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Achilles
A chorus of women who claim to have come to Aulis all the way from Chalkis simply to glimpse the might of the Grecian army as the men prepare to sail for Troy. In Greek drama, the chorus is an important part of any play: they provide commentary on and interpretation of the action onstage and they often serve as the moral center of the play. The chorus also provides important context as to the histories, myths, and family lineages that are at work in any play. In Iphigeneia at Aulis, the chorus of Chalkidian women is a curious and enthusiastic group which seems just as invested in the emotional stakes of the action as the major characters are.
Chorus of Chalkidian Women Quotes in Iphigenia at Aulis
The Iphigenia at Aulis quotes below are all either spoken by Chorus of Chalkidian Women or refer to Chorus of Chalkidian Women. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Iphigeneia at Aulis
Quotes
CHORUS: I have crossed the narrows
of Euripos, I came sailing and I beached
at Aulis, on the sands. I left
Chalkis, my city, where the spring
of Arethousa wells up and runs flashing
down to the sea. I came
to see for myself this army of the [Greeks,]
the oar-winged ships of the heroes,
the thousand galleys
which blond Menelaos and Agamemnon of the same
great lineage sent,
as our husbands tell us,
to fetch Helen again:
Helen.
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CHORUS: But you, Iphigeneia, on your
lovely hair the Argives will set
a wreath, as on the brows
of a spotted heifer, led down
from caves in the mountains
to the sacrifice,
and the knife will open the throat
and let the blood of a girl.
And you were not
brought up to the sound of the shepherd's pipe
and the cries of the herdsmen,
but nurtured by your mother
to be a bride for one of great Inachos’ sons.
Oh where is the noble face
of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now
that blasphemy is in power
and men have put justice
behind them, and there is no law but lawlessness,
and none join in fear of the gods?
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Chorus of Chalkidian Women Quotes in Iphigenia at Aulis
The Iphigenia at Aulis quotes below are all either spoken by Chorus of Chalkidian Women or refer to Chorus of Chalkidian Women. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Iphigeneia at Aulis
Quotes
CHORUS: I have crossed the narrows
of Euripos, I came sailing and I beached
at Aulis, on the sands. I left
Chalkis, my city, where the spring
of Arethousa wells up and runs flashing
down to the sea. I came
to see for myself this army of the [Greeks,]
the oar-winged ships of the heroes,
the thousand galleys
which blond Menelaos and Agamemnon of the same
great lineage sent,
as our husbands tell us,
to fetch Helen again:
Helen.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
CHORUS: But you, Iphigeneia, on your
lovely hair the Argives will set
a wreath, as on the brows
of a spotted heifer, led down
from caves in the mountains
to the sacrifice,
and the knife will open the throat
and let the blood of a girl.
And you were not
brought up to the sound of the shepherd's pipe
and the cries of the herdsmen,
but nurtured by your mother
to be a bride for one of great Inachos’ sons.
Oh where is the noble face
of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now
that blasphemy is in power
and men have put justice
behind them, and there is no law but lawlessness,
and none join in fear of the gods?
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
