Orestes - Euripides

Euripides' Orestes was quite possibly the most famous Greek play in antiquity. It has a fast moving plot, one which is simple and episodic in nature. The story fills that period of events from Orestes' murder of his mother Clytemnestra to his trial in Athens. Argos' citizens sentence Orestes to death for this murder. Menelaus, the King of Sparta and Orestes' uncle takes control of Argos. Orestes murders his cousin Hermione, Menelaus' daughter with Helen. Apollo saves the day before Orestes tries to burn down the palace of Mycenae. Apollo as Deus ex Machina resolves the play and its political implications.

An ancient commentator described everyone in this play as bad, except perhaps Pylades. The plan to murder Helen is Pylades' idea. Helen herself is vain and simple. Menelaus is duplicitous. Electra is just plain bloodthirsty.

Thucidydes says that reckless daring was held to be loyal courage, that the club superseded family ties.

The play itself was produced in 408 BC.  The plot has a similar structure to an Aristophanic comedy. One might call it a comic tragedy. It should be contrasted with Sophocles' Orestes

Setting:

Before the royal palace [represented by the skene] at Argos. It is six days after Clytemnestra and Aegisthus her lover have been murdered.

Dramatis Personae:

Electra [Sister of Orestes, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra]
Helen [of Troy, wife of King Menelaus, Sister of Clytemnestra]
Hermione [Daughter of King Menelaus and Helen]
Chorus of Argive Maidens
Orestes [Son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra]
King Menelaus of Sparta [Brother of Agamemnon]
Tyndarus [Father of Clytemnestra and Helen]
Pylades [Friend and cousin of Orestes, Son of King Strophius of Phocis]
A Phrygian slave
Apollo [God of healing, medecine and the sun]

Summary:

Prologue [Lines 1-139] Delivered by Electra. Orestes is lying asleep on a bed.
Orestes is being tormented by the Erinyes [The Furies] and has been suffering so for six days following the  matricide of his mother, Clytemnestra, and murder of her lover, Aegisthus, in revenge for their murder of his father, Agamemnon. While Orestes sleeps, exhausted, his sister Electra keeps watch and meditates on the calamitous misfortune to the house of Atreus. She reveals that the towns folk are to decide the fate of her brother and herself that day. Electra was also a party to the crime of matricide, she places her hope in Menelaus; the latter who is shortly to arrive from Troy.

Helen enters . As Menelaus' wife, Helen [of Troy], she has been secretly sent ahead for fear of the Greeks' revenge, asks Electra to take offerings for her to the tomb of her sister, Clytemnestra. Electra refuses, telling her to send her daughter Hermione instead.  Helen exits. Electra comments that Helen is as vain as ever.

Hermione Enters
Helen tells Hermione to take the libations and offerings she has brought to Clytemnestra's tomb and gives her instructions what to do. Hermione exits. Helen Exits/

Parodos [Lines 140-207] 
The Chorus of Argive Maidens enter and speak with Electra of her brother's plight. 

First Episode [Lines 208-347] Electra, Orestes and the Chorus
Orestes awakes, momentarily sane, but the Erinyes again are tormenting him inside his head and he falls back into a delirium.

First Stasimon [Lines 316-355] 
The Chorus sing of avenging spirits and fortune's reversals. The Chorus Leader announces the imminent arrival of Menelaus.

Second Episode  [Lines 355-806]
When Menelaus arrives at the palace. He enquires about Orestes. Orestes begs for his help against the people of Argos, who are about to sentence him and his sister, Electra, to death by stoning as matricides. Clytemnestra's and Helen's father, Tyndareus, then enters and accuses his grandson of murder. He says to Orestes that he could have sent Clytemnestra into exile instead.  Orestes answers that he was only obeying Apollo's orders and that if he had let his mother go unpunished, no husband would ever feel safe again. Unmoved and unconvinced Tyndareus says he will support a sentence of death being passed against Orestes. He exits telling Menelaus not to assist him. Orestes again turns to Menelaus, but the latter only agrees to some minimal moral support,  he will try to persuade the people or Argos to be more lenient. Orestes' friend Pylades enters; he has been forced into exile by his father for having assisted in Clytemnestra's murder. Hearing of Orestes' predicament, Pylades urges him to attend the court and stand trial and, if condemned, to die a hero's death. After the two friends leave, the Chorus bewails Orestes' deed. 

Second Stasimon [Lines 807-843]
The Chorus of Argive Maidens recount the terrible murder of Clytemnestra that has been committed by Orestes.

Third Episode [Lines 844-]



Fourth Stasimon 1246–1285

Orestes defends himself, maintaining that if he had let his mother go unpunished, no husband would ever be safe. Tyndareus leaves unmoved. Orestes again turns to Mcnelaus, but the latter consents only to try to persuade thehoopla to be lenient.Orestes' friend Pylades enters; he has been driven into exile by his father for assisting in Clytemnestra's murder. Hearing of Orestes' medicament, Pylades advises him to stand trial and, if condemned. to die a hero's death. After the two friends leave, the Chorus bewail Orestes' deed. 

Fourth Episode 
Orestes and Electra have both been sentenced to death by stoning by the Argive assembly. A Messenger informs Electra that, despite Orestes' plea to the Argive Assembly not to embolden their women to commit crime. The assembly's only concession is that they may take their own lives. Orestes, returning, rebukes his sister for lamenting. Pylades insists he will die with them and urges that they punish Menelaus, who maintained an indifference to their misfortune throughout the trial. In revenge against him and on behalf of all Greece, Orestes and Pylades decide to assassinate Helen. At Electra's suggestion they plan to take Hermione as hostage. Calling on the soul of Agamemnon for aid, Orestes and Pylades enter the palace, while Electra watches for Hermione's return to the palace.

Just as Helen's scream is heard from inside the palace, Hermione returns from her errand to Clytemnestra's grave. Convinced by Electra that the cry was Orestes', Hermione enters the palace. Not long after a Phrygian Slave rushes out in panic; he describes Helen's near death, and the sudden disappearance and seizure of Hermione. 

Menelaus approaches; Orestes and Pylades bar the gates to the palace. They appear on the roof holding Hermione. Orestes threatens to kill Hermione and set fire to the palace unless Menelaus persuades the Argives to spare his and his sister's lives. When Menelaus defies him, Orestes calls out to Electra and Pylades to begin to set fire to the palace.

At this juncture, the god Apollo appears from above [as Deus ex Machina] and announces the fate of each:  Helen, he has snatched her away from Orestes' sword; she has ascended to Elysium to become a goddess of the sea and the patroness of sailors. Orestes - after suffering and exile from Argos, is to be tried in Athens and freed by verdict of the gods; he will then wed Hermione and return to rule Argos as its king. Electra is to marry Pylades, and Menelaus is to get himself another wife and return home to Sparta. Apollo himself will effect a conciliation between Orestes and the people of Argos.

The first third of the play (1-724) describes an attempted rescue
The middle movement of the play (725-1097) develops by contrast an example of loyal friendship
The third movement is the plan for revenge (1098-1690).

References

Orestes (play) - Wikipedia
Euripides: Orestes (Ὀρέστης) - - Major Reference Works - Wiley Online Library

Orestes by Euripides - Greek Mythology

Argos - Wikipedia
Wikimapia - Argos

Erinyes - Wikipedia

Phoebus - Encyclopedia Mythica
Apollo - Encyclopedia Mythica
Loxias - Encyclopedia Mythica

(PDF) Euripides. Orestes | Enrico Medda - Academia.edu

Donald J. Mastronarde (1 April 2010). The Art of Euripides: Dramatic Technique and Social Context. Orestes: Cambridge University Press. pp. 40–1. ISBN 978-1-139-48688-0.

J.R. Porter (1 May 1994). Studies in Euripides' Orestes. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-32924-9.

Matthew Wright (1 November 2013). Euripides: Orestes. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4725-2126-2.

Euripides: Orestes - Matthew Wright - Google Books

Ian C. Storey; Arlene Allan (28 January 2014). A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama. Euripides' Orestes: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 286–. ISBN 978-1-118-45512-8.

Euripides' Orestes: An Interpretation
Nathan A. Greenberg
Harvard Studies in Classical Philology Vol. 66 (1962), pp. 157-192
Published by: Department of the Classics, Harvard University
DOI: 10.2307/310739
https://www.jstor.org/stable/310739

Comic and Tragic License in Euripides' "Orestes"
Francis M. Dunn
Classical Antiquity  Vol. 8, No. 2 (Oct., 1989), pp. 238-251 (14 pages)
Published by: University of California Press
DOI: 10.2307/25010907
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/25010907

Greek Versions

Orestes - Euripides - Internet Archive Teubner

Euripides : with an English translation p. 121 A. Way

Euripides, Orestes - Gilbert Murray - Perseus Digital Library 

Euripides (1826). The Orestes and Phoenissae of Euripides; correctly printed from the text of porson: with a literal traslation and explanatory notes. By D. Spillan,

Translations

Euripides : with an English translation p. 121 A. Way

Euripides, Orestes - Perseus Digital Library

The Internet Classics Archive - Orestes by Euripides

Orestes by Euripides - Project Gutenberg

The Project Gutenberg eBook of the Tragedies of Euripides, Volume I.

Euripides (c.480–c.406 BC) - Orestes: Translated by George Theodoridis

Euripides (25 March 2013). Orestes. Start Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-62558-902-6.

Euripides; James Morwood (2001). Orestes and Other Plays. Oxford University Press. pp. 48–. ISBN 978-0-19-283260-3.

Euripides. Orestes and Other Plays. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-14-196198-9.

The Classics Pages - Orestes by Euripides

Hecuba - Euripides

Produced c. 424 BC. It is set at the time immediately after the fall of Troy.

Dramatis Personae: Ghost of  Polydorus, Hecuba, Chorus of Captive Trojan Women, Polyxena, Odysseus [Ulysses], Talthybius [Agamemnon's Herald], Female Attendant, Agamemnon, Polymestor and His Children.

Setting: Coast of Thracian Chernonese [Dardanelles] where the Greeks have landed in their ships after leaving Troy; they are on the other side of the Hellespont to it on their way back to Greece. Troy has been sacked; it is lying in ruins which are still visibly smouldering. The skene represents Agamemnon's tent.

Synopsis and Structure:
Prologue and Lyric Scenes [Lines 1-215] Ghost of Polydorus, Hecuba and Polyxena

Prologue [lines 1-97]
The ghost of Polydorus, son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, appears suspended on the roof of the skene above the tents of the Greek forces perhaps using the technique of Deus ex Machina. He relates how his father during the last days of Troy had secretly sent him with a cache of gold to King Polymestor of Thrace, who was an ally of Troy, so that if Troy were to fall to the Greeks, at least the sons of Priam would be provided for. After learning of  Troy's defeat by the Greeks, Polymestor has Polydorus killed for the gold and had his body thrown into the sea. Polydorus' ghost goes on to explain that the Greek fleet has been becalmed by adverse winds by the ghost of Achilles, who is demanding that the princess Polyxena of Troy [Polydorus' sister] must first be sacrificed on his tomb before the fleet can set sail again. The ghost foretells that Hecuba will see her daughter killed and his own body washed ashore that day.

Hecuba's  Lament [Lines 58-97] and Parodos of the Chorus [line 98-152]
At that moment the elderly and much grief-struck Hecuba aided by a crutch comes on stage out of  Agamemnon's tent . She says she has had terrible nightmares about her son and daughter and prays to the gods that they are shown mercy. However, her worst dreams seem to begin to come true when the Chorus of Captive Trojan Women informs her that Polyxena has to be sacrificed. They sing of the life to come as slaves in Greece.

Hecuba continues her lament [Lines 153-176]

Polyxena enters. Hecuba and Polyxena discuss the latter's fate of having to be sacrificed [Lines 177-215]

First Episode [Lines 216 - 443] Hecuba, Odysseus and Polyxena
Odysseus enters to take Polyxena away to be sacrificed to Achilles. Hecuba reminds him that she had once let him go when he had secretly entered Troy during the war in disguise, but that he had been recognised by Helen, and brought before Hecuba. She begs him to do likewise, let Polyxena go, but Odysseus responds that he has to fulfill his promise to Achilles, to give him Polyxena, and he continues stubbornly to refuse to be released from his bond.  Polyxena refuses to beg for her own life and leaves with Odysseus.


First Choral Stasimon [Lines 444 - 483]
The Chorus lament about their enslaved condition and the Sack of Troy. They are curious about where their captor's ships might take them in Greece and to whom they might be sold. 

Second Episode [Lines 484 - 628] Talthybius and Hecuba
The messenger Talthybius enters. He reports that Polyxena has died an honourable death and has come to ask Hecuba to come and bury her corpse, when a serving woman enters bringing on stage a corpse wrapped in a cover. Hecuba thinks that it is her daughter, but when the cover is removed, the body is revealed to be Polydorus, her son. Hecuba screams out of fear and dread, and presumes King Polymestor was the perpetrator. Agamemnon is on his way to summon Hecuba to her daughter's funeral. 

Second Choral Stasimon [Lines 629 - 657]
The chorus look back to the origin of the Trojan War.

Third Episode [Lines 658 - 904] Serving Woman, Hecuba and Agamemnon

Third Choral Stasimon [Lines 905 - 952]
The subject of this stasimon is the Iliupersis: the fall and sack of Troy, the rape of the Trojan women and their loss of freedom. They are nostalgic for their lost homeland. 

Fourth Episode [Lines 953 - 1022] Polymestor and Hecuba
Chorus [Lines 1023 - 1034]
Exodos (Last episode) [Lines 1035 - 1295] Polymestor, Hecuba and Agamemnon  

Prologue [lines 1-97]
The ghost of Polydorus, son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, appears suspended on the roof of the skene above the tents of the Greek forces perhaps using the technique of Deus ex Machina. He relates how his father during the last days of Troy had secretly sent him with a cache of gold to King Polymestor of Thrace, who was an ally of Troy, so that if Troy were to fall to the Greeks, at least the sons of Priam would be provided for. After learning of  Troy's defeat by the Greeks, Polymestor has Polydorus killed for the gold and had his body thrown into the sea. Polydorus' ghost goes on to explain that the Greek fleet has been becalmed by adverse winds by the ghost of Achilles, who is demanding that the princess Polyxena of Troy [Polydorus' sister] must first be sacrificed on his tomb before the fleet can set sail again. The ghost foretells that Hecuba will see her daughter killed and his own body washed ashore that day.

Hecuba's  Lament [Lines 58-97] and Parodos of the Chorus [line 98-152]
At that moment the elderly and much grief-struck Hecuba aided by a crutch comes on stage out of  Agamemnon's tent . She says she has had terrible nightmares about her son and daughter and prays to the gods that they are shown mercy. However, her worst dreams seem to begin to come true when the Chorus of Captive Trojan Women informs her that Polyxena has to be sacrificed. They sing of the life to come as slaves in Greece.

Hecuba continues her lament [Lines 153-176]

Polyxena enters. Hecuba and Polyxena discuss the latter's fate of having to be sacrificed [Lines 177-215]

First Episode lines 216-443
Odysseus enters to take Polyxena, away to be sacrificed to Achilles. Hecuba reminds him that she had once let him go when he had secretly entered Troy during the war in disguise, but he had been recognised by Helen, and brought before Hecuba. She begs him to do likewise, let Polyxena go but Odysseus responds that he has to fulfill his promise to Achilles, to give him Polyxena, and he continues stubbornly to refuse to be released from his bond.  Polyxena refuses to beg for her own life and leaves with Odysseus.

First Stasimon lines 444-483
The Chorus of Enslaved Trojan Women sing about where their captor's ships might take them in Greece and their fate.

Second Episode 484-628

The messenger Talthybius enters. He reports that Polyxena has died an honourable death and has come to ask Hecuba to come and bury her corpse, when a serving woman enters brings on stage a corpse wrapped in a cover. Hecuba thinks that it is her daughter, but when the cover is removed, the body is revealed to be Polydorus, her son. Hecuba screams out of fear and dread, and presumes King Polymestor was the perpetrator. Agamemnon is on his way to summon Hecuba to her daughter's funeral.

He enters and learns about the new misfortune and takes pity on the former queen. He promises that he will exact revenge on her behalf upon the treacherous Polymestor. Hecuba sends a message to King Polymestor who suspects nothing. She asks him to come and see her, bringing his two sons with him.

Third Stasimon line. 905-52
The Chorus sing of the fall of Troy

When the three arrive, Polymestor pretends to have sympathy for Hecuba's losses, giving her false answers to questions about Polydorus and the Trojan gold that had been sent with him. Hecuba lures him and his sons into her tent with a promise of further gold and jewels. Screams are heard from within, and Hecuba soon appears and says that Polymestor has been blinded and his children killed with the help of her women, the Chorus of Captive Trojan Women.

Polymestor staggers out of the tent, bleeding from the eyes and furiously in pain. When Agamemnon hears the commotion, he returns on stage and listens to both Polymestor and Hecuba. He declares that his actions were just, and that justice has been done. Polymestor then foretells that Hecuba will turn into a bitch and drown, and that Clytemnestra will kill both Cassandra and Agamemnon. Agamemnon orders Polymestor to be marooned on a desert island and tells Hecuba that she must bury her dead children before he sets sail from Thrace.

References

Hecuba (play) - Wikipedia

Hecuba - Wikipedia

Iliupersis - Wikipedia

Crowell's handbook of classical drama (1967 edition) pp. 152-4 -  Open Library

Thracian Chernonese [Gallipoli] - Wikipedia

Helene P. Foley (18 December 2014). Euripides: Hecuba. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4725-6908-0.

Laura K. McClure (17 January 2017). A Companion to Euripides. Hecuba: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 136–. ISBN 978-1-119-25750-9.

Sarah B. Pomeroy (1994). Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity. Pimlico. ISBN 978-0-7126-6054-9.

Desmond J. Conacher (15 December 1967). Euripidean Drama: Myth, Theme and Structure. Chapter 8 The Hecuba: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. pp. 222–. ISBN 978-1-4426-3759-7.

Ian C. Storey; Arlene Allan (15 April 2008). A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama. Synopsis of Hecuba: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 263–. ISBN 978-1-4051-3763-8.

Euripides; Justina Gregory (1999). Euripides, Hecuba: Introduction, Text, and Commentary. Scholars Press. ISBN 978-0-7885-0611-6.

Euripides: Hecuba (Ἑκάβη) - Major Reference Works - Wiley Online Library

Iliupersis - Wikipedia [Sack of Troy]
Nostoi - Wikipedia [Returns from Troy]

Hecuba
Andrew Brown
Subject: Greek Myth and Religion
DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.2963

The Problem of the Gods in Euripides' Hecuba

Charles Segal

Materiali e discussioni per l'analisi dei testi classici

No. 22 (1989), pp. 9-21

Published by: Fabrizio Serra Editore

DOI: 10.2307/40235926

https://www.jstor.org/stable/40235926

Greek Versions

Teubner - Euripides - Hecuba

The Hecuba and Medea of Euripides, Chiefly from the Text of Dindorf. With E... - Google Books

The Hecuba of Euripides : a revised text with notes and an introduction : Euripides - Internet Archive

W. S. Hadley (18 November 2011). The Hecuba of Euripides. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-60140-6.

Luigi Battezzato (11 January 2018). Euripides: Hecuba. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-54780-2.

Euripides, Hecuba - Perseus Digital Library

Euripides (1851). The Hecuba of Euripides. Printed at the University Press.

Translations

Euripides : with an English translation  p. 243- A. Way 

The Hecuba of Euripides : a revised text with notes and an introduction : Euripides - Internet Archive

Euripides (31 July 2014). Hecuba: translated by Tony Harrison. Faber & Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-31877-3.

Euripides; Kenneth McLeish trans. (1995). After the Trojan War: Women of Troy ; Hecuba ; Helen : Three Plays. Absolute Classics. ISBN 978-0-948230-65-3.

Euripides (2000). Hecuba: The Trojan Women ; Andromache. Hecuba: Oxford University Press. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-19-815093-0.

Euripides, Hecuba - Perseus Digital Library

The Project Gutenberg eBook of the Tragedies of Euripides, Volume I.

Audio-Visual
Hecuba by EURIPIDES (484 BCE - 406 BCE), translated by Theodore Alois BUCKLEY (1825 - 1856) Genre(s): Classics (Greek & Latin Antiquity), Tragedy - Librivox 00:00:00 - 01 - Part 1 00:29:50 - 02 - Part 2

Andromache - Euripides

Play by Euripides was produced between the years 428 and 425 BC [its exact date of production is not known].  One of his many Nostoi plays [stories about the return home of the Greeks after the fall of Troy], It concerns Andromache, former wife of the Trojan hero Hector, son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba, Andromache is now a slave in Phthia.

Argument

When Troy was taken by the Greeks, Andromachê, wife of that Hector whom Achilles slew ere himself was slain by the arrow which Apollo guided, was given in the dividing of the spoils to Neoptolemus, Achilles' son. So he took her oversea to the land of Thessaly, and loved her, and entreated her kindly, and she bare him a son in her captivity. But after ten years Neoptolemus took to wife a princess of Sparta, Hermionê, daughter of Menelaus and Helen. But to these was no child born, and the soul of Hermionê grew bitter with jealousy against Andromachê. Now Neoptolemus, in his indignation for his father's death, had upbraided Apollo therewith: wherefore he now journeyed to Delphi, vainly hoping by prayer and sacrifice to assuage the wrath of the God. But so soon as he was gone, Hermionê sought to avenge herself on Andromachê; and Menelaus came thither also, and these twain went about to slay the captive and her child. Wherefore Andromachê hid her son, and took sanctuary at the altar of the Goddess Thetis, expecting till Peleus, her lord's grandsire, should come to save her. And herein are set forth her sore peril and deliverance: also it is told how Neoptolemus found death at Delphi, and how he that contrived his death took his wife.

Setting: Phthia (Thessaly) before the palace of Neoptolemus, son of Achilles: nearby there is a temple dedicated to Thetis [Achilles mother].

Dramatis Personae: Andromache, Servant, Hermione, Menelaus, Boy [Molossus], Peleus, Hermione's Nurse, Orestes, Messenger, Thetis and Chorus of Phthian Women.

Structure

Prologue (Lines 1-116)
Parodos (Lines 117-146)
First Episode (Lines 147-273)
First Stasimon (Lines 274-308)
Second Episode (Lines 309-463)
Second Stasimon (Lines 464-493)
Third Episode (Lines 494-765)
Third Stasimon (Lines 766-801)
Fourth Episode (Lines 802-1008)
Fourth Stasimon (Lines 1009-1046)
Fifth Episode (Lines 1047-1069)
Exodos (Lines 1070-1288)

Alternative Structural Analysis

1. Prologue 1-116

[Dialogue 56-102]

Lament [103-110]

[111-116]

2. Parodos 117-146

3. First Episode 147-273

4. First Stasimon 274-308

5. Second Episode 309-463

6. Second Stasimon 464-501

7. Threnos 502-544
[sung or poetic lament memorializing the victim of a catastrophe]

8. Third Episode 545-765

9. Third Stasimon 766-801

10. Fourth Episode 802-1008

11. Fourth Stasimon 1009-1046

12. Exodos 1047-1288

Synopsis of Play

Andromache is clinging as a suppliant to the altar in front of the temple of the sea goddess, Thetis. She makes a long speech and lament about her fall from grace from being a noble princess in Troy, wife of its hero, Hector, son of king Priam to becoming the slave and concubine of Neoptolemus, son of Achilles and grandson of King Peleus of Phthia . Hector was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War. After the Greek had destroyed the city, along with all the other aristocratic women of Troy she and they were taken captive as slaves. She describes how her son with Hector, Astynax, had been hurled to his death from the walls of Troy. As well as becoming Neoptolemus' slave she has also become his concubine bearing him a son called Molossus.

Neoptolemus is married to Hermione, the daughter of the king of Sparta, Menelaus and Helen [of Troy]. Hermione is barren and is jealous of Andromache. Hermione has accused Andromache of casting evils spells on her marriage to Neoptolemus, cursing it. Hermione wants to kill Andromache. Menelaus has come to Thessaly from Sparta to help his daughter plot the murder. Andromache has fled to the temple of Thetis for sanctuary and protection for her and her son Molossus. Neoptolemus is away in Delphi to atone for having insulted Apollo [Phoebus], demanding that the god explain why Achilles his father had been killed. 

Andromache's maid enters warning Andromache that Menelaus and his daughter Hermione are plotting to kill Molossus. The maid is Andromache's former personal servant from Troy, and now in exile with Andromache in Phthia. Andromache tells her maid to go to king Peleus, Neoptolemus' grandfather, to ask him for help. The maid exits. Andromache continues her lament for her situation, the loss of her beloved husband, Hector and her own captivity. The Chorus of Phthian Women enter and express sympathy with her.

Hermione enters and reveals her hostility toward and contempt for Andromache. Hermione blames Andromache for her husband's complete lack of interest in her and her inability to give birth to a child, For this she declares that Andromache has to die. Andromache points out to Hermione that it is her own pride and selfishness which has driven her husband away. She advises her not to copy the behaviour of her mother, Helen, whose passion was so devastating.

The women continue to argue [the agon] until Hermione leaves the stage. After a choral ode about the verdict of Paris and the Trojan War, from which the current suffering stems, Menelaus comes in and brings with him Andromache's son Molossus, whom he threatens to kill if Andromache continues to refuse to leave the altar.

Andromache expresses her contempt for Menelaus and calls him unworthy of the conquest of Troy. When Menelaus offers her the choice either to offer up her life for her son's, Andromache runs from the altar and embraces her child. She is happy to have the opportunity to save his life. But she has been deceived by Menelaus, who grabs her and tells her that Hermione will now decide the fate of Molossus. When Andromache realises that she has been deceived, she accuses the Spartan king of dishonesty, greed, cruelty and evil.

Andromache and Molossus are taken out briefly by Menelaus, whilst the Chorus of Phthian women lament their fate. Andromache and Molossus return back on stage with their hands bound. Menelaus follows. He coldly tells them that they must die. King Peleus arrives, and after a long harangue with Menelaus, he frees Andromache and Molossus. Menelaus gives in for the time being and says that he has to go back to Sparta to wage war against a neighbouring city. He says he will come back and persuade Neoptolemus to punish Andromache. Peleus comforts Andromache, promising safety for her and Molossus. The Chorus praise him.

The Hermione's Nurse enters and reveals to the Chorus that Hermione, afraid of Neoptolemus’ wrath when he hears of her plot against Andromache, is contemplating suicide. Carrying a sword, Hermione comes in and talks wildly of her fear of her husband and her desire to kill herself. As the Nurse tries to calm her, Orestes, the nephew of Menelaus, enters, seeking Hermione. She welcomes him enthusiastically and immediately asks his help. Orestes, who had been betrothed to Hermione before her marriage to Neoptolemus. He reveals that he has come to take her away and that he has arranged for the assassination of Neoptolemus at Delphi. Hermione and Orestes go off stage together. Soon Peleus returns, saying he has been told that Hermione has deserted her home. The Chorus replies that this report is true and that Orestes has planned to murder Neoptolemus. Soon a Messenger comes on stage reporting that Neoptolemus, whilst he was praying to Apollo, has been murdered by Orestes and his associates. As soon as the Messenger has left stage, the body of Neoptolemus is brought on. Peleus and the Chorus mourn the death of the young man and Peleus curses the marriage to Hermione that has destroyed his grandson.

At this moment of intense grief  Thetis, the sea-goddess, appears as deus ex machina. She announces that Neoptolemus is to be buried at Delphi, where his tomb will serve as an opprobrium for the violent death that has been inflicted upon him; Andromache will marry Helenus, the brother of Hector, and will settle in Molossia, where her son and his descendants will be kings: Peleus will become immortal and live with Thetis forever in the house of Nereus, her father, Thetis releases Peleus from the suffering he is enduring over the death of Neoptelemus: he leaves for Delphi to organise the burial of his grandson before joining the goddess to take on immortality.

References

Andromache (play) - Wikipedia

Andromache - Wikipedia

Euripides: Andromache (Ἀνδρομάχη) - Major Reference Works - Wiley Online Library

Ancient Thessaly - Wikipedia

Phthia - Wikipedia

Peleus - Wikipedia

Neoptolemus - Wikipedia

Hermione (mythology) - Wikipedia

Doxa - Wikipedia

Thetis | Greek Mythology Wiki | Fandom
Thetis - Wikipedia
Thetis - The Greek Mythological Mother of Achilles
Thetis | Greek mythology | Britannica

The Andromache of Euripides [PDF] by Keith M. Aldrich University of Nebraska

Apollodorus (1998). The Library of Greek Mythology. Oxford University Press. pp. 160–. ISBN 978-0-19-283924-4.

Andromache - Course Hero

The plays of Euripides p.25- Andromache: Morwood, James - Internet Archive

Andromache - Euripides - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature

Andromache by Euripides GreekMythology.com

Essays on four plays of Euripides: Andromache, Helen, Heracles, Orestes; Verrall, A. W. (Arthur Woollgar) - Internet Archive

Marriage and Strife in Euripides' Andromache  by L Papadimitropoulos  Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies 46 (2006) 147–158

Johnson, Van. “Euripides’ Andromache.” The Classical Weekly, vol. 48, no. 2, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1955, pp. 9–13, https://doi.org/10.2307/4343620.

Stavrinou, Aspasia Skouroumouni. “INSIDE AND OUT: THE DYNAMICS OF DOMESTIC SPACE IN EURIPIDES’ ‘ANDROMACHE.’” Hermes, vol. 142, no. 4, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2014, pp. 385–403, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43652946.

Phillippo, Susanna. “Family Ties: Significant Patronymics in Euripides’ Andromache.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 2, [Classical Association, Cambridge University Press], 1995, pp. 355–71, http://www.jstor.org/stable/639526

Storey, Ian C. “Domestic Disharmony in Euripides’ ‘Andromache.’” Greece & Rome, vol. 36, no. 1, Cambridge University Press, 1989, pp. 16–27, http://www.jstor.org/stable/643181.

Sommerstein, Alan H. “The End of Euripides’ Andromache.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 1, Cambridge University Press, 1988, pp. 243–46, http://www.jstor.org/stable/639223.

Robertson, D. S. “Euripides and Tharyps.” The Classical Review, vol. 37, no. 3/4, Cambridge University Press, 1923, pp. 58–60, http://www.jstor.org/stable/699471.

Johnson, Van. “Euripides’ Andromache.” The Classical Weekly, vol. 48, no. 2, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1955, pp. 9–13, https://doi.org/10.2307/4343620

 
Aspasia Skouroumouni Stavrinou. “Hermione’s Spartan Costume: The Tragic <em>skeue</Em> in Euripides’s <em>Andromache</Em>.” Illinois Classical Studies, vol. 41, no. 1, University of Illinois Press, 2016, pp. 1–20, https://doi.org/10.5406/illiclasstud.41.1.0001.

Cairns, Francis. “PYRRHIC DANCING AND POLITICS IN EURIPIDES’ ‘ANDROMACHE.’” Quaderni Urbinati Di Cultura Classica, vol. 100, no. 1, [Accademia Editoriale, Fabrizio Serra Editore], 2012, pp. 31–47,

Butrica, James L. “Democrates and Euripides’ Andromache (Σ Andr. 445 = Callimachus Fr. 451 Pfeiffer).” Hermes, vol. 129, no. 2, Franz Steiner Verlag, 2001, pp. 188–97, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4477422.

Mossman, J. M. “Waiting for Neoptolemus: The Unity of Euripides’ ‘Andromache.’” Greece & Rome, vol. 43, no. 2, Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp. 143–56, http://www.jstor.org/stable/643091.

Torrance, Isabelle. “Andromache ‘Aichmalōtos’: Concubine or Wife?” Hermathena, no. 179, Trinity College Dublin, 2005, pp. 39–66, http://www.jstor.org/stable/23041600

Golder, Herbert. “The Mute Andromache.” Transactions of the American Philological Association (1974-), vol. 113, [Johns Hopkins University Press, American Philological Association], 1983, pp. 123–33, https://doi.org/10.2307/284006

Kyriakou, Poulcheria. “All in the Family: Present and Past in Euripides’ ‘Andromache.’” Mnemosyne, vol. 50, no. 1, Brill, 1997, pp. 7–26, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4432681.

Lee, K. (1975). Euripides’ Andromache: Observations on Form and Meaning. Antichthon, 9, 4-16. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0066477400004408

Craik, Elizabeth M. “Notes on Euripides’ Andromache.” The Classical Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 1, Cambridge University Press, 1979, pp. 62–65, http://www.jstor.org/stable/638605.

H.D.F. Kitto. Greek Tragedy. Taylor & Francis. pp. 316–. ISBN 978-1-136-80689-6.

Laura K. McClure (2017). A Companion to Euripides. Chapter 9: Andromache: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 122–. ISBN 978-1-119-25750-9.

Sorum, Christina Elliott. “Euripides’ Judgment: Literary Creation in Andromache.” The American Journal of Philology, vol. 116, no. 3, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1995, pp. 371–88, https://doi.org/10.2307/295326.

Philip Vellacott (12 June 1975). Ironic Drama: A Study of Euripides' Method and Meaning. CUP Archive. pp. 117–. ISBN 978-0-521-20590-0.

Paul David Kovacs (1980). The Andromache of Euripides: An Interpretation. Scholars Press. ISBN 978-0-89130-389-3.

Casey Dué (2010). The Captive Woman's Lament in Greek Tragedy. Chapter 6: The Captive Woman in the House - Euripides' Andromache: University of Texas Press. pp. 185–. ISBN 978-0-292-78222-8.

Pietro Pucci (21 March 2016). Euripides' Revolution under Cover: An Essay. 11: Hermione: The Andromache: Cornell University Press. pp. 61–. ISBN 978-1-5017-0404-8.

Desmond J. Conacher (1967). Euripidean Drama: Myth, Theme and Structure. Chapter 9: The Andromache: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division. pp. 248–. ISBN 978-1-4426-3759-7.   
https://archive.org/details/euripideandrama0000unse/mode/1up

The "Andromache"  of Euripides by Gilbert Norwood - Internet Archive

(99+) (PDF) Myths and Mythical Names in Euripides' Andromache | Juan Antonio Lopez Ferez - Academia.edu

The Andromache of Euripides Kenneth M. Aldrich - University of Nebraska - Lincoln 

https://youtu.be/NiURTiNPjSA

Euripides Andromache - Google Scholar search: https://bit.ly/3hndHFS

Ian C. Storey; Arlene Allan (15 April 2008). A Guide to Ancient Greek Drama. Euripides' Andromache: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 262–. ISBN 978-1-4051-3763-8.

Crowell's handbook of classical literature (1980 edition) Andromache pp.33-5 - Open Library

Andromache - Euripides - Ancient Greece - Classical Literature

The Language of Future Time in Greek Tragedy Griffiths.pdf

"Sophia" and "Sophrosyne" in Euripides' "Andromache"

Patricia Neils Boulter

Phoenix

Vol. 20, No. 1 (Spring, 1966), pp. 51-58

Published by: Classical Association of Canada

DOI: 10.2307/1086315

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1086315

Euripides' Andromache 

Author(s): Van Johnson 

Source: The Classical Weekly, Jan. 3, 1955, Vol. 48, No. 2 (Jan. 3, 1955), pp. 9-13 

Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press 

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.com/stable/4343620

Euripidou Andromachē. Euripidis Andromache. Scholia palaia eis tēn Euripidou - Euripides - Google Books

Greek Versions

The Andromache of Euripides, with brief Engl. notes by F.A. Paley (1885 edition) - Open Library

The Andromache of Euripides, with brief Engl. notes by F.A. Paley - Euripides - Google Books

Loeb Classical Library LCL 484 Euripides II: Children of Heracles, Hippolytus, Andromache p. 267-), Hecuba 
https://archive.org/details/childrenofheracl00euri/mode/1up  Edited and Translated by David Kovacs

The Andromache of Euripides - Internet Archive Introduction and Notes by A,R,F, Hyslop

The Andromache of Euripides:  Edited by Gilbert Norwood - Internet Archive

Translations

Tragedies of Euripides (Arthur S. Way)/Andromache - Wikisource,

Orestes, and other plays [Andromache p.141-] - Penguin Books translated by Philip Vellacott

The complete Greek drama; all the extant tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, and the comedies of Aristophanes and Menander, in a variety of translations p. 807 Hecuba

The Internet Classics Archive | Andromache by Euripides Translated by E. P. Coleridge

Hecuba ; The Trojan women ; Andromache : Euripides - Internet Archive

[Andromache: A Play in Three Acts translated by Gilbert Murray - Project Gutenberg]

The Plays of Euripides Volume II (1906) Andromache : Edward Philip Coleridge - Internet Archive

Euripides (2000). Hecuba: The Trojan Women; Andromache. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-815093-0.
Hecuba ; The Trojan women ; Andromache : Euripides - Internet Archive

The plays of Euripides in English Andromache (p.244-) -  Internet Archive Everyman's Library

Euripides (1984). P.T. Stevens (ed.). Andromache. Clarendon. ISBN 978-0-19-872118-5.

Euripides III (1958 edition) - Open Library Translated by J.F. Nims (edited by Grene and Lattimore)

Euripides (c.480–c.406 BC) - Andromache: Translated by George Theodoridis

Audio/Visual

Ancient Greek theater performance: Andromache, Euripides, Loutraki, tragedy https://youtu.be/ixyVHvjXcxc

Andromache, Euripides [Excerpts] https://youtu.be/FK5csCWlVfo

Stage Directions in Ancient Greek Plays

The primary purpose of stage directions in modern plays is to guide actors' movements on the stage. Generally they are notations in the script of the play, inserted by the playwright in brackets, telling the actors where to sit, stand, move about, and to enter, and exit.

It is Oliver Taplin's theory that stage directions formed part of the script in the plays spoken out loud by the characters or chorus. If a stage direction was essential and it was of significant importance to the action of the play  the actor or chorus already on stage or in the orchestra would announce them directing the audience's attention to the necessary action as part of the script for the play. The Greek playwrights did not insert stage directions in their texts separately from the spoken script.

Examples

Line 150 Aeschylus Persians

The Chorus chants:

"But here approaching, with a light in her eyes like that of gods, is the king's mother, our queen! 

I prostrate myself before her;

And all must address her with words of greeting."

References

Oliver Taplin (1977). The Stagecraft of Aeschylus: The Dramatic Use of Exits and Entrances in Greek Tragedy. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-814006-1.

Oliver Taplin (2003). Greek Tragedy in Action. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-41492-5.

Bieber, Margarete. “The Entrances and Exits of Actors and Chorus in Greek Plays.” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 58, no. 4, 1954, pp. 277–284. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/500381.

P. E. Easterling (1997). The Cambridge Companion to Greek Tragedy. Chapter 12 Simon Goldhill - Modern critical approaches to Greek Tragedy: Cambridge University Press. pp. 334–. ISBN 978-1-107-49369-8.

p.339
For Taplin, it is a crucial starting-point that “all significant action' is 'implicit in' or 'sanctioned by' or 'indicated in the words' of the play. Wiles writes, however: ' a good dramatist does not use language to duplicate information available to the eye'.

David Wiles (3 June 2004). The Masks of Menander: Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance. Cambridge University Press. pp. 137–. ISBN 978-0-521-54352-1.

Denys L. Page (1934). Actor's interpolations in Greek tragedy.

Aeschylus (28 February 2008). Aeschylus: Persians and Other Plays. OUP Oxford. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-19-814968-2.

Athenian Tragedy in Performance by Melinda Powers (2014) - Internet Archive

Word and Deed: On 'Stage-Directions' in Greek Tragedy

Joe Park Poe

Mnemosyne

Fourth Series, Vol. 56, Fasc. 4 (2003), pp. 420-448 (29 pages)

Published by: Brill

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4433466 

Did Greek Dramatists Write Stage Instructions?
O. Taplin
Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society
NEW SERIES, No. 23 (203) (1977), pp. 121-132
Published by: Cambridge University Press
https://www.jstor.org/stable/44696643

Did Greek dramatists write stage instructions?

by Oliver Taplin

The Cambridge Classical Journal Vol. 23 1977 , pp. 121-132

Cambridge University Press

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068673500003953

Announced Entrances in Greek Tragedy

Author(s): Richard Hamilton

Source: Harvard Studies in Classical Philology , 1978, Vol. 82 (1978), pp. 63-82

Published by: Department of the Classics, Harvard University

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/311021