ἆρα

English (LSJ)

interrog. Particle, implying

   A anxiety or impatience, = Ep. and Lyr. ἦ ῥα:    1 alone, it simply marks the question, the nature of which is determined by the context: e.g. in D.35.44 a negative answer is implied in the question ἆρ' ἂν οἴεσθε . . ; but an affirmative in X.Cyr.4.6.4 ἆ. βέβληκα δὶς ἐφεξῆς; cf. ἆρ' εὐτυχεῖς . . ἢ δυστυχεῖς; E.Ph.424.—To make it plainly neg., we have ἆ. μή . . ; A.Th.208, Pl.Phd.64c; and to make it plainly affirmative, ἆρ' οὐ; ἆρ' οὐχί; S. OC791, OT540; ἆρ' οὐχ οὕτως; Pl.Phlb.11d.    2 ἆ. οὖν; is used to draw an affirmative inference, Id.Grg.477a, La.190b; also when a neg. answer is expected, Id.Chrm.159b; with a neg., ἆρ' οὖν οὐ . . ; Id.Phdr.263a, etc.    3 in ἆρά γε, each Particle retains its force, γε serving to make the question more definite, Ar.Pl.546, X.Mem.1.5.4, etc.    4 less freq. with τίς interrog., τίνος ποτ' ἆρ' ἔπραξε χειρί S.Aj.905; τίδ' ἆρ' ἐγὼ σέ; E.IA1228; τίς ἆρ' ὁ φεύγων; Ar.V.893; with ἤν, E.Rh.118.    5 in indirect questions, σκεψώμεθα τοῦτο ἆ . . . Pl.Phd.70e, cf. R.526c, al., Arist.Ph.204b3, etc.    II in Poets sts. like ἄρα, Archil.86,89, Pi.P.4.78, Ar.V.3; τοιοῖσδε χρησμοῖς ἆ. χρὴ πεποιθέναι; A.Ch.297, cf.435; τῷ δὲ ξιφήρης ἆρ' ὑφειστήκει λόχος E. Andr.1114: in exclamations, βραδεῖαν ἡμᾶς ἆρ' ὁ τήνδε τὴν ὁδὸν πέμπων ἔπεμψεν S.Aj.738; ὀδυνηρὸς ἆρ' ὁ πλοῦτος E.Ph.566, cf.El.1229, Hipp.1086; ἦ δεινὸν ἆρ' ἦν Id.Fr.931; ἔμελλόν σ' ἆ. κινήσειν Ar.Nu. 1301, cf. Ach.347.    B In Prose, ἆ. almost always stands first in the sentence, but cf. Pl.Grg.467e; καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων ἆ. . . Jul.Or.2.61c: in Poetry greater licence is taken, v. supr. 1.4,11.