tempted robbery of a temple in Tauris. Later Pylades married Orestes's sister Electra. It is said that this and the following lines were recited by the French poet André Chénier and his companion Roucher on their way to execution during the Reign of Terror, July 25, 1794.

2. fortune, i. e., the goddess of my destiny. Personification.

4. rejoindre, unite here.

5. 1'. Racine often uses the article to prepare the hearer for a long object clause, which here embraces all from qu'un rivage to rendu. funeste. Buthrotum is baleful or fatal to Orestes because he wishes to marry Hermione who has come hither to marry Pyrrhus.

9. m'arrêtant, i. e., in Epirus.

10. fermé le chemin de, barred the return to. 12. écarta, separated here. figurative use of yeux is almost noted constantly in this play. 1032, 1151.

aux yeux de, in sight of here. The a mannerism with Racine, and may be Cf. for instance, 124, 315-317, 557, 568,

14. vos. Pylades uses the plural of respect to Orestes who addresses him in the singular. See Introduction, page xii.

16. triste, sad, because absent.

17. mélancholie, not "melancholy," but gloom, "atrabilious humor," a veiled allusion to that madness that had befallen Orestes as a vengeance of the Furies for the slaying of his mother, Clytemnestra.

19. cruel secours. An oxymoron. His death would have been a relief to Orestes, but a cruel grief to Pylades.

23. pompeux appareil, magnificent train or "state," as ambassador of the princes of Greece. Cp. 1639.

25. Hélas. The s, now usually pronounced was silent in Racine's day. 26. inhumaine. This is the first of many words and phrases in Andromaque, borrowed from the French Euphuists (Précieux). See 109 and page 4, note 4. Racine assumes that Orestes's love for Hermione had been constant while she had first encouraged (536) and then discouraged (500) him.

27. qu'il doit, i. e., what love may.

29. en, like a.

30. That is, relies on her love for your self-preservation. lui refers to amour, which is usually feminine in Old French and in Racine (e. g. 462) who in this follows Vaugelas.

31. charme, spell, witchcraft.

32. dans ses fers, under her influence. Euphuistic.

33. à Sparte, when in Sparta. à for en with countries, often in Racine. It is contrary to tradition that Hermione had refused to marry Orestes before she was pledged to Pyrrhus.

35. poussé tant de vœux. Euphuistic. Say, ashamed of such a vain and prolonged courtship.

36. vous l'abhorriez, i. e., I thought that you, etc.

40. flamme and soupirs. Euphuistic. Say, love and longing.

41. Ménélas, Menelaus, father of Hermione.

42. vengeur, i. e., by the destruction of Troy in vengeance for the abduction of Menelaus' wife, Helen, mother of Hermione. Cp. Euripides, Andromache, 948–963.

44. chaîne, i. e., the love that bound Orestes to Hermione. ennuis, woes, here. Cp. 376 and 1139.

45-48. That is, Such being the sad condition of things I was sorry that you saved me from destruction by your escort. Prose would require prêt de before suivre and de before interrompre and sauver. Cp. 755. déplorable, pitiable. Often used of persons in Racine.

49. parmi tant d'alarmes, while I was undergoing such restless torments. 50. That is, tried to win him by coquetry.

53. victoire, i. e., over my love.

55. Détestant, Cursing. Cp. the Latin detestari.

58. dans, for modern en, as à in 33. Conversely en for dans, 70.

59. d'abord, at the very first, on my landing.

62. mémoire, mind. Cp. Latin memor, "mindful of," rather than "remembering."

63. mes sens reprenant, as my mind seemed to be recovering.

65. That is, Marvel at the destiny whose persecution, etc. admire. Cp. 1130 and Latin admirari.

70. See 58 note.

72. reste, remnant.

page x.

On the survival of Astyanax, see Introduction,

Note the hiatus in Troie ensevelie. Troie, Troy. See any

Classical Dictionary. ensevelie, buried, is no longer used figuratively.

73. son enfance, i. e., him. Metonymy. supplice, death.

74. ingénieux Ulysse, shrewd Ulysses.

75, 76. This story is told also of Hannibal's infancy.

80. négligé, postponed, but he really complains of the postponement. This Latinism is quite common in Racine.

Cp. 1191.

86. This translates Eneid, iv. 23: "I recognize the traces of the old
flame." Corneille has the same sentiment (Sertorius, 263–264). Cp.
Gray, Elegy: "Still in our ashes live their wonted fires."

89. Note the change in tense. brigue le suffrage, solicit the choice.
93, 94. That is, The ardor of my love is such that I shall rejoice to
fail in my mission, for then I can rescue from Epirus the insulted and
deserted Hermione. This explains the attitude of Orestes in Scene II.
98. Note the fatalism here as in 482, 640, 1200, 1299, and cp. Intro-
duction, page xiv.

107. sa conquête, i. e., Hermione's love for Pyrrhus. que, as though.
108. feux, love. Euphuistic.

109. inhumaine, austere here. Euphuistic. See 26.

III. lui, i. e., Pyrrhus.

113. tête, life. Euphuistic.

114. That is, He frightens Andromache in order that he may reassure
her.

116. ses lois, i. e., Andromache's influence. Euphuistic.

117. troublés, anxious, rather than "rejected."

119. attendez, for attendez vous à. Cp. 655 and 833.

120. lui, itself.

121. désordre, agitation, or perturbation.

122. punir, i. e., punish Andromache by killing Astyanax. ce qu',
for celle que.

124. charmes. Racine first wrote yeux, so that Hermione saw her
eyes with her eye. Cp. 12.

127. fléchir sa rigueur, make her pride bend.

128. la. Note, once for all, that in this and similar constructions the
pronominal object may precede either the finite verb or the infinitive.
Vaugelas commends the latter usage, and Racine follows him in Andro-
maque rather more than half the time, seventy cases to fifty.

131. partir, i. e., return to Sparta.

135. lui.

Where two infinitives are connected by et or ou the pro-
nominal object will precede the second of them. Cp. 1238.

137. This construction in which the subject of accorder, Pyrrhus,
must be gathered from sa (139), is bold and questionable. Cp. 649
and 1303.

138. irriter, spur or rouse.

Cp. 427.

ACT I. SCENE II.

143. Seneca, Troas, 527, 528, makes Ulysses claim to be "the voice of all the Greeks and the leaders" in demanding the death of Astyanax. 147. That is, As we admire the exploits of Achilles so we, etc.

150. le fils seul, none but the son.

151. ce qu'. Say, There is one thing that.

152. sang, race. relever, make restoration for, relieve.
153. funeste, baneful here. A favorite word with Racine.
154. reste, survivors.

155. quel, what manner of man. Latin, qualis. Cp. 1085.
156. affaiblis, i. e., by his slaughter among them.

encor for encore as

often in poetry to aid the rhyme or the meter. Cp. 182, 688, and 1295. 159. fils, i. e., the still unnamed Astyanax.

161. Seneca, Troas, 530-534 and 551-552, has the same thought but with wholly differing expression.

163, 164. Cp. 842 and Iliad, xv., xvi., but note that Hector did not pursue the Greeks into the sea, as here implied.

166-168. craignez governs both a noun and a clause, a construction now disapproved but used several times in other plays by Racine. The allusion in 167, 168 is to the familiar fable of the countryman who warmed a viper in his bosom.

172. That is, He will learn by betraying you how to war with them. Pyrrhus in his answer shows an ironical confidence.

175. That is, basing my opinion on the dignity and repute of their envoy.

176. conçu, anticipated.

180. Seneca, Troas, 753, makes Andromache taunt Ulysses as a mighty infanticide." daigné, "condescended to be willing," as the Dictionary of the Academy defines it.

181. à qui, to whose right.

182. encor, for encore. Cp. 156.

183. The construction is similar to 137. seul refers to m'. In like manner an adjective, participle or clause is found referring to a subsequent noun or pronoun in 291, 301, 689, 833, 1059–1060, 1079–1080, 1145-1146.

184. Iliad, i. 121-129, relates the anger of Achilles, Pyrrhus's father, at a like provocation regarding his captive Briseïs. ordonner d'un, i. e., ordonner du sort d'un.

189. Hecube, Hecuba, wife of Priam. See any Classical Dictionary. misère, miserable life.

See Euripides,

190. Cassandre, Cassandra, Hecuba's daughter. Trojan Women, 239. dans, for modern à. Cp. 58. 193. Cp. Seneca, Troas, 549, 550: "The future Hector greatly troubles the Greeks. Free us from this fear;" and Euripides, Trojan Women, 1156-1158: "Why fear and slay that child? Are you afraid he may raise up overturned Troy?"

195. soin, anxiety here, but cp. 310 (interests), 767, (skill), and, 805 (effort). Note the irony.

196. loin. Temporal, as rarely to-day.

203, 204. Seneca, Troas, 738-41: "Is this a person to raise up the burned and ruined city? Shall these hands rebuild Troy? If Troy has hope only in him, it has no hope. Our fall has not been such that any need fear our rise."

208. fallait. Imperfect indicative as in Latin when we should use a conditional. Pouvoir and devoir are similarly construed.

210. That is: They allege their weakness as a reason for sparing them.

211, 212. Seneca, Troas, 277-279: “The royal anger, the raging foe, the nocturnal victory are not to be restrained."

212. confondaient nos coups, made us strike promiscuous blows. 214. survive. Subjunctive. Do you expect that, etc. Cp. also 216 and 217.

215. saisir.

Translate by the passive participle.

222. The story is probably an invention of Racine, though it might be supported by Strabo and Dionysius. Cp. Introduction, page x. and Seconde Préface, page 6.

224. Ce n'est. Modern usage would prefer: Ce ne sont.

227. elle, i. e., the anger. expirer, be extinguished.

228. il, i. e., Astyanax.

229. Prévenez-les, anticipate them by killing Astyanax. Cp. 1201. 231. confondent, misguide. Cp. 212.

233-235. Alludes to the whole story of the Iliad, how Achilles, when his captive was taken from him by Agamemnon, withdrew in anger from the fight, permitting the Greeks to be for a time defeated by Hector.

234. Dont, with which.