ch. 1
4 Calchas, aka Kalunas, is referred to as an “Asian priest of an Asian god...”
6 “punishment can arrive before knowledge...”
9 The Latrine incident – Ajax determines where the latrine should be made, but doesn’t consider the wind situation, so that being stuck in Aulis is even tougher than it would be.
15 the god Pollein is called Apollo by the Greeks.
Calchas’ rule – no unofficial forecasts, even to close friends.
ch. 2
19 “Troy was a dream of wealth.” The Greeks don’t care at all about Helen.
21 Agamemnon arrives with his six guards, all of whom are his height – lest he appear too short, or his guards not imposing enough.
25 Stimon the Locrian wins the contest to the death, despite the fact that the slender dancer was not favored, and even Calchas believed he would die and thought he read signs of it in Stimon’s dance the night before.
ch. 3 Ajax is reticent about mentioning the Pelops connexion to his own family.
ch. 4
37 Achilles is described as “a serial killer, basically.”
39 The eagle omen took place at Mycenae – interpreted as sign of Zeus’ support. Menelaus’ rights as host were violated, and the eagle is the bird associated with Zeus and kings.
50 During the assembly, guards at the time of the eagle incident report that the eagles attacked a hare. Asked why it had not been mentioned earlier, they said that it didn’t seem important at the time.
Achilles is described as a “natural born killer.”
The detail of the hare being pregnant is blurted out. Calchas uses the interruption by Nestor (who babbles on about his past exploits) to get more time to consider the matter.
ch. 5
Calchas ponders the matter. He recognizes Artemis’ hand, but the Greeks are not particularly respectful of the goddess, as they are followers of Zeus. He gets some comfort from his slave boy, Poimenos. Agamemnon warns Calchas to come up with the right words in a day’s time or so. Agamemnon is worried about Palamedes and others who might use this matter to sew trouble in the ranks.
ch. 1
It turns out the hare story has been cooked up by Odysseus and Chasimenos the scribe from Mycenae. They didn’t expect the one guy to blurt out about the pregnancy, which has caused complications. Phylakos backed up the account, which has now become the official version. Can no longer be symbol of Greek victory, but has other overtones. Croton, the priest of Zeus, sent for.
Odysseus and Chasimenos decide that Agamemnon must be seen as the one to lift the curse of the wind, but this will suggest he was the cause. No way out that won’t hurt Agamemnon, but there is a concern that any more waiting will cause dissension in the ranks.
ch. 2
Teller is singing – “no story was ever final...” Why does this idea seem strange? It would be normal, wouldn’t it, to a society that is largely oral? Or they would not see any difference, but then would the singer?
Chasimenos suggests the singer add some comments about the wind and Zeus’ displeasure ... He resists, but there is a sense he will submit.
ch. 3
76 “No god known to man could undo the effects of his own power, no god could take back his words, no god could restore to mortal life a creature destroyed by his breath.”
Calchas and his slave boy, Poimenos, who is a simple soul, go to the island sanctuary of Potnia (aka Artemis) off Aulis to seek counsel. There is a dark cave, a fire and a vision of the coming slaughter (after some vomiting).
Sees a crow, Apollo’s bird and a bird of hope (Polaunas)
ch. 4
Calchas doesn’t think politically, according to Odysseus, who doesn’t see any meaning as fixed, but can be changed in differing circumstances, that can be manipulated. And so, C will “always be surprised by events.”
Apollo is derided by O as the hermaphroditic god, a “blending of the male and female natures.”
ch. 5
Odysseus sees the singer performing Perseus and Gorgon story and decides to enlist his aid, asking that the singer add reference to the wind and Zeus’ displeasure. The singer stops his story before the end, to increase interest on the morrow. And O is hoping that the singer will add the appropriate lament on the wind at that time.
“A song has the form that belongs to it and that is also the soul of the song. Anything that touches the soul of the Song must depend on the Singer...”
ch. 6
Agamemnon summons Calchas and asks about a dream. C. sees it as signalling A’s death, but doesn’t let on. He notes the victory and suggests the light in the woods as sign of a new day.
When the assembly is held, C tries to explain what vision came to him on the island, that Artemis was offended by the slaying of the pregnant hare. Croton, Zeus’ priest interrupts and claims that it is Zeus who was offended by the excessive attention paid to Artemis in Mycenae, where Iphigenia is a priestess of Artemis, and where they slay goats, not bulls. The solution is to sacrifice Iphigenia. The idea seems to take hold among the various Greeks, and A has to hold back his anger.
Chasimenos speaks up on behalf of Croton. Calchas knew he was defeated because a simple answer will always win the day and Croton’s simplicity will win his more complex reasoning that he cannot get across.
ch. 7
Chasimenos and Odysseus plot to further their plot that Agamemnon be made to sacrifice Iphigenia to allay the winds. O takes great pride in the power of his words and the influence they gain for him. Chasimenos is acting (in his own way) out of loyalty to Agamemnon or to Mycenaean power. He wants Mycenae to head a great empire. They discuss who else they want to see in the assembly – Nestor for sure, and Menelaus. They laugh over Menelaus’ conviction that Paris kidnapped Helen. It is clear that Paris is more charming and handsome than the fat slob Menelaus is.
The singer tells the concluding part of the Perseus Gorgon story again. And he is sure to put in some words about the wind and it being Agamemnon’s fault. Poimenos is one of the audience, totally entranced.
p. 120 “The true,
ungoverned realm of story, where the imagination is paramount, taking us to
places not intended, often not foreseen, by the framers of the words and the
makers of the music.”
Ch. 8
The Council – A is squirming, Nestor babbling, and Chasimenos emphasizing Palamedes’ popularity. Palamedes is Carian, like Calchas (i.e. “foreign”). O hates Palamedes for telling a story about how he tried to dodge the war – that story has found itself in the singer’s repertoire. O, in his delivery, goes all “poor country lawyer,” one of the people from a rocky land, and like rock, hard, simple and incorruptible.
O and Chasimenos gradually win A over by appealing to his greed and his fear at being shamed before the whole army. Hermione, Menelaus’ daughter, is too young (only 9) and not a worshipper of Hecate. So she cannot be an adequate substitute. A accepts the argument and the idea that success will net him great power and an empire.
p. 130 “Words were
what was needed now, words and more words. Words would take the life of
Iphigenia before ever she set out from Mycenae, long before the knife touched
her throat; and the words that would kill the daughter, the same words, would
swaddle the father, make a warm wrapping for him.”
A wants the singer told of his decision, so that his heroic sacrifice can make
it into song.
ch. 1
Iphigenia and her slave girl Sisipyla are getting ready for rites to Artemis. S has some misgivings about the area, perhaps her memory of coming to Mycenae as a child slave and as a gift to Iphigenia are the cause of this.
A young man, Macris, son of the garrison leader at Mycenae, is soft on Iphigenia, she knows it and approves, but is careful not to show too much.
ch. 2
Sisipyla brooding – she is uneasy about Macris’ attention, and worried because I is of the marrying age, and so may be pledged to some far off Greek. If she married someone far away, would S go with her? If she stayed behind, how would she be treated, as she had been the favorite of I so long? Macris, though he loves her, is of the wrong class. S has received special treatment from I. She was given as 7th birthday present, and resembles the princess, who has had her dressed like her as they’ve grown up. S’s name was Amandralettes, but I could not pronounce it, and asked where she came from. On hearing from Mt. Sipylon, I stammered and called her Sisipyla.
ch. 3
Macris at the gate, thinking of I and of the possibility of advancement. He wishes he were with the fleet at Aulis. His father did all the right things, but it has not gotten him real advancement. He is tough with his men, but fair. He wants them to look sharp and follow procedures. He is upset that they have no real inner drive.
Phylakos and Diomedes with about 12 others ride up. Macris was expecting a larger number.
Impressed with Diomedes, who led a force against Thebes when he was about Macris’ age, following the Seven Against Thebes debacle. Macris tries not to show he is starstruck.
ch. 4
I, S, Electra and old slave woman are playing catch in the courtyard (need four, as there are four corners, according to I). I is summoned to Clytemnestra, and when she meets with S later, she informs her, all ga-ga that Achilles has asked for her hand in marriage. She finds it all quite romantic and he is quite a catch.
The statement on p. 176, made by Iphigenia, that Achilles is part divine and near invulnerable is quite puzzling – how could she think this? Is this the song going around? What proof is there, and why would he need armor if true?
ch. 5
The banquet at which Diomedes is welcomed officially and the engagement is announced. The scene is seen through Macris’ eyes – he has accepted the news, somewhat at any rate, and uses the opportunity to watch all the players. Clytemnestra is there, as is Aegisthus, Agamemnon’s cousin – Macris wonders why he is there, and what connexion he has to Clytemnestra. He mentions rumor that Aegisthus was involved in the killing of Atreus – never heard that. He wonders why Diomedes was sent, and not someone whom the princess knew. And Achilles has never seen her, or saw her only when a child. It is unlikely he could really feel passion for her. Probably a political move, but why now? Macris vows to himself that he will accompany the princess to Aulis – she needs an ally, one who knows her and can look out for her. The trip will give him the opportunity to show his worth, and he will have a chance to go to Troy, when Agamemnon sees how well he has dispatched this duty.
ch. 6
Iphigenia is excited about the prospect of marriage to Achilles largely because he is so rich. She describes him as a “copper magnate.” He is also the son of Thetis, a sea goddess, and his connexions with the gods will likely afford some divine protection to her own house, the cursed House of Atreus.
I tells Sisypyla about the curse, which S knows is unnecessary. I is an innocent, and believes that the horrid stories about her family are known only to the immediate family, because they’ve been kept from the singers. S knows that the help has been gossiping about all this stuff and that people in the town know the gossip too. I’s description of the nurse who told her all this stuff is quite impressive – seems like a great horror story teller. All this serves to emphasize I’s innocence and her imminent sacrifice will seem all the more horrible.
They get ready for the sacrifice of a goat. S observes the whole scene with some foreboding – I will be changing her status and that means all this special time they’ve shared in the service of Artemis is over (at least in the way they’ve worshipped her so far). The details of the sacrifice are interesting – the goat is drugged, not too much, but enough to keep it from getting frisky or noisy. And the sacrifice can only help to bring the horrible sacrifice of I to the foreground. There is a great deal of irony in the sacrifice of the goat, a sacrifice that will involve I in that part soon. There’s a sense of finality here too, in that it is the last sacrifice they’ll do together. They don’t realize the greater significance of it all.
ch. 1
The camp is eager for I’s arrival. “They felt the rigid blade, and the stabbing urge, in their own restless loins.”
Some, like Palamedes, are hoping for a coup. The smith is brought before Agamemnon. Palermus is his name, and he knows he is making a sacrificial knife –“a special knife for a special person.”
Menelaus notes the man is too detail oriented, no imagination or vision, and a “Bolshie.” (curious instance of anachronism). Agamemnon has Chasimenos go and speak to the singer about the blade, so that it can be worked into song.
Calchas is isolated and is eager to save I. Poimenos offers to go and warn her, but Calchas points out the futility of the plan, and his own loneliness. Only his job as overseer of the dagger keep him alive.
Poimenos tells of a body found on the hillside, partially buried – that of a Mycenaean.
ch. 2
Odysseus knows all about the body and about Calchas and Poimenos’ plans – he runs the Ithacan division rather like a secret service. He gladly looks at his performance in all this – his job “eliminate the contradictions.” You don’t talk about greed as the force driving the men, but the needs of their people at home, and what the funds can do, and matters like the sacrifice of I – good example of selfless duty on the part of A.
Big and little Ajax – he’s dumb, and the little one can barely keep it in his pants, always a bit tumescent. O is glad to hear that some of the Singer’s song about Jason and the Argonauts (a perfect tale, well suited to serialization) is devoted to the knife. He ends with a nod to the two Ajaxes, the prowess of the little one and the bigger one as the great Peacemaker, who has brought men together for these games, and come up with a new kind of headgear, the wreath that confers honor that is timeless.
ch. 3
The body found is that of the man who added the detail about the hare the eagle ate being pregnant. Clearly he was killed by men, and not savaged by wild animals -- Calchas realizes this was to keep him quiet. Poimenos is sold on stories and Calchas cannot make him listen more critically to what the singers sing. They sing only that which people agree on, or which they wish to be true or need to believe. C notes that Odyssesus is very much involved in using the singer to sway public opinion to what he wants. C tells Poimenos that someone like O cannot be satisfied with the rocky island of Ithaca -- he must be looking to a profitable island like Lemnos to rule.
C goes to the smith who is getting ready to make the blade. He speaks with authority and clear interest in the process of smithing. C feels nauseous when he thinks of the victim, and has to leave. I must say that I rather like the matter-of-fact, proud-of-and-happy-in-his work, smith.
ch. 4
Time passes. Work on getting grain from the local community, who try to hide as much stuff from the army as they can, else they will starve come winter. The altar is completed, though with one death (a man fell to his death, and several have had limbs crushed by moving stone). The road is begun. Croton supervises it. The road has to be wide and level for a proper procession.
Menelaus is confronted by a local farmer and his daughter. M raped the daughter and admits it, but is outraged when the farmer says he expects compensation -- M thinks he should feel honored. M tells him that he is going to mention the matter to the singer and that the whole incident will become a matter of song -- his daughter will be famous. M gets upset at his own guards who let the guy in. One says to the other as they go to clean out the latrines as punishment -- "that's the way the world goes ... you try to act for the best and you end up shoveling shit." (p. 238)
ch. 5
The trial of Leucon the Athenian for stealing a pendant from Achilles (attempting to steal it). A asks for the death penalty. Calligonus, Leucon's counsel, himself an Athenian is very clever (would the Athenians have had this reputation in the Mycenaean time?). He argues that it was impulse, and that argument holds sway, but he overdoes it and suggests the wind drove him to it. The judges cannot accept the argument that the wind caused him to act irrationally, as it would open the floodgates for all sorts of crazy behavior. And so, they judge him guilty with no extenuating circumstances. The punishment is that he is to be handed to Achilles to do what he will. A slices at his head and does it so well, that the head stays on, though severed. Only after the body falls and the head rolls away do the onlookers know he is dead.
ch. 6
The singer singing of the destruction of Thera when a fire in a workshop of Poseidon got too hot, and then of Leucon just (and justly) slain and of the glorious sword of Achilles that did the job and of Iphigenia's journey. The last part was very popular -- the singer had been adding description of the journey and her approximate location. Everyone was waiting for Iphigenia and all listened intently at his updates.
Unsworth notes, "there was no need of metrical form. He concentrated on cadence" in talking about I, but this is not likely, as the Greeks were quite finicky when it came to metrical form.
Poimenos asks the singer to sing of Lemnos (Cadmus had told him they had glorious songs), when he was about to start a song about Cadmus.
ch. 7
Calchas, reflecting on his failures and missteps -- what could he do now to regain Agamemnon's trust? Calchas tells the king of dagger and the king seems fascinated with the details of it. He seems mesmerized by the object that will kill his daughter, in part as if to avoid thinking about that unpleasant fact. C sees the two Ajaxes shouting at one another with megaphones, an invention of Palamedes. Poimenos with the singer telling of Hercules' labor involving the mares of Diomedes is "lost in the story, spellbound, as sightless in his way as his new master." (p. 258)
ch. 8
Achilles confronts Agamemnon on his name being used as bait to get Iphigenia to Aulis. Nestor is invited to all the councils as a matter of politeness, but he blabs about all sorts of things, and so the truth gets out and secret councils are news all over camp. Chasimenos and Odysseus suggest that people will believe A knew all along, or else he is a dupe, and the are more likely to see him as a shrewd operator. A is worried about his honor, but O points out that such a use of his name will bring him honor in song. It will be seen as a noble sacrifice after the singer gets through with it. O suggests that A give the singer his pendant (the one Leucon died over).
ch. 9
Poimenos now serves the singer and Calchas is left alone. He gets up courage and goes to see the king, who upbraids him for always coming too late. "You are one who will always hesitate too long ..." (p. 268). Chasimenos tries to get Ag to have C imprisoned as a Trojan spy, but Ag assures C that he is safe, and tells Chasimenos that he is responsible for the seer's safety. C argues that Artemis has given the king a choice, that the wind is a warning against harming innocents. The wind stops and Iphigenia's ship is spotted. Odysseus is trying to keep peace between the two Ajaxes when the wind stops. A council is called at once.
ch. 10
At the council, Idomeneus advises immediate departure, and Iphigenia sent home. The ceasing of the winds should allow them to get to open seas where they'll have an easier time of it.
Achilles argues against it -- if Iphigenia goes home, the assumption will be that she found A wanting and it'll kill his reputation.
Croton points out, and Chasimenos joins in that the preparations have been made at considerable human and material cost. Calchas calls Croton a madman, all caught up in death and destruction, for that is how he sees his god.
Ajax the Larger counsels waiting a couple of days to see if the wind continues to be still, or if adverse winds return. Their games can continue (and he can get Ajax the Smaller to help pay restitution to a man he killed accidentally in the javelin toss). Odysseus agrees suggesting that if they set out at once, the winds may come back once they're at sea and destroy the fleet.
Nineus of Simi points out that the leaders have no real choice -- the men have worked hard to get all ready for the sacrifice and they want to see the show. Iphigenia must be sacrificed.
ch.1
Iphigenia's party arrives. They are met by a small group led by
Patroclus, who offers apology for Achilles (off hunting) and Agamemnon
(indisposed). This doesn't seem right to Macris, who voices his concern.
He is also worried when Patroclus initially insists that I and Sisipyla be
separated.
At night, he hears the singing of the singer and goes to listen. The
singer tells the story of Ino and Athamas and the intended sacrifice of Phrixus,
which the singer compares to Agamemnon's situation. The king must act, if
the belief is that he must act for the common good. The reality is not so
important as the belief. Macris is impressed by the singer, but doesn't
understand the reference to Ag. He quizzes the singer, who tells him that
the song is the song, and any meaning must come therefrom. If it could be
so easily explained, there'd be no need of song.
He suggests Macris ask Calchas about the matter -- he also informs him that C is
no longer the king's diviner.
"Not the truth or the lie but the belief, the readiness, that is what pleases
Zeus." (p. 294)
There are different versions of a story, what is one to believe? "It is
the stories told by the strong, the songs of the kings, that are believed in the
end." (p. 296)
ch. 2
Waiting in the tent. Iphigenia is sure that Achilles will come and that he
is a noble soul. She understands his noble soul, though they met just
once. Sisipyla pays attention to details, getting the trunk, and so forth.
She thinks of Agamemnon with dread, not the enthusiasm of Iphigenia.
Odysseus comes in to speak to I of something of special importance.
ch. 3
Macris and Calchas. Calchas is all disheveled, dirty and with matted hair.
Macris met him once, but could scarcely recognize him.
Calchas finally gets to the point of Macris' visit. What did the singer
mean? Calchas is very much affected by Poimenos' defection to the singer.
Calchas notes that what he has to say will be hard for Macris to bear. He
doesn't state it directly, but it comes out indirectly. "There is not even
the word now to explain why we are killing her ... the madness has outlasted the
wind because it was there before, it belongs to us." (p. 306)
ch. 4
Odysseus reports to Agamemnon on his first sessions with Iphigenia. He has
had a tough time (he thinks), because she his selfish, has no sense of a higher
aim. But O puts it to Ag that progress is being made. He recalls
that he had to blurt out the truth, that there was no easy way to bring up the
matter, and the raw truth would shock her out of complacency and help to break
down her defenses.
Sisipyla is to help get Iphigenia to agree. She is suspicious of the whole
enterprise. She notes that she must go willingly, if it is to work (rather
like the goat -- who cannot be too drugged). She is promised some land,
and some money as well as freedom, so she will have a good prospect of getting
married. S is worried about Clytemnestra, who will be angry and take it
out on her. She suggests that I be allowed to use the moon makeup, as that
will signify a sacrifice to the goddess, and Croton agrees, for he feels it will
symbolize Zeus punishing and restating his authority over Artemis.
ch. 5
Macris and Sisipyla come up with an idea. S tells Macris that she will
take Iphigenia's place. Macris is skeptical, convinced that I's special
qualities will be conspicuous by their absence, but S assures him she will be
convincing, especially in the moon makeup. I will be saved and the two can
go off together. Macris is convinced that Ag or someone close to her will
recognize the switch. S agrees that it might happen, but that Ag cannot
interrupt the sacrifice and admit to being duped. There is some danger,
though. When told of the plan, I agrees at first, but admits that some of
what O said about duty has confused her. S argues that such words are just
words, uttered by a man interested only in winning the argument.
ch. 6
Odysseus consults with Chasimenos. He hates the man and is glad he will
soon no longer work with him. He tells C that he is amazed that Iphigenia
agreed so quickly and so willingly. He came to a real breakthrough.
She understands her role in the play and in the greater cause. She has
come to understand that her death, like her marriage to Achilles, may mean
protection for her family and an escape from the curse.
ch. 7
Iphigenia gets Sisipyla all dressed up, but once she has finished, she recalls
Odysseus' insistence that her death should mean something, and that S's death
will not. I can have a destiny, but S cannot. So she reclaims her
role, and S cannot convince her that all of O's arguments are just words,
uttered by a man who is insincere. Once Calchas has come for I, S leaves
for the shore, but does not meet with Macris, but leaves on another boat she
finds. People saw her leaving, still in the moon make-up, whence came the
story that she was rescued by Artemis and taken to Tauris to serve her as
priestess. The book ends with a note of how things will end for Agamemnon
and Mycenae.