----.. P£NCUIN BOOKS Published by the Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 1001 Penguin Gro~p0 G up (Can•da), 90 Eg)jn,on Avenue fa,1, Suite 700 T i, lJ.S.A, PenSU'. ~:nada M4P 2Y3 (• divi,ion ofPearson Penguin c,;..,;:•~nto, Onrano,gu·,n Dook.s Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R. OIU EngJ•"d nc.) Pen , b,:_ . • -.1 1 d 25 51Stephen s Grct n, Du un 2, beland C• division ofPcngu· Iloo Penguin Ir< :e~guin Group (A~stnlia),_~SO CamberwcU Reid, Cimb,rwet lu Ud) AESCHYLUS Vicroria 3124, Australia (a divmon ofPt>rs~n Austnlia Group Pry Ltd) p ·n Book.s India Pvt Ltd, 11 Commurury Cenue, Panchshecl p k engu, New Delhi - 110 017, India ., ' p nguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Malrangj Bay, Auckhnd e New Zciland (a divuion ofPearson New Zc.t,nd ud) 1311' THE ORESTEIA Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pry) Ltd, 24 Srurdtc Avenue, R.osebaok, Jolannesburg 2 I 96, South Africa Penguin Books Ltd. Registered Officcs: 80 Stnnd, London WC2R. OR.L, Engt.,,d Fine published in the United States ofAmerica by Viking Penguin Inc. 1975 Fir,t published in England by Wildwood H ouse Ltd 1976 Published in the Penguin Clas.<ics 1977 Reprinted with revisions 1979 70 69 68 67 66 65 Copyrighr C Robert Fagles, I966, 1967, 1975, 1977 All rights reserved LIBRARY OF CONCR£SS CATAiOCINC IN P\/BLICATION DATA Aeschylus. TRANS LATED BY The Ores1ei,. Bibliogrophy: p. ROBERT FAGLES I. Fagles, Robert, II. Title. PA3827.A7F3 1984 882.01 83-17421 * ISBN 978-0-14-044333-2 Printed in the United Stares ofAmerica INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, NOTES Set in Monorype Bembo AND GLOSSARY BY All dramatic, motion picture, radio, 1elevi<ion, and oilier righis in this rnnsbrion arc fully protected by all signatories 10 t!,e Universal Copyright Convention, and B.OBERT FAG LES AND no public or private perfomunccs-profcssional or amatcu.-nuy be given without written permission of the copyright ownen. All inquiries shall be ad­ W . B. 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Yoursupport oftheauthor's rigllis 15 'l'I"'-- AGAMEMNON CHARACTERS WATCHMAN CLYT ABMNESTRA HERALD AGAMEMNON CASSANDRA AEGISTHUS CHORUS, THB OLD MEN OP ARGOS AND THEIR I.EAl>Ell mtendants ofClytaemnestra tmd ofAgamemnon. bodyguardofAeglsthus - AESCHYLUS 16 l ~ 39 104 ~nd I try to pick out runes, I hum a little, Trr~B t.ND SCENE: A nigltt in tht a good cure for sleep, and the tears start, tent/1 a11dfinal autunm of the Trojan war. The house ofAtreus in Argos. I cry for the hard times come to the house, Before it, an altar stands unlit; a no longer run like the great place ofold. watc/1ma11 on the high roofi fights to stay awake. Oh for a blessed end to all our pain, WATCHMAN: some godsend burning through the dark- Dear gods, set me free from all the pain, the long watch I keep, one whole year awake .• Light appears slowly in the east; bl propped on my arms, crouched on the roofs ofAtreus struggles to hisfeet and stans It. like a dog. I salute you! I know the stars by heart, the armies ofthe night, and there in the lead S You dawn ofthe darkness, you tum night to day- 25 the ones that bring us snow or the crops ofswnmer, I see the light at last. bring us all we have - They'll be dancing in the streets ofArgos our great blazing kings ofthe sky, thanks to you, thanks to this new stroke of- I know them, when they rise and when they fall ••• Aieeeecel and now I watch for the light. the signal-fire 10 There's your signal clear and true, my queen I breaking out ofTroy, shouting Troy is taken. Rise up from bed-hurry, lift a cry oftriumph 30 So she commands, full ofher high hopes. through the house, praise the gods for the beacon, That woman - she manoeuvres like a man. ifthey've taken Troy .•• But there it bums, And when I keep to my bed, soaked in dew, fire all the way. I'm for the morning dances. and the thoughts go groping through the night 1s Master's luck is mine. A throw ofthe torch and the good dreams that used to guard mysleep ••• has brought us triple-sixes-we have won! 35 not here, it's the old comrade, terror, at my neck. Mymovenow- I musm't sleep, no- Btgin11lng to danct, then brtoking off, Shaking l1imstlfawake. lost i11 tho11gl,t. Look alive, sentry. Just bring him home. My king, I'll take your loving hand in mine and then ••• the rest is silence. The ox is on my tongue. Aye, but the house and these old stones, ~ give them a voice and what a tale they'd tell. And so would I, gladly •• • I speak to those who know; to those who don't my mind's a blank. I never say a word. ) 40-591 AGAMBMNON IOS ,Al'!SCHYLlJS [60- 9l Io6 He climbs downftom the roofand So towering Zeus the god ofguests disapp.ears into the palace tlrro11gh a side .mtranre. A CHORUS, the old mm drives Atreus' sons at Paris, ofArgos w/ro have not teamed the all for a woman manned by many news ofvictory, enters and mardiu the gene.rations wrestle, knee:, round the alw. grinding the dust. the manhood drains, ?O the spear snaps in the first blood rices CHORUS: that marry Greece and Troy. Ten years gone, ten to the day And now itgoes as it goes our great avenger went for Priam- 45 andwhere it ends is Fate. Menelaus and lord Agamemnon, And neither by singeing flesh 1$ two kings with the power ofZeus, nor tipping cups ofwine the twin throne, twin sceptre, nor shedding burning tears canyou Atreus' sturdy yoke ofsons enchantaway the rigid Fury, launched Greece in a thousand ships, so CLYTAJIMNBSTJIA 1/gh/$ the a114t- annadas cutting loose from the 4nd. foa. armies massed for the cause, the rescue- We are the old, dishonoured ones, the broken husks ofmen. so Even then they cast us off, From withln lhe palaa CLYTABM­ the rescue mission left w here NllSTRA TQisu (I cry oftriumph. to prop a child's strength upon a stick. What ifthe new sap rises in his chest? the heart within them screamed for all-out war I Hehas nosoldiery in him, ss Like vultures robbed oftheir young, no more than we, the agony sends them frenzied, ss and we are aged past ageing, soaring high from the nest, round and gloss ofthe leafshrivelled, rowid they wheel, they row their wings, threelcgsuatimcwefahero~ stroke upon churning thrashing stroke,, · Old men are children onceagain, 90 butall the labour, the bed ofpain, adream that sways and wavm the young are lost forever. 60 into the hard light ofday. Yet someone hears on high - Apollo, But you, Pan or Zeus - the piercing wail daughter ofLeda, queen Clytaemncstta_ these guests ofheaven raise, what now, what D.CWJ, what tnessagc drive$ you through the citadel and drives at the outlaws, late 9S hut true to revenge, a stabbing FuryI 65 huming victims? Look, the city gods, the gods ofOlympus, gods ofthe euthand public markets .... CLYT,f.BMNBSTRA appears at tl1e doqrs tmd pausu u,ith htr entcur11gt. all the altau blazing with your puI ........ "' 9z-1z1] AGAMEMNON I(YJ But the Joyal seer ofthe armies studied Atreus' sons, -- Argps blazes ITorches 100 two sons with warring hearts - he saw two eagle-kings race the sunrise up her skies - devour the hare and spoke the things to come, drugged by the lulling holy oils. unadulterated, •years pass, and the long hunt nets the city ofPriam, the Bocks beyond the walls, run from the dark vaults ofkings. a kingdom's life and soul-Fate stamps them out. 130 Tell us the news! JCS What you can, what is right­ Just let no curse ofthe gods lour on us first, Heal us, soothe our fears I shatter our giant armour Now the darkness comes to the fore. forged to strangle Troy. I see pure Artemis bristle in pity- now the hope glows through your victims, 1)$ beating back this raw, relentless anguish JIO yes, tl1e flying hounds ofthe Father gnawing at the heart. slaughter for armies •• • their own victim •• a woman CLYTAl!MNBSTRA lg,torts thttn and ttembling young, all bom to die - She loathes the eagles' feast r pursues hrr rituals; they as.snnblefor Cry, cry for death, but good win out in glory in the end. 1M opming chorus. 'Artemis, lovely Artemis, so kind 140 0 but I still have power to sound the god's command at the to the ravening lion's tender, helpless cubs,. roads the suckling young ofbea:sts that ~talk the wilds­ that launched the kings.