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Aristophanes · The Frogs §1094-1174

Dispute over the Prologue of Aeschylus

Passage 14 of 18 · Greek

Summary

The direct confrontation between Euripides and Aeschylus over the prologues of their plays begins, with disputes arising over repetition and interpretation in the opening lines of Aeschylus' Oresteia.

§1094ἐν ταῖσι πύλαις παίουσʼ αὐτοῦ §1095γαστέρα πλευρὰς λαγόνας πυγήν, §1096ὁ δὲ τυπτόμενος ταῖσι πλατείαις §1097ὑποπερδόμενος §1098φυσῶν τὴν λαμπάδʼ ἔφευγεν.
(DIONYSUS) At the gates they beat his belly, ribs, flanks, and buttocks, and he, being beaten with flat palms, farting slightly, blew out his torch and fled.
§1099μέγα τὸ πρᾶγμα, πολὺ τὸ νεῖκος, ἁδρὸς ὁ πόλεμος ἔρχεται.
(CHORUS) A great matter, a mighty dispute, a fierce war is coming.
§1100χαλεπὸν οὖν ἔργον διαιρεῖν, §1101ὅταν ὁ μὲν τείνῃ βιαίως, §1102ὁ δʼ ἐπαναστρέφειν δύνηται κἀπερείδεσθαι τορῶς.
It is a difficult task, therefore, to decide, when one presses on violently, and the other is able to turn back and make a sharp counter-thrust.
§1103ἀλλὰ μὴ νʼ ταὐτῷ κάθησθον· §1104ἐσβολαὶ γάρ εἰσι πολλαὶ χἄτεραι σοφισμάτων.
But do not sit in the same place; for there are many other entry-points of clever wiles.
§1105ὅ τι περ οὖν ἔχετον ἐρίζειν, §1106λέγετον ἔπιτον ἀνά τε δέρετον §1107τά τε παλαιὰ καὶ τὰ καινά, §1108κἀποκινδυνεύετον λεπτόν τι καὶ σοφὸν λέγειν.
Whatever, then, you have to dispute about, speak, attack, and flay, both the old things and the new, and venture to say something subtle and clever.
§1109εἰ δὲ τοῦτο καταφοβεῖσθον, μή τις ἀμαθία προσῇ §1110τοῖς θεωμένοισιν, ὡς τὰ §1111λεπτὰ μὴ γνῶναι λεγόντοιν, §1112μηδὲν ὀρρωδεῖτε τοῦθʼ·
But if you are afraid of this, lest some ignorance belong to the spectators, so that they do not understand the subtle things you say, do not fear this at all; for things are no longer so.
ὡς οὐκέθʼ οὕτω ταῦτʼ ἔχει. §1113ἐστρατευμένοι γάρ εἰσι, §1114βιβλίον τʼ ἔχων ἕκαστος μανθάνει τὰ δεξιά· §1115αἱ φύσεις τʼ ἄλλως κράτισται, §1116νῦν δὲ καὶ παρηκόνηνται.
For they have served in campaigns, and each having a book learns clever things; and their natures are otherwise excellent, and now they have also been sharpened.
§1117μηδὲν οὖν δείσητον, ἀλλὰ §1118πάντʼ ἐπέξιτον θεατῶν γʼ οὕνεχʼ ὡς ὄντων σοφῶν.
Do not fear anything, then, but go through everything, at least for the sake of the spectators, as they are wise.
§1119καὶ μὴν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς τοὺς προλόγους σου τρέψομαι, §1120ὅπως τὸ πρῶτον τῆς τραγῳδίας μέρος §1121πρώτιστον αὐτοῦ βασανιῶ τοῦ δεξιοῦ.
(EURIPIDES) Very well, then, I will turn to your prologues themselves, so that I may first of all examine the first part of the tragedy of this "clever" poet.
§1122ἀσαφὴς γὰρ ἦν ἐν τῇ φράσει τῶν πραγμάτων.
For he was obscure in the expression of his facts.
§1123καὶ ποῖον αὐτοῦ βασανιεῖς;
(DIONYSUS) And which of his prologues will you examine?
§1123bπολλοὺς πάνυ.
(EURIPIDES) Very many indeed.
§1124πρῶτον δέ μοι τὸν ἐξ Ὀρεστείας λέγε. §1125ἄγε δὴ σιώπα πᾶς ἀνήρ.
But first recite to me the one from the "Oresteia." (DIONYSUS) Come now, let everyone keep silence.
λέγʼ Αἰσχύλε.
Speak, Aeschylus.
§1126Ἑρμῆ χθόνιε πατρῷʼ ἐποπτεύων κράτη, §1127σωτὴρ γενοῦ μοι σύμμαχός τʼ αἰτουμένῳ.
(AESCHYLUS) "Nether Hermes, who watches over my father's power, be my savior and ally, at my prayer.
§1128ἥκω γὰρ ἐς γῆν τήνδε καὶ κατέρχομαι. §1129τούτων ἔχεις ψέγειν τι;
For I have come to this land, and I return." (DIONYSUS) Do you have anything to blame in these?
§1129bπλεῖν ἢ δώδεκα.
(EURIPIDES) More than twelve.
§1130ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ πάντα ταῦτά γʼ ἔστʼ ἀλλʼ ἢ τρία.
(DIONYSUS) But all of these together are only three lines!
§1131ἔχει δʼ ἕκαστον εἴκοσίν γʼ ἁμαρτίας.
(EURIPIDES) And each one has at least twenty errors.
§1132Αἰσχύλε παραινῶ σοι σιωπᾶν· εἰ δὲ μή, §1133πρὸς τρισὶν ἰαμβείοισι προσοφείλων φανεῖ.
(DIONYSUS) Aeschylus, I advise you to keep silent; otherwise, besides the three iambics, you will find yourself owing more.
§1134ἐγὼ σιωπῶ τῷδʼ;
(AESCHYLUS) Am I to keep silent for him?
§1134bἐὰν πείθῃ γʼ ἐμοί.
(DIONYSUS) Yes, if you take my advice.
§1135εὐθὺς γὰρ ἡμάρτηκεν οὐράνιόν γʼ ὅσον.
(EURIPIDES) For he has made a mistake straight away, as big as heaven.
§1136ὁρᾷς ὅτι ληρεῖς;
(DIONYSUS) Do you see that you are talking nonsense?
§1136bἀλλʼ ὀλίγον γέ μοι μέλει.
(EURIPIDES) But I care very little.
§1137πῶς φῄς μʼ ἁμαρτεῖν;
(AESCHYLUS) How do you say I made a mistake?
§1137bαὖθις ἐξ ἀρχῆς λέγε.
(DIONYSUS) Recite it again from the beginning.
§1138Ἑρμῆ χθόνιε πατρῷʼ ἐποπτεύων κράτη. §1139οὔκουν Ὀρέστης τοῦτʼ ἐπὶ τῷ τύμβῳ λέγει §1140τῷ τοῦ πατρὸς τεθνεῶτος;
(AESCHYLUS) "Nether Hermes, who watches over my father's power," (EURIPIDES) Now, does not Orestes say this at the tomb of his deceased father?
§1140bοὐκ ἄλλως λέγω.
(AESCHYLUS) I do not say otherwise.
§1141πότερʼ οὖν τὸν Ἑρμῆν, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ἀπώλετο §1142αὐτοῦ βιαίως ἐκ γυναικείας χερὸς §1143δόλοις λαθραίοις, ταῦτʼ ἐποπτεύειν ἔφη;
(EURIPIDES) Did he then say that Hermes watched over these things when his father perished violently by a woman's hand through secret guile, that he "watched over" this?
§1144οὐ δῆτʼ ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλὰ τὸν Ἐριούνιον §1145Ἑρμῆν χθόνιον προσεῖπε, κἀδήλου λέγων §1146ὁτιὴ πατρῷον τοῦτο κέκτηται γέρας— §1147ἔτι μεῖζον ἐξήμαρτες ἢ ʼγὼ ʼβουλόμην· §1148εἰ γὰρ πατρῷον τὸ χθόνιον ἔχει γέρας— §1149οὕτω γʼ ἂν εἴη πρὸς πατρὸς τυμβωρύχος.
(AESCHYLUS) Not at all; rather, he addressed Eriounios Nether Hermes, and made it clear by saying that he possessed this office as a heritage from his father— (EURIPIDES) You have made an even greater mistake than I wanted; for if he has the nether office as a heritage from his father— in that case, on his father's side, he would be a grave-robber.
§1150Διόνυσε πίνεις οἶνον οὐκ ἀνθοσμίαν.
(DIONYSUS) Aeschylus, you are drinking wine that has no flower scent.
§1151λέγʼ ἕτερον αὐτῷ· σὺ δʼ ἐπιτήρει τὸ βλάβος.
Recite another line to him; and you, watch for the flaw.
§1152σωτὴρ γενοῦ μοι σύμμαχός τʼ αἰτουμένῳ.
(AESCHYLUS) "be my savior and ally, at my prayer.
§1153ἥκω γὰρ ἐς γῆν τήνδε καὶ κατέρχομαι— §1154δὶς ταὐτὸν ἡμῖν εἶπεν ὁ σοφὸς Αἰσχύλος.
For I have come to this land, and I return"— (EURIPIDES) The wise Aeschylus has said the same thing to us twice.
§1155πῶς δίς;
(DIONYSUS) How twice?
§1155bσκόπει τὸ ῥῆμʼ· ἐγὼ δέ σοι φράσω.
(EURIPIDES) Examine the word; and I will explain it to you.
§1156ἥκω γὰρ ἐς γῆν, φησί, καὶ κατέρχομαι· §1157ἥκω δὲ ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ κατέρχομαι. §1158νὴ τὸν Δίʼ ὥσπερ γʼ εἴ τις εἴποι γείτονι, §1159χρῆσον σὺ μάκτραν, εἰ δὲ βούλει, κάρδοπον. §1160οὐ δῆτα τοῦτό γʼ ὦ κατεστωμυλμένε §1161ἄνθρωπε ταὔτʼ ἔστʼ, ἀλλʼ ἄριστʼ ἐπῶν ἔχον.
"I have come to this land," he says, "and I return." But "to have come" is the same as "to return." (DIONYSUS) By Zeus, yes, just as if someone should say to his neighbor: "Lend me a kneading-trough, or if you like, a kneading-bowl." (AESCHYLUS) Not at all, you chatterbox, is this the same, but it is a most excellent arrangement of words.
§1162πῶς δή;
(EURIPIDES) How so?
δίδαξον γάρ με καθʼ ὅ τι δὴ λέγεις;
Teach me then on what ground you say this.
§1163ἐλθεῖν μὲν ἐς γῆν ἔσθʼ ὅτῳ μετῇ πάτρας· §1164χωρὶς γὰρ ἄλλης συμφορᾶς ἐλήλυθεν· §1165φεύγων δʼ ἀνὴρ ἥκει τε καὶ κατέρχεται. §1166εὖ νὴ τὸν Ἀπόλλω.
(AESCHYLUS) "To have come" to a land is possible for anyone who has a share in the fatherland; for he has come without any other misfortune; but an exiled man both "comes" and "returns." (DIONYSUS) Well said, by Apollo!
τί σὺ λέγεις Εὐριπίδη;
What do you say, Euripides?
§1167οὐ φημὶ τὸν Ὀρέστην κατελθεῖν οἴκαδε· §1168λάθρᾳ γὰρ ἦλθεν οὐ πιθὼν τοὺς κυρίους.
(EURIPIDES) I deny that Orestes "returned" home; for he came in secret, without having persuaded those in power.
§1169εὖ νὴ τὸν Ἑρμῆν·
(DIONYSUS) Well said, by Hermes!
ὅ τι λέγεις δʼ οὐ μανθάνω.
But I don't understand what you mean.
§1170πέραινε τοίνυν ἕτερον.
Go on then to another.
§1170bἴθι πέραινε σὺ §1171Αἰσχύλʼ ἀνύσας· σὺ δʼ ἐς τὸ κακὸν ἀπόβλεπε.
Go on, finish it, Aeschylus, quickly; and you, look out for the bad points.
§1172τύμβου δʼ ἐπʼ ὄχθῳ τῷδε κηρύσσω πατρὶ §1173κλύειν ἀκοῦσαι. §1173bτοῦθʼ ἕτερον αὖθις λέγει, §1174κλύειν ἀκοῦσαι, ταὐτὸν ὂν σαφέστατα.
(AESCHYLUS) "And on this mound of the tomb I call upon my father to hear and to listen." (EURIPIDES) Here he says another thing twice, "to hear and to listen," which is most clearly the same.

Notes

  1. §1126πατρῷʼ — πατρῷʼ can be interpreted either as the elided neuter plural accusative πατρῷα (modifying κράτη) or as the elided vocative masculine πατρῷε (modifying Ἑρμῆ). In the subsequent debate (ll. 1141-1149), Euripides criticizes the former reading (referring to Agamemnon's power), while Aeschylus defends the latter (referring to Hermes' father Zeus).
  2. §1143ἐποπτεύειν — This is an accusative with infinitive construction acting as the complement of ἔφη (from φημί at the end of l. 1143). It forms the core of Euripides' sarcastic question asking whether Orestes asserted that Hermes was "watching over" the violent death of his father.
  3. §1163ἐλθεῖν — In Aeschylus' vocabulary distinction, ἐλθεῖν (and ἥκειν) denotes simple physical movement ("to come/arrive") applicable to anyone, whereas κατέρχεσθαι carries the legal connotation of an exile "returning home." This infinitive marks the starting point of his semantic explanation.
  4. §1173κλύειν ἀκοῦσαι — The juxtaposition of the synonymous verbs κλύειν (present infinitive, "to hear") and ἀκοῦσαι (aorist infinitive, "to listen/hearken"). While Euripides attacks this as a mere tautology, in poetic language it functions as a contrast in aspect (present for ongoing hearing, aorist for the decisive act of hearkening) or as an emphatic formula in prayers and invocations to the dead.

Cite this passage

Aristophanes, The Frogs §1094-1174. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0019.tlg009.humanitext-grc2:1094-1174

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