EURIPIDES’
“Rhesus”
Circa 445
Translated by
George Theodoridis
© 2010
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————-
Dramatis Personae:
Hektor
(A Prince of
Paris
(aka Alexandros, a Prince of
Aeneas
(Trojan Noble)
Dolon
(Trojan soldier)
Rhesus
(Chief of Thracian army)
Muse
(Rhesus’ mother)
Chariot Driver
(To Rhesus)
Athena
(A goddess)
Odysseus
(One of the chiefs of the Greek army)
Diomedes
(Another of the chiefs of the Greek army)
Chorus of Trojan Guards
Herald
(Trojan shepherd)
—————————————–
SCENE ONE
Night.
Hektor’s tent outside the walls of
The guards outside the tent are asleep. A
little further the next shift of guards is also sleeping. They are all fully
armed.
SL leads to the seashore where the Greeks
are camped.
SR leads to
Fire can be discerned from the Greek
camp.
The whole play takes place during the
night and the stage should be filled with shadows created by the fires in the
Greek camps. The Trojan camps (SR) have no fire.
The silence is suddenly broken by the
agitated entry of the Chorus of Soldiers.
Chorus:
You lot there! Wake up!
Get me one of Hektor’s guards or any one of his soldiers.
The guards wake up in fright and stand to
attention.
Go inside and tell Hektor there’s news he must hear!
Chorus:
We’re the fourth watch who patrol our front line.
Some of the chorus gather around the entrance of the
tent and shout through its flaps.
Chorus:
Hektor!
Hektor, wake up! Either sit up and listen or just lean on your elbow.
Chorus:
Come on, Hektor! Open those fearsome eyes of yours and come out!
Chorus:
Get off your bed of leaves, Hektor. You must hear our news immediately!
10
Hektor: From within the tent
Who is it? Friend or foe? What is the watchword? Speak quickly, now!
What men come to my sleeping quarters in the middle of the night? Speak!
Chorus:
This is the army’s guards, Hektor!
Enter Hektor with a couple of his men. They are all
fully armed and ready for battle.
Hektor:
What’s all this rushing about? What’s all this noise?
Chorus:
Fear not Hektor –
Hektor Insulted
Me? Fear? I fear nothing!
What is it, a night raid?
Chorus:
No, not a raid but –
Hektor:
Well then, what?
Why did you leave your post unattended, soldier?
Why rush over here with so much noise and wake up the whole camp if you have
nothing to report?
20
Don’t you know that the Greeks are camped just out there? Can’t you see we’re
sleeping in full armour, to be ready for them?
Chorus:
Arm yourself, indeed, Hektor!
Arm yourself and go over to where our allies are sleeping.
Go and wake them up!
Chorus:
Order them to get themselves armed, Hektor. All of them!
Chorus:
Send some of your close mates to our soldiers and get them to get their horses
reined and ready !
Chorus:
Who’s going to Panthus’ son?
Chorus:
What about Sarpedon, Europa’s son, the leader of the Lycians?
Chorus:
Where are the men in charge of the sacrifices?
31
Chorus:
Where are the leaders of the light armed forces?
Chorus:
And our archers? Where are the Phrygian archers?
Chorus:
Come, hurry up and put strings to your horned bows!
Hektor:
What? What are you saying?
Some of your words send fear and others courage.
There’s nothing clear in them.
You haven’t been stung by Pan’s prick, have you? Cronus’ son? Is that what made
you so frightened? You get up and leave your post unattended, rush over here
and send the army into disarray with silly stories!
What on earth are you telling us?
What am I to make of this odd report?
So many words and none of them say anything I can understand!
41
Chorus:
Hektor, listen!
The Greeks have fires lit up everywhere, right through the whole night. You can
see the moorings of all their ships from here and everyone is milling around
Agamemnon’s tent. There’s noisy business taking place in there. It sounds like
they’re waiting for some important news. I’ve never seen this fleet get into
such turmoil of panic.
I have come to you because I’m afraid of what they might have in store for us,
not because I need to be told off by you!
52
Hektor:
Ah! A rather frightening report! Still, you have come just at the right time.
It seems the Argives want to escape from me, run off, even while my eyes are
watching them. They want to get away from our land in those ships of
theirs under the wide cover of darkness. Now I know what all these fires are
about!
Oh, gods! You have robbed me of my feast as you would rob a lion of its kill. A
feast out of the whole Argive army – with this spear!
60
Had the rays of the Sun not vanished, I would have continued until my glorious
spear had set fire to all their ships, destroyed all their tents and, with this
murderous hand, slaughtered a horde of them!
My heart was urging me on, that’s for certain! I wanted to keep up the
pace the gods have given me and to go on killing through the night but the
seers, our wise men who know the ways of the gods, convinced me to wait until
the new light and then leave no Achaian alive.
But the Achaians! The Achaians don’t listen to the words of my prophets.
Cowards feel mighty in the night!
70
Well then! We must rush! Wake up the army and get it armed, hurry!
Spear those cowards in their backs as they try to climb onto their ships!
Paint their ladder-bridges red with their own blood and if any of them survive,
rope them all and teach them how to till our Phrygian fields!
Chorus:
Hold it, Hektor, don’t be in such a rush!
We are not yet certain about what they are actually doing.
We don’t know if they are really trying to escape.
Hektor:
What else would they be doing with all these fires?
Chorus:
I don’t know, Hektor but I am a little afraid…
80
Hektor:
Afraid?
If you’re afraid of a little thing like this then you’d be terrified of
everything!
Chorus:
The Argives have never lit fires like that before.
Hektor:
Nor have they ever suffered such a devastating defeat as the one they suffered
yesterday, either!
Chorus:
All thanks to you, Hektor, yes but now think of what we should do next.
Hektor:
What we should do next is simple. With enemies, my command is always, “grab a
spear!”
Chorus: Indicating within, SR
Ah, here’s Aeneas rushing towards us. Obviously he’s got some news for us!
Enter Aeneas accompanied by his guard. SR
Aeneas:
Hektor, what is going on? Why have the night guards come here, to your camp, in
such a panic?
What are you all talking about? The whole army is thrown into confusion!
90
Hektor:
Aeneas, get yourself fully armed and ready for an attack!
Aeneas:
Why? What’s going on? Have you seen reports that the enemy is planning
something secret during the night?
Hektor:
Yes, the Greeks are boarding their ships. They’re getting away.
Aeneas:
What makes you say that? What have you seen, tell me!
Hektor:
They’ve been burning huge fires all night, Aeneas, so I don’t think they’ll
still be here in the morning. Once they burn all their torches they’ll jump
aboard their well-benched ships and sail away for home.
Aeneas:
And you? What will you do? Why the spear in your hand?
100
Hektor:
I’ll be using it against them while they’re trying to jump aboard their ship.
Spear them hard, in the back. That should stop them. It’d be a great shame for
us, a cowardly thing to do, to reject the good will of the gods who have handed
to us these enemies. It’d be a shame to let them all go without a fight after
they have caused us so much grief!
Aeneas:
Hektor, if only your eagerness to fight was combined with a wisdom to make good
plans! But, I suppose, men can’t be perfect at everything. Each of us has his
own talent. Your talent is fighting, thinking is a talent that others have.
110
You saw the fires burning and you immediately thought that the enemy is
leaving, so you now want to take your army there, trying to get through the deep
moats in the middle of the night. Impossible! But, still, let us say you do
manage to cross those moats. What if when you do that you are faced with the
fact that the enemy is not sailing off but it is right there, in front you, all
ready and fully prepared for your spears?
Hektor, if you lose that battle, you’ll never make it back here again!
They’ve got pikes all around their camps. How would your defeated army get back
through them again when they’re retreating? And tell me also, how will your
charioteers run over all those embankments they’ve got there, without getting
their axles broken?
And even still, let us say you did win that battle. There would still be an
Achilles there, Peleas’ son, waiting just for you. And he’s not going to let
you set fire to the ships and he’s not going to let you kill the Achaians the
way you think you will.
121
That man is a raging fireball in battle! Towering courage!
Better still, I say, let our men rest quietly by their shields. They’re
exhausted from the battle. Let’s just send a spy over there, to the enemy
lines, some volunteer to check on them, see if they are really trying to escape
and if we find that they are, well then we can charge at them. But if the
Argives are using these fires to trick us, then we’ll learn even more about our
enemy’s tactics and then respond appropriately.
That’s what I think, my lord.
131
Chorus: To Hektor
I think he’s right. Best if you do as he says rather than what you think.
I hate it when the leadership of generals stands on unsafe ground.
Chorus:
It would be far safer if some fast-footed spy of ours rushes over to their
ships and quickly see what our enemy is up to with all those fires in their
camps.
Other members of the chorus nod their heads in
agreement.
Hektor:
All, right, Aeneas, you win! The majority agrees with you.
Now, Aeneas, go and pacify our allies because the army might feel a bit uneasy
if they hear we are having meetings like this in the night.
140
I’ll send a spy myself, to check out what the Greeks are up to. Your camp is
nearby, so if we hear anything, you’ll know about it quickly. But if we see
that they’re jumping aboard their ships, you’ll know about it through a trumpet
call. I won’t be coming around to you. I’ll be rushing over there this very
night.
I’ll be fighting the Greeks among their own ships.
Aeneas:
Right. Yes, now you’re being sensible. Do send someone over there immediately.
As for me, when the time comes, you’ll see me acting as bravely as you.
Exit Aeneas SR
A few seconds later:
Enter Dolon SR without Hektor noticing
him.
149
Hektor:
Well then, men! You’ve heard what we need. Who among us Trojans will go to the
Greek ships to spy on them?
Who will do this great service to our nation?
Who will agree to do this? I can’t serve everyone all the time, both, Trojans
and allies!
Dolon:
I will! I am willing to do it.
I’ll take this risk for the sake of our country.
I will go to the ships of the Achaians, find out what they’re planning to do
and then come back here and tell you all about it. I promise you that I shall
undertake this task.
Hektor:
Ah, our very own Dolon! Your name does justice to your nature, my wily friend.
And a man who loves his country, too!
And a man who’ll double the glory of his father’s race!
161
Dolon:
Yes, Hektor but do let me ask you, shouldn’t a man’s work be rewarded in some
way? I will certainly work for my country and perform this task but a task is
twice as sweetly done if there’s a reward attached to it.
Hektor:
Quite right, quite right. I do not say otherwise. Name your reward, Dolon. Ask
for anything except my throne.
Dolon:
Your throne? No, keep your throne, Hektor. I have no wish at all to be a king
and protector of a city!
Hektor:
Ah! I know! Join our household. Marry one of Priam’s daughters.
Dolon:
No, no marriage above my station, Hektor!
Hektor:
Gold then, Dolon. We have an abundance of that!
170
Dolon:
So do we, Hektor. We lack no wealth either.
Hektor:
What then, Dolon? What else can
Dolon:
The reward will be given after we destroy the Greeks. I want a reward that can
come only after we destroy them.
Hektor:
Name it. Anything except their chiefs.
Dolon:
They’re all yours to slaughter Hektor! I won’t be begging you for Menelaus’
head!
Hektor:
Not
Dolon:
No, Hektor. The hands of nobles like
Hektor:
Do you want ransom? Which of the Greeks do you want for that?
Dolon:
No, no ransom either. I’ve told you already. We have enough gold.
Hektor:
We’ll put you among the first to choose from the spoils. You can come and pick
whatever you like.
180
Dolon:
Spoils?
No, you can hang those on the columns of the temples. Dedicate them to the
gods.
Hektor:
Well, what’s better than all these things I’ve offered you, Dolon? What more do
you want from me?
Dolon:
Achilles’ horses, Hektor. When one lets his life ride on the dice thrown by the
gods, then the prize should be worthy of the effort.
Hektor:
Oh, no! Those horses, Dolon! You and I both love them!
Immortal beasts sired by immortals and ridden by the fast-footed Achilles, son
of Peleus. They say that Poseidon himself, that god who’s the lord of all
horses and lord of all the sea – they say it was Poseidon who had given them to
Peleus as a wedding gift.
But, I won’t start reneging on my promise now. I will give you Achilles’ horses
as well as his chariot.
It will be a truly magnificent adornment to your house!
191
Dolon:
Not only that but, if I do get these horses, I’ll also be able to say that the
Trojans have shown their appreciation of my bravery by rewarding me with this
splendid gift.
And, of course, you should not be jealous of me, Hektor because, as the first
hero of our nation, you will be able to get myriads of other things that will
make you happy.
Chorus:
The task is huge, Dolon but so are the rewards.
Chorus:
If you succeed, Dolon, you’ll be among the blessed!
Chorus:
Glory only comes with the pain of hard work.
Chorus:
Still, it wouldn’t be a small prize, to be married into royalty, either.
200
Chorus:
So far as the gods are concerned, Justice herself will decide this but so far
as mortals are concerned –well, you’ve got it all, Dolon!
Dolon:
Yes, well, I’ll be off now. I’ll go home first and change into clothes that are
more appropriate for the task before I go down to the Argive ships.
Chorus:
Change into what sort of clothes, Dolon?
Dolon:
Clothes fit for a covert operation.
Chorus:
A wise man should teach others wise things. Tell us what you’ll wear, Dolon.
Dolon:
Wolf skin on my back, with its gaping jaws over the top of my head, its
forelegs over my shoulders and its hind legs around my feet.
212
And, while I’m approaching the moat and the walls around their ships, I’ll walk
on all fours, to make it hard for the Greeks to detect me but when I’ll get out
into the open land, I’ll stand up and walk on my two feet.
That’s the trick I’ll employ.
Chorus:
I hope Hermes, the god of thieves, Maia’s son, will help you get there and
back.
Chorus:
You’ve got your plan, Dolon, now all you need to do is to see it through!
219
Dolon:
I will get there safely, kill Odysseus and bring you his head as proof that I,
Dolon have got to the Greek ships… Or… perhaps, I’ll kill Diomedes,
Tydeus’ son.
In any case, I’ll be back before the break of dawn with my hands dripping
blood!
Exit Dolon SR
Exit Hektor to his tent.
Chorus:
Apollo!
God of Thymbra!
Chorus:
God of
Chorus:
Divine head!
Chorus:
You walk in the precincts of
Chorus:
Son of Zeus!
Chorus:
Apollo, come now!
Come to us with your bow and arrows!
Now, this very night!
229
Chorus:
Come and protect that man! Dolon, who has started on a journey to save the sons
of Dardanus!
Chorus:
Apollo!
Mighty ruler!
Chorus:
Apollo!
You have built this city’s walls!
Chorus:
Chorus:
Help Dolon get to the gathered ships of our enemy, those Greeks, Apollo, those
Greeks!
Help him spy upon the army of the Greeks and then let him return here safely.
Chorus:
Help him return to
Chorus:
And help him also defeat the Achaian army!
240
Chorus:
Help him ride triumphantly the chariot drawn by Achilles’ horses! The horses of
Phthia!
Chorus:
The horses that Poseidon himself, Lord of the sea, gave to Peleus, the son of
Aeacus.
Chorus:
Grand Dolon success in his mission, Apollo for it is he, alone, who dared to go
to the Greek ships and spy upon them on our behalf, for the sake of our country
and his home.
Chorus:
Such courage!
Chorus:
When the wild and dark seas batter a country it is always hard to find such
brave men.
250
Chorus:
Yet we have brave men amongst us! Brave Phrygian men, their heart bold and full
of courage.
Chorus:
There is no Mysian, bravest of our allies, who’d scorn my company in battle!
Chorus:
Ha!
I wonder who’ll be the Greek that our Dolon will kill, as he crawls about their
camp, like a four-footed beast, sniffing at their tents!
Enter Hektor from his tent
Chorus:
He should kill Menelaus!
260
Chorus:
Agamemnon! Kill him, cut off his head and drop it in Helen’s lap!
Chorus:
Let her mourn her beastly brother-in-law!
Chorus:
Agamemnon! The man who dared to come here, to the
Enter a messenger SR. He is a shepherd.
Messenger: To Hektor, happily
excited
My lord! If only I could always bring my lords such good news as those I have
for you to hear now!
Hektor:
Ha! Stupid peasants and their stupid ways!
Look around you, peasant! Your masters are in full armour, ready for battle and
you decided to come here, at this hour to give us news about your flocks of
sheep!
Don’t you know where my house is? Where my father’s throne is located?
It’s there you should go and talk of the welfare of your herds, not here!
This is the wrong place for such concerns.
271
Messenger:
It’s true, my Lord! We, peasants are stupid, one can’t argue about that, my
Lord but, nevertheless, I am bringing you good news!
Hektor:
Enough with the tales of peasants and the fortunes of their sheep!
Can you not see? We have spears in our hands and battles to fight!
Messenger:
Yes, my Lord but this is exactly what my news is about. Armies and suchlike.
There’s a man, my Lord, a man, at the head of a huge army, an ally of ours,
coming our way.
Hektor:
A man? From which country?
Messenger:
From
280
Hektor:
Rhesus? Are you telling me that Rhesus has come to
Messenger:
Yes, my Lord. That’s what I mean. Thank you for making my message half as long
and arduous!
Hektor:
But –
Why would he not come through the wide highways of our valleys and, instead
come down through the gullies and the deep gorges of Ida to where you are?
Messenger:
I don’t know for certain about that, my Lord, but I suppose I can guess,
though.
I guess it would be a difficult job to drive an army into a country through the
night if you know that the open meadows are swarming with enemy soldiers.
It was a frightening thing for us shepherds, who live on those rocks, high up
on Mount Ida, to see that army, my Lord, that huge Thracian army, rolling in
like a huge river, making so much noise, rolling and rolling all through the
woods, woods swarming with wild beasts.
290
We were so frightened, we moved our sheep to the higher crags. At first we
thought they were Greeks and we were afraid that they would rush out and
pillage your herds, my Lord. We thought they’d run off with your sheep, as
spoils of war, I mean. But then we heard voices. And the voices weren’t in the
Greek tongue, so we relaxed.
I walked right up to the scouts at the head of their army and spoke to them in
their own tongue, in Thracian.
“Who’s your General?” I asked them, “What’s his father’s name? Who is this man
who’s bringing this army of allies to
300
And when I heard all I wanted to hear, I got up. That’s when I saw Rhesus.
There he was, up on his chariot, looking like a god behind his Thracian horses.
The yoke that held the horses in place by the neck was made of gleaming gold.
Horses whiter than snow!
From his shoulder hung a light shield with shining plates of gold embossed on
it.
On the cheek-pieces of the horses there was embossed a glaring Gorgon –just
like that on Athena’s Aegis. Bells hung from them and they made such a
frightening noise!
310
And there are more men in this army than there are pebbles on Earth. Countless
men!
A countless cavalry, countless the shields, hordes and hordes of bowmen and
light-armed troops, all in their Thracian battle gear!
That’s the army of our allies that has come to the aid of
Achilles will not be able to escape them. Not by running away nor by fighting
them with his spear!
Chorus:
When the gods want to help the people, they can turn even a disaster into a
joyful event!
Hektor:
Ha!
Now!
320
It’s now that my spear has done its work and Zeus sides with me, it’s now that
I’m finding friends everywhere!
No, now I have no need of them! I have no need of those who were not my friends
from the beginning of all this, from when belligerent Ares was blasting his
winds of war against the sails of this ship, ripping them to shreds!
Rhesus has shown us just what sort of friend he is to our city!
When the hunters were hunting the beast, he and his spear were nowhere to be
seen! Now, now that we’ve killed it, here he is, present at the feast!
Chorus:
Hektor! Of course, you have every right to protest and censure your friends but
do let people come and help save our city, if they wish!
Hektor:
There’s enough of our own people to save it and we’ve been doing that well
enough now for many years.
330
Chorus:
Are you that certain that you have totally destroyed our enemy, Hektor?
Hektor:
I am certain and it will be made clear when the gods bring us the new morning!
Chorus:
Look to the future, Hektor! The gods can topple everything!
Hektor:
Ah, how I despise people who arrive too late to help their friends!
Well then, since he is here, let him be received as a guest at my table but not
as an ally to the war.
The sons of Priam owe him no gratitude.
Chorus:
Still, my lord, disdain towards allies, leads to all sorts of animosity.
Messenger:
My Lord if the enemy but just takes a glimpse of the man, they’ll get
frightened!
Hektor: Ponders over the situation
for a minute and then decides.To the Chorus:
Your advice is good.
To the Messenger:
And you’ve delivered me a timely report.
Well then! All right! Let Rhesus in his golden armour, as the report goes,
enter our city as an ally!
Exit Messenger SR
Exit Hektor into his tent
Chorus:
Let Zeus’ daughter, Adrasteia, who punishes the conceited, keep my words safe
from divine anger! I will utter only such things as are anxiously waiting
in my heart to be uttered.
Son of our river, Rhesus, you have arrived!
Chorus:
You have come near the palace that prays to Zeus, the god of Friendship and the
palace welcomes you.
Chorus:
It has taken too long for your mother, the Muse,
351
Chorus:
It was this beautiful river, Strymon, himself, who wound his waters through the
pure gulfs of your mother, the Muse, the melodious singer and with his seed she
gave birth to you, a glorious youth.
Chorus:
I see you as if you were Zeus, giver of light, entering our city on a chariot
behind your spotted mares.
Chorus:
Now,
360
Chorus:
Will the day come, I wonder, when the old
The
Chorus:
Will the day come when the Atreus brothers leave our shores, leave us and head
back for their own homes, in
Chorus:
Ah, Rhesus, my friend! How I wish you could accomplish this dream of mine!
Chorus:
Accomplish it with your hand and with your spear, my friend, before you return
home to
370
Chorus:
Come, my friend! Appear before Achilles’ face and raise your golden shield to
him!
Chorus:
Swing it to the right across the opening of your chariot’s rails!
Chorus:
Flash it at his eyes!
Chorus:
Urge fast your horses!
Chorus:
Shake your two-pronged spear at him!
Chorus:
No enemy shall escape you!
Chorus:
No enemy shall ever see the day when he can dance at the plains of the
Chorus:
No, he shall die a death by a Thracian spear and this soil shall welcome the
weight of his corpse and will take it with delight.
Enter Rhesus. An imposing figure with his full armour
and glittering shield
380
Chorus:
Oh, Great King!
Chorus:
Great King!
Chorus:
Splendid King!
Chorus:
Oh,
A truly glorious Prince!
Chorus:
Ah! Admire the golden armour that covers his body!
Chorus:
Ah! Listen to the boisterous clang of the bells that hang from the rims of his
shield!
Chorus:
A god!
Chorus:
Oh, Troy, here’s a god!
Chorus:
Ares himself, the god of war!
Chorus:
The son of our river, Strymon and a Muse!
Chorus:
Oh,
Enter Hektor from his tent.
388
Rhesus:
Noble Hektor!
Noble son of a noble father! King of this land!
This is a belated greeting I am addressing to you, I know but… but I am pleased
that you are winning this war and your men are now very close to the enemy
gates.
I am here to help you tear down their walls and set fire to their ships.
Hektor:
Rhesus!
Noble son of the Muse of melody and of the Thracian river Strymon!
My way is to always to tell the truth. I am not a two-faced man.
Your duty was to come here a long time ago and fight with all your might for
399
And, no, you can’t use the excuse that you were not invited and that’s why you
didn’t come to see your friends any earlier, to help them in their hour of
need!
We have sent to you numerous envoys and embassies of elders to try and persuade
you to come and protect our city. We have even sent you rich gifts of
honour!
But you! Even though you are of the same race as us, a barbarian from barbarian
stock, you have betrayed us!
410
Yes, you have betrayed us to the Greeks by your delays!
Was it not this very hand of mine that has made you the great king of
Had I not thrown myself against the shields of the bravest of men of
It was I who has made you the leader of those people and it was I who has
delivered them to you to be your subjects.
And you? How did you repay me for that deed?
You have brushed it aside and, instead of showing us gratitude, you have left
the task of coming to help your friends until it’s too late, until their
difficult days have passed.
There are men here, who are total foreigners, totally unrelated to us, men
who’ve been here for a long time; some of them have even died here and their
bodies lie in graves on our own soil –now that’s real proof of their loyalty to
us, to our Troy!
And there are others, too, brave men, in full armour and on battle chariots,
who stand watch and endure the chilly winds or the unquenchable heat of Ares,
the god of war. Men who are not idly resting in warm and comfortable
couches, passing each other deep cups of draught, like you’ve been doing all
this time.
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There! I, Hektor speak like a free man and I speak only the truth.
I have made my complaints to you, personally and openly.
Rhesus:
Hektor, I am the same.
My words are straight, no double meaning in them. You’ll find no forked paths
in my speech.
My heart, Hektor, suffered even more than yours because I wasn’t here. I
grieved more painfully than you. But, as I was preparing to come over here, the
Scythians, my neighbours, decided to attack me.
430
I was about to cross the hostile
That’s what had stopped me from crossing over and heading for the plains of
I won that war and then, afterwards, I took their children as hostages and set
an annual tax for them to pay me. It was after I’ve completed those tasks, that
I started off again for here. First I took to the sea with a ship, crossed over
and then walked through all the other lands. I’ve neither slept in golden
palaces nor drank those deep draughts you’re prattling on about.
440
Instead, I had to put up with the icy blasts that hit the frozen sea across
I know, I am late but there is still time!
You’ve been playing the dice of war against the Argives for the last ten years
and you still have not won the war. All I ask you for is to give me the
sunlight of a single day and I’ll have those towers of theirs torn down, attack
their dockyards and kill all the Greeks! All of them! And with that, I
will have saved you a lot of pain, so, then, the next day, I’ll leave
451
None of you will need to raise a shield, because, even though I’m a late
arrival, with this spear I will kill all those Argives, all those Greeks who’ve
been boasting so loudly about their bravery.
Chorus:
Yes!
Chorus:
Yes, Rhesus!
Chorus:
What a joy, your words give us, Rhesus! Obviously you were sent here by Zeus
himself, to give us all this joy!
Chorus:
I hope Zeus will protect us from the anger of any of the other gods who may
feel offended by your words, Rhesus.
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Chorus:
A man like you, Rhesus! No war ship, no Greek ship of war, has ever brought a
man better than you! Not ever before and not now!
Chorus:
I don’t know how Achilles, or even
Chorus:
Oh, Lord! If only I could be there to see it!
If only I could be there on the day when your killing hand and your bloody
spear exact the righteous punishment!
Rhesus:
And, as a recompense for my long delay coming here, which has caused you such
great offence, I’ll give you another gift, provided, of course, the goddess
Adrasteia approves of what I am about to say.
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When we have freed
Hektor:
I will be very thankful to the gods if I just get out of this disaster alive
and well and get to rule beautiful
Rhesus:
Don’t people say that these men who came here are the finest
480
Hektor:
I see nothing wrong with them. It’s been tough work fighting them.
Rhesus:
Well then, if we kill them all, all of this lot, won’t that be the end of
Hektor:
Rhesus, forget about what’s in the distance, focus of what’s near!
Rhesus:
Hektor, I think you’re happy to go on suffering like this, instead of doing
something about it.
Hektor: Dismissing the discussion.
Listen, Rhesus. My power is large enough as it is here.
Now! You can camp whichever side of the field you want. Left, right, or in the
middle of our other allies, if you like. Rest your shield and your men wherever
you like.
Rhesus:
No, Hektor. I want to fight the Greeks all on my own.
However, if you think it a great embarrassment to have their ships suddenly,
after ten years of hard fighting, burnt to cinders, if that is too embarrassing
for you, then simply set me up to fight against Achilles and his army.
492
Hektor:
Not possible. You can’t fight against him and his frenzied spear.
Rhesus:
Why not, he’s here, isn’t he? They say he has come to
Hektor:
He is but he had an argument with the generals and he has shut himself in his
tent. He’s not fighting.
Rhesus:
Well, who’s the next best among them?
Hektor:
To my mind,
500
One night he went over to the
He’s always hanging around the
I tell you, Rhesus, the monster we’re fighting is thoroughly evil.
510
Rhesus:
Brave men fight the enemy out in the open, Hektor, not in secret.
This man you’re talking about, this man who does all his fighting with sly
tricks and in secret hiding places, I will catch him alive, impale him through
his spine and set him up as a feast for the vultures outside the city.
That’s the sort of death that a common thief and temple robber deserves.
Hektor:
Come, for now, go and rest. It’s still dark. I’ll show you where you and your
army can settle for the night. It’ll be separate from the rest of us.
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Now, if we ever need it, the watchword is “Phoebus.” Memorise it and tell
all your men.
To the chorus
You men, go and keep guard at the front line and wait for Dolon who’s gone to
spy on the Greeks. If he’s still unharmed, he’ll be heading back towards our
camps by now.
Exit all SR
SCENE TWO
Same time at the front line.
Two soldiers are asleep on the floor. One
is keeping guard. He’s obviously tired. He is examining the moon. Finally he is
content. He kicks one of the sleeping soldiers first and then the other.
Soldier 1: As he kicks the
sleeping soldier
Ey! Who’s on guard now? Who’s relieving me? It’s time. The early
constellations are diving and the Pleiades are high!
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Look there! The Eagle is flying mid-sky!
Come on, get up! Get yourselves out of your beds!
It’s time for your guard duty!
Look at that Moon! See how it shines?
It’s almost Dawn! Morning almost! Come on!
Look! There’s one of those stars that appear before Dawn!
Soldier 2: Waking up
Who’s rostered to do the first shift?
Soldier 3: Waking up
Coroebus, I think. Mygdon’t son. Or so they tell me.
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Soldier 1:
Who’s after him?
Soldier 3:
Corybus’ men. The contingent from Paeonia. They woke up the Cilicians and
the Mysians woke us up.
Soldier 1:
Well then, shouldn’t be going over to wake up the Lycians? Didn’t the roster
put them as the fifth watch?
Sound of a Nightingale
Soldier 3:
Listen! Hear that nightingale? She’s in her nest by the banks of our river,
Simois.
Blood-stained nest that one! Killed her own child, she did.
More sounds of the Nightingale
Beautiful music!
Very sad. Mournful.
Sounds of sheep and the pipe of a shepherd
Soldier 2:
Ah! The sheep are out and about already, up on the hills of Ida.
Soldier 1:
I can hear the delightful music of the shepherd’s flute. It’s like a sweet
lullaby.
Ah, how sweetly Sleep stretches herself over my eyelids the moment Dawn
appears!
Soldier 2:
Where is that man that Hektor sent over to spy on the Greek ships?
Soldier 3:
Yeah, I’m beginning to worry about him. He’s taking a long time to get back!
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Soldier 1:
Perhaps he fell into some hidden ambush and they’ve killed him!
Soldier: 2
No idea. I’m very worried about him.
Soldier 1:
Well, I say let’s go and wake up the Lycians. They’re the fifth watch.
Exit all. SR
SCENE THREE
A few minutes later. The stage is empty.
Enter Odysseus and Diomedes, furtively,
guardedly. Both have their swords drawn.
They have just killed Dolon so they are
carrying some “spoils.” Possibly Dolon’s wolf skin and sword, shield,
belt, etc.
Suddenly a sound of chains clashing
against other metal is heard within.
Odysseus:
Diomedes, what was that noise?
Was that a clash of swords my ears picked up or was it something unimportant?
Diomedes:
Nothing important, Odysseus.
Some horse’s harness hit against the rails of a chariot.
It got me frightened as well, at first but then I figured out what it was.
No, just the noise of a harness.
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Odysseus:
Right…
Careful you don’t bump onto any guards in the dark.
Diomedes:
I always walk carefully.
Odysseus:
But what if you do? What if you wake someone up, do you know the watchword they
use?
Diomedes:
Yes, Odysseus, it’s “Phoebus.” Dolon told me.
Odysseus:
Look here! Enemy beds. No one in them!
Diomedes:
Yes, Dolon had told me there’d no one here.
This is where Hektor sleeps.
My sword is ready for him!
Odysseus: They slowly enter
Hektor’s tent, check it out and come out again.
I wonder what it means. Where do you think they might all be? Could they be
setting up some ambush for us?
Diomedes:
Probably. Cooking up some scheme somewhere, no doubt.
Odysseus:
Now that Hektor is on a winning streak, nothing will stop him. He’s become very
daring, our Hektor!
580
Diomedes:
So, what do we do now, Odysseus?
The man is clearly not in his tent and so, well, there go our hopes of
capturing him.
Odysseus:
I think we better hurry back to our ships.
This man is being protected by the same god that’s giving him all these
victories.
We better not go against Fate.
Diomedes:
Why don’t we go over and, with these swords, cut off the head of Aeneas? As
well as that of Paris, the Trojan I hate the most!
Odysseus:
Too dark, Diomedes! Too risky and too difficult to find them. This is their
camping ground.
Diomedes:
But it’s a shame to go back to the ships without inflicting some pain upon our
enemy!
591
Odysseus:
What do you mean, some pain, Diomedes? We have caused great pain to the enemy. Indicates the spoils. Aren’t these
Dolon’s belongings? Haven’t we killed their precious Dolon who was spying on
our ships? Did you expect we’d destroy their whole army tonight?
Diomedes:
All right then, I believe you. Let’s go back and good luck in doing that!
Enter the goddess Athena who is not visible to the two
men.
Athena:
Are you two leaving the Trojan camp? Is you heart disappointed because the gods
did not permit you to kill Hektor and Paris?
The men nod in agreement
Well, listen!
Rhesus has come to Troy! And oh, with what great pomp! He came here as their
ally.
600
Now… if that man survives this night, neither Ajax nor Achilles with their
spears will be able to hold him back. He’ll tear down all of your fences and
all your fortifications and he’ll cut down a wide path for himself, all the way
down to your ships and then he’ll destroy the lot of them!
However… if you manage to kill him… if you kill him, you win the lot! The war
is yours!
So forget about Hektor and his tent and you, forget about chopping off his
head. Hektor’s death is destined to come from someone else’s hand.
Odysseus: Searching in the dark to
see who’s talking.
Ah ha! It’s my lady, Athena! Your voice! I hear it and I recognise it!
You’re always by my side, my Lady!
610
Always helping me, always there when I have some painful task to perform! Tell
me, my goddess, where has this man, this Rhesus, set up his bed tonight? In
what part of the Trojan camp is he stationed?
Athena:
Not far from here.
He’s placed away from all the others, from all the Trojans. Hektor separated
him from the rest, at least until Day takes over from Night.
He’s easy to find. White horses are harnessed to Thracian chariots next to him
and those horses shine like the wings of a swan, so you can see them in the
dark. Kill their owner and they’re yours to take home as spoils of war.
Magnificent spoils! There’s no place on Earth that has horses like them.
622
Odysseus:
Diomedes, either you kill the soldiers or you let me do that, while you take
care of the horses.
Diomedes:
No, I’ll take care of the killing and you take care of the horses. You’re the
one with the clever head, you know all the tricks. It’s important that each man
is asked to do what he’s best at.
They hear footsteps and hide in the shadows
Athena: Looking within
Ah! I can see Paris Alexandros heading this way.
He must have heard from a guard that there are enemy soldiers in their midst.
It’d be some vague rumour.
630
Diomedes:
Is he alone or with friends?
Athena:
No, on his own. Looks like he’s coming over to Hektor’s tent to tell him there
are spies around.
Diomedes: Eager
Well, then. Here’s the man to slaughter!
Athena:
Diomedes, no! Your strength does not surpass that of Fate and this man’s Fate
declares that his death will not come by your hand but by that belonging to
some one else. Now run! Run to the place where you are fated to slaughter
someone else.
I’ll stay here and make this man, who is my own personal enemy, think that I am
his friendly little goddess, Aphrodite, who’s come to help him with his
troubles.
Enough, now! I have said all I wanted to say!
Paris, who’s about to suffer, has heard nothing. He’s close by but knows
nothing.
Odysseus and Diomedes hide behind the tent.
Enter Paris
642
Paris: Shouts
Hektor!
Hektor, my Commander!
No response
Hektor, my brother, are you asleep?
There are enemy soldiers around… thieves, maybe, or spies!
No response. Goes and checks through the flaps of
Hektor’s tent.
Baffled not to find him there.
Athena: Invisible to Paris
Courage, Paris!
I, Aphrodite, love you and am always looking out for you!
I am watching over your war with interest and I will never forget the honour
you have bestowed upon me and for which I thank you greatly.
The Trojan are winning and, to add to that pleasure, I have brought you a true
ally!
He is a Thracian. The son of the song-loving Muse and, as they say, of the
river Strymon.
Paris:
Yes, you have always stood by me and by my city, Aphrodite.
I am proud to say that the greatest deed I have done for Troy was to judge you
the winner of the beauty contest.
I have heard –not clearly, I must admit- some rumour among the guards, that
there are Greek spies in our camps. It’s unclear. One guard says they’re
here but he hasn’t seen them, another says he’s seen them come but could tell
me no more. It’s all very vague.
And that’s why I’ve come to speak with Hektor.
661
Athena:
Don’t worry about a thing, Paris. There’s nothing troublesome going on in the
camp.
Hektor has just gone off to take the army of the Thracian allies to where they
can set up camp for the night.
Paris:
Fine, Aphrodite. Your words have convinced me, so I’ll just go back and stand
guard at my spot. I am no longer worried.
Athena:
Go ahead, Paris, go and remember that I, Aphrodite, am watching over you all
the time. I want nothing more than to see that my friends are happy and you
will soon see proof of that.
Exit Paris SR
Now, you men! You, brave, brave, men!
Odysseus and Diomedes appear from behind
the tent. Their swords are drawn.
Odysseus, son of Laertes, let your sharpened blade rest. Rhesus, the
Thracian General has been killed. His horses now belong to you. However, the
Trojans now know that you’re here and they’re on their way, so you better run
off back to your ships, quickly!
Go, on, run for your lives! There’s a whole tempest of them rushing this way!
Run! Save yourselves!
Athena vanishes.
From within we hear soldiers approaching.
It is the chorus.
Odysseus and Diomedes are confused and
they are rushing about trying to escape.
Chorus Within
Where? Where are they?
Chorus:
What’s going on?
Enter Chorus. They have seen the two men.
Chorus:
Bowmen, your arrows! Shoot them!
Chorus:
Your arrows!
Chorus:
Your swords!
Chorus:
Kill them! Kill them!
Chorus:
Beat them up!
Chorus:
Who is that man?
Chorus:
Grab him!
Chorus:
And that one there!
Chorus:
Over here, men!
A scuffle ensues and one of the chorus grabs Odysseus,
another, Diomedes.
680
Chorus:
I’ve got this one!
Chorus:
And I’ve got this one!
Chorus:
Damned thieves!
Chorus:
They’ve thrown the whole army into chaos!
Chorus: The one who has Diomedes
What company are you from?
Chorus: The one who has Odysseus
Where are you from? Which country?
Odysseus:
That is not for you to know!You hurt me even a little and today you will die!
Chorus:
What’s the watchword? Tell me the watchword or you’ll end up with a spear
through your chest!
Odysseus:
Hold it! Calm down!
Chorus:
Get over here men! Beat him!
Odysseus:
Are you the one who killed Rhesus?
Chorus:
No, not Rhesus but I’ll be the one who’ll be killing you!
Odysseus:
Stop this!
Chorus:
No I won’t!
Odysseus:
Stop! You’re beating up a mate!
Chorus:
A mate? What’s the watchword?
Odysseus:
Phoebus!
Chorus: Bemused
I… right. That’s the word, all right. Men, stop your spears!
Back to Odysseus
Do you know where all our men have gone?
Odysseus: Pointing towards SL
We saw them taking that path there.
690
Chorus:
Come on, men. Everyone go after them!
Chorus:
Should we scream and shout?
Chorus:
And frighten our allies in the middle of the night? No, we better not.
The Chorus exits through SL which gives an opportunity
for the two Greeks to sneak away. A few seconds later, the Chorus
re-enters.
Chorus: Seeing that the men have
gone
Ah! Who was that man who’s just gone?
Chorus:
What’s his name, that impudent man? He’ll be going around, boasting that he’s
escaped my hands!
Chorus:
How are we going to find him now?
Chorus:
He looks familiar but I… I wonder who it is?
Chorus:
He’s got very brave feet, that’s for sure. Walking around in the dark, right
through our ranks and all our sentries!
700
Chorus:
He’s either some Thessalian or from some town around the coast of Locris.
Chorus:
Could be one of those men who live alone in some island or other.
Chorus:
Who was he?
Chorus:
Where on earth did he come from?
Chorus:
Where’s is his country?
Chorus:
Who is his god?
Chorus: Suddenly he remembers
Odysseus!
It’s Odysseus, I’m certain! This is all the work of Odysseus! How could
it not be?
Look at what he’s done in the past!
Chorus:
Do you really thinks so?
Chorus:
Of course I do. Look at the nasty things he’s done to us in the past. This is
his sort of boldness all right!
Chorus:
Boldness? Who are you talking about, with your boldness?
Chorus:
Odysseus, of course!
Chorus: Spits in disgust.
To say Odysseus is bold is to praise him. Never praise a cunning, treacherous
war thief!
He came over here once before. Right into the city.
Chorus:
His eyes were all sly-looking, dark. He was dressed in beggars’ dirty rags, inside
which he was hiding a sword. Filthy, stinking hair all over the place. He
was pretending to be begging for his bread, just like a real beggar.
And there he was, the dirty scum, shouting all sorts of curses against the
house of Atreus, against Menelaos and Agamemnon as if he was their enemy.
720
Chorus:
He should have been slaughtered before he set foot on Troy’s soil!
Chorus:
Odysseus or not, I’m still worried. Hektor will blame us. We are the sentries.
Chorus:
What’s he going to do?
Chorus:
He’s going to curse us mercilessly!
Chorus:
But what for? What have we done?
Chorus:
What are you afraid of?
Chorus:
He will curse us because those two went right past us!
Chorus:
Who did?
Chorus:
Those two men! The men who paid the Trojan army a visit!
Chariot Driver: (within. Highly
distressed)
Ah! Ah!
What a horrible disaster Fate has delivered us! Ah!
730
Chorus:
Hush! Everyone shut up. Take your posts!
Perhaps our nets have caught someone after all!
Enter Rhesus’ chariot driver. SR
He is badly wounded
Chariot Driver:
Ah! Ah!
What a terrible disaster has struck the Thracians! Terrible! Terrible!
Chorus:
The poor sod, he’s one of our allies!
Chariot Driver:
Ah!
How shocking is my Fate!
Oh, Rhesus! How shocking is your Fate, Rhesus, king of the Thracians!
How shocking the day that you thought of helping Troy!
How shocking the death that has taken you away, my lord!
Chorus:
Which of our allies are you, good man? I can’t see you clearly in this
darkness.
739
Chariot Driver:
Tell me, where can I find one of the Trojan Generals?
Where’s the spot where Hektor sleeps? Where is it that he lies beneath his
shield?
Take me to the General to whom I can report the awful thing we’ve just
suffered.
Some man has caused us, Thracians, a shattering catastrophe, a catastrophe, as plain
as day to see and then slipped away, disappeared from us completely!
Chorus:
From what this man is saying, it seems something terrible has happened to the
Thracian army.
Chariot Driver:
Ah! Our army is destroyed!
Our King is dead!
All done by treachery!
750
Ah! Ah! My wounds hurt so much!
Ah! They are so deep!
Ah! Come death, take me!
Ah! Both, Rhesus and I came here to help Troy!
We came here to help her, to help Troy! So why does Fate declare that both of
us should die in such a shameful way?
Chorus:
The poor soldier is using plain words.
His is clearly reporting a disaster which befell our allies.
They are devastated!
Chariot Driver:
Devastated, yes! And disgraced!
Devastated and disgraced together. A double disaster, a double disgrace.
If you are to die in battle, though it is painful for the man, it is an
inspiration for those left behind and a glory to his house.
760
But us two, Rhesus and I, we two have fallen stupidly, for no good reason and
with no glory!
Once Hektor told us the watchword and showed us where we should sleep, we just
fell down and slept. We were exhausted from the long march here. So we fell
asleep.
And because our king was told that you, Trojans, had the upper hand in this war
and you were just getting ready to attack the enemy ships in the harbour, we
placed no guards anywhere in our camp and neither did we not gather all our
arms together in any order. Even the horse goads, even them we didn’t
bother to put next to the chariot yokes. We just dropped down where we were, in
no order at all and we fell asleep straight away.
770
Suddenly though, my heart jumped with concern about the horses. I got up and
gave all the horses a generous feed because I knew they would be harnessed at
Dawn and made ready for the battle.
Just then, in the deep darkness of the night, I saw two men, wandering about
through our camp, suspiciously. I started walking towards them but they got
frightened and shot through. I thought it was some allies trying to rob us, so
I simply shouted at them, warned them never to come back.
They didn’t answer back and I thought nothing more of it. I went back to my
spot again and fell asleep.
780
Then I saw a dream. I saw the horses I’ve trained and drove on Rhesus’ chariot.
I saw them, just like people see things in dreams, and in this dream they had
wolves, sitting on their backs, riding them and these wolves were using their
tails as whips. The wolves were whipping the furry backs of these horses, to
urge them forward. The horses, in their turn, went wild with fear. They reared
back violently. Snorted angrily through their nostrils and fought back.
I jumped up terrified, as if to rush and defend the horses from the wild
beasts. But the moment I raised my head up, I heard the groans of men, dying
with pain and then a fast splash of fresh, hot blood hit me.
791
It was my king’s blood. He was slaughtered and he was giving out his last
breaths. I jumped up but I had no spear nor sword in my hand and as I was
fumbling about in the dark, trying to find a spear, some powerful man charged
at me and struck me with his sword here, right by my side.
The gash of my wound is deep. I felt it as his blade dug into me.
I fell on my face in agony.
The men then took the horses and the chariot and ran away.
Ah! The pain!
My legs are giving way. I can’t stand up any longer!
Ah!
800
He is helped by some of the chorus to sit
on a nearby rock.
I know I saw a slaughter! I was there, I saw it but I don’t understand how it
happened. How it was that our men got slaughtered like that. I don’t know who
did it and how!
I strongly suspect though, that the murderers were allies!
Chorus:
Unfortunate driver of an unfortunate man!
No, do not distress yourself. Don’t think like that. What you’ve suffered
you’ve suffered in the hands of the enemy.
Ah! I can see Hektor coming now. He has obviously heard about this himself and
I can tell he feels your pain.
Enter Hektor SR
Hektor:
You lot!
You have acted outrageously!
How is it that the spies have managed to go past you without you noticing?
Disgraceful stuff!
810
These spies have slaughtered, by sword, so many of our men without you
bothering them at all! Not when they came in and not when they went out! Who
else but you, could be responsible for this?
You are the guards of our army, our sentries!
They’ve escaped unharmed and laughing at us, at our cowardice! Laughing at the
whole Phrygian army, at me, your General!
Be certain of this, though: I swear by Zeus, father of all, that for this deed
you shall be dealt with, either with the whip or with the executioner’s ax, or
else, you can call Hektor a coward!
820
Chorus:
Oh, Hektor, No!
Great Hektor, defender of our city, no!
These men must have snuck in here when I had come to you with the warning that
the Greeks were burning watch fires near their ships.
My lord I have not shut my eyes even for a minute during this night. Not to
sleep nor to snooze. About that I swear by the springs of our river Simois.
My lord, I am not the one to blame for this disaster, so don’t be angry with me
and if you ever find that I had really done or even said something I shouldn’t
have, then I won’t raise the slightest protest if you wanted to bury me alive!
832
Chariot Driver: To Hektor, disgusted.
Ha! Why are you threatening them and why are you trying to twist my words? You
are a barbarian just like me. Neither of us is Greek. The person to blame is
you and both, the dead as well as the wounded know it and they will blame no
one else. You will need to make a huge speech to me, a speech that has a whole
lot of very clever words in it, if you want to convince me that it wasn’t you
who has slaughtered these men, you and your own allies and they did it because
they wanted to steal those horses!
840
Why else would you have begged your allies to come over here? Why else would
you then have them killed?
So, they have come here and now they are dead. You have murdered them yourself.
Not even Paris has disgraced the hearth of hospitality so shamelessly. Not even
he has murdered his allies. But you have!
Don’t tell me that it was some Greeks who did it. How could they? How could
they have passed through the dense lines of the Trojan army without them having
been seen by anyone? You and the rest of the Trojans were in front of us. Tell
me then, which of your mates has been wounded or slaughtered by these Greek
soldiers?
850
None! No, it was I and other Thracians who have suffered the wounds and the
murder. Men who will no longer be able to see the light of day.
In plain words, Hektor, no Greek is to blame for this.
How could a Greek find his way to Rhesus’ bed, through the darkness of the
night, unless he had some god helping him, showing him where to go and where to
look?
The Greeks didn’t even know Rhesus was here. All this is your invention.
Hektor:
From the moment that the Greeks have set foot on this land, I had allies all
around me and I have never been accused by any of them of anything. You are the
first.
May the gods never let me desire horses so much that I would be willing to kill
friends for them!
861
No, this is the work of Odysseus!
It is his doing all right. Who else among the Argives could think of, let alone
do, anything like this? And Dolon? I am really anxious about Dolon. Would
Odysseus have got to him as well? He’s been gone a long time. No sight of him
anywhere!
Chariot Driver:
I don’t know which Odysseus you’re talking about. The hand that struck us was
not that of an enemy.
Hektor:
By all means, think what you like, Thracian.
Chariot Driver:
Oh, Thrace! My homeland! I wish I could die there!
870
Hektor:
Don’t wish death upon yourself. We have seen enough death already.
Chariot Driver:
I have lost my master!
Where can I turn to now?
Hektor:
You can turn to my house. There you will be welcomed and healed.
Chariot Driver:
How can I be healed by murderous hands?
Hektor:
Will this man not stop repeating himself?
Chariot Driver:
Curses to the murderer!
I make no charges against you, don’t worry but Justice will do her work.
Hektor:
Take him away, men!
Take him to my house and treat him better than he would be treated anywhere
else.
Some of the chorus help the driver walk
and exit SR
To the chorus:
879
Go and tell Priam and all those in the tower to bury the dead men. Tell them to
bury them just outside the city, on the highway that heads out of it.
Chorus:
Why is it that the gods bring us such misery after such victory? What are they
up to?
Rhesus’ mother, the Muse appears from above, holding
the blood-spattered body of her dead son.
Chorus:
Ah, look, my Lord!
What goddess is this above us?
Chorus:
She’s carrying the corpse of some newly slaughtered man!
Chorus:
What a frightening sight to behold!
890
Muse:
Don’t be afraid to look, Trojans!
It is I, the Muse, the goddess most honoured by the wise men. One of the nine
sisters.
I have come here because I saw my son shamefully murdered by his enemies.
Odysseus, the man who has murdered him will be punished appropriately in the
near future.
I mourn your death, my son with my own words of grief.
I weep for you my son, my darling, the tears of a mother’s grief!
What a journey you had my son, my darling, to this city!
What dreadful trip it was, my son, my darling, the trip which your father and I
begged you not to take!
I mourn for you, my son, my darling!
I grieve for you with pain!
Chorus:
And I grieve for your son, dear Muse, even though I’m not a relative.
906
Muse:
Death to the son of Oeneus and death to the son of Laertes who has killed my
noble son and left me childless!
Death, too, to the woman who abandoned her home in Greece to come and lie in a
Phrygian bed and have you killed, my son, my darling!
Death to her who has emptied myriads of cities of their brave sons.
In life and in the halls of Hades, son of Philamon, you have heaped bitterness
in my heart! It was your impertinence, Thamyris, the impertinence you have
shown against the Muses by challenging them that has destroyed you and has made
me the mother of this unfortunate boy.
920
It was when we, the Muses had all gathered on the golden mountain, Pangaeon, to
take part in a contest of song and lyre against this Thracian singer, Thamyris.
It was then, when I was trying to cross the waters and springs of Strymon that
I entered his virile bed.
The Thracian singer, Thamyris, had lost the contest and his insults against our
art had earned him the punishment of blindness.
But, you, my son, my darling son, when I had given birth to you, I felt a great
shame towards my sisters because I was a virgin and so, I plunged you into the
splendid swirling waters of your father. He, in turn, handed you to the nymphs
of the springs. He allowed no mortal hands to touch you and take care of you.
930
These virgins had raised you, my son, raised you well and so you became the
first of men. The King of the Thracians.
I had no fear that you’d die while you fought all those bloody battles for the
sake of your own country, my son but I knew well your Fate with Troy. That’s
why I had advised you, I had warned you against coming here. Ever!
But, a constant stream of ambassadors and pleas from Hektor, had convinced you
to come here and help your friend.
But, no, the cause of all this disaster is you, Athena!
Even though Odysseus and Diomedes committed the deed, the real culprit is you!
940
Don’t think that I don’t know this, Athena. You did this, even though my sister
Muses and I often visit Athens, your city and honour it more than all the
others.
It was Orpheus, Athena, this young man’s cousin, who had initiated your city to
your secret mysteries. Orpheus, Athena, the cousin of your victim here! The one
you have murdered.
And Museus, too, Athena! Your city’s most honoured and most respected citizen!
He was trained by us, the Muses and by Phoebus Apollo. And the prize for all
that is that here I am, now, with the corpse of my son in my arms, singing a
dirge over his murder.
Ah! For this song, I need no other singer to accompany me.
950
Chorus:
You see, Hektor?
The Thracian chariot driver was wrong to accuse us of committing those murders!
Hektor:
That, I knew already. We needed no wise prophet to tell us that this was the
work of Odysseus.
As for the accusations against me, how could I not act as I did?
The moment I saw the Greeks setting up camp on our soil, I sent heralds to all
of my friends, asking them to help Troy. It’s true, I’ve also sent some to
Rhesus and he felt obliged to help me and that’s why he came here. But
his death fills me with great sorrow and so now I shall prepare the funeral he
deserves.
960
I will make a great heap of magnificent garments as burnt offerings on his
pyre.
This king came to us as a friend but he has left us in dire misfortune.
Muse:
The black earth will not take my son.
I will ask the virgin Persephone, daughter of Demeter, giver of fruit, to let
my son’s soul remain here, on Earth. She is obliged to show me that she truly
honours all the friends of Orpheus.
Of course, to me he will be just like any other man who has died and cannot see
the light of day. He will never see me. He will never set eyes upon his mother
and he will never approach her.
He will be a man-god.
970
He will live hidden in the caves of the silver-rich land, able to see sun light
and acting as the prophet of Bacchus who has come to live among the crags of
Pangaeon and be revered as a god by those who have the knowledge.
My grief will be felt less than that felt by Thetis, the sea goddess who, Fate
declares will also lose her son, Achilles.
But first, my son, my sisters and I will sing the hymn of lament and then we’ll
sing another for Achilles, Thetis’ boy who will not be saved by the goddess
Athena, the goddess who has taken your life. Apollo’s quiver contains an arrow reserved
just for him, for Achilles.
980
Ah! The pains and misery that mortal parents must endure!
Anyone who thinks about these troubles will never have children! They will
never give birth to them only to burry them!
The Muse with Rhesus’ corpse disappears.
Morning is now breaking.
Chorus:
Rhesus’ mother will mourn for her child but you Hektor, you must do what you
think must be done.
We stand by your side. Tell us what to do. The day is now dawning.
Hektor:
Hurry then! Go to our allies and tell them to get ready. Tell them to harness
their horses. And tell them to stand ready with torches in hand and to listen
for the sound of the Tyrrhenian trumpet.
When I have crossed the moat and the Greek walls, I will set fire to their
ships. Of that I am certain and I am certain that the first rays of today’s sun
will bring to us a day of freedom.
993
Chorus:
Come men! We must obey our King!
Let us pick our arms and go to deliver this command to our allies.
Perhaps the god who looks after us will grant us victory.
Exit all
END OF EURIPIDES’
“RHESUS”