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Purchase instant access PDF download and unlimited online access :. Add to Cart. PDF Preview. Save Cite Email this content Share link with colleague or librarian You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:. Call also upon her friends and nymphs. Chorus Ah! Look there! Look how the ivy excites me! Chorus Oh, oh! My dear Queen! You can see it as it is, with your own eyes! Deianeira I do see, dear friends, I do see it and my wakeful eyes have not failed to also see a procession.
I welcome the herald who has finally appeared. Welcome, that is if your news is to be welcome. Because it is just that whosever returns victorious should be met with heartfelt words.
Lichas When I left him he was alive, strong, healthy and suffering from no ailment. Deianeira Where? In what land?
His own or in some foreign land? Tell me! Deianeira Is that because of a vow he had made or because of some prophecy? Lichas A vow, because he has conquered and destroyed utterly the country of these women here. Deianeira And who are these women and to whom do they belong? Lichas To Heracles. Deianeira Is it around this city of Eurytus, that he had spent all these endless days? Was it to sack this city that he had gone for such a huge length of time? Lichas No, my Queen.
He, himself, says he was captured by the Lydians and held there as a slave for the greater part of the time. Heracles told me, my lady, that he was sold to the foreigner Omphale with whom he had served twelve of those months.
He was so embittered by this shame that he swore a mighty oath that he would make the man who was responsible for his slavery, a slave himself, together with his wife and children. And so he did.
Eurytus told Heracles that even though Heracles possessed these unfailing arrows, he was no match to his sons in archery and insulted him further by reminding him that he had allowed himself to be a slave. Moreover, once, during dinner, when Eurytus was very drunk, he threw Heracles out of his house.
And this is why our lord, the Olympian Zeus, the father of all, had sent Heracles to be sold as a slave, not forgiving him because this was the first man Heracles had killed by deceit. Had Heracles fought Iphitus openly and beaten him in a just manner, Zeus would have forgiven him. Gods, just like mortals, will also not endure unjust crime. This is why all those arrogant men with their insolent tongues end up in their places down in Hades and their city becomes a slave yard.
So, these women here have come to you as slaves though once they were free and happy. Chorus There, my Queen! You should delight in what you see before you and in his words!
My joy should certainly equal his victory. Still, circumspect people are careful not to be overconfident for those who had some success lest their luck one day turns to grief. So great is my fear when I look at these young girls.
Who are you, you poor child? Are you single or married, with a child, perhaps? By your looks I gather you know nothing of such matters but you must be some noble person. Lichas, who is this stranger? Who are her parents? Tell me, Lichas because I felt more sorry for her when I first saw her. She seems to be the one most able to understand her plight.
Lichas Why would I know, my Queen and why do you ask me? Perhaps she is from a good family. Deianeira Would she be from the royal house? Had Eurytus any children? Deianeira Did you not ask any of her fellow travellers?
Deianeira Poor girl, tell me yourself. It would be a pity not to know your name. She said neither much nor little but, the poor creature cried and cried ever since she left her windswept city. Her Fate is truly bad and so she deserves pity. Deianeira Well then, let her go into the palace if she likes.
I have no wish to add to her woes which are more than enough already. Now let us all go inside so that I can make the appropriate preparations and you can be on your way.
The captives, Lichas and Deianeira all move towards the house but the Messenger holds Deianeira back. Messenger Wait a short while, my Queen till after they all gone so that I can tell you something about your visitors. Deianeira What is it, sir? Let me go! Messenger Please listen a moment, my Queen.
My first words to you were worth listening, so will these. Deianeira Shall I call the others backs or is it to me and to my friends here you want to speak? Messenger No, let the others stay inside. I want to speak to you and to your friends here. Messenger My Queen, none of what Lichas had just told you was the truth. Either he lied to you just now or he did so earlier when he had first arrived in Trachis. Deianeira What are you saying? Explain yourself clearly. Messenger My Queen, I heard this man speak in front of a crowd and he said that it was because of this girl that your husband, Heracles had killed Eurytus and sacked the fortress Orchalis and that if there was any god who had inspired him to do that awful deed then that god was Eros.
The stories about the Lydians, his slavery under Omphale or the one about hurling Iphitus over a ridge were all lies. So, here he is now, pushing the real story aside to tell us all this new stuff.
No, what happened was that Heracles had failed to persuade her father to give him his daughter to have as a secret love so he made up some ridiculous excuse to attack her city, whose King was her father Eurytus.
Heracles, killed him and sacked the city. You can ask any of them if you like. If my story displeases you, my Queen then I can assure you I take no pleasure in it either but still, I tell the truth.
Deianeira Ah, poor me! What am I to do now? What disaster have I invited into my house? Lichas swore she has no name; is that true?
The one with the sparkling eyes and nature. Chorus Curse them! Not all the evil doers but those who practice evil in the shadows. Deianeira What must I do now, my friends? I feel dumbstruck by all this! Perhaps he will be forced to tell the truth. Deianeira I shall do that. Your advice is good.
Messenger What about us? Shall we wait here or go? Deianeira No, wait. What would you like me to say to Heracles? Stay a while so we may resume our conversation. Lichas By all means. If you have any further questions, here I am. Deianeira And will you tell me the whole truth? Lichas Let Zeus be my witness, I shall certainly do so!
Deianeira Who is that girl you brought me? Messenger Hey you! Look at me. This way! Lichas And who are you to be asking me questions?
Lichas Who am I talking to? Messenger Ha! Lichas Of course she is. Messenger Well, then what if you were caught lying to her, what penalty should you pay then? Messenger One more little question before you go.
You know who I mean. Messenger That girl who you pretended you knew nothing about her. Lichas Who did I say that to? Who can come up and testify that I said this in front of anyone? Messenger You said this to many folk — a whole crowd of men in the middle of the market place in Trachis.
Lichas Sure! But I said that I thought I had heard it being said but not that I knew it to be definitely true. Lichas As wife? My dear Lady, please tell me who is this man? Messenger Me? I was one of the men there in the market and I heard you say that it was because Heracles fell desperately in love with this girl that he sacked her city and not because of the Lydian woman.
Lichas My Lady, send this man away! Deianeira Lichas! By Zeus, the god whose lighting strikes the holy cliffs of Oeta, hide nothing from me! All mortals gain joy equally and whoever stands before Eros like a boxer does before his opponent is stupid! Eros rules all according to his whim —both, the gods as well as me, so why not another woman? Had I had some complaint about my husband for falling into this ailment I would be mad.
The same as with this woman who did me no harm. No ill thoughts have crossed my mind about her either but if he has instructed you to lie to me then this is an unwholesome lesson. They will regard you, instead, as a criminal. Come, now, tell me the truth!
After all, has not this single man, Heracles, slept with many women? Not one of these women heard an evil word from me or has she been reproached. The same with Iole. Not even if Heracles melted by his desire for her because I pitied her the most. Her stunning beauty was the cause of her misfortune and the destruction of her life, as well as that of turning her city into a slave yard, without the poor wretch doing a thing.
But let all this flow down the river. Always speak to me the truth and leave to lies for others. Chorus My Queen is right. Lichas Alright, my Lady. I will keep nothing back and it will all be the truth.
It is true, my Lady. It is just like this man says. One day an overwhelming passion for Iole came over Heracles and that was why her city, Oechalia, was taken by the spear and destroyed.
If you count this act of mine to be wrong then it was I who is at fault. Heracles excelled in all matters to do with strength but he was totally conquered by his desire for this young girl. Deianeira But of course I shall. I have no notion of falling for this sickness of fighting pointlessly against the gods.
Now let us go into the house so that I can give you my message to Heracles and exchange gifts with those he has sent me. Chorus What giants then entered the ring to fight for the hand of this Queen, Deianeira?
Dust in clouds and fists in blood and hatred in their faces they met each other? One was the angry river in the guise of a bull —enormous horns, four legs- Achelous from Oenieadae. Chorus The other came from Bacchic Thebes, shaking the spear and his club, his unfailing bow and arrows, the son of Zeus. Chorus And there she was, the beautiful Aphrodite, protectress of virginity, standing in the centre, an umpire of the mighty clash. Legs tightly gripped bodies, head struck head fiercely and groan met groan but Deianeira, the girl with the gorgeous eyes —I tell the story as if I were there- stood by a hillock nearby waiting for her Heracles, her groom.
Chorus Yet the face, the eyes, the reason for the thunderous clash, await there full of sadness. Deianeira Dear friends, while Lichas is talking with the slaves I sneaked out to tell you about a scheme I have devised and to receive from you some comfort for what I am suffering.
Heracles has brought into my house Iole who is no maiden but a grown woman! Not a worthy reward for my faithfulness to him. All these years, keeping his house and home for him! So now, the two of us, Iole and I, await for his embrace beneath the same sheets.
Is this the work of a true and noble husband? The eyes pluck the first but the feet walk away from the other. And so I worry lest Heracles calls me his wife but Iole calls him her man.
Still, I have told you earlier that for a reasonable woman it is not honourable to be angry at someone who suffers from such an affliction. Nessus, a shaggy haired centaur of the olden times, had once, when I was but a child, given me a precious gift. During the last moments of his life I gathered some of his blood into a cup and kept it as a cure-all. Nessus, you see, used to carry folk across the torrents of Evenus for a fee. He used to carry these folk in his bare arms, using neither oar nor sail.
He carried me on his shoulders but as we were crossing the river, he handled me in a shameful manner and I screamed. Heracles turned and shot a poison arrow at the beast piercing him through the chest and lungs. Gather the blood that clots around the wound the arrow made. It is the poison of the black gall from the Lernea Hydra. Use this as a charm whenever you think Heracles shows an interest in other women.
This charm will bind his love to you. If you think the deed is wrong then I shall abandon it. Chorus Then you must test it. Believing in its power without having tested it is no certainty. Please keep this a tight secret my friends because even a shameful deed, done in darkness is not shameful. Lichas Well then, what do I have to do? Deianeira handing him the casket Exactly what I was thinking, Lichas, while you were in the palace talking with the women.
Now, give my husband this long piece of cloth which I have weaved with my own hands as a present to him.. Tell him at the same time, that no one else must put it on except himself. This was my promised oath: If ever I saw him return to my house alive and well, or if I had learnt of his return I would have dressed him up in this beautiful robe to appear before the gods, a brilliantly dressed man ready for a brilliant sacrifice. And so as to make sure he believes you, take with you this seal ring.
He will recognise it. I will certainly take this casket from your hands and deliver it to him, delivering also your words so that he may be persuaded. Deianeira Time then for you to leave since you know how things stand here.
Lichas I shall go. I know how things stand and I shall explain that all is well here. Lichas So much so that my heart felt enormous joy. Deianeira I wonder… is there anything else you should tell him? Chorus You folk who live by the warm springs —springs that gush from the mountain rocks as well as from the rocks near the sea. Springs near the hills of Oeta; and you, folk who live in the gulf of Maliea, near the coast that belonged to Artemis, the maiden of the golden distaff, there where the hordes of the Greeks gather for their meetings, there at Thermopylae.
Chorus Soon the sweet-voiced flute will echo sounds not sad but, like a lyre, it will sing divine hymns.
Because any minute now Heracles, born of Zeus and Alkmene will arrive at the palaces carrying unmatched trophies of victories. Chorus Heracles for whom we have waited for twelve months while he was travelling beyond the distant seas, and about whom we knew nothing. Chorus His poor wife, Deianeira, crying all the while, sadness and worry breaking her heart.
But now the war god has released him from his fury. Deianeira I hope dear friends I have not gone too far with my actions. Chorus Tell us, if you can what you are afraid of. The wool became ash and blew with the wind from the stone where I had left it. They tell her to send her son Hyllus away to find Heracles and bring him home. She has heard a prophecy about her husband that worries her, and she wants to make sure he is safe. Shortly after Hyllus departs, a messenger arrives with news that Heracles has just won another battle and will be coming home to Trachis soon, after making religious offerings on Cape Cenaeum.
Related summaries: books by Sophocles Ajax. Oedipus at Colonus. Oedipus Rex.
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