1021-1031

AM.        Quō tendis āmēns? sanguinem fundēs tuum?

— pavefactus īnfāns igneō vultū patris

perit ante vulnus, spīritum ēripuit timor.

in coniugem nunc clāva lībrātur gravis:

perfrēgit ossa, corporī truncō caput1025

abest nec usquam est. — cernere hoc audēs, nimis

vīvāx senectūs? sī piget lūctūs, habēs

mortem parātam. — pectorī ēn tēla indue,

vel stīpitem istum caede mōnstrōrum illitum

converte; falsum ac nōminī turpem tuō1030

removē parentem, nē tuae laudī obstrepat.

Hercules drags Megara and his son into the palace. Amphitryon narrates how he murders them. He then calls on Hercules to kill him next.

1021 sanguinem … tuum: Hercules’ son is “his own blood.”

1022  igneō vultū: ablative of cause (AG 404) depending on pavefactus.

1023  The infant dies of terror before Hercules can strike him.

1024  in: “against” + acc.

1025  corporī truncō: dative of separation (AG 381) with abest.

1026  nec usquam est: “is not there at all”; i.e., it has been completely destroyed.  

1027  senectūs: Amphitryon addresses his own old age. sī piget luctūs: the impersonal verb pigēt takes a gen. of the thing that disgusts a person.

1028 mortem parātam: i.e., Hercules can kill him as well. Amphitryon then proceeds to shout at Hercules inside the palace, asking for this death.

1028 pectorī ēn tēla indue: “here, plunge your arrows into my chest.”

1029  caede: ablative of source (AG 403).

1030–31 Amphitryon speaks as if Lycus’ criticisms in Act 2 were genuine, namely that he is not in fact Hercules’ father. He speaks with bitter irony (we could express this by translating falsum and turpem in quotation marks). But he is also quite desperate: he is willing to say anything, even relinquishing his claims as a father, in order to convince Hercules to kill him and thereby end his suffering.

1031  nē … obstrepat: “doesn’t interfere with,” “doesn’t prove an obstacle to,” negative purpose clause (AG 563). 

āmēns āmentis: mad, insane

pavefacio –facere –fēci –factus: to frighten, alarm, terrify

īnfāns –antis: a baby

igneus –a –um: fiery

coniūnx coniugis f.: spouse, wife

clāva –ae f.: a club

lībrō librāre librāvī librātus: to balance; aim; brandish, swing, shoot, throw

perfringō perfringere perfrēgī perfrāctus: to break, smash

truncus –a –um: stripped of its branches, mutilated

usquam: anywhere

vīvāx –ācis: long-lived; lasting long

senectūs senectūtis f.: old age

piget pigēre piguit pigitum est: it disgusts

lūctus lūctūs m.: mourning, grief

ēn or em: Look! Behold!

stīpes or stips –itis m.: log, post; tree trunk

mōnstrum mōnstrī n.: monster; omen

illinō –linere –lēvī –litum: to smear over, spread upon

removeō removēre removī remōtus: to move back, put away, remove

obstrepō –strepere –strepuī –strepitum: to make a noise against; annoy, disturb; hinder

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