The Robe of Iphigenia in "Agamemnon" Lebeck, Anne Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies; Spring 1964; 5, 1; ProQuest pg. 35
The Robe of Iphigenia in Agamemnon
Anne Lebeck
THE CHORAL LYRIC (104-263) immediately following the anapestic
parodos of Agamemnonl closes with a description of the sacrifice
at Aulis in which the robes of Iphigenia playa prominent part
(7T€:TTAotaL 7TEpL7TETTJ [233J; KPOKOU f3acptx~ 0' €~ 7T€OOJl x€ouaa [239J). There
are two interpretations of the lines in question. Most scholars regard
the verbal adjective 7T€PL7TET~~ in line 233 as passive, the dative
7T€7TAOLGL as instrumental, and translate "wrapped round in her robes"
(Fraenkel, Headlam, Mazon, Smyth, Verrall). Line 239 is taken to
mean that Iphigenia disrobes completely,2 "her saffron garment fall
ing on the ground." Professor Lloyd-Jones3 recently offered a more
convincing interpretation than the earlier view that Iphigenia sheds
her peplos. Line 239, which means literally "pouring dye of saffron
toward the ground," describes Iphigenia raised above the altar; from
her body, held horizontally,4 the robe trails down.
In the same article Lloyd-Jones ingeniously suggests that 7TEPL7TET~~ is
active, the robes those of Agamemnon. Iphigenia kneels before her
father in supplication, "with her arms flung about his robes."5 Pro
fessor Page remarks, "This interpretation has great advantages: the
thought and the language are now both of a normal type .... "6 Such
an advantage is questionable, since neither the thought nor the lang
uage of this passage are normal. Rather they are lyrical: disconnected
phrases follow one another in rapid succession, evoking a strange and
dreamlike picture.
1 Unless otherwise indicated, the Greek text is that of G. Murray, Aescltyli Tragoediae 2
(Oxford 1955). The following editions will henceforth be referred to by the name of editor
alone: John Denniston and Denys Page, Agamemnon (Oxford 1957); Eduard Fraenkel,
Agamemnon II (Oxford 1950); Paul Mazon, Escltyle II (Paris 1925); F. A. Paley, Tragedies of
Aeschylus4 (London 1879); A. W. Verrall, Agamemnon2 (London 1904). I wish to thank Pro
fessor William M. Calder III of Columbia University for his assistance.
2 According to Wilamowitz (Gr. Trag. lIS, p. 59) her clothes are torn off by the "rough
fist" of the attendants, while according to Fraenke1 she strips voluntarily; an interesting
difference in Zeitgeist.
3 "The Robes of Iphigenia," CR 66 (1952) 132-35.
4 See P. Maas, "Agam. 231ff Illustrated," CQ 44 (1951) 94.
5 Lloyd-Jones, op.cit. p. 133.
6 Page, ad loco p. 90.
35
36 THE ROBE OF IPHIGENIA IN AGAMEMNON
The following interpretation is not intended to supplant that of
Lloyd-Jones, but rather to point out a possible area of meaning hither
to overlooked. The phrase could mean "falling round his robes"; it
suggests more than that, however, for the very reason that one cannot
determine whether 7TEPt7TET~S is active or passive, whether the robes
belong to Agamemnon or Iphigenia. The line would be as unclear to
the audience for which it was written as it is to the modern philolo
gist. Too often commentaries on Aeschylus lapse into fruitless argu
ment over the one "right" meaning of a line which has several.
Ambiguity in Aeschylus is not obfuscation of the "real" meaning, but
multiplication of the meanings possible. Scholars err in attempting to
impose upon Aeschylean lyric a clarity and coherence which it was
never meant to possess.
The relation between the two strophes provides a key to the passage.
They are closely connected; if the manuscript tradition is correct.
there is even enjambement across the end of the stanza, a rare phe
nomenon. 7
../...' '>'" 'Y , " \ 'l'paaEV 0 ao..,ots 7TaTYJp ILET Evxav
OI.Kav XtJLatpas V7TEpBE {3WJLofJ
7TE7TAotat 7TEpt7TErTj 7TaVT' BVJL0
7TpOVW7Tij Aa{1E LV aEpDYJv,
235 " \\, aToJLaTos TE Kall/\t7TpcppOV
c/>vAaKCf KaTaaXELv
c/>Boyyov apaLov OtKotS,
{1trr- xaAwwv T' avavoqJ JLEVEt·
KPOKOV {3acf>as D' ES 7TEDov XEovaa
"Q \ \' " Q' EfJal\l\ EKaaTOV UVTYJPWV
240 a7T' OJLJLaTOs {3EAEt cf>tAotKTqJ ...
The part played by Iphigenia's robes in 233 could be the same as that
described in 239. The phrase 7TE7TAOLUt 7TEpt7TETfj 7TallTt BVJL0 7TPOVW7Tfj,
although inserted within the order given by Agamemnon (c/>paaEil ...
Aa{1ELv a€po'Y}v) , is not part of his command but a contribution of the
chorus \vhich anticipates their description in the next strophe.s
7 See Walther Kranz, "Zwei Lieder des Agamemnon," Hermes 54 (1919) 309-10. Murray
follows Triclinius in emending Tt; to (jE and deleting 8E in the following line. Most editors,
however, accept the MS reading.
S Cf Fraenkel, ad loe. p. 134: "7rE7rAoLat 7rt;PL7r£rij describes the appearance of Iphigenia
during the sacrifice, but this is not part of the order given to the ministrants. She is described
as she is when the men lay hands upon her .... " It is only with the last sentence that I
disagree.
ANNE LEBECK 37
7T€7TAo~aL m:pL7T€Tij should not be rendered by the paraphrase "enwrap
ped in robes," but translated literally as "fallen round by robes,"9
that is, "with robes falling round her"; not, however, in the sense that
her clothes are falling off. Just as in 239, she is lifted above the altar;
the robe flows round her, trailing toward the ground.10 The word
order in 232-35 is important. "Her father bade the attendants after the
prayer (to take her up) like a she-goat above the altar fallen round by
robes with all (her or their) heart, head hanging . ... "11 She is described as
she will look above the altar, not at the moment when the attendants
seize her. The words 7T€7TAOWL 7T€PL7T€T11 7TUVTL OUfL0 7TpOVW7Tij are closely
connected by alliteration, recurrence of sound linking the disjointed
phrases in lieu of syntactical connection ;12 perhaps an added reason
for assuming that every word in the phrase refers to Iphigenia, that
the robes are hers. 7TUVTL OVfLljJ is frequently (e.g., by Fraenkel, Headlam
Thomson, and Smyth) taken with the infinitive as part of the command
to the attendants ("resolutely," "with stout heart to raise her")
rather than as describing Iphigenia. This also breaks the connection
9 This is the literal meaning of the phrase if 7T€p(11'ET~S is taken as passive. Against such an
interpretation, Lloyd-Jones, (lp.eit. p. 133, argues that 7T€PL7T€T~S is used as a passive in only
one other place (Ajax 906f). Furthermore, no other derh'atives of 7TlTTTW ending in -1T<'T~S are
passive. However, neologisms and hapax legomena abound in Aeschylus. The freedom with
\vhich he uses language makes it unlikely that the poet \vould be deterred by the absence
of a parallel formation in Buck-Peterson's Reverse Index of Greek NOllns and Adjectives. In
addition, argumel1tullI ex silentio is a tenuous one since we possess only a tenth of his work.
Lloyd-Jones himself concludes that "for 71€PL71ET~S to be passive is not impossible, but at the
~ame time not probable." In Aeschylus one should expect the improbable, the unex
pected.
71~PL71ET~<; might also be related to 7T€TaWVjLL. l\djecti\al deriYati\es of this verb which end
in -1T€T..]S' are not found before the fourth century; but, once again, this is not a decisive argu
ment. However, 71{71TW gains an edge on 71~TaVVVjLL when the falling robes of 233 are related
[0 the flow of saffron in 239.
10 Lloyd-Jones, op.cit. p. U5, has shown that i<; 7T'OOV need not mean that the robes
actually fall on the ground. The phrase can also rnean "toward, i.e., in the direction of, the
ground."
11 The derivation and meaning of 7TpOVW71ij are uncertain. It is glossed by 71POVEVEUKVtav.
The majority of commentators and translators refer it to Iphigenia's position as the atten
dants attempt to seize her. Paley ad loc. suggests "with her head leaning over the altar. ...
It was the custom to kill the victim held aloft in this position, that the lifeblood miglll
sprinkle the altar." This interpretation is adopted by Lloyd-Jones and Page. The amphora
which Maas, loe.cit. (supra n.4) offers as illustration of the scene gives it added weight.
However, the word is used figuratively in E. Ale. 143 (ef 186) to describe the "slipping
a\vay of consciousness and vital force" (Fraenkel, ad loe. p. 134). There is no need to choose
between the literal and figurative sense of the word here.1Tpovw71ij describes the actual posi
tion of Iphigenia, head hanging over the altar, and at the same time, suggests her inner
state.
12 See Walter Porzig, Die attische Tragodie des Aischylos (Leipzig 1926) 86: " ... wie die
stilistische Anapher ein Mittel ist, Satze zlIr Periode ZlI binden, so bindet die Alliteration
Worter klanglich Zl1 Gruppen."
38 THE ROBE OF IPHIGENIA IN AGAMEMNON
established by alliteration. However, just as in the question of whose
robes are meant, the words will bear both interpretations.I3
If 7TaVTI, (}v1L0 is taken as referring to Iphigenia, its meaning is devel
oped in the next strophe. The phrase would then be construed as an
adverbial modifier ("with all her heart") although there is no verb or
adjective to which it is attached,14 This may be bold; it is not, however,
too bold for Aeschylean lyric. The language of this passage is abrupt
and elliptical. Its meaning does not become clear until amplified in
the strophe which follows. The single phrase 7TaVTL (}v1L0 in 233 suggests
the description in 240-43 when Iphigenia pleads with all her heartI5
but cannot speak. Both 7TaVTL (}v1L0 and the wordless entreaties of the
next strophe are preceded by mention of robes flowing to the ground.
It might be objected that the preceding interpretation violates the
natural order of events. Can one assume that Aeschylus has inserted
within the command given by Agamemnon a description ofIphigenia
as she looks after that command is executed? If Aeschylus were pre
senting a strictly chronological account of the scene such an objection
would be valid. But he is not concerned with the evocation of a clear
historical picture; the very language of the passage prevents its
hearers from forming one. The thoughts of the chorus are carried
here and there. They seize now upon one moment of the sacrifice,
now upon another, without regard for temporal sequence. The
memory of Aulis fills them with horror and dread. These feelings are
communicated by their incoherence, by the disordered dreamlike
sequence of the events which they narrate. At last they break off, re
fusing to describe the consummation of that sacrifice which, as they
fear, will bring ruin upon their king.
The following questions have yet to be considered: why is Iphigenia's
flowing robe described with such emphasis in the parodos not once
13 Lloyd-Jones, op.cit. p. 134, takes 1TlrrAoLuL 1T£pL7T€Tfj (understood as active) m:wTL 8up.c'jJ
together: "she clasped his robes with all her heart." According to Page, ad loc. p. 90, one
can only make sense of 1TaV'TL 8up.q, if Lloyd-Jones' interpretation of 1T€pL1Terij is adopted: "On
any other view 1TaVTL 8up.c'jJ has to be taken with Aafkiv tUpSTJV, and it is really intolerable that
Agamemnon should make a point of telling the attendants 'not to be half-hearted' about
their task .... " Professor William H. Willis remarks, per litteras, against Page: "Page's
'intolerable' and 'grotesque' are themselves intolerable: naturally Agamemnon must
urge his men to perform 'with all their heart' a task which they're likely to find abhorrent."
14 Paley ad loco suggests that 1TaV'TL 8vp.c'jJ might refer to Iphigenia if taken closely with
1TPOVW1Tfj. He translates "fainting in all her soul"; Verrall and Mazon render "desperately
bowed down."
15 1TaV'TL 8up.c'jJ is used in this sense with ALTal/€v£ in P. Nem. 5.31. It occurs with the verb alv';'
in fum. 737f.
ANNE LEBECK 39
but twice? What is the significance of the metaphor KPOKOU f3ac/>a~
XEouacxr Word and image in Aeschylus are not chosen with reference
to the immediate context alone; they function as parts of a larger
whole, a system of imagery and ideas which recur throughout the
trilogy, connected by verbal repetition. The language of the present
passage is as vivid as it is difficult to interpret. The unusual words, the
striking image stand out, impressing themselves upon the hearer.
They are not easily forgotten, bur echo in the memory when a similar
word or phrase appears.16
The curse upon the house of Atreus demands a never-ending stream
of blood. To right old wrong new wrong must be committed; once
blood is spilt more blood must flow. The clearest statement of this
theme occurs in Choephoroi (312-13; 400-404); but from the beginning
of the trilogy it is suggested by a variety of related images which
involve dripping or flowing. There is the oozing wound which will not
heal, the steady drip of fear around the heart, the poison drops with
which the Erinyes threaten to blight Attica. There is also the image of
colored cloth trailing on the ground. The different images of liquid
flowing are interwoven with one another and with the bloodshed
which they represent by repetition of the phrase "pouring (or falling)
to the ground."17 Words for dye are used in ominous evocation of the
bloodshed to come, then used figuratively of blood itself (Cho. 1011-
13), thus reinforcing the associative connection between bright cloth
and blood. This image becomes a concrete object of perception in
each of the three plays: the crimson tapestries in Agamemnon and the
blood-dyed robe in Choephoroi are spread upon the ground (Ag. 908ff;
Cho. 983ft); in Eumenides the cycle of bloodshed is ended when the
Semnai don robes of scarlet (1028).18
After persuading Agamemnon to enter the palace, Clytemnestra
utters a speech filled with ominous undertones. She mentions the
dipping (f3ac/>a{) of garments in a sea of spurting dye (KTJK{~)19 deep red
16 Cf Otto Hiltbrunner, Wiederholungs· lind Motivtechnik bei Aischylos (Bern 1950) 3-5.
17 Ag. 239, saffron dye: Ag. 1020, blood; Cho. 48, 66-67, 401, blood; Eum. 478-79 and 786,
poison of the Furies; Eum. 261-63 and 653, blood.
18 Sec Hiltbrunner, op.cit. pp. 62-63 and R. F. Goheen, «Aspects of Dramatic Symbolism
in the Oresteia," AJP 76 (1955) 118-20.
19 K'I'}Kls means any substance which spurts or oozes; it is also used of dye. {3aq,~ means
literally «dipping into liqUid," especially dye. It is a metaphor for blood in Pers. 317.
Clytemnestra uses the word ironically in 612: she knows no more of infidelity than of
xaAKOi) {3aq,al, the dipping of bronze, which suggests the weapon to be dipped in her husband's
blood; so F. A. Paley, Aeschlyus Translated into English Prose2 (Cambridge 1871) 150 n.l. It is
uncertain what process is referred to: the coloring of bronze, the tempering of bronze (an
40 THE ROBE OF IPHIGENIA IN AGAMEMNON
in hue and endlessly renewed (958-60). Agamemnon's blood is soon to
dye the garment in which she entangles him. There is a close connec
tion between the path of tapestry in which Agamemnon is trapped
symbolically, persuaded against his better judgement to set foot upon
it, and the robe in which his feet are actually entangled20 when the
lethal blow is struck. Aeschylus employs the same word, "garment"
(df-Lu) , for both.21 The splendor and richness of the cloth on which
Agamemnon walks is emphasized repeatedly; in 1383 Clytemnestra
calls the robe ?TAoiJ-rov €'lf-LUTOS KUKOV, "evil wealth of garment." In
Choephoroi Orestes describes the robe, now dyed with blood which has
destroyed its variegated color (1011-13):
c/>apos T08', wS ;fJuI/J€V AlytofJov ~tc/>oc;.
c/>ovov 8E K7]Ktc; ~vv Xpovcp ~Vf-LfJ&AA€TUL
?TOAAO€tpovou TOU ?TOLKtAf-La'Tor;.
The unusual words fJuc/>ut and K7]KtS were used in the carpet scene; the
dark red dye and variegated color of the "garments" is mentioned
several times (910, 946, 957, 959; 923, 926, 936). At the close of the
trilogy the Semnai don robes which are c/>OLVLKofJ&?TTOtr; (1028); at its
opening Iphigenia is slain while the saffron dyed robe (KpOKOV fJuc/>&s)
spills round her. 22
In the lyric scene between Cassandra and the chorus the sacrifice at
Aulis is recalled (1121-24). These lines echo two separate images, rela
ted but not identical, which appeared in the parodos. In 179 the chorus
spoke of anxiety dripping round the heart; in 239 they described
Iphigenia pouring dye of saffron toward the earth. In 1121 they unite
h I r "'" fJ' " '''' I I I d I t e two. OTU",,€t 0 UV V7TVOV ?TpO KUPOLUS f-LV7JOt?T7]f-LWV ?TOVOr; an KPOKOV
adltnaton), or the tempering of iron. See Fraenkel, ad loco p. 304. Whether the metal is im
mersed in dye or in cold water, the phrase has an ominous undertone since XaAKOS' often
means "weapon" (LS] s.v.ll) and f3at/>~ is itself an ominous word in Agamemnon as a result of
its repeated association with blood.
20 Described thus at Cho. 982 and 988-1000.
21 €tJLa-ra is used of the "carpet" in 921, 960 and 963. The word literally means "garments."
Page, ad lac. p. 148, is justified in pointing out the error in LS] where the meaning" carpet"
is ascribed to the word on the strength of its use here (and in one passage of Sophocles).
Page himself, however, falls into new error. The fact that Aeschylus uses the word €LJLaTtx of
the article unrolled before Agamemnon does not mean that this article is actually a gar
ment and not a carpet as he argues, but that Aeschylus has, for some reason, chosen to
substitute the word "garments" for some more normal word indicating rugs or coverlets
(e.g. flU';'GJLaGLV in 909 or vtjJ&.s in 949). Page's literal interpretation of the language used by
Aeschylus denies the existence of metaphor. I suggest that Aeschylus calls the carpet of
tapestries €tJLa-ra in order to establish their connection with the robe, thus making Clytem
nestra's role in the carpet scene parallel to the actual murder.
22 See Hiltbrunner, lac.cit. (supra. n.17).
ANNE LEBECK 41
{1acPas 0' ES 1T€OOV x€ovua become a saffron-dyed drop which races to
ward the heart: E7Tt OE Kapo{av lOpCqLE KpoKofJacP~S uTaywv. The image
then expands to include a new element. To the steady drip of fear and
dye of saffron the chorus add life-blood which ebbs from men fallen in
battle (1122-23);
aTE Kat OOpt 7TTWULJ1-0Lr;
gvvavvTEL fJtov OVVTor; avyatr;.
Immediately thereafter Cassandra beholds the murder of Agamem
non. Clytemnestra strikes him, €V 1T€1TAoLULV AafJovaa, having caught him
amid robes. Thus the robe-entangled death of Agamemnon follows an
evocation of the scene at Aulis, the picture of Iphigenia 1TE1TAOLaL
~ , R ,I,. \ ~" '''' , 23 7TEpL1TETT), KPOKOV ,..a-rar; 0 Er; 1TEOOV x€ovaa.
The vivid description of Iphigenia at Aulis, the robes which fall
round her as saffron dye pours like blood24 upon the ground, gain in
significance when related to the imagery and action surrounding the
death of Agamemnon. The prominence of robe and dye in the parodos
gives a first intimation of the importance which they acquire in the
course of the trilogy.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
March, 1964
23 I am indebted to Professor William H. Willis for still another interpretation of 1Ti1Ti\OtGt
1T£pm£rij, one which is particularly significant in reference to 1126-28. 1T£pmL1TTw with the da
tive can mean "to fall upon misfortune" (see LSJ S.v. 1T£pL1Tl1TTW II. 3: GO~ atJT