃ ⁵²²

mvp-comment-444-1 μάτην ἄρ’ ἡμεῖς κ.τ.λ. ⁵²³

mvp-comment-445-1 μάτην λέγοις ⁵²⁴

mvp-comment-446-1 ψυχῆς ⁵²⁵

mvp-comment-447-1 μαστῶν κ.τ.λ. ⁵²⁶

mvp-comment-447-2 ἀποστὰς ⁵²⁷

mvp-comment-447-3 ἀπεξενοῦτο ⁵²⁸

mvp-comment-448-1 φόνους ⁵²⁹

mvp-comment-449-1 ὥστ’ οὔτε … στεγάζειν ⁵³⁰

mvp-comment-449-2 ἐξ ἡμέρας ⁵³¹

mvp-comment-449-3 στεψάζειν ⁵³²

mvp-comment-449-4 ὁ προστατῶν χρόνος ⁵³³

mvp-comment-449-5 διῆγε ⁵³⁴

mvp-comment-449-6 783 f. The perf. ἀπήλλαγμαι ⁵³⁵

mvp-comment-449-7 μείζων ⁵³⁶

mvp-comment-450-1 τοὐμὸν ⁵³⁷

mvp-comment-450-2 ἐκπίνους’ ⁵³⁸

mvp-comment-450-3 ἄκρατον ⁵³⁹

mvp-comment-450-4 νῦν δ’ ⁵⁴⁰

mvp-comment-450-5 ἕκηλα ⁵⁴¹

mvp-comment-450-6 οὕνεχ’ ⁵⁴²

mvp-comment-450-7 ἡμερεύσομεν ⁵⁴³

mvp-comment-451-1 οἴμοι τάλαινα ⁵⁴⁴

mvp-comment-451-2 οἰμῶξαι ⁵⁴⁵

mvp-comment-452-1 ἆρ’ ἔχει καλῶς ⁵⁴⁶

mvp-comment-453-1 οὔτοι σὺ ⁵⁴⁷

mvp-comment-454-1 Νέμεσι ⁵⁴⁸

mvp-comment-454-2 τοῦ θανόντος ἀρτίως ⁵⁴⁹

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 ⁵⁵⁰

mvp-comment-455-2 κἀπεκύρωσεν ⁵⁵¹

mvp-comment-456-1 οὔκουν … τάδε ⁵⁵²

mvp-comment-457-1 οὐχ ὅπως σε παύσομεν ⁵⁵³

mvp-comment-458-1 πολλῶν ἂν ἥκοις ⁵⁵⁴ ἔπαυσας ⁵⁵⁵ παύσαις ⁵⁵⁶

mvp-comment-458-2 πολλῶν ⁵⁵⁷ ἄξιος ⁵⁵⁸ τυχεῖν ⁵⁵⁹

mvp-comment-459-1 εὖ κυρεῖ ⁵⁶⁰

mvp-comment-459-2 800 f. With πράξειας ⁵⁶¹

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

seem, then, superfluous. The change of καταξίως ⁵⁶² πράξειας ⁵⁶³

mvp-comment-459-4 τοῦ πορεύς. ξένου ⁵⁶⁴

mvp-comment-460-1 τῶν φίλων ⁵⁶⁵

mvp-comment-461-1 ἆρ’ ὑμὶν ⁵⁶⁶

mvp-comment-461-2 ὧδ’ ⁵⁶⁷

mvp-comment-462-1 ὥς μ’ ἀπώλεσας θανών ⁵⁶⁸

mvp-comment-463-1 ἀποσπάσας ⁵⁶⁹ αἵ ⁵⁷⁰

mvp-comment-464-1 μολεῖν ⁵⁷¹

mvp-comment-465-1 δουλεύειν ⁵⁷²

mvp-comment-465-2 πάλιν ⁵⁷³

mvp-comment-466-1 ἆρά μοι καλῶς ἔχει ⁵⁷⁴

mvp-comment-467-1 τοῦ λοιποῦ χρόνου ⁵⁷⁵

mvp-comment-467-2 818 *

, Hermann's correction of , is made certain by . No dative is needed to explain ξύνοικος ⁵⁷⁶

mvp-comment-468-1 παρεῖσ’ ἐμαυτὴν ⁵⁷⁷

mvp-comment-468-2 αὐανῶ ⁵⁷⁸

mvp-comment-469-1 χάρις ⁵⁷⁹

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 ⁵⁸⁰

mvp-comment-470-4 φαέθων ⁵⁸¹

mvp-comment-470-5 ἐφορῶντες ⁵⁸²

mvp-comment-470-6 κρύπτουσιν ⁵⁸³

mvp-comment-471-1 τί δακρύεις ⁵⁸⁴

mvp-comment-472-1 μηδὲν μέγ’ ἀΰσῃς ⁵⁸⁵

mvp-comment-472-2 ἀΰσῃς ⁵⁸⁶

mvp-comment-473-1 ἀπολεῖς ⁵⁸⁷

mvp-comment-474-1 τῶν … οἰχομένων ⁵⁸⁸ φανερῶς ⁵⁸⁹ ἐλπίδα ⁵⁹⁰

mvp-comment-475-1 κατ’ ἐμοῦ τακομένας ⁵⁹¹ ἐπεμβάσει ⁵⁹² κατ’ ἐμοὶ τακομένᾳ ⁵⁹³

mvp-comment-476-1 οἶδα γὰρ ⁵⁹⁴

mvp-comment-476-2 Ἀμφιάρεων ⁵⁹⁵ ἄνακτα ⁵⁹⁶

mvp-comment-477-1 χρυσοδέτοις ἕρκεσι ⁵⁹⁷ γυναικῶν ⁵⁹⁸

mvp-comment-477-2 κρυφθέντα ⁵⁹⁹

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 ⁶⁰⁰

mvp-comment-479-1 πάμψυχος ⁶⁰¹

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 ⁶⁰²

mvp-comment-480-2 φεῦ δῆτ’ ⁶⁰³ ὀλοὰ γὰρ ⁶⁰⁴ ἐδάμη ⁶⁰⁵ ὀλοὰ ⁶⁰⁶

mvp-comment-480-3 ἐδάμη ⁶⁰⁷ ναί ⁶⁰⁸

mvp-comment-481-1 μελέτωρ ⁶⁰⁹

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 ⁶¹⁰

mvp-comment-483-1 ἀναρπασθείς ⁶¹¹

mvp-comment-484-1 δειλαία δειλαίων ⁶¹²

mvp-comment-485-1 ἴστωρ ⁶¹³

mvp-comment-486-1 πανσύρτῳ … αἰῶνι ⁶¹⁴ αἰῶνι ⁶¹⁵

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 ⁶¹⁶

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 ⁶¹⁷ ἃ θροεῖς ⁶¹⁸ ἃ θρηνεῖς ⁶¹⁹

mvp-comment-488-1 μή μέ νυν ⁶²⁰

mvp-comment-488-2 παραγάγῃς ⁶²¹

mvp-comment-488-3 ἵν’ ⁶²²

mvp-comment-489-1 τί φής ⁶²³

mvp-comment-490-1 πάρεισιν ἐλπίδων ἔτι ⁶²⁴

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 ⁶²⁵

mvp-comment-492-1 χαλαργοῖς ⁶²⁶

mvp-comment-493-1 τμητοῖς ⁶²⁷

mvp-comment-494-1 ἄσκοπος ⁶²⁸

mvp-comment-494-2 ἁ λώβα ⁶²⁹

mvp-comment-495-1 ξένος ⁶³⁰

mvp-comment-496-1 ἄτερ ἐμᾶν χερῶν ⁶³¹

mvp-comment-497-1 κέκευθεν ⁶³²

mvp-comment-497-2 οὔτε του ⁶³³

mvp-comment-497-3 ἀντιάσας ⁶³⁴

mvp-comment-497-4 τάφου … γόων ⁶³⁵

mvp-comment-498-1 ὑφ’ ἡδονῆς τοι ⁶³⁶ τοι ⁶³⁷ σοι ⁶³⁸

mvp-comment-499-1 τὸ κόσμιον ⁶³⁹

mvp-comment-499-2 873 For the place of ὦν ⁶⁴⁰

mvp-comment-500-1 σὺ ⁶⁴¹ ἴασιν οὐκ ἔνεστ’ ἰδεῖν ⁶⁴²

mvp-comment-501-1 ἐναργῶς ⁶⁴³

mvp-comment-502-1 ἀλλ’ ἦ ⁶⁴⁴

mvp-comment-502-2 τοῖς ⁶⁴⁵

mvp-comment-503-1 μὰ τὴν πατρῴαν ἑστίαν ⁶⁴⁶

mvp-comment-503-2 ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὕβρει ⁶⁴⁷

mvp-comment-503-3 ἀλλ’ ἐκεῖνον ⁶⁴⁸ ὡς ⁶⁴⁹

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

for νῷν ⁶⁵⁰

mvp-comment-504-1 ἐξ ἐμοῦ ⁶⁵¹ τε καί ⁶⁵²

mvp-comment-505-1 ἰδοῦσα πίστιν ⁶⁵³

mvp-comment-505-2 εἰς τί μοι ⁶⁵⁴

mvp-comment-505-3 ἀνηκέστῳ ⁶⁵⁵

mvp-comment-505-4 πυρί ⁶⁵⁶

mvp-comment-506-1 σὺ δ’ οὖν ⁶⁵⁷

mvp-comment-506-2 τῷ λόγῳ ⁶⁵⁸

mvp-comment-507-1 καὶ δὴ ⁶⁵⁹

mvp-comment-507-2 κατειδόμην ⁶⁶⁰

mvp-comment-508-1 ἀρχαῖον τάφον ⁶⁶¹

mvp-comment-509-1 κολώνης ἐξ ἄκρας ⁶⁶²

mvp-comment-509-2 γάλακτος ⁶⁶³

mvp-comment-509-3 περιστεφῆ … ἀνθέων ⁶⁶⁴

mvp-comment-509-4 ἔστιν ⁶⁶⁵

mvp-comment-509-5 θήκην ⁶⁶⁶

mvp-comment-510-1 ἔσχον θαῦμα ⁶⁶⁷

mvp-comment-510-2 ἐγχρίμπτῃ ⁶⁶⁸ ἐγχρίμπτει ⁶⁶⁹

mvp-comment-511-1 ἐν γαλήνῃ ⁶⁷⁰

mvp-comment-512-1 ἐσχάτης … πυρᾶς ⁶⁷¹

mvp-comment-512-2 νεώρη ⁶⁷²

mvp-comment-513-1 ἐμπαίει κ.τ.λ. ⁶⁷³ ὄμμα ⁶⁷⁴

mvp-comment-513-2 σύνηθες ⁶⁷⁵ ὁρᾶν ⁶⁷⁶

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 ⁶⁷⁷

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 ⁶⁷⁸

mvp-comment-514-1 βαστάσασα ⁶⁷⁹

mvp-comment-514-2 δυσφηυῶ μὲν οὔ ⁶⁸⁰ οὔ ⁶⁸¹

mvp-comment-515-1 νῦν θ’ ὁμοίως καὶ τότ’ ⁶⁸²

mvp-comment-515-2 μή του ⁶⁸³

mvp-comment-515-3 ἀγλάϊσμα ⁶⁸⁴

mvp-comment-515-4 911 f. The elliptical πῶς γὰρ ⁶⁸⁵ ᾗ γε ⁶⁸⁶ μηδὲ ⁶⁸⁷ πρὸς θεοὺς ⁶⁸⁸

mvp-comment-515-5 ἀκλαύστῳ ⁶⁸⁹

mvp-comment-516-1 ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ μὲν δὴ ⁶⁹⁰

mvp-comment-517-1 οὔτε δρῶσ’ ἐλάνθαν’ ἄν ⁶⁹¹

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 ⁶⁹² δρῶσα ⁶⁹³

mvp-comment-517-4 If ἐλάνθαν’ ἄν ⁶⁹⁴ ἔληθεν ἄν ⁶⁹⁵

mvp-comment-517-5 915 *

is Dindorf's certain correction of τἀπιτίμια ⁶⁹⁶

mvp-comment-518-1 θάρσυνε ⁶⁹⁷

mvp-comment-518-2 οὐχ αὑτὸς ἀεί ⁶⁹⁸

mvp-comment-519-1 νῷν ἧν ⁶⁹⁹ δ’ ⁷⁰⁰

mvp-comment-519-2 κῦρος ⁷⁰¹

mvp-comment-520-1 φεῦ τῆς ἀνοίας ὥς ⁷⁰²

mvp-comment-521-1 ὅποι γῆς … φέρει ⁷⁰³

mvp-comment-522-1 πῶς δ’ οὐκ ἐγὼ κάτοιδ’ ⁷⁰⁴

mvp-comment-523-1 τἀκείνου … σωτήρια ⁷⁰⁵

mvp-comment-524-1 καὶ ποῦ ⁷⁰⁶

mvp-comment-524-2 ὑπέρχεται ⁷⁰⁷

mvp-comment-525-1 μητρὶ ⁷⁰⁸

mvp-comment-526-1 τὰ πολλὰ ⁷⁰⁹ πρὸς τάφον ⁷¹⁰

mvp-comment-527-1 μάλιστ’ ⁷¹¹

mvp-comment-527-2 μνημεἶ ⁷¹²

mvp-comment-528-1 ὦ δυστυχής ⁷¹³

mvp-comment-528-2 τοιούσδ’ ⁷¹⁴

mvp-comment-529-1 ἵν’ ἦμεν ἄτης ⁷¹⁵

mvp-comment-530-1 λύσεις ⁷¹⁶

mvp-comment-531-1 οὐκ ἔσθ’ ὅ γ’ εἶπον ⁷¹⁷

mvp-comment-532-1 φερέγγυος ⁷¹⁸

mvp-comment-533-1 τλῆναι … δρῶσαν ⁷¹⁹

mvp-comment-534-1 ὠφέλειά γ’ ⁷²⁰

mvp-comment-535-1 ὅρα ⁷²¹

mvp-comment-535-2 πόνου … εὐτυχεῖ ⁷²²

mvp-comment-536-1 ξυνοίσω ⁷²³

mvp-comment-537-1 ποεῖν ⁷²⁴

mvp-comment-538-1 παρουσίαν ⁷²⁵

mvp-comment-538-2 καὶ σύ που ⁷²⁶

mvp-comment-539-1 λελείμμεθον ⁷²⁷

mvp-comment-540-1 θάλλοντ’ ἔτ’ ⁷²⁸ βίῳ ⁷²⁹

mvp-comment-541-1 πράκτοῤ ⁷³⁰

mvp-comment-542-1 εἰς σὲ δὴ βλέπω ⁷³¹

mvp-comment-543-1 κατοκνήσεις ⁷³² κατοκνήσῃς ⁷³³

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 ⁷³⁴

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 ⁷³⁵

mvp-comment-545-2 βλέψας’ ⁷³⁶

mvp-comment-546-1 κτῆσιν ⁷³⁷ ἐστερημένῃ ⁷³⁸

mvp-comment-547-1 ἐς τοσόνδε τοῦ χρόνου ⁷³⁹

mvp-comment-548-1 ἄλεκτρα … ἀνυμέναια ⁷⁴⁰

mvp-comment-548-2 γηράσκουσαν ⁷⁴¹

mvp-comment-549-1 τῶνδε ⁷⁴²

mvp-comment-549-2 ὅπως ⁷⁴³

mvp-comment-550-1 ἢ κἀμὸν ⁷⁴⁴ πημονὴν ⁷⁴⁵

mvp-comment-551-1 ἐπίσπῃ ⁷⁴⁶

mvp-comment-552-1 εὐσέβειαν … οἴσει ⁷⁴⁷ θανόντος ⁷⁴⁸ κάτω ⁷⁴⁹

mvp-comment-552-2 970 ff. The compound ἐξέφυς ⁷⁵⁰

mvp-comment-552-3 καλεῖ ⁷⁵¹

mvp-comment-552-4 τὰ χρηστὰ ⁷⁵²

mvp-comment-553-1 λόγων γε μὴν εὔκλειαν ⁷⁵³ λόγων ⁷⁵⁴

mvp-comment-554-1 ἀστῶν ἢ ξένων ⁷⁵⁵

mvp-comment-554-2 δεξιώσεται ⁷⁵⁶

mvp-comment-555-1 ἴδεσθε ⁷⁵⁷

mvp-comment-556-1 εὖ βεβηκόσιν ⁷⁵⁸

mvp-comment-556-2 ἀφειδήσαντε ⁷⁵⁹

mvp-comment-556-3 προὐστήτην φόνου ⁷⁶⁰ ἐχθροῖς ⁷⁶¹ φόνου ⁷⁶²

mvp-comment-556-4 981 f. For τούτω … τώδε ⁷⁶³ ἑορταῖς ⁷⁶⁴ πανδήμῳ πόλει ⁷⁶⁵ τοι ⁷⁶⁶

mvp-comment-557-1 συμπόνει ⁷⁶⁷ σύγκαμνε ⁷⁶⁸

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 ⁷⁶⁹ ἐμέ ⁷⁷⁰

mvp-comment-557-4 παῦσον ἐκ κακῶν ⁷⁷¹

mvp-comment-557-5 989 In τοῖς καλῶς πεφυκόσιν ⁷⁷²

mvp-comment-558-1 ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ⁷⁷³ καὶ κλύοντι ⁷⁷⁴ σύμμαχος ⁷⁷⁵

mvp-comment-558-2 993 For the place of μὴ ⁷⁷⁶

mvp-comment-558-3 ἐσῴζετ’ ⁷⁷⁷

mvp-comment-559-1 ἐμβλέψασα ⁷⁷⁸ θράσος … ὁπλίζει ⁷⁷⁹

mvp-comment-560-1 εἰσορᾷς ⁷⁸⁰

mvp-comment-560-2 γυνὴ μὲν ⁷⁸¹

mvp-comment-560-3 σθένεις δ’ ἔλασσον … χερί ⁷⁸²

mvp-comment-561-1 ἀπορρεῖ ⁷⁸³

mvp-comment-561-2 κἀπὶ μηδὲν ἔρχεται ⁷⁸⁴

mvp-comment-562-1 τοιοῦτον ⁷⁸⁵

mvp-comment-562-2 ἄλυπος ἄτης ⁷⁸⁶

mvp-comment-563-1 κτησώμεθ’ ⁷⁸⁷

mvp-comment-564-1 λύει ⁷⁸⁸ ἡμᾶς ⁷⁸⁹ ἡμῖν ⁷⁹⁰

mvp-comment-564-2 δυσκλεῶς θανεῖν ⁷⁹¹

mvp-comment-565-1 οὐ γἀρ θανεῖν ⁷⁹² γὰρ ⁷⁹³

mvp-comment-566-1 κἀξερημῶσαι γένος ⁷⁹⁴

mvp-comment-567-1 ἄρρητα … κἀτελῆ ⁷⁹⁵ σοι ⁷⁹⁶

mvp-comment-568-1 ἀλλὰ τῷ χρόνῳ ποτέ ⁷⁹⁷

mvp-comment-569-1 The difference between πείθου ⁷⁹⁸ πιθοῦ ⁷⁹⁹

mvp-comment-570-1 καλῶς δ’ ⁸⁰⁰

mvp-comment-571-1 αὐτόχειρί μοι ⁸⁰¹

mvp-comment-571-2 μόνῃ τε ⁸⁰²

mvp-comment-571-3 οὐ γὰρ δὴ ⁸⁰³ γε ⁸⁰⁴

mvp-comment-571-4 κενόν ⁸⁰⁵

mvp-comment-572-1 εἴθ’ ὤφελες ⁸⁰⁶

mvp-comment-572-2 πᾶν γὰρ ἂν κατειργάσω ⁸⁰⁷

mvp-comment-573-1 φύσιν γε ⁸⁰⁸ τότε ⁸⁰⁹

mvp-comment-574-1 ὡς οὐχὶ συνδράσουσα ⁸¹⁰

mvp-comment-574-2 νουθετεῖς ⁸¹¹

mvp-comment-575-1 εἰκὸς γὰρ ⁸¹² ἐγχειροῦντα ⁸¹³ πράσσειν ⁸¹⁴

mvp-comment-576-1 ζηλῶ ⁸¹⁵

mvp-comment-577-1 ἀνέξομαι ⁸¹⁶

mvp-comment-578-1 μὴ πάθῃς τόδε ⁸¹⁷

mvp-comment-579-1 τὸ κρῖναι ⁸¹⁸ μακρὸς ⁸¹⁹

mvp-comment-579-2 χὡ λοιπὸς χρόνος ⁸²⁰

mvp-comment-580-1 μητρὶ … σῇ ⁸²¹

mvp-comment-581-1 οὐδ’ αὖ ⁸²² οὐδ’ ⁸²³

mvp-comment-581-2 ἔχθος ⁸²⁴

mvp-comment-582-1 ἀλλ’ οὖν … γ’ ⁸²⁵

mvp-comment-582-2 οἷ … ἀτιμίας ⁸²⁶

mvp-comment-583-1 ἀτιμίας μὲν οὔ ⁸²⁷

mvp-comment-584-1 τῷ σῷ δικαίῳ ⁸²⁸ δῆτ’ ⁸²⁹

mvp-comment-585-1 ἦ δεινὸν ⁸³⁰

mvp-comment-585-2 εὖ λέγουσαν ⁸³¹ ἐξαμαρτάνειν ⁸³²

mvp-comment-586-1 ᾧ σὺ πρόσκεισαι κακῷ ⁸³³

mvp-comment-587-1 τί δ); οὐ δοκῶ σοι ⁸³⁴

mvp-comment-588-1 εἰ ποήσεις ⁸³⁵

mvp-comment-589-1 καὶ μὴν ⁸³⁶

mvp-comment-590-1 βουλεύσει πάλιν ⁸³⁷

mvp-comment-591-1 φρονεῖν ⁸³⁸

mvp-comment-592-1 ταῦτα ⁸³⁹ νεωστί ⁸⁴⁰ ι ⁸⁴¹

mvp-comment-593-1 τολμᾷς ⁸⁴²

mvp-comment-594-1 οὔ σοι μὴ μεθέψομαι ⁸⁴³

mvp-comment-595-1 καὶ τὸ θηρᾶσθαι κενά ⁸⁴⁴ καὶ ⁸⁴⁵

mvp-comment-595-2 κενά ⁸⁴⁶

mvp-comment-596-1 ὅταν γὰρ ⁸⁴⁷

mvp-comment-596-2 βεβήκῃς ⁸⁴⁸

mvp-comment-597-1 ἄνωθεν ⁸⁴⁹

mvp-comment-597-2 οἰωνοὺς ⁸⁵⁰

mvp-comment-598-1 ἐσορώμενοι ⁸⁵¹ ἀφ’ ὧν ⁸⁵²

mvp-comment-599-1 εὕρωσι ⁸⁵³

mvp-comment-599-2 ἐπ’ ἴσας ⁸⁵⁴

mvp-comment-600-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ τὰν ⁸⁵⁵

mvp-comment-601-1 τὰν οὐρανίαν Θέμιν ⁸⁵⁶

mvp-comment-602-1 ἀπόνητοι ⁸⁵⁷

mvp-comment-603-1 χθονία ⁸⁵⁸ βροτοῖσι ⁸⁵⁹

mvp-comment-603-2 φάμα ⁸⁶⁰

mvp-comment-603-3 Some write Φάμα ⁸⁶¹

mvp-comment-604-1 κατά … βόασον ⁸⁶²

mvp-comment-604-2 μοι ⁸⁶³

mvp-comment-605-1 Ἀτρείδαις ⁸⁶⁴

mvp-comment-605-2 ἀχόρευτα ⁸⁶⁵ ὀνείδη ⁸⁶⁶

mvp-comment-606-1 νοσεῖ ⁸⁶⁷ δή ⁸⁶⁸

mvp-comment-607-1 τὰ δὲ πρὸς τέκνων ⁸⁶⁹

mvp-comment-607-2 διπλῆ φύλοπις ⁸⁷⁰

mvp-comment-607-3 οὐκέτ’ ἐξισοῦται ⁸⁷¹ φιλοτασίῳ διαίτᾳ ⁸⁷²

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 ⁸⁷³

mvp-comment-609-1 Ἠλέκτρα, †τὸν ἀεὶ πατρὸς ⁸⁷⁴

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 ⁸⁷⁵ πατρὸς ⁸⁷⁶

mvp-comment-609-3 Far the best conjecture is Heath's, ἁ παῖς, οἶτον ἀεὶ πατρὸς ⁸⁷⁷

mvp-comment-610-1 πάνδυρτος ⁸⁷⁸

mvp-comment-611-1 οὔτε … τε ⁸⁷⁹

mvp-comment-611-2 τὸ … μὴ βλέπειν ⁸⁸⁰

mvp-comment-612-1 διδύμαν … Ἐρινύν ⁸⁸¹

mvp-comment-613-1 τίς ἂν εὔπατρις ⁸⁸²

mvp-comment-614-1 οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀγαθῶν <γὰρ> ⁸⁸³ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ⁸⁸⁴

mvp-comment-615-1 ζῶν κακῶς ⁸⁸⁵

mvp-comment-615-2 νώνυμος ⁸⁸⁶

mvp-comment-616-1 πάγκλαυτον αἰῶνα κοινὸν ⁸⁸⁷

mvp-comment-616-2 εἵλου ⁸⁸⁸

mvp-comment-617-1 τὸ μὴ καλὸν καθοπλίσασα ⁸⁸⁹ ἀπολακτίσασα ⁸⁹⁰

mvp-comment-617-2 If καθοπλίσασα ⁸⁹¹

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 ⁸⁹²

mvp-comment-618-2 ἐν ἑνὶ λόγῳ ⁸⁹³

mvp-comment-619-1 καθύπερθεν ⁸⁹⁴

mvp-comment-619-2 τεῶν ⁸⁹⁵ τῶν ⁸⁹⁶ τοσόνδ’ ⁸⁹⁷

mvp-comment-620-1 ὑπόχειρ ⁸⁹⁸

mvp-comment-621-1 μοίρᾳ … οὐκ ἐν ἐσθλᾷ βεβῶσαν ⁸⁹⁹

mvp-comment-622-1 μέγιστα … νόμιμα ⁹⁰⁰

mvp-comment-622-2 ἔβλαστε ⁹⁰¹

mvp-comment-622-3 τῶνδε φερομέναν ἄριστα ⁹⁰² τῶνδε ⁹⁰³

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 ⁹⁰⁴ Διὸς ⁹⁰⁵ Ζηνὸς ⁹⁰⁶

mvp-comment-624-1 εἰσηκούσαμεν ⁹⁰⁷

mvp-comment-624-2 ὀρθῶς θ’ ⁹⁰⁸ δ’ ⁹⁰⁹ θ’ ⁹¹⁰ τε ⁹¹¹ δέ ⁹¹²

mvp-comment-624-3 ἔνθα ⁹¹³

mvp-comment-625-1 Αἴγισθον ⁹¹⁴ ᾤκηκεν ⁹¹⁵

mvp-comment-626-1 ἀλλ’ ⁹¹⁶

mvp-comment-626-2 χὡ φράσας ⁹¹⁷

mvp-comment-626-3 ἀζήμιος ⁹¹⁸

mvp-comment-627-1 τίς … φράσειεν ἄν ⁹¹⁹

mvp-comment-627-2 ποθεινὴν ⁹²⁰

mvp-comment-627-3 κοινόπουν ⁹²¹

mvp-comment-628-1 τὸν ἄγχιστον ⁹²²

mvp-comment-629-1 ἴθ’, ὦ γύναι ⁹²³

mvp-comment-630-1 οὐ δή ποθ’ ⁹²⁴

mvp-comment-631-1 τὴν σὴν κληδόν’ ⁹²⁵

mvp-comment-631-2 Στρόφιος ⁹²⁶

mvp-comment-632-1 φέροντες ⁹²⁷ κομίζομεν ⁹²⁸

mvp-comment-633-1 τοῦτ’ ἐκεῖν’ ⁹²⁹

mvp-comment-633-2 πρόχειρον ⁹³⁰

mvp-comment-633-3 ἄχθος ⁹³¹

mvp-comment-634-1 κέκευθεν ⁹³²

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

.

mvp-comment-635-1 δότε ⁹³³ ἥτις ἐστί ⁹³⁴

mvp-comment-635-2 ἐπαιτεῖται ⁹³⁵

mvp-comment-635-3 πρὸς αἵματος ⁹³⁶

mvp-comment-635-4 φύσιν ⁹³⁷

mvp-comment-636-1 ψυχῆς Ὀρέστου λοιπόν ⁹³⁸

mvp-comment-636-2 ἀπ’ ἐλπίδων ⁹³⁹

mvp-comment-636-3 Then οὐχ ὧνπερ ⁹⁴⁰

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 ⁹⁴¹ οὐχ ὥσπερ ⁹⁴²

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 ⁹⁴³

mvp-comment-637-2 οὐδὲν ὄντα ⁹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-637-3 βαστάζω ⁹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-637-4 λαμπρὸν ⁹⁴⁶

mvp-comment-638-1 ὡς ὤφελον ⁹⁴⁷

mvp-comment-638-2 The v.l. ὤφελες ⁹⁴⁸ κλέψασα ⁹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-638-3 τοῖνδε ⁹⁵⁰

mvp-comment-638-4 κἀνασώσασθαι ⁹⁵¹

mvp-comment-638-5 φόνου ⁹⁵²

mvp-comment-639-1 ὅπως … ἔκεισο ⁹⁵³

mvp-comment-639-2 τύμβου πατρῴου ⁹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-640-1 φυγὰς ⁹⁵⁵

mvp-comment-641-1 ἐν ⁹⁵⁶

mvp-comment-641-2 φίλαισι ⁹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-642-1 λουτροῖς σ’ ἐκόσμης’ ⁹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-643-1 ἄθλιον βάρος ⁹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-644-1 ἐν ξέναισι χερσὶ κηδευθεὶς ⁹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-644-2 σμικρὸς … ὄγκος ⁹⁶¹

mvp-comment-645-1 τῆς ἐμῆς … τρ. ἀνωφελήτου ⁹⁶²

mvp-comment-645-2 παρέσχον ⁹⁶³

mvp-comment-646-1 ἢ κἀμοῦ ⁹⁶⁴

mvp-comment-646-2 μητρὸς … φίλος ⁹⁶⁵

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 ⁹⁶⁶ ἦσαν ⁹⁶⁷

mvp-comment-647-2 ἀλλ’ ἐγὼ τροφός ⁹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-648-1 ἀδελφὴ σοὶ ⁹⁶⁹

mvp-comment-648-2 προσηυδώμην ⁹⁷⁰

mvp-comment-649-1 ἐκλέλοιπε ⁹⁷¹

mvp-comment-649-2 θανόντι ⁹⁷²

mvp-comment-649-3 συναρπάσας ⁹⁷³

mvp-comment-649-4 θύελλ’ ⁹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-650-1 τέθνηκ’ ἐγὼ σοί ⁹⁷⁵ σοί ⁹⁷⁶ τέθνηκ’ ἐγώ σοι ⁹⁷⁷

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 ⁹⁷⁸

mvp-comment-651-1 μήτηρ ἀμήτωρ ⁹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-651-2 ἧς ⁹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-651-3 1160—

mvp-comment-652-1 οἴμοι μοί ⁹⁸¹

mvp-comment-653-1 κελεύθους ⁹⁸²

mvp-comment-653-2 ἀπώλεσας ⁹⁸³

mvp-comment-653-3 δῆτ’ ⁹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-654-1 τοιγὰρ σὺ δέξαι μ’ ⁹⁸⁵

mvp-comment-654-2 τὴν μηδὲν ⁹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-654-3 τὸ μηδὲν ⁹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-655-1 μετεῖχον τῶν ἴσων ⁹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-655-2 μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι ⁹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-656-1 τοὺς ⁹⁹⁰ θανόντας ⁹⁹¹

mvp-comment-657-1 θνητοῦ ⁹⁹² θνητὸς ⁹⁹³

mvp-comment-657-2 φρόνει ⁹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-658-1 πᾶσιν γὰρ ἡμῖν ⁹⁹⁵ τοῦτ’ ⁹⁹⁶

mvp-comment-659-1 φεῦ φεῦ, τί λέξω ⁹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-659-2 λόγων ⁹⁹⁸ ποῖ ⁹⁹⁹ ἀμηχανῶν ¹⁰⁰⁰

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 ¹⁰⁰¹

mvp-comment-661-1 κλεινὸν ¹⁰⁰²

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’ ¹⁰⁰³

mvp-comment-663-1 ταλαίνης ¹⁰⁰⁴ συμφορᾶς ¹⁰⁰⁵

mvp-comment-664-1 οὐ ¹⁰⁰⁶

mvp-comment-665-1 ἀτίμως ¹⁰⁰⁷ κἀθέως ¹⁰⁰⁸

mvp-comment-666-1 ἢ )μὲ ¹⁰⁰⁹

mvp-comment-666-2 δυσφημεῖς ¹⁰¹⁰ ἄλλην ¹⁰¹¹ ξένε ¹⁰¹²

mvp-comment-667-1 ἀνύμφου ¹⁰¹³

mvp-comment-667-2 τροφῆς ¹⁰¹⁴

mvp-comment-668-1 τί δή ποτ’ ¹⁰¹⁵ μοι ¹⁰¹⁶ ἐπισκοπῶν ¹⁰¹⁷ τί ¹⁰¹⁸

mvp-comment-669-1 ἐν τῷ … τῶν εἰρημένων ¹⁰¹⁹

mvp-comment-670-1 ὁρῶν σὲ ¹⁰²⁰ σὲ ¹⁰²¹ σε ¹⁰²² τῶν ἐμῶν ¹⁰²³ σέ ¹⁰²⁴

mvp-comment-670-2 ἐμπρέπουσαν ¹⁰²⁵

mvp-comment-671-1 πόθεν ¹⁰²⁶

mvp-comment-672-1 εἶτα ¹⁰²⁷

mvp-comment-672-2 δουλεύω ¹⁰²⁸

mvp-comment-673-1 ἀνάγκῃ … προτρέπει ¹⁰²⁹

mvp-comment-674-1 ἐξισοῖ ¹⁰³⁰

mvp-comment-675-1 χερσὶν ¹⁰³¹ λύμη βίου ¹⁰³²

mvp-comment-676-1 οὑπαρήξων ¹⁰³³

mvp-comment-677-1 προὔθηκας ¹⁰³⁴

mvp-comment-678-1 ποτέ ¹⁰³⁵ ἐμέ ¹⁰³⁶ νύν μ’ ¹⁰³⁷

mvp-comment-679-1 τοῖσι σοῖς ¹⁰³⁸ τοῖς ἴσοις ¹⁰³⁹

mvp-comment-679-2 The word ξυγγενὴς ¹⁰⁴⁰ τοῖσι σοῖς ¹⁰⁴¹ τοῖς ἴσοις ¹⁰⁴²

mvp-comment-680-1 τὸ τῶνδε ¹⁰⁴³

mvp-comment-681-1 νυν ¹⁰⁴⁴

mvp-comment-682-1 πιθοῦ ¹⁰⁴⁵ πείθου ¹⁰⁴⁶

mvp-comment-683-1 πρὸς γενείου ¹⁰⁴⁷

mvp-comment-683-2 The reading of the MSS., μ<*> )ξέλη ¹⁰⁴⁸ μ’ ἐξέλῃ ¹⁰⁴⁹

mvp-comment-683-3 ἐξέλῃ ¹⁰⁵⁰

mvp-comment-683-4 τὰ φίλτατα ¹⁰⁵¹

mvp-comment-684-1 οὐ φήμ’ ἐάσειν ¹⁰⁵²

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 ¹⁰⁵³

mvp-comment-685-1 εἰ στερήσομαι ¹⁰⁵⁴

mvp-comment-686-1 ὦ φίλτατον φῶς ¹⁰⁵⁵

mvp-comment-687-1 ὦ φθέγμ’ ¹⁰⁵⁶

mvp-comment-687-2 μηκέτ’ ἄλλοθεν πύθῃ ¹⁰⁵⁷

mvp-comment-688-1 ἔχω … ἔχοις ἀεί ¹⁰⁵⁸

mvp-comment-689-1 πολίτιδες ¹⁰⁵⁹

mvp-comment-690-1 μηχαναῖσι ¹⁰⁶⁰

mvp-comment-690-2 σεσωσμένον ¹⁰⁶¹

mvp-comment-691-1 συμφοραῖσι ¹⁰⁶²

mvp-comment-691-2 γεγηθὸς … δάκρυον ¹⁰⁶³

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 ¹⁰⁶⁴

mvp-comment-694-1 ἀρτίως ¹⁰⁶⁵

mvp-comment-694-2 οὓς ¹⁰⁶⁶

mvp-comment-694-3 ἐχρήζετε ¹⁰⁶⁷

mvp-comment-695-1 σῖγ’ ἔχουσα ¹⁰⁶⁸

mvp-comment-696-1 ἀλλ’ οὐ μὰ ¹⁰⁶⁹

mvp-comment-696-2 τὴν ἄδμητον ¹⁰⁷⁰

mvp-comment-696-3 Ἄρτεμιν ¹⁰⁷¹

mvp-comment-697-1 τόδε μὲν … ὂν ἀεί ¹⁰⁷²

mvp-comment-697-2 περισσὸν ἄχθος ¹⁰⁷³

mvp-comment-697-3 ἔνδον … ὂν ἀεί ¹⁰⁷⁴

mvp-comment-698-1 γε μὲν δὴ ¹⁰⁷⁵

mvp-comment-698-2 Ἄρης ¹⁰⁷⁶

mvp-comment-698-3 εὖ δ’ ἔξοισθα ¹⁰⁷⁷

mvp-comment-699-1 ἀνέφελον … κακόν ¹⁰⁷⁸

mvp-comment-699-2 The author of the scholium on 1245 read ἐνέβαλες ¹⁰⁷⁹ ἐπέβαλες ¹⁰⁸⁰ ὑπέβαλες ¹⁰⁸¹

mvp-comment-699-3 καταλύσιμον ¹⁰⁸²

mvp-comment-699-4 λησόμενον ¹⁰⁸³

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’ ¹⁰⁸⁴ καὶ ¹⁰⁸⁵

mvp-comment-700-2 παρουσία ¹⁰⁸⁶ φράζῃ ¹⁰⁸⁷ ἔργων τῶνδε ¹⁰⁸⁸

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 ¹⁰⁸⁹ φράζῃ ¹⁰⁹⁰

mvp-comment-701-1 ὁ πᾶς … χρόνος ¹⁰⁹¹ παρὼν ¹⁰⁹² δίκᾳ ¹⁰⁹³ ἐννέπειν ¹⁰⁹⁴ πρέποι ¹⁰⁹⁵

mvp-comment-701-2 μόλις γὰρ ¹⁰⁹⁶ ἔσχον ¹⁰⁹⁷

mvp-comment-702-1 σῴζου τόδε ¹⁰⁹⁸

mvp-comment-703-1 μακρὰν … λέγειν ¹⁰⁹⁹

mvp-comment-704-1 τίς οὖν ¹¹⁰⁰ ἀξίαν ¹¹⁰¹ σοῦ πεφηνότος ¹¹⁰² λόγων ¹¹⁰³ μεταβάλοιτ’ ¹¹⁰⁴

mvp-comment-704-2 <*>δε ¹¹⁰⁵

mvp-comment-704-3 1264 After τότ’ εἶδες ¹¹⁰⁶ ὅτε ¹¹⁰⁷ εὖτε ¹¹⁰⁸ ὅτε ¹¹⁰⁹ θεοὶ ¹¹¹⁰ ὅτε ¹¹¹¹ τότ’ ¹¹¹²

mvp-comment-704-4 ἐπώτρυναν ¹¹¹³

mvp-comment-705-1 χάριτος ¹¹¹⁴

mvp-comment-705-2 ἐπόρισεν ¹¹¹⁵

mvp-comment-706-1 δαιμόνιον ¹¹¹⁶

mvp-comment-706-2 τίθημ’ ¹¹¹⁷

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 ¹¹¹⁸

mvp-comment-708-1 ὁδὸν … φανῆναι ¹¹¹⁹

mvp-comment-709-1 τί μὴ ποήσω ¹¹²⁰

mvp-comment-710-1 μή μ’ ἀποστερήσῃς … ἁδονὰν ¹¹²¹

mvp-comment-710-2 μεθέσθαι ¹¹²²

mvp-comment-711-1 ξυναινεῖς ¹¹²³

mvp-comment-711-2 τί μὴν οὔ ¹¹²⁴

mvp-comment-712-1 ὦ φίλαι ¹¹²⁵ ὦ φίλ’, ὅτ’ ¹¹²⁶ φίλαι ¹¹²⁷

mvp-comment-712-2 αὐδάν ¹¹²⁸ οὐδ’ ἂν ἤλπις’ ¹¹²⁹

mvp-comment-712-3 1283 f. There can be no doubt that something has been lost before ἔσχον ¹¹³⁰ οὐδ’ ἂν ¹¹³¹ ὁρμὰν ¹¹³²

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 ¹¹³³

mvp-comment-712-7 οὐδ’ ἂν ἔσχον ¹¹³⁴ ἄναυδον ¹¹³⁵

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

mvp-comment-713-1 τάλαινα ¹¹³⁶

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 ¹¹³⁷

mvp-comment-715-1 καὶ μήτε μήτηρ ¹¹³⁸

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 ¹¹³⁹ δόμων ¹¹⁴⁰ ἀντλεῖ, τὰ δ’ ἐκχεῖ ¹¹⁴¹

mvp-comment-716-2 ἐκχεῖ ¹¹⁴² διασπείρει μάτην ¹¹⁴³ ἀντλεῖ ¹¹⁴⁴

mvp-comment-717-1 χρόνου … καιρὸν ¹¹⁴⁵

mvp-comment-717-2 ἐξείργοι ¹¹⁴⁶

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 ¹¹⁴⁷ κεκρυμμένοι ¹¹⁴⁸ γελῶντας ¹¹⁴⁹

mvp-comment-719-1 οὕτω δὲ ¹¹⁵⁰ ὅπως ¹¹⁵¹

mvp-comment-719-2 )πιγνώσεται ¹¹⁵²

mvp-comment-719-3 νῷν ¹¹⁵³

mvp-comment-719-4 ἐπελθόντοιν δόμους ¹¹⁵⁴

mvp-comment-720-1 μάτην ¹¹⁵⁵ μὴ ¹¹⁵⁶ τῇ ¹¹⁵⁷

mvp-comment-720-2 εὐτυχησωμεν ¹¹⁵⁸

mvp-comment-721-1 καὶ σοὶ ¹¹⁵⁹

mvp-comment-721-2 ὧδ’ … τῇδε ¹¹⁶⁰

mvp-comment-721-3 τοὐμὸν ¹¹⁶¹ φίλον ¹¹⁶²

mvp-comment-722-1 κοὐκ ἐμὰς ¹¹⁶³

mvp-comment-723-1 κοὐδ’ ¹¹⁶⁴ βραχὺ ¹¹⁶⁵ καὶ ¹¹⁶⁶ λυπήσασα ¹¹⁶⁷ δεξαίμην ¹¹⁶⁸

mvp-comment-724-1 ὑπηρετοίην ¹¹⁶⁹ ὑπηρετοίμην ¹¹⁷⁰ δαίμονι ¹¹⁷¹

mvp-comment-725-1 τἀνθένδε ¹¹⁷²

mvp-comment-726-1 στέγας ¹¹⁷³ οἴκοις ¹¹⁷⁴

mvp-comment-726-2 δείσῃς … ὡς … ὄψεται ¹¹⁷⁵

mvp-comment-727-1 ἐντέτηκε ¹¹⁷⁶

mvp-comment-728-1 χαρᾷ ¹¹⁷⁷ χαρᾶς ¹¹⁷⁸ δακρυρροοῦσα ¹¹⁷⁹

mvp-comment-729-1 ἥτις ¹¹⁸⁰

mvp-comment-729-2 ἐσεῖδον ¹¹⁸¹

mvp-comment-729-3 ᾶσκοπα ¹¹⁸²

mvp-comment-730-1 ὅτε ¹¹⁸³

mvp-comment-730-2 τοιαύτην ¹¹⁸⁴

mvp-comment-730-3 ὥς σοι ¹¹⁸⁵ ὡς σοὶ ¹¹⁸⁶

mvp-comment-731-1 οὐκ ἂν δυοῖν ἥμαρτον ¹¹⁸⁷

mvp-comment-732-1 σιγᾶν … χωροῦντος ¹¹⁸⁸

mvp-comment-732-2 ἐπῄνες’ ¹¹⁸⁹

mvp-comment-732-3 ἐπ’ ἐξόδῳ ¹¹⁹⁰

mvp-comment-732-4 τῶν ἔνδοθεν ¹¹⁹¹

mvp-comment-733-1 ἄλλως τε καὶ φέροντες ¹¹⁹²

mvp-comment-733-2 οἷ’ ἂν … ἀπώσαιτ’ ¹¹⁹³

mvp-comment-734-1 τητώμενοι ¹¹⁹⁴

mvp-comment-734-2 παρ’ οὐδὲν ¹¹⁹⁵

mvp-comment-735-1 οὐ παρ’ αὐτοῖς ¹¹⁹⁶ αὐτοῖς ¹¹⁹⁷

mvp-comment-736-1 σταθμοῖσι ¹¹⁹⁸

mvp-comment-737-1 ὑμὶν … ὑμῶν ¹¹⁹⁹

mvp-comment-737-2 τὰ δρώμεν’ ¹²⁰⁰ τὰ σώματα ¹²⁰¹

mvp-comment-738-1 νῦν δ’ … καὶ νῦν ¹²⁰²

mvp-comment-739-1 σὺν χαρᾷ βοῆς ¹²⁰³

mvp-comment-740-1 ἀπηλλάχθαι ¹²⁰⁴

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 ¹²⁰⁵

mvp-comment-742-1 ὑπάρχει ¹²⁰⁶ σε … τινά ¹²⁰⁷

mvp-comment-743-1 ὡς ἔοικεν, ὡς τεθν ¹²⁰⁸

mvp-comment-744-1 εἷς τῶν ἐν Ἅιδου … ἀνήρ ¹²⁰⁹ ἐνθάδε ¹²¹⁰

mvp-comment-745-1 χαίρουσιν οὖν τούτοισιν ¹²¹¹ ἐν ¹²¹² οὖν ¹²¹³

mvp-comment-746-1 τελουμένων ¹²¹⁴

mvp-comment-746-2 ὡς δὲ νῦν ἔχει ¹²¹⁵ τὰ κείνων πάντα καλῶς ¹²¹⁶ καὶ τὰ μὴ καλῶς ¹²¹⁷

mvp-comment-747-1 οὐχὶ ξυνίης ¹²¹⁸

mvp-comment-747-2 οὐδέ γ’ εἰς θυμὸν φέρω ¹²¹⁹ οὐδέ ¹²²⁰

mvp-comment-748-1 ποίῳ ¹²²¹ ὅτῳ ¹²²² οἶσθα ¹²²³

mvp-comment-748-2 οὗ … χεροῖν ¹²²⁴

mvp-comment-748-3 πέδον ¹²²⁵

mvp-comment-748-4 ὑπεξεπέμφθην ¹²²⁶

mvp-comment-748-5 σῇ προμηθίᾳ ¹²²⁷

mvp-comment-749-1 προσηῦρον πιστὸν ¹²²⁸

mvp-comment-750-1 φῶς ¹²²⁹

mvp-comment-751-1 τόνδε κἄμ’ ¹²³⁰

mvp-comment-751-2 ἔσωσας ¹²³¹ κεῖνος ¹²³²

mvp-comment-752-1 ὦ … χεῖρες ¹²³³

mvp-comment-753-1 οὐδ’ ἔφαινες ¹²³⁴ ἀλλά με ¹²³⁵

mvp-comment-754-1 ἔργ’ ἔχων ¹²³⁶ ἐμοί ¹²³⁷ με ¹²³⁸

mvp-comment-755-1 πατέρα ¹²³⁹ χαῖῤ, ὦ πάτερ ¹²⁴⁰ πατέρα ¹²⁴¹

mvp-comment-756-1 τοὺς … ἐν μέσῳ λόγους ¹²⁴²

mvp-comment-756-2 The acc. τοὺς … λόγους ¹²⁴³ ταῦτα ¹²⁴⁴

mvp-comment-756-3 κυκλοῦνται ¹²⁴⁵ κυκλοῦσι ¹²⁴⁶

mvp-comment-757-1 σφῷν δ’ ἐννέπω γε ¹²⁴⁷ γε ¹²⁴⁸

mvp-comment-758-1 τούτοις ¹²⁴⁹ ἄλλοισι ¹²⁵⁰ σοφωτέροις ¹²⁵¹ τούτων ¹²⁵²

mvp-comment-758-2 Another view is that

in 1369 refers to Aegisthus and his armed followers, while τούτοις ¹²⁵³

mvp-comment-759-1 οὐδὲν ¹²⁵⁴

mvp-comment-760-1 πατρῷα ¹²⁵⁵

mvp-comment-760-2 ἕδη ¹²⁵⁶ πρόπυλα ¹²⁵⁷

mvp-comment-760-3 προσκύσαντε ¹²⁵⁸

mvp-comment-761-1 ἀφ’ ὧν ¹²⁵⁹

mvp-comment-761-2 ἔχοιμι ¹²⁶⁰

mvp-comment-761-3 λιπαρεῖ ¹²⁶¹

mvp-comment-761-4 Blaydes and Wecklein read )πέστην ¹²⁶²

mvp-comment-762-1 ἐξ οἵων ἔχω ¹²⁶³ αἰτῶ ¹²⁶⁴

mvp-comment-762-2 1380 I read προπίπτω ¹²⁶⁵ προπίτνω ¹²⁶⁶ ι^ ¹²⁶⁷ ι— ¹²⁶⁸

mvp-comment-763-1 τἀπιτίμια ¹²⁶⁹

mvp-comment-764-1 ἴδεθ’ ¹²⁷⁰ ὅπου ¹²⁷¹

mvp-comment-764-2 προνέμεται ¹²⁷²

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 ¹²⁷³

mvp-comment-765-2 φυσῶν ¹²⁷⁴

mvp-comment-766-1 δωμάτων ὑπόστεγοι ¹²⁷⁵

mvp-comment-767-1 μετάδρομοι … κύνες ¹²⁷⁶

mvp-comment-768-1 ἀμμενεῖ ¹²⁷⁷

mvp-comment-769-1 τοὐμὸν φρενῶν ὄνειρον ¹²⁷⁸

mvp-comment-769-2 αἰωρούμενον ¹²⁷⁹

mvp-comment-770-1 ἐνέρων … ἀρωγός ¹²⁸⁰

mvp-comment-771-1 ἀρχαιόπλουτα ¹²⁸¹

mvp-comment-772-1 νεακόνητον αἷμα χειροῖν ἔχων ¹²⁸²

mvp-comment-772-2 The bold use of αἷμα ¹²⁸³ χειροῖν ἔχων ¹²⁸⁴ αἷμα ¹²⁸⁵

mvp-comment-772-3 If νεάκονητον ¹²⁸⁶ α ¹²⁸⁷

mvp-comment-773-1 ὁ Μαίας δὲ παῖς ¹²⁸⁸

mvp-comment-773-2 Ἑρμῆς σφ’ ἄγει ¹²⁸⁹ ς ¹²⁹⁰ σφ’ ¹²⁹¹

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 ¹²⁹²

mvp-comment-776-1 τάφον ¹²⁹³

mvp-comment-776-2 λέβητα ¹²⁹⁴

mvp-comment-776-3 κοσμεῖ ¹²⁹⁵

mvp-comment-777-1 αἰαῖ· ἰὼ στέγαι ¹²⁹⁶

mvp-comment-778-1 ἀνήκουστα ¹²⁹⁷

mvp-comment-779-1 ἰδού ¹²⁹⁸

mvp-comment-779-2 μάλ’ αὖ ¹²⁹⁹

mvp-comment-780-1 ἐκ σέθεν ¹³⁰⁰

mvp-comment-780-2 ὁ γεννήσας πατήρ ¹³⁰¹

mvp-comment-780-3 1413 f. The traditional reading φθίνει φθίνει ¹³⁰² σε ¹³⁰³ σοι ¹³⁰⁴ μοῖρα καθαμερία ¹³⁰⁵ φθίνει ¹³⁰⁶

mvp-comment-780-4 Others explain as follows. (1) Keeping both σε ¹³⁰⁷ φθίνει φθίνει ¹³⁰⁸ σε ¹³⁰⁹ φθίνειν φθίνειν ¹³¹⁰

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 ¹³¹¹

mvp-comment-780-8 εἰ γὰρ Αἰγίσθῳ γ’ ὁμοῦ ¹³¹²

mvp-comment-781-1 τελοῦς ἀραί ¹³¹³

mvp-comment-781-2 οἱ … κείμενοι ¹³¹⁴

mvp-comment-781-3 ὑπαὶ ¹³¹⁵

mvp-comment-782-1 παλίρρυτον ¹³¹⁶

mvp-comment-782-2 ὑπεξαιροῦσι ¹³¹⁷

mvp-comment-783-1 καὶ μὴν ¹³¹⁸

mvp-comment-783-2 στάζει θυηλῆς ¹³¹⁹

mvp-comment-783-3 ψέγειν ¹³²⁰ λέγειν ¹³²¹

mvp-comment-784-1 κυρεῖτε ¹³²² κυρεῖ ¹³²³ κυρεῖ δὲ ¹³²⁴

mvp-comment-785-1 ἐθέσπισεν ¹³²⁵

mvp-comment-786-1 ἐκφοβοῦ … ὡς ¹³²⁶ λῆμα ¹³²⁷

mvp-comment-786-2 After v. 1427 Erfurdt and others suppose the loss of three verses answering to vv. 1404—1406 (

): see note in Appendix on 1398. The context itself, however, does not indicate any lacuna. In a calmer scene, doubtless, we might have looked for some comment from Electra on the announcement that Clytaemnestra is dead. But this is a passage full of excitement and hurrying action. The warning παύσασθε ¹³²⁸

mvp-comment-787-1 ἐκ προδήλου ¹³²⁹

mvp-comment-787-2 Here, again, it is supposed that we have lost a trimeter, answering to 1409. (Hermann suggests

.) But the context, at least, does not show any gap in the sense.

mvp-comment-788-1 ὦ παῖδες ¹³³⁰ οὐκ ἄψορρον ¹³³¹

mvp-comment-789-1 ἐφ’ ἡμῖν ¹³³²

mvp-comment-789-2 Some have thought that the words of Orestes in this v. should be metrically equivalent to those of Clyt. in 1411,

. Nauck, for example, proposes ; This seems, however, a groundless assumption.

mvp-comment-790-1 χωρεῖ γεγηθώς ¹³³³

mvp-comment-791-1 βᾶτε κατ’ ἀντιθύρων ¹³³⁴

mvp-comment-791-2 The word

is known only from the following passages. (1) Od. 16. 159 , describing a position outside of the hut: usually rendered, ‘he stood over against the doorway.’ (2) In Lucian Alex. 16 is the wall opposite to the door of a room; in this wall a second door is made, to admit of a crowd streaming through the room. In Lucian Symp. 8 the sense is the same.

mvp-comment-791-3 Here,

seems to mean, as in the Odyssey, a place close to the doors; probably just inside of them, and (from that point of view) ‘over against them’; a vestibule, or entrance-hall. Cp. 328 . As was a collateral form of ( Etym. Magn. 806. 4, etc.), may have been such a form of . If so, the desirable accus. for could be at once obtained by κατ’ ἀντιθυρῶν’ ¹³³⁵

mvp-comment-791-4 βᾶτε κάταντα θυρῶν’ ¹³³⁶

mvp-comment-792-1 εὖ θέμενοι ¹³³⁷

mvp-comment-792-2 τάδ’ ὡς πάλιν ¹³³⁸

mvp-comment-793-1 ᾗ νοεῖς ¹³³⁹

mvp-comment-793-2 The ground for giving the words ᾗ νοεῖς ¹³⁴⁰ τελοῦμεν ¹³⁴¹

mvp-comment-794-1 καὶ δὴ βέβηκα ¹³⁴²

mvp-comment-795-1 These verses are antistrophic to 1417—1421. δἰ ὠτὸς ¹³⁴³

mvp-comment-795-2 ὡς ἠπίως ¹³⁴⁴

mvp-comment-795-3 λαθραῖον ¹³⁴⁵

mvp-comment-796-1 ναυαγίοις ¹³⁴⁶

mvp-comment-797-1 σέ τοι ¹³⁴⁷ κρίνω ¹³⁴⁸

mvp-comment-798-1 συμφορᾶς ¹³⁴⁹

mvp-comment-798-2 Possibly this is the only ambiguity intended. But

might be genitive of , ‘ the most welcome fortune of my kindred,’— i.e., ‘my brother's return.’ Cp. 1273 | . To intend this as an inner meaning would certainly be quite in the manner of Sophocles; cp. O. T. 337 | .—For other views, see Appendix.

mvp-comment-799-1 φίλης γὰρ προξένου κατήνυσαν ¹³⁵⁰

mvp-comment-800-1 ἦ καὶ ¹³⁵¹

mvp-comment-800-2 ὡς ἐτητύμως ¹³⁵²