 | Iocasta |  |
Scena. v.
CREON. OEDIPVS. ANTIGONE.Good Ladies leaue your bootelesse vayne complaynt,
Leaue to lament, cut of your wofull cryes,
High time it is as now for to prouide
The funerals for the renowned king:
And thou Oedipus hearken to my wordes,
And know thus muche, that for thy daughters dower,
Antigone with Hemone shall wedde.
Thy sonne our king not long before his death
Assigned hath the kingdome should descende
To me, that am his mothers brother borne,
And so the same might to my sonne succeede.
Now I that am the lorde and king of Thebes,
Will not permit that thou abide therein:
Ne maruell yet of this my heady will,
Ne blame thou me, for why, the heauens aboue,
Which onely rule the rolling life of man,
Haue so ordeynde, and that my words be true,
Tyresias he that knoweth things to come,
By trustie tokens hath foretolde the towne,
That while thou didst within the walles remayne,
It should be plagued still with penurie:
Wherfore departe, and thinke not that I speake
These wofull wordes for hate I beare to thee,
But for the weale of this afflicted realme.
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O foule accursed fate, that hast me bredde
To beare the burthen of the miserie
Of this colde death, which we accompt for life:
Before my birth my father vnderstoode
I should him slea, and scarcely was I borne,
When he me made a pray for sauage beastes.
But what? I slew him yet, then caught the crowne,
And last of all defilde my mothers bedde,
By whom I haue this wicked ofspring got:
And to this heinous crime and filthy facte
The heauens haue from highe enforced me,
Agaynst whose doome no counsell can preuayle.
Thus hate I now my life, and last of all,
Lo by the newes of this so cruell death
Of bothe my sonnes and deare beloued wife,
Mine angrie constellation me commaundes
Withouten eyes to wander in mine age,
When these my weery, weake, and crooked limmes
Haue greatest neede to craue their quiet rest.
O cruell Creon, wilt thou slea me so,
For cruelly thou doste but murther me,
Out of my kingdome now to chase me thus:
Yet can I not with humble minde beseeche
Thy curtesie, ne fall before thy feete.
Let fortune take from me these worldly giftes,
She can not conquere this couragious heart,
That neuer yet could well be ouercome,
To force me yeelde for feare to villanie:
Do what thou canst I will be Oedipus.
Cre.
So hast thou reason Oedipus, to say,
And for my parte I would thee counsell eke,
Still to maynteine the high and hawtie minde,
That hath bene euen in thy noble heart:
For this be sure, if thou wouldst kisse these knees,
And practise eke by prayer to preuayle,
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That thou remayne one onely houre in Thebes.
And nowe, prepare you worthie Citizens,
The funeralls that duely doe pertayne
Unto the Queene, and to Eteocles,
And eke for them prouide their stately tombes.
But Pollynice, as common enimie
Unto his countrey, carrie foorth his corps
Out of the walles, ne none so hardie be
On paine of death his bodie to engraue,
But in the fieldes let him vnburied lye,
Without his honour, and without complaynte,
An open praie for sauage beastes to spoyle.
And thou Antigone, drie vp thy teares,
Plucke vp thy sprites, and cheere thy harmelesse hearte
To mariage: for ere these two dayes passe,
Thou shalt espouse Hemone myne onely heire.
Antig.
Father, I see vs wrapt in endlesse woe,
And nowe muche more doe I your state lamente,
Than these that nowe be dead, not that I thinke
Theyr greate missehappes too little to bewayle,
But this, that you, you onely doe surpasse
All wretched wightes that in this worlde remayne.
But you my Lorde, why banishe you with wrong
My father thus out of his owne perforce?
And why will you denye these guiltlesse bones
Of Polinice, theyr graue in countrey soyle?
Creon.
So would not I, so woulde Eteocles.
Anti.
He cruel was, you fonde to hold his hestes.
Creon.
Is then a fault to doe a kings cōmaund?
Anti.
When his cōmaunde is cruel and vniust.
Creon.
Is it vniust that he vnburied be?
Anti.
He not deseru'd so cruell punishment.
Creon.
He was his countreys cruell enimie.
Anti.
Or else was he that helde him from his right.
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Bare he not armes against his natiue land?
Anti.
Offendeth he that sekes to winne his owne?
Cre.
Perforce to thee he shall vnburied be.
Anti.
Perforce to thee these hands shall burie him.
Cre.
And with him eke then will I burie thee.
Anti.
So graunt the gods, I get none other graue,
Then with my Polinices deare to rest.
Cre.
Go sirs, lay holde on hir, and take hir in.
Anti.
I will not leaue this corps vnburied.
Cre.
Canst thou vndoe the thing that is decreed?
Anti.
A wicked foule decree to wrong the dead.
Cre.
The ground ne shall ne ought to couer him.
Anti.
Creon, yet I beseche thee for the loue
Cre.
Away I say, thy prayers not preuaile.
Anti.
That thou didst beare Iocasta in hir life,
Cre.
Thou dost but waste thy words amid the wind.
Anti.
Yet graunt me leaue to washe his wounded corps.
Cre.
It can not be that I should graunt thee so.
Anti.
O my deare Polinice, this tirant yet
With all his wrongfull force can not fordoe,
But I will kisse these colde pale lippes of thine,
And washe thy wounds with my waymenting teares.
Cre.
O simple wench, O fonde and foolishe girle,
Beware, beware, thy teares do not foretell
Some signe of hard mishap vnto thy mariage.
Anti.
No, no for Hemone will I neuer wed.
Cre.
Dost thou refuse the mariage of my sonne?
Anti.
I will nor him, nor any other wed.
Cre.
Against thy will then must I thee constraine.
Anti.
If thou me force, I sweare thou shalt repent.
Cre.
What canst thou cause that I should once repent?
Anti.
With bloudy knife I can this knot vnknit.
Cre.
And what a foole were thou to kill thy selfe?
Anti.
I will ensue some worthie womans steppes.
Cre.
Speake out Antigone, that I may heare.
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This hardie hand shall soone dispatche his life.
Cre.
O simple foole, and darst thou be so bolde?
Anti.
Why should I dread to doe so doughtie deede?
Cre.
And wherfore dost thou wedlocke so despise?
Anti.
In cruell exile for to folow him.
pointiug to Oedipus.
Cre.
What others might beseme, besemes not thee.
Anti.
If neede require, with him eke will I dye.
Cre.
Depart, depart, and with thy father dye,
Rather than kill my childe with bloudie knife:
Go hellishe monster, go out of the towne.
Creon exit.
Oedi.
Daughter, I must commend thy noble heart.
Anti.
Father, I will neuer come in company
And you alone wander in wildernesse.
Oedi.
O yes deare daughter, leaue thou me alone
Amid my plagues: be mery while thou maist.
Anti.
And who shall guide these aged feete of yours,
That banisht bene, in blind necessitie?
Oedi.
I will endure, as fatall lot me driues,
Resting these crooked sory sides of mine
Where so the heauens shall lend me harborough.
And in exchange of riche and stately toures,
The woodes, the wildernesse, the darkesome dennes
Shalbe the bowre of mine vnhappy bones.
Anti.
O father, now where is your glory gone?
“Oedi.
One happy day did raise me to renoune,
“One haplesse day hath throwne mine honor downe.
Anti.
Yet will I beare a part of your mishappes.
Oedi.
That sitteth not amid thy pleasant yeares.
“Anti.
Deare father yes, let youth giue place to age.
Oedi.
Where is thy mother? let me touche hir face,
That with these hands I may yet feele the harme
That these blind eyes forbid me to beholde.
Anti.
Here father, here hir corps, here put your hand,
Oedi.
O wife, O mother, O both wofull names,
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O woulde to God, alas, O woulde to God
Thou nere had bene my mother, nor my wyfe.
But where lye nowe the paled bodies two,
Of myne vnluckie sonnes, Oh where be they?
Anti.
Lo here they lye one by an other deade.
Oedip.
Stretch out this hand, dere daughter, stretch this hande
Upon their faces.
Anti.
Loe father, here, lo, nowe you touche them both.
Oedi.
O bodies deare, O bodies dearely boughte
Unto your father, bought with high missehap.
Anti.
O louely name of my deare Pollinice,
Why can I not of cruell Creon craue,
Ne with my death nowe purchase thee a graue?
Oedi.
Nowe commes Apollos oracle to passe,
That I in Athens towne should end my dayes:
And since thou doest, O daughter myne, desire
In this exile to be my wofull mate,
Lende mee thy hande, and let vs goe togither.
Anti.
Loe, here all prest my deare beloued father,
A feeble guyde, and eke a simple skowte,
To passe the perills in a doubtfull waye.
Oedi.
Unto the wretched, be a wretched guyde.
Anti.
In this all onely equall to my father.
Oedi.
And where shall I sette foorth my trembling feete?
O reache mee yet some surer staffe, to staye
My staggryng pace amidde these wayes vnknowne.
Anti.
Here father here, and here set forth your feete.
Oedi.
Nowe can I blame none other for my harmes
But secrete spight of foredecreed fate,
Thou arte the cause, that crooked, olde and blynde,
I am exilde farre from my countrey soyle,
A nd suffer dole that I myghte not endure.
“Anti.
O father, father, Iustice lyes on sleepe,
“Ne doth regarde the wrongs of wretchednesse,
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Oedi.
O carefull caytife, howe am I nowe chang'd
From that I was? I am that Oedipus,
That whylome had triumphant victorie,
And was bothe dread and honored eke in Thebes:
But nowe (so pleaseth you my frowarde starres)
Downe headlong hurlde in depth of myserie,
So that remaynes of Oedipus no more
As nowe in mee, but euen the naked name,
And lo, this image, that resembles more
Shadowes of death, than shape of Oedipus.
Antig.
O father, nowe forgette the pleasaunt dayes
And happie lyfe that you did whylom leade,
The muse whereof redoubleth but your griefe:
Susteyne the smarte of these your present paynes
With pacience, that best may you preserue.
Lo where I come, to liue and die with you,
Not (as sometymes) the daughter of a king,
But as an abiect nowe in pouertie,
That you, by presence of suche faithfull guide,
May better beare the wracke of miserie.
Oedi.
O onely comforte of my cruell happe.
Anti.
Your daughters pitie is but due to you:
Woulde God I might as well ingraue the corps
Of my deare Pollinice, but I ne maye,
And that I can not, doubleth all my dole.
Oedi.
This thy desire, that is both good and iuste,
Imparte to some that be thy trustie frendes,
Who moude with pitie, maye procure the same.
“Anti.
Beleeue me father, when dame fortune frownes,
“Be fewe that fynde trustie companions.
Oedi.
And of those fewe, yet one of those am I:
Wherefore, goe we nowe daughter, leade the waye
Into the stonie rockes and highest hilles,
Where fewest trackes our steppings may be spyde.
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“May shame to shewe him selfe in miserie.
Anti.
From thee, O countrey, am I forst to parte,
Despoyled thus in floure of my youth,
And yet I leaue within mine enimies rule
Ismene my infortunate sister.
Oed.
Deare Citizens, beholde your lorde and king
That Thebes set in quiet gouernement,
Nowe as you see, neglected of you all,
And in these ragged ruthfull weedes bewrapt,
Ychased from his natiue countrey soyle,
Betakes him selfe (for so this Tyraunt will)
To euerlasting banishment: but why
Do I lament my lucklesse lotte in vayne?
“Since euery man must beare with quiet minde,
“The fate that heauens haue earst to him assignde.
CHORVS.
Example here, lo take by Oedipus,
You kings and princes in prosperitie,
And euery one that is desirous
To sway the seate of worldly dignitie,
How fickle is to trust in fortunes wheele:
For him, whom now she hoyseth vp on hye,
If so he chaunce on any side to reele,
She hurles him downe in twinkling of an eye:
And him agayne, that grouleth now on grounde,
And lyeth lowe in dungeon of dispaire,
Hir whirling wheele can heaue vp at a bounde,
And place aloft in stay of stately chaire.
As from the Sunne the Moone withdrawes hir face,
So might of man dothe yeelde dame fortune place.
| Iocasta | |