SCENE I.
ORESTES, PYLADES.
ORESTES.
Perhaps the vigilance of good Pammenes
May for awhile remove the king’s suspicions;
And gracious heaven, in pity to our woes,
Deceive Ægisthus to a fond belief,
That the devoted race of Tantalus
Is now no more; but, O my Pylades,
The sword I offered at my father’s tomb
Is stolen by sacrilegious hands, that reach
Even to the sacred mansions of the dead:
If it be carried to the tyrant, all
Will be discovered; let us haste, my friend,
And seize him, ere it be too late.
PYLADES.
Pammenes
Is watchful o’er our interest: we must wait
For him: when we have gathered the few friends
That mean to serve us, be this tomb the place
Of meeting for us all, Pammenes then
Will join us here.
ORESTES.
O Pylades, O heaven!
This barbarous law that forces me to wound
A tender heart that lives but for Orestes!
And must I leave Electra to her sorrows?
PYLADES.
Yes: thou hast sworn it, therefore persevere;
Thou hast more cause to dread Electra now
Than all thy foes; she may destroy, but never
Can serve us, and the tyrant’s eyes may soon
Be opened: O subdue, if possible,
The pangs of nature, and conceal thy love:
We came not here to comfort thy Electra,
But to avenge her.
ORESTES.
See, my Pylades,
She comes this way, perhaps in search of me.
PYLADES.
Her every step is watched: you must not see her:
Begone; and doubt not, I’ll observe her well;
The eyes of friendship seldom are deceived.
SCENE II.
ELECTRA, IPHISA, PYLADES.
ELECTRA.
The villain hath escaped me; he avoids
My hated sight, and leaves me to my fate,
To fruitless rage, and unavailing tears,
Without the hope of vengeance: say, barbarian,
Thou vile accomplice in his crimes, where went
The murderer, my tyrant, my new lord,
(For so it seems Ægisthus has decreed)
Where is he gone?
PYLADES.
To do the will of heaven,
In dutiful obedience to the gods,
And well would it become the royal maid
To follow his example: fate ofttimes
Deceives the hearts of men, directs in secret,
And guides their wandering steps through paths unknown;
Ofttimes it sinks us in the deep abyss
Of misery, and then raises us to joy;
Binds us in chains, or lifts us to a throne,
And gives us life midst horrors, tombs, and death.
Complain no more, but yield to thy new sorrows;
Be patient, and be happy: fare thee well.
SCENE III.
ELECTRA, IPHISA.
ELECTRA.
He swells my rage to fury and despair:
Thinks he I’ll tamely bear these cruel insults?
Could not a father’s and a brother’s death
Fill up the measure of Electra’s woes;
But she must bend beneath the vile assassin
Of her Orestes; be a common slave
To all the murderers of her hapless race?
Thou dreadful sword, wet with Orestes’ blood,
Exposed in triumph at the sacred tomb,
Thou execrable trophy, for a moment
Thou didst deceive me, but thou hast insulted
The ashes of the dead; I’ll make thee serve
A nobler purpose: though Ægisthus hides
His guilty head, and with the queen in secret
Plans future crimes, and meditates destruction,
Still we may find the murderer of Orestes:
I cannot bathe me in the blood of both
My tyrants, but on one at least my soul
Shall be revenged.
IPHISA.
I cannot blame the grief
Which I partake; but hear me, hear the voice
Of reason; every tongue speaks of Orestes;
They say, he lives, and the king’s fears confirm it.
You saw Pammenes talking with this stranger
In secret, saw his ardent zeal to serve
And to attend him: thinkest thou, our best friend,
Our comforter, the good old man, would e’er
Associate with a murderer? never, never,
He could not be so base.
ELECTRA.
He may be false,
Or weak; old age is easily deceived:
We are betrayed by all; I know we are:
Did not the cruel stranger boast his deed?
Did not Ægisthus yield me up a victim?
Was not Electra made the price of guilt,
The murderer’s reward? Orestes calls me
To join him in the tomb: now then, my sister,
If e’er thou lovest Electra, pity her
In her last moments; bloody they must be,
And terrible. Away; inform thyself
Touching Pammenes; see if the assassin
Be with the queen: she flatters all my foes;
She heard unmoved the murder of her son,
And seemed, O gods! a mother seemed, to share
The guilty transport with her savage lord.
O that this sword could reach him in her arms,
And pierce the traitor’s heart! I’ll do it.
IPHISA.
No more:
Indeed you wrong her; for the sight of him
Offends her: be not thus precipitate
And rash, Electra; I will to Pammenes,
And talk with him: or I am much deceived,
Or by their silence they but mean to hide
Some mystery from us: your imprudent warmth
(Yet who would not forgive it in the wretched?)
Perhaps alarms them, and they would conceal
From you their purpose; what it is, I know not:
Pammenes seems to shun you, let me go
And speak to him; but do not, my Electra,
Hazard a deed thou wilt too late repent of.
SCENE IV.
ELECTRA.
The subtle tyrants have gained o’er Pammenes;
Old age is weak and fearful: what can faith
Or friendship do against the hand of power?
Henceforth Electra to herself alone
Shall trust her vengeance: ‘tis enough: these hands,
Armed with despair, shall act with double vigor.
Arise ye furies, leave your dark abode
For seats more guilty, and another hell,
Open your dreary caverns, and receive
Your victims: bring your flaming torches here,
Daughters of vengeance, arm yourselves and me;
Approach, with death and terror in your train;
Orestes, Agamemnon, and Electra
Invoke your aid: and lo! they come, I see
Their glittering swords, and unappalled behold them;
They are not half so dreadful as Ægisthus:
The murderer comes; and see, they throng around him;
Hell points him out, and yields him to my vengeance.
SCENE V.
ELECTRA.
[At the bottom of the stage.
ORESTES.
[On the other side at a distance from her.
ORESTES.
Where am I? hither they directed me:
O my dear country! and thou, fatal spot
That gave me birth, thou great but guilty race
Of Tantalus, for ever shall thy blood
Be wretched? horror here on every side
Surrounds me: wherefore am I punished thus?
What have I done? why must Orestes suffer
For his forefathers’ crimes?
ELECTRA.
[Advancing a little from the bottom of the stage.
What power withholds me?
I cannot lift my arm against him; but
I will go on.
ORESTES.
Methought I heard a voice:
O my dear father, ever-honored shade,
Much injured Agamemnon, didst thou groan?
ELECTRA.
Just heaven! durst he pronounce that sacred name?
And see he weeps: can sighs and penitence
Find entrance here? but what is his remorse
To the dire horrors that Electra feels!
[She comes forward.
He is alone; now strike — die, traitor — O
I cannot —
ORESTES.
Gods! Electra, art thou here,
Furious and trembling?
ELECTRA.
Sure thou art some god
Who thus unnervest me — thou has slain my brother:
I would have taken thy life for it, but the sword
Dropped from my hand; thy genius hath prevailed;
I yield to thee, and must betray my brother.
ORESTES.
Betray him, no! O, why am I restrained? —
ELECTRA.
At sight of thee my resolution dies,
And all is changed: could it be thou who filled
My soul with terror?
ORESTES.
O, I would repay
Thy precious tears with hazard of my life!
ELECTRA.
Methought I heard thee speak of Agamemnon.
O gentle youth, deceive me not, but speak:
For I had well nigh done a desperate deed;
O show me all the guilt of it! explain
The mystery; tell me who thou art.
ORESTES.
O sister
Of dear Orestes, fly from me, avoid me.
ELECTRA.
But wherefore? speak.
ORESTES.
No more — I am — take heed
They see us not together.
ELECTRA.
Gracious heaven!
Thou fillest my heart with terror and with joy.
ORESTES.
O if thou lovest thy brother —
ELECTRA.
Love him! yes:
And O in thee I hear a father’s voice,
And see his features; nature hath unveiled
The mystery: O be kind and speak for her,
Do not deny it; say thou art my brother:
Thou art, I know thou art — my dear Orestes;
How could a sister seek thy precious life?
ORESTES.
[Embracing her.
Heaven threatens in vain, and nature will prevail:
Electra is more powerful than the gods.
ELECTRA.
The gods have given a sister to thy vows,
And dost thou fear their wrath?
ORESTES.
Their cruel orders
Would have deprived me of my dear Electra,
And may perhaps chastise a brother’s weakness.
ELECTRA.
Thy weakness there was virtue; O rejoice
With me, Orestes; wherefore wouldst thou force me
To that rash act? it might have cost thee dear.
ORESTES.
I’ve broken my sacred promise.
ELECTRA.
‘Twas thy duty.
ORESTES.
A secret trusted to me by the gods.
ELECTRA.
I drew it from thee; I extorted it;
Mine be the guilt; an oath more sacred far
Binds me to vengeance: what hast thou to fear?
ORESTES.
My destiny, the oracles, the blood
From whence I sprung.
ELECTRA.
That blood henceforth shall flow
In purer streams; haste then, and join with me
To scourge the guilty; oracles and gods
Are all propitious to our great design,
And the same power that saved will guide Orestes.
SCENE VI.
ELECTRA, ORESTES, PYLADES, PAMMENES.
ELECTRA.
Rejoice with me, my friends, for I have found
My dear Orestes.
PYLADES.
[To Orestes.
Hast thou then revealed
The dangerous secret? Couldst thou think —
ORESTES.
If heaven
Expects obedience, it must give us laws
We can obey.
ELECTRA.
Canst thou reproach him thus
Only for making poor Electra happy?
Wouldst thou adopt the cruel sentiments
Of persecuting foes, and hide Orestes
From my embraces? what unjust decree
What harsh commands —
PYLADES.
I meant to save him for thee,
That he might live, and be thy great avenger.
PAMMENES.
Princess, thou knowest, in this detested place
They watch thee nearly; every sigh is heard,
And every motion carefully observed:
Those private friends, whose humble state eludes
The tyrants search, adore this noble youth,
And would have served him; everything’s prepared;
But thy imprudence now will hazard all.
ELECTRA.
Did not Ægisthus give me to a hand,
Stained, as he thought, with my Orestes’ blood?
[To Orestes.
Thou art my master; I am bound to serve thee;
I will obey the tyrant; his commands,
For once, are welcome, and the prospect brightens
On every side.
PAMMENES.
It may be clouded soon,
Ægisthus is alarmed, and we have cause
To tremble; if he but suspects us, death
Must be our portion, therefore let us part.
PYLADES.
[To Pammenes.
Hence, good Pammenes, bring our friends together,
The hours are precious; haste and finish soon
Thy noble work; ‘tis time we should appear,
And — like ourselves.
SCENE VII.
ÆGISTHUS, CLYTEMNÆSTRA, ELECTRA, ORESTES, PYLADES, Guards.
ÆGISTHUS.
Slaves, execute your office,
And bear these traitors to the dungeon.
ORESTES.
Once
There ruled o’er Argos those who better knew
The rights of hospitality.
PYLADES.
Ægisthus,
What is our crime? Inform us, and at least
Respect this noble youth.
ÆGISTHUS.
Away with them;
Ye stand aghast, as if ye feared to touch
His sacred person: hence, I say, take heed
Ye disobey me not: guards, drag them off.
ELECTRA.
O stay, barbarian, stay; for heaven itself
Pleads for their sacred lives — they tear them from me,
O gods!
ÆGISTHUS.
Electra, tremble for thyself,
Perfidious as thou art, and dread my wrath.
SCENE VIII.
ELECTRA, CLYTEMNÆSTRA.
ELECTRA.
O hear me, if thou art a mother, hear;
Let me recall thy former tenderness,
Forgive my guilty rage, the sad effect
Of unexampled sorrows; to complain,
Is still, the mournful privilege of grief:
Pity these wretched strangers; heaven perhaps,
Whose dreadful vengeance thou so long hast feared,
May for their sakes forgive thy past offences;
The pardon thou bestowest on them may plead
For thee: O save them, save them.
CLYTEMNÆSTRA.
Why shouldst thou
Be thus solicitous? What interest prompts
Thy ardent zeal?
ELECTRA.
Thou seest, the gods protect them,
Who saved them from the Ocean’s boisterous rage,
And brought them here: heaven gives them to thy care,
And will require them at thy hands — to one,
O if thou knewest him — but they both are wretched.
Are we in Argos, or at Tauris, where
The cruel priestess bids her altars smoke
With stranger’s blood? What must I do to save him?
Command, and I obey: to Plisthenes
You’d have me wedded; I submit, though death
Were far more welcome; lead me to his bed.
CLYTEMNÆSTRA.
You mean to mock us: knowest thou not, he’s dead?
ELECTRA.
Just heaven! and hath Ægisthus lost a son?
CLYTEMNÆSTRA.
I see the joy that sparkles in thy eyes;
Thou art pleased to hear it.
ELECTRA.
No: I am too wretched
To be delighted with another’s woe:
I pity the unhappy, nor would shed
The blood of innocence: O save the strangers!
I ask no more.
CLYTEMNÆSTRA.
Away: I understand thee,
And know thee but too well; thou hast confirmed
The king’s suspicions, and revealed the secret:
One of these strangers is — Orestes.
ELECTRA.
Well,
Suppose it were; suppose that gracious heaven,
In tender pity, had restored thy son —
CLYTEMNÆSTRA.
O dreadful moment! how am I to act?
ELECTRA.
Is it a doubt, and canst thou hesitate?
Thy son! O heaven! think on his past misfortunes,
Think on his merits; but if still thy mind
Is doubtful, all is lost: farewell Orestes.
CLYTEMNÆSTRA.
I’m not in doubt; I am resolved; even thou,
With all thy fury, canst not change the love,
The tenderness I bear him: I will guard,
Save, and protect him — he may punish me,
Perhaps he will; I tremble at his name;
No matter — I’m a mother still, and love
My children; thou mayst yet preserve thy hate.
ELECTRA.
No: I will fall submissive at thy feet,
And thank thy bounty: now, indulgent heaven,
Thy mercy shines superior to thy wrath;
For thou hast given a mother to my vows,
Changed her resentful heart, and saved Orestes.
End of the Fourth Act.