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576
At V. 576 f. the tradition is corrupted:
ἔστι γὰρ δόμων
for he is of the house (
δήμων
of the people M first)
ἱκέτης ὅδ᾽ ἀνὴρ καὶ δόμων
this man is a suppliant and of the house (
δόμος
house M first)
ἐφέστιος
at the hearth (thus and -
έστιως
of the hearth M, -
εστίων
of the hearths f g h)
ἐμῶν
my.
576
Ἐφέστιος
of the hearth is found constructed in both ways:
σῶν δόμων ἐφέστιον
the hearth of your house (
Hik. 365
. 503), and
δόμους ἐφεστίους
houses with hearths
Ag. 851
(
Sept. 73
). Schütz changes the first
δόμων
of the house to
νόμωι
by custom (cf. above 473), but is
ἐστὶν ἐφέστιος
is at the hearth factually correct? It seems better, with H. L. Ahrens, to change the second
δόμων
of the house to
μυχῶν
of the inner chambers (cf. 39. 170. 180), and then to adopt
ἐφεστίων
of the hearths.
576
Καθάρσιος
purifier 63. 449.
Αἰτίαν ἔχω
I am held responsible can be understood as at 99 'I am accused', see V. 199, but also 'I have the guilt'. Then Apollo turns to Athena, who according to Attic usage is
εἰσαγωγεύς
introducer of the trial (Meier-Schömann-Lipsius 45, 13); this procedure (present tense) may now go forward, and finally, according to the wisdom of the goddess (
ὡς ἐπίστασαι
as you know 667,
ὅπως ἐπίστασαι
in whatever way you know
Prom. 374
;
ὅπως
how 'however'), the trial may be brought to an end and decided (aorist
τήνδε κυρῶσαι δίκην
to bring this case to fulfillment by the judges). On
ἐπίστᾶι
he knows see on 86. Thereupon Athena gives the Erinyes the floor and sets up the general (though self-evident) principle, in words strongly reminiscent of the opening formula of later Attic court speeches, Lysias 12, 3
πειράσομαι ὑμᾶς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὡς ἂν δύνωμαι δι᾽ ἐλαχίστων διδάξαι
I will try to instruct you from the beginning as best I can in the fewest words. 585–608. The Erinyes correspond to the (later and certainly also customary in Aeschylus' time) form of an accusation only in the one respect that they too promise brevity; of
ἐξ ἀρχῆς διδάσκειν
to teach from the beginning, however, nothing is to be noticed, nor of a connected exposition, since in place of the entire accusation speech comes the questioning of the accused. Such questioning also occurs in later court speeches, only not as the main thing or replacing the accusation (so Lysias 12, 25); since Orestes now not only answers with yes and no but defends himself, the whole hearing for and against is already given in essence. When afterwards Apollo appears as defender, the Erinyes in between also make their arguments, and likewise at greater length; thus there are two hearings, only to be compared with accusation and defense insofar as in the first the accusation has the first word, in the second the defense. So as in Aristophanic dispute scenes: in the Clouds first the
δίκαιος λόγος
just argument presents his case, with objections from the
ἄδικος λόγος
unjust argument, and then the latter with corresponding participation of the opponent, and in the Frogs Aeschylus and Euripides likewise. Since the promised brevity in V. 585 is contrasted with the great number of the Erinyes, Weil has rightly inferred that the individual ones speak one after another: the first with two verses, then ten with one each, then the last with two. Thus the number twelve of the chorus results here, as in Agamemnon 1348 ff., unless one assumes there, which seems to me fundamentally wrong, that the three choreuts who previously heard the cries of woe from the palace and initiated the deliberation are thereby dispensed from expressing their opinion. For the Erinyes everything actually reduces to the question of fact, yet they also go somewhat into the motives, according to Athena's instruction at 426.
Eumenides. Aeschylus. ed. Friedrich Blass. Berlin. 1907.