POE 
feized with the prophetic furor, and frantically exclaims:— 
“ Wo! wo! O Earth ! Apollo, O Apollo!” Upon the 
fubfequent demand of explanation from the chorus, a 
fcene enfues which mull be clalfed among the chief efforts 
of tragedy j on the fate of Agamemnon, with the 
preceding and fucceeding calamities of the houfe of 
Atreus, is depiftured and deplored in all the dark but 
magnificent imagery of poetic enthufiafm. At the con- 
cluiion of this terrific fcene, the voice of Agamemnon is 
heard within, exclaiming, that he has received a deadly 
wound ; and a fecond time, that he is bafely murdered : 
immediately after which, Clytemneftra appears, and avows, 
with pride and exultation, the horrid deed : 
Entangled in the gorgeous robe that fhone 
Fatally rich; I ftruck him twice, and twice 
He groan’d, then died. 
The character of Clytemneftra is admirably fupported in 
the following fcenes; and Egiflhus, her paramour and 
accomplice in the murder, and the fworn enemy of Aga¬ 
memnon, alfo boafts in the fpirit of Zanga; 
All this plan of ruin was mine, recklefs 
Of what enlue ; e’en death were glorious 
Now that he proflrate lies, caught in 
My vengeance. 
The fequel of this horrid (lory, occupies the two next tra¬ 
gedies of this great poet; and they contain likewife very 
great, though, from the nature of the fable, not equal, 
beauties, or equal intereft, with the firfl part. 
5. “ The Choephora:, or Bearers of Libations to the 
Tomb.” The-fcene of this tragedy, as of the former, is 
at Argos, before the royal palace. Orefles, the only fon 
of the flaughtered monarch, and as yet a child at the period 
of his affafTination, was, in confequence of that event, 
conveyed to the court of Strophius, king of Phocis, his 
uncle; and after the lapfe of fome years, being grown up 
to man’s ellate, he fecretly, and in difguife, returned to 
Argos, with the full purpole of vengeance on the mur¬ 
derers. But, in the firfl place, repairing to the tomb of 
his father, and, according to the cuflom of ancient times, 
making thereon the offering of his hair, as indicatory of 
his grief and affeftion, he fees a train of females advancing 
from the palace, and bringing libations to the tomb; 
whence the tragedy derives its name: and it clofes with 
the terrific and bloody facrifice, not only of Egiflhus, but 
of his mother Clytemneftra, by' the enraged and pitilefs 
Orefles. 
6. “ The Furies.” This is the termination of the fame 
flory. Orefles had filed the blood of his mother by' the 
exprefs command of the oracle of Apollo; yet he is haunted 
by the Furies, and driven to diftraftion. His fufferings 
were regarded, by th'e generality, as the juft punifiiment 
of parricide; for no authority, it was fuppofed, could 
fanftion fo direful an aft. At length an appeal being 
made to Minerva, that goddefs referred the caufe to the 
court of Areopagus. The trial took place, and on count¬ 
ing the fhells, they were found equal ; Minerva, herfelf, 
giving her vote in favour of Orefles, who is consequently 
acquitted of moral guilt, and the Furies declare themfelves 
appeafed. 
7 -__ “ The Perfians.” This fine drama reprefents the 
confufion and conflernation of the court of Sufa, on the 
intelligence of the battle ofSalamis. Diftrafted by oppo- 
fing counfels, the gholt of Darius, invoked by the affem- 
bled chiefs and fatraps of the empire, arifes, and warns 
them not to continue the war againft Greece, as perfeve- 
rance will produce only a fucceffion of difafters. 
Sophocles, the next Greek dramatift, chiefly excelled 
ZElchylus in delicacy and finifh. He dwelt not fo much 
among the fupernal fpirits of his predecefTor’s creation as 
in the noble realities of human life. To man he gave 
Indeed an elevation fomewhat unnatural ; but he did not 
entirely clofe his eyes on their weaknefles. His fertile 
genius expended itfelf on upwards of one hundred plays, 
Vql. XX. No, 14.07. 
TRY. 761 
of which we have to regret that only feven remain; but 
thefe poflefs great and varied excellence. 
The firfl is the “ Trachiniae;” fo called from Trachis, 
a city and fmal! furrounding diflrift in Thefialy, to w-hicii 
Deianira, the wife of Hercules, retired during the expedi¬ 
tion of that hero to ZEchalia, the royal feat of Eurytus, 
with whofe daughter Iole Hercules became enamoured ; 
and, as a charm to recover his affeftion, Deianira, de¬ 
ceived by the dying affurances long before given by the 
centaur Neflus, fends him a garment dipped in the blood 
of the Lernaean hydra; which, caufing his diftolution amid 
the agonies of pain and diftraftion, forms the cataflrophe 
of this animated drama. The character of Deianira, as 
here delineated, is gentle and pleafing. That of Hercules 
exhibits the combination of great frailties blended with 
great virtues. 
2. “ CEdipus Tyrannus.” This is generally accounted 
the mafterpiece of Sophocles, and the chef d'ceuvre of the 
ancient drama. It mull have been highly interefting to 
the Greeks,who were familiar with, and deeply fympathifed 
in, the affiiftions of the houfe of Cadmus, or, as it is fre¬ 
quently ftyled, of Labdacus, renowned for its misfortunes. 
But it is in vain to expeft that the fame iinpreflion will, 
or can, be made upon the minds of a modern audience. 
To us it appears a foreign ftory, founded at bell on ob- 
fcure and remote tradition, and blended with circum- 
flances (hocking, extravagant, and incredible. It is utterly 
unfit for reprelentation in the prefent times, under every 
pofiible modification. But thofe who can enter into the 
ideas, or make proper allowances for the opinions and 
prejudices of antiquity, mull feel high admiration at the 
various beauties of this celebrated drama; at that com¬ 
bination of private diltrefs with public calamity, which 
gives an awful dignity to the fable; at the truth and force 
with which the different charafters are pourtrayed; at the 
propriety and fublimity of the choral odes; and at the 
perfeft (kill with which the incidents are introduced, the 
plot gradually matured, and the dreadful cataftrophe at 
length developed. But it has the egregious fault we no¬ 
ticed in our introduftory remarks on tragedy: to the 
audience the plot is told in a molt abrupt and almoft direct 
manner. 
3. “ QEdipus Coloneus.” The fubjeft of this tragedy is 
extremely fimple ; containing only a pathetic reprefenta- 
tion of the circumltances attending the death of CEdipus, 
which took place, according to Sophocles, at Colone, the 
place of his own nativity. Conformable to the ideas 
ufually entertained of “ the wretched race of .Labdacus,” 
Eteocles was the elder fon of CEdipus and Jocafta, who 
retained poffeflion of the throne of Thebes in violation 
of the agreement with Polynices, by which they were to 
occupy alternately fora year. Thus the llory is told by 
Statius, and by Jocafta herfelf in the Phcenilfae of Euripi¬ 
des ; and in the Seven Chiefs of Thebes bj' Avfchylus. 
But in this drama Polynices fpeaks of himfelf as the elder 
brother, driven from that throne which was his in right 
of birth, by the traitorous arts of Eteocles. There is 
nothing in the enfuing tragedy of Antigone inconfiftent 
with this llatement, which fo materially llrengthens and 
fanftions the claims of Polynices. But all pleas and 
all diltinftions were loll in the general confideration, that 
“ Eteocies nobly fought and died for Thebes and that 
Polynices “ would in flames have walled all; his country 
and his gods.” 
4. “ Antigon6.” This tragedy is founded on the heroic 
refolution of Antigone, filler to the rival brothers, to be¬ 
llow the rites of burial upon Polynices, who had been 
denounced as the public enemy of Thebes, and dellined 
by Creon, the fucceffor to the throne, to be expofed, “ a 
feall for hungry vultures on the plain;” fuch as dared to 
contravene this mandate being doomed to death. To the 
ears and underltandings of modern readers thisfeems but 
a flight bafis for a dramatic fuperllrufture. But it is 
neceffary to recolleft, that to be deprived of fepulture was 
accounted by the ancients the greatell of injuries; for it 
9 H was 
