44 Ernest Heinrich Klotsche 



" Athena, Queen, who hears the words of Gods, 

 And disobeyeth them, is sense-bereft." 



Pylades under a solemn oath promises Iphigenia to present the 

 document written by Iphigenia, to Orestes, or in case the docu- 

 ment be lost to deliver the message to Orestes in person ; while 

 Iphigenia promises to send Pylades home unhurt, 735 ff. The 

 solemn ceremony is concluded with the usual self -imprecation in 

 case of violating the covenant : 



I. T. 747-52: 



11: Ttj"' oiv eirdfxvvs TOicrid opKiov -deutv; 



I : Apre/xLv, kv rja-irep bdoixacriv rijuds exco. 

 n : ey<h 6' avaKra 7' ovpavov, aefivov Ala. 



I : el 5' kKXtir(bv t6v opKov adLKoirjs e/xe; 

 n : avocTTOs e'iriv tL Se av, fxi] acoaaaa yue; 



I : firjiroTe Kar' Apyos fwcr' tx^'os delrjv irobos. 



P: "What God dost take to witness this thine oath?" 

 I : " Artemis, in whose fane I hold mine office." 



P : " And I by Heaven's King, reverend Zeus." 



I: "What if thou fail thine oath, and do me wrong?" 



P: "May I return not. If thou save me not? — " 

 I : " AHve in Argos may I ne'er set foot." 



cf. also Medea 754. 



Iphigenia implores the chorus to keep silence about her plan to 

 save her brother and herself. The chorus, consisting of captured 

 Greek women who were spared by the Taurians for a life of 

 servitude, promise under oath: 



I. T. 1076-77 : 



COS eK 7' knov aoi iravra aLyqd^rjaeTai., 

 'iaru ixtyas Zeiis, wv tiriaKif-KTeLS irkpi. 



" I will keep silence touching all the things 

 Whereof thou chargest me : great Zeus be witness." 



Orestes impressed with the danger into which he has come 

 through Apollo's oracle upbraids the God for having led him 

 again into a net, when he had looked for a happy termination of 

 his toils : 



I.T. 77-94: 



w $ot/3e, TTol m' 0.V T7]v5' « apKvv rjYayes 

 Xpi7cras, k. t. X. 



98 



