Emily Fan Discussion 6

those children that are born lie dead on the naked earth

unpitied, spreading contagion of death; and gray-haired mothers and wives

everywhere stand at the altar’s edge, suppliant, moaning; the hymn to the healing God15 rings out but with it the wailing voices are blended.

From these our sufferings grant us, O golden Daughter of Zeus,16

210 glad-faced deliverance.



In the play, it speaks of a disaster that they face with many babies dying and everything is just kind of dead, “spreading contagion of death…” everyone is just kind of sick and they are praying and giving offerings to the gods to help them through this time. I chose this quote because it shows what the people are going through and it paints a picture of how bad it was that they were turning towards the gods for help. It shows that through the suffering they all gathered at the altar to ask for blessings from Athena, “golden daughter of Zeus” to help stop the god of war, Ares as they think it is him that “…burns us” They attributed their suffering to Ares and want the other gods such as Zeus and Athena to help them. 

Leave a comment

4 thoughts on “Emily Fan Discussion 6”