ἴθ̓, ὦ γύναι. As “ἴθι” was used in entreaty ( O. T. 46), it is not, in itself, abrupt; but the tone of the direction implies ignorance of Electra's rank, and is thus in keeping with the part of the Phocian “ξένος”. Orestes,—who thought that he recognised her voice when it was heard from within (v. 80),—can, of course, be in no doubt as to her identity. Verse 1125 already indicates this. After v. 1148, at any rate, he would know the fact, if he had been so dull as not to discover it sooner. But he pretends not to know who she is until he hears her name pronounced by the Chorus (1171).
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Sophocles: The Plays and Fragments, with critical notes, commentary, and translation in English prose. Part VI: The Electra. Sir Richard C. Jebb. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 1894.
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