Agamemnon (Seneca's Eighth Tragedy) · chunk 26 of 28
Seneca, Lucius Annaeus / Studley, John · published 1581 · first performed or written 1566 (Annals) tragedy T1 Death, grief and revenge typicality 0.76 · 480 words · other edition — not in the analysis
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T1: death, life, dead, die, blood, revenge, soul, father, heart, heaven.
The whilst (thou widow) answered me directly to this gear. Thy husband is bereaved quite of breath, his life is done. Inquire where thy brother is, so seek about my son. He is departed out of Greece. Go fetch him out of hand. Fetch thou my father unto me. Give me to understand, Where doth he lurking hide his head? where is he shrunk away? All plunge of perils past he is, and at a quiet stay, And in another Kingdom where no harm he doth mistrust, This answer were sufficient, to please a Parent trust. But one whose breast doth boil in wrath, it cannot satisfy. Today by death thou shalt receive thy fatal destiny. On this condition am I pleased, the Altar to forsake, If that this hanc shall do the deed, my death when I shall take. Or else if in my throat to bathe thy blade, thou do delight, Most willingly I yield my throat, and give thee leave to smite. Or if thou will chop of my head in brutish beastly guise, My neck a waiting for the wound out stretched ready lies. Thou hast committed sinfully a great and grievous guilt. Go purge thy hardened hands, the which thy husband's blood have spilled. O thou that of my perils all dost suffer part with me, And in my realm dost also rule with equal dignity, Aegisthus, art thou glad at this? (as doth her not behove,) With checks and taunts the daughter doth her mother's malice move. she keeps her brother's counsel close conveyed out of the way. Thou malapert and witless wench, thine cluishe prating stay, Refrain those words unfit thy Mother's glowing cares to vex. What shall the breeder of this broil control me with his checks, Whose father's gut it hath caused him to have a doubtful name, Who both is to his sister, son, and Nephew to the same? To snap her head of with thy sword Aegist dost thou refrain? Let her give up the ghost: or bring her brother straight again: Let her be locked in dungeon dark, and let her spend her days, In Caves & Rocks, with painful pangs, torment her every ways. I hope him whom she hidden hath she will again descry, Through being clapped in prison strong and suffering poverty With irksome and unsavoury smells on every side annoyed, enforced to wear a widow's weed, ere wedding day enjoyed: Put in exile and banishment when each man doth her hate: So shall she be by misery compelled to yield to late, prohibited of wholesome air fruition to have. Grant me my doom by means of death to pass unto my grave. I would have granted it to thee, if thou should it deny. Unskilful is the tyrant, who by suffering wretches die Doth end their pains. what after death doth any thing remain?
Other edition — placed after the fit, excluded from the main statistics
Position
nodes 1223–1269 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 26 of 28 in this edition
Length
480 words · 619 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T1 — Death, grief and revengecross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.760 (cosine to the topic centroid) · placed after the fit (approximate_predict), not counted in the topic statistics
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T1 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
The whilſt (thou Wyddow) aūſware me directly to this geare. Thy huſband is bereued quight of breath, his lyfe is donne. Enquter where thy brother is, ſo ſeeke about my ſonne. Hee is departed out of Greece. Goe fetch him out of hande. Fetch thou my father vnto mee. Giue me to vnderſtande, Where doth he lurking hyde his head? where is he ſhrunke away? All plunge of perills paſt hee is, and at a quiet ſtay, And in another Kyngdome where no harme hee doth miſtruſt, This aunſwere were ſufficient, to pleaſe a Parent tuſt. But one whoſe breaſt doth boyle in wrath, it cannot ſatiſefy. To day by death thou ſhalt receyue thy fatall deſtiny. On this condition am I pleaſde, the Aulter to forſake, If that this hanc ſhall doe the deede, my death when I ſhall take. Or els if in my throate to bath thy blade, thou doe delight, Moſt willingly I yeelde my throate, and giue thee leaue to ſmite. Or if thou will chop of my heade in brutiſhe beaſtly guiſe, My necke a wayting for the wounde out ſtretched ready lies. Thou haſt committed ſinfully a great and grieuous guilt. Goe purge thy hardned hands, the which thy huſbands bloud haue ſpilt. O thou that of my perills all doſt ſuffer part with mee, And in my realme doſt alſo rule with egall dignity, Aegiſthus, art thou glad at this? (as doth her not behoue,) With checks and taunts y• daughter doth her mothers mallice moue. Shee keepes her brothers counſell cloſe conueyde out of the way. Thou malpert and wtleſſe wenche, thyne cluiſhe prating ſtay, Refrayne thoſe wordes vnfit thy Mothers glowing cares to vex. What ſhall the breeder of this broyle controll me with his checks, Whoſe fathers gutit hath cauſed him to haue a doubtfull name, Who both is to his ſiſter, ſonne, and Nephew to the ſame? To ſnap her head of with thy ſwerd Aegiſt doſt thou refrayne? Let her giue vp the ghoſt: or bryng her brother ſtraight agayne: Let her be lockt in dungeon darck, and let her ſpend her dayes, In Caues & Rocks, with painefull pangues, torment her euery wayes. I hope him whom ſhe hidden hath ſhee will agayne diſcry, Through being clapt in pryſon ſtrong and ſuffring pouerty With yrkſome and vnſauory ſmells on euery ſyde annoyde, Enforſt to weare a wyddowes weede, er wedding day enioyde: Put in exile and baniſhment when eche man doth her hate: So ſhall ſhe bee by miſery compeld to yeelde to late, Prohibyted of holſome ayre fruition to haue. Graunt me my dome by meanes of death to paſſe vnto my graue. I would haue graunted it to thee, if thou ſhould it deny. Unſkilfull is the tyraunt, who by ſuffring wretches dy Doth ende theyr paynes. what after death doth any thing remayne?