 | The Tragedy of Antigone, The Theban Princesse |  |
Actus Secundus.
Ornitus, Argia, Deiphile.Arg.
Where shall we vent our griefes? what power on earth
Can lend our woes redresse?
Deiph.
Accursed Thebes,
Ist not enough thy guilty soile hath drunke
So many princes bloods, but after death
Vnto their Ghosts thou still shouldst prooue a foe,
And barre what nature, and all lawes bestow?
Ar.
Whither is goodnesse fled from humane breasts?
Tygers themselues, if tygers could performe
These rites of funeralls, would now correct
The malice of mankinde.
Arg.
What shall we doe
T'appease the ghosts of our vnbury'd Lords?
Deiph.
Goe sue to Thebes, perchance the sighs, and teares
Or.
No, royall Ladies, banish from your breasts
That flattering hope; no teares, nor prayers can mooue,
The ruthlesse tyrants minde; an impious oath
Hath bound his cruelty; his watchmen tell
The carcasses, and guard the place, to keepe
Sad friends from thence: no creatures haue accesse
To that dire field, but beasts, and birds of prey.
His hate is constant, sooner hope t'appease
Busiris altars, or the fiends themselues,
Then sauage Creon; venture not to Thebes.
Dei.
What other course is left vs?
Orn.
To performe
To their deare names such empty funeralls
As fortune will allow; or if that that
Will not suffice, goe speedily to Athens;
Thither all conquering Theseus is return'd,
Triumphant now from th'Amazonian warre,
Whose mighty arme all sauadge tyrants dread,
Whose high Heroike thoughts were ne're auerse
From suppliants, and for encouragement
To all that come, in midd'st of Athens stands
A gratious altar, where white mercy dwells,
The poore mans goddesse, shaded with a groue
Of suppliant Oliues, and chast Laurell trees.
None are deny'd to enter, but the rich,
And fortunate; poore wretches, night and day,
Find free accesse, and there haue leaue to pay
Their cheape deuotion; no slaine bullocks blood,
No Frankincense, nor rich Arabian fumes
Do feede that altar: sighs, and floods of teares
Her humble roofes, as those proud temples rais'd
By happy Monarchs, and great conquerers.
Instead of trophees, and triumphall robes,
Torne haire, and widowes mourning garments hang
About the temple, thither from all coasts
Vnhappy soules repaire, sad folke subdu'd
In warre, or banish'd from their natiue soiles,
Or those, whom happlesse errour has made guilty.
There they implore, and there obtaine their peace.
Arg.
Goe you to Athens, sister, and intreat
Great Theseus aide, whilest I, whose fatall quarrell
Was cause of all this dire and mournfull warre,
Will try what mercy can be sound in Thebes.
Deiph.
Do not expose your life to such an hazard.
Arg.
What mischiefe can an humble suppliant feare?
Besides my suite to Creon will in Thebes
Be seconded by Polynices friends.
Goe you with speed to Athens, if I faile,
That your petitions timely may preuaile.
And all the gods prosper your pious suite.
Arg.
May Thebes prooue gentle when Argia enters.
Exeunt. Manet Argia, Menætes.
Arg.
Now I am free to act what I designe.
Shall I expect the doubtfull grant of Creon,
Or Theseus lingringe aide, whilest thou, deare Lord,
Art foode for Vulturs? whilst thy funerall
Decreases daily, and thy wandering Ghost
Cal'st me vnkinde, and cruell? I will lose
No longer time, no danger shall withstand
That act, which loue, and my chast fires command.
Exit.
Creon, Eurydice, Ianthus, Æphytus.
Cre.
Mooue me no more in that, can Æmon finde
No match 'mongst all the noble Theban Maides,
Nor forreigne Princes, but Antigone?
To mixe the fortune of our house with that
Incestuous, dire, and fatall family?
Mooue me no more I say.
Eury.
but good, my Lord,
Weigh not alone her haplesse parentage,
(Though that were royall, and ally'd to you
In neere degrees) but her admited vertue,
In which the generall voyce of people speakes her
As much excelling, as the worst of all
Her wretched race were infamous for vice.
Cre.
What reall vertue euer could proceede
From such an impious stock? or being borne,
Could euer prosper?
Eury.
Doe not taxe so farre
The iustice of the gods, that they should punish
In good Antigone her kindreds crimes:
They haue already with dire punishments
Pay'd for their proper guilt; and her rare vertues
By the same law may challenge, as a due,
The greatest blessings that the gods can grant.
No act of hers can recompence the guilt
Her birth alone has brought into the world,
And now we'll purge the city, Æphytus,
Goe finde out Oedipus, and in our name
Confine him to Cythæron; speake it death,
If ere he shew within the walls of Thebes
His ominous head.
Æph.
That banishment, my liege,
Is come too late, hee is confin'd already
Vnto his latest home, griefe for his sonnes
Has broke at last his great and stubborne heart.
Ian.
The queene Iocasta hearing that sad newes
Beating her breast, tearing her hoary haire,
And vttering sad complaints against the gods,
And fates seuere decrees, at last espy'd
That fatall sword by which old Laius dy'd
On which she fell, and ended her sad life.
Cre.
We haue no teares for her, although our sister;
Let all the plagues, that Thebes so long has felt,
Take end with them. None but Antigone
Is now remaining of that family.
Goe thou, Ianthus, in our name command her
To keepe her house in Thebes, nor stirre from thence,
Vntill our farther pleasure shall be knowne.
Exit Ian.
Eury.
Be good to her, my Lord, for Æmons sake.
What ere mishap befall Antigone
Hee'll deepely share in, for I feare his loue
Is too too constant ere to be remoou'd.
Rather then loose him, grant his lawfull suite.
Cre.
Ile rather grant him death then marriage there.
Remember hee's our sonne, our only sonne,
And vertuous too, of whom the Kingdome boasts.
Blast not their hopes in him, the fate of loue
Is irresistable.
Cre.
Let Æmon know
Wee'll be his fate. No more Eurydice.
Ianthus, Creon, Eurydice.
Ian.
Antigone was lately met alone
Without the city. None of all her seruants
Were priuy to her going, nor yet know
Whither their Lady went.
Cre.
Ha! I suspect
What she intends to doe. If I guesse right
She goes vpon her ruine. Æphytus,
Double the watch, and with a carefull eye
Ore looke the knaues; this night shall be thy charge.
Performe it well, and thou shalt finde reward
Beyond thy wishes; let no negligence,
No gifts, no fauour, nor respect to any,
How neere so ere to vs, make thee or them
Slacke in your charges, as your liues shall answer
Our strictest iustice.
Æph.
Doe not feare me Sir.
Cre.
Ile be at hand my selfe to make all sure.
Exeunt.
Antigone sola:
Ant.
Poast to the West, bright Phæbus, and thou night,
That robb'st mortality of light, to lend them
Spread thy black mantle ore yon mourning fields,
Which those dead Grecians strew, where too too long
My wronged brother Polynices Iyes
Barr'd by vnnaturall, and iniurious Thebes,
Dead from a tombe, as liuing from a Crowne.
This wrong must I redresse, assist me vertue,
And all yee gods, that fauour piety.
I haue at last escapt the curious eyes
Of all that watcht my actions, and expect
Nought but the safe concealement of the night:
Were but these rites perform'd, not Creons spite,
Nor racks, nor tortures should my soule affright.
Chorus Thebanorum.
1
What could th'Argolian ghosts, though once our foes,
Deserue so much from vs, as thus to lose
The rites of funerall, which all mankinde
lustly expect from greatest foes to finde?
Why should the land that gaue them death, deny
Them sepulture? pursuing enmity
Farther then that? why with so black a staine
Dost thou pollute the entrance of thy reigne
Vnhappy Creon, thwarting natures law,
Vpon thy selfe and fatall Thebes to draw
The hate and curse of nations, who will make
The quarrell theirs; Pluto himselfe will take
Reuenge for this great losse, that must befall
His Monarchy, whil'st these Argolians all
Exil'd from him for want of sepulcher.
2
Thine anger bootes not, Creon; 'tis all one
Whether the fire or putrefaction
Dissolue them; all to natures bosome goe,
And to themselues their ends the bodies owe.
If now the Argiues bodies be not burn'd,
They shall when earth and seas to flames are turn'd.
Earth will, inspite of thee, receiue againe
What euer she brought forth; and they obtaine
Heauens couerture, that haue no graues at all.
Thou that deny'st these people funerall,
Why dost thou fly those slaughter-smelling fields?
Breathe, if thou canst, the aire this sad place yeelds.
Those vanquish'd carcasses alone possesse
The ground, and barre the conquerours accesse.
3
When that annoyance shall be vanish'd quite,
The wandring ghosts will still remaine, and fright
The balefull place; plowmen shall feare to toyle
In furrowes of this ill-manured soyle.
This ghostly land of ours perchance shall be
Tane for Avernus by posterity,
And claim'd by Pluto as his monarchy,
Where thousand wandring soules together fly.
Cleare Dirce shall be made the Poets theame,
Instead of muddy Styx, whose fatall streame
The ghosts so striue to be transported ore
By churlish Charon to Elysiums shore:
And rather then so great an hoast should seeme
Exil'd from thence, it will be thought by them
And they possesse their owne Elysian shade.
1
What shall we doe to cure this fatall staine
Vpon our nation?
2
Nothing but complaine.
| The Tragedy of Antigone, The Theban Princesse | |