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Greek! This is as far as I'm likely to get in posting for this play, as we just don't have enough time in class to cover more of it except in translation. I do recommend reading on (or can track down an OOC translation to post here if people want), to find out the DRAMATIC CONCLUSION to this tragedy.
(Spoiler! Not everyone dies.)
Meanwhile, let's go see what Electra's awesome plan is. It is not awesome. And I'm not really sure how everyone has jumped from "Let's get murderous revenge before dying!" into the assumption that if they do this, they'll somehow also get to live; I honestly don't see how you'd end up less sentenced to death after murdering more folks who were nominally your allies, but what do I know?
Electra:
Brother, I think I have the very thing, salvation for you and this man, and even for the third one, me.
Orestes:
You speak of foreknowledge of a god? But where is that? Since I do know there’s intelligence in your soul.
Electra:
Now listen! And you come here too, and pay attention.
Orestes:
Speak! Good things coming our way have some pleasure.
Electra:
You know about Helen’s daughter? I’ve heard you know.*
Orestes:
I know her, that Hermione whom my mother brought up.
Electra:
She went walking to the tomb of Clytemnestra--
Orestes:
What is there to do? What hope are you suggesting?
Electra:
--to pour libations on our mother’s tomb.
Orestes:
And what are you saying this has to do with salvation?
Electra:
Collect her as a hostage whenever she walks back.
Orestes:
What sort of remedy do you say this is, for us three friends?
Electra:
When Helen is dead, if Menelaus would do anything to you, or this man and me--for we are all one friend in this--say that you’ll kill Hermione; you must hold a drawn sword to the very neck of the maiden. And if Menelaus should save you, not wanting the girl to die, after seeing the fallen blood of Helen, set the body of the girl free into her father’s possession. And if he’s not controlling his angry soul, about to kill you, cut the girl’s throat. And I think, the first thing he’ll do is puff himself up, then in time his heart will make him soft; for he wasn’t born a confident or brave man. I have this plan to defend our salvation; my speech is spoken.
Orestes:
You’ve gotten yourself the mind of a man, though the body clearly seen to be among female women, since you are more worthy to live than to die. Poor Pylades, you’ll lose such a woman--or living, you’ll be rather happy with the marriage.
Pylades:
If only that should happen, and she might come to the city of the Phocians, acclaimed by wedding songs.
Orestes:
But when will Hermione come into the house? You’ve said these things--if we succeed, good things--on us catching the whelp of an unholy father.
Electra:
I think that even now she’s near the house, since she’s been gone about that long.**
Orestes:
Lovely. Now you, sister Electra, stay near the house and grab the girl when she walks in; and keep watch until the murdering’s finished, in case anyone, some ally or relative of her father, should get to the house first, and make yourself heard in the house, by knocking on the door or calling inside. Let us arm ourselves for entering the final trial, with swords in our hands, Pylades, since you are doing this deed with me.
O father, dwelling in the house of murky night, your child Orestes calls you to come as an ally. []
Electra:
O father, come here, if inside the earth you hear your children calling, who are dying for you.
Pylades:
O kinsman of my father, listen to my prayers, Agamemnon; save your children.
Orestes:
I killed my mother--
Electra:
--and I laid hold of the sword--
Pylades:
--and I encouraged him and set him free from hesitation--
Orestes:
--in aid to you, father.
Electra:
And I did not betray you.
Pylades:
Hearing these reproaches, won’t you save your children?
Orestes:
I make an offering of tears to you--
Electra:
And I do it with compassion.
Pylades:
Stop, and let’s get to the deed. If prayers can pierce into the earth, he hears them; and you, Zeus, our ancestor and the holiness of justice, give good luck to this man and to me and to this woman; for these three friends, there’s one struggle, and one justice: we must live or die all together.
---
* Yes, Hermione. The daughter of Helen. Who was raised by Clytemnestra while Helen was away, and therefore has been living with Orestes’ mother the entire time his father was away. These last ten years. I’m not sure if I’m mistranslating a colloquialism that means more along the lines of “I’m sure you know of...” or if Electra things her brother is really, really unobservant.
** Literally, “for the length of the time runs together with itself.” Yeah.
[] - There’s another bit of Dubious Provenance which I’m not bothering to translate. The translation in my book: “--to these in their need. It is on thy account that I am suffering injustice; and I have been betrayed by thy brother after doing what was right. His wife I want to seize and slay; be thou our accomplice in this.” I have no idea why the translation is suddenly breaking into Thee and Thou, as there’s absolutely no change in pronoun usage in this section of the Greek from any other bit so far.
(Spoiler! Not everyone dies.)
Meanwhile, let's go see what Electra's awesome plan is. It is not awesome. And I'm not really sure how everyone has jumped from "Let's get murderous revenge before dying!" into the assumption that if they do this, they'll somehow also get to live; I honestly don't see how you'd end up less sentenced to death after murdering more folks who were nominally your allies, but what do I know?
Electra:
Brother, I think I have the very thing, salvation for you and this man, and even for the third one, me.
Orestes:
You speak of foreknowledge of a god? But where is that? Since I do know there’s intelligence in your soul.
Electra:
Now listen! And you come here too, and pay attention.
Orestes:
Speak! Good things coming our way have some pleasure.
Electra:
You know about Helen’s daughter? I’ve heard you know.*
Orestes:
I know her, that Hermione whom my mother brought up.
Electra:
She went walking to the tomb of Clytemnestra--
Orestes:
What is there to do? What hope are you suggesting?
Electra:
--to pour libations on our mother’s tomb.
Orestes:
And what are you saying this has to do with salvation?
Electra:
Collect her as a hostage whenever she walks back.
Orestes:
What sort of remedy do you say this is, for us three friends?
Electra:
When Helen is dead, if Menelaus would do anything to you, or this man and me--for we are all one friend in this--say that you’ll kill Hermione; you must hold a drawn sword to the very neck of the maiden. And if Menelaus should save you, not wanting the girl to die, after seeing the fallen blood of Helen, set the body of the girl free into her father’s possession. And if he’s not controlling his angry soul, about to kill you, cut the girl’s throat. And I think, the first thing he’ll do is puff himself up, then in time his heart will make him soft; for he wasn’t born a confident or brave man. I have this plan to defend our salvation; my speech is spoken.
Orestes:
You’ve gotten yourself the mind of a man, though the body clearly seen to be among female women, since you are more worthy to live than to die. Poor Pylades, you’ll lose such a woman--or living, you’ll be rather happy with the marriage.
Pylades:
If only that should happen, and she might come to the city of the Phocians, acclaimed by wedding songs.
Orestes:
But when will Hermione come into the house? You’ve said these things--if we succeed, good things--on us catching the whelp of an unholy father.
Electra:
I think that even now she’s near the house, since she’s been gone about that long.**
Orestes:
Lovely. Now you, sister Electra, stay near the house and grab the girl when she walks in; and keep watch until the murdering’s finished, in case anyone, some ally or relative of her father, should get to the house first, and make yourself heard in the house, by knocking on the door or calling inside. Let us arm ourselves for entering the final trial, with swords in our hands, Pylades, since you are doing this deed with me.
O father, dwelling in the house of murky night, your child Orestes calls you to come as an ally. []
Electra:
O father, come here, if inside the earth you hear your children calling, who are dying for you.
Pylades:
O kinsman of my father, listen to my prayers, Agamemnon; save your children.
Orestes:
I killed my mother--
Electra:
--and I laid hold of the sword--
Pylades:
--and I encouraged him and set him free from hesitation--
Orestes:
--in aid to you, father.
Electra:
And I did not betray you.
Pylades:
Hearing these reproaches, won’t you save your children?
Orestes:
I make an offering of tears to you--
Electra:
And I do it with compassion.
Pylades:
Stop, and let’s get to the deed. If prayers can pierce into the earth, he hears them; and you, Zeus, our ancestor and the holiness of justice, give good luck to this man and to me and to this woman; for these three friends, there’s one struggle, and one justice: we must live or die all together.
---
* Yes, Hermione. The daughter of Helen. Who was raised by Clytemnestra while Helen was away, and therefore has been living with Orestes’ mother the entire time his father was away. These last ten years. I’m not sure if I’m mistranslating a colloquialism that means more along the lines of “I’m sure you know of...” or if Electra things her brother is really, really unobservant.
** Literally, “for the length of the time runs together with itself.” Yeah.
[] - There’s another bit of Dubious Provenance which I’m not bothering to translate. The translation in my book: “--to these in their need. It is on thy account that I am suffering injustice; and I have been betrayed by thy brother after doing what was right. His wife I want to seize and slay; be thou our accomplice in this.” I have no idea why the translation is suddenly breaking into Thee and Thou, as there’s absolutely no change in pronoun usage in this section of the Greek from any other bit so far.