24 Ernest Heinrich Klotsche 



dream a previous appearance of Achilles' ghost over his tomb had 

 added to the alarm and confusion. 



Hec. 68-78: 



w aTepowa Atos, 03 aKorla vv^, 



tI ttot' alpofxat evvvxos ovtco 



5eifxaai. <j>aaixa(ji.', w irorvia X??wj', k. t. X. 



" O lightning splendour of Zeus, O mirk of the night, 

 Why quake I for visions in slumber that haunt me 

 With terrors with phantoms? O Earth's majestic might, 

 Mother of dreams that hover in dusk-winged flight, 

 I cry to the vision of darkness ' Avaunt thee ! ' — 

 The dream of my son who was sent into Thrace to be saved 



from the slaughter. 

 The dream that I saw of Polyxena's doom. 

 Which I saw, which I knew, which abideth to daunt me." 



Hec. 90 ff. : 



eidov yap jSaXidv ekaipov \vkov atfiovi x^Xa 



(7(^a^op.tvav, air' kfiuiv yovaruv aTracrd^elaav avajKO. OMTpois. 



" For a dappled fawn I beheld which a wolf's red fangs were 

 tearing. 

 Which he dragged from my knees, whereto she had clung in 

 her piteous despairing." 



Hecuba reflects again on the apparition of her son: 



Hec. 702-06: 



w/xot, alai, ep-ad^ov kvvirviov bpp.aTUv 



kpwv bypiv, ov p,e wape^a 4>a- 



(Tp.a peKavoTTTepov, 



av ecreldov ap,4)l a , 



(b TtKvov, ovKeT ovTa Atos kv (pdec. 



" Woe's me, I discern it, the vision that blasted my sight ! 

 Neither flitted unheeded that black-winged phantom of night, 

 Which I saw, which revealed that my son was no more of the 

 light." 



Doubtless, Euripides employs such supernatural element of 

 dreams and visions as a survival of a primitive belief. But the 

 predominant reason for employing supernatural apparitions and 

 manifestations in tragedy, especially where a serious effect is 

 aimed at, is the desire of the poet to arouse terror. The fear of 

 ghosts and the fear resulting from dreams, is, of course, vague 



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