Near the end of Iphigenia at Aulis, Iphigenia has offered herself as a sacrificial victim:
"I have decided that I must die. And I shall die gloriously."(p 58) At this point the Chorus echoes her praises, but one wonders at the events that have led to this point and the event that will come to follow this moment as the ending turns the drama on its head.

The story told in this drama by Euripides is one that Athenians knew well. It was told by Aeschylus in his drama Agamemnon, the first play in the trilogy known as The Oresteia. Thus it would have had a tremendous impact on this audience and that impact has continued to this day. In Aeschylus's play the Chorus, made up of the old men of Argos, enters and tells the story of how the Trojan Prince Paris stole Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaus, leading to ten years of war between Greece and Troy. Then the Chorus recalls how Clytemnestra's husband Agamemnon (Menelaus' brother) sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia at Aulis to the god Artemis to obtain a favorable wind for the Greek fleet.

The play raises serious questions about the value of an individual life, and under what circumstances that life can be taken. Is the play's central event, the sacrifice of Iphigenia, a pointless waste, or a tragic necessity? Do the players, her father Agamemnon, Achilles, and Iphigenia herself, have a choice or is their fate determined by the gods (Artemis in particular)? Is the war that will be fought as a result of her sacrifice a just cause, or a petty quarrel over individuals and the fate of the beautiful Helen? Is her decision to offer herself an act of heroic patriotism? Acceptance of the inevitable or possibly a sign of madness? These questions and more linger in one's mind during and after reading this powerful drama.

In Euripides play Iphigenia invokes values important to the Greeks (p 58-9); including obedience to the gods, "Artemis has determined to take this my body--can I, a mere mortal, thwart a goddess's will?"; that the community is more important than the individual, the Greeks must prevail over the barbarians, that men are more valuable than women, and that death in defense of these values is glorious and brings everlasting fame, "Sacrifice me and destroy Troy. That will be my epitaph for eternity. That will be my glory,". That the glory that she seeks is one determined by men is an open question. The play also raises questions about the importance of the family as her mother, Clytemnestra and supposed suitor, Achilles, take on important roles.

The translation of this play by Nicholas Rudall is both lucid and poetic in an attempt to capture some of the music that Euripides was famous for. His tragic irony shines through the dialogue. The questions raised in this play are universal in the sense that we still are concerned over the nature of heroism and fidelity to one's community. Euripides won a prize for this drama even though he was no longer present in Athens and had died the previous year. I would recommend this to all who are interested in these questions and their presentation in one of the singular dramas of the Western tradition.

This play brings to the fore the events preceeding the sacrifice of Iphigenia, daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, for the glory of Argos against Troy.There are several interesting points regardign this play. First, the cowardice of king Agamemnon. Instead of tryign to save his daughter, he laments and acts as if he is bringing her for the sacrifice in front of his brother and the other chiefs. He fools his wife in a letter saying he is giving his daughter to Achilles while he is bring her to his doom. But when Iphigenia comes, she is not alone so it becomes harder to sacrifice her, as a man who is ready to use lies to kill his daughter also fears the wrath of a wife ready to save her daughter no matter what. Agamemnon is filled with sorrow but his love for his daughter does not mach his fear of his soldiers. He decides to sacrifice her, with tears in his eyes.
The second point concerns Iphigenia who, at first could not accept being ascrifised: first because she thought she was brought with other better intentions, and second because she found it unfair to die because of the betrayal of Helene. Even though she pleads her father and Achilles to have her life spared, but at the end she accepts her fate with dignity because she knew she didn't have another choice and because Argos needed it.
The third point is that Achilles tried to protect Iphigenia better than her own father. Even though Achilles was shocked when he was told that Agamemnon pretended, in his letter sent to his wife, that Iphigenia was to become Achilles wife; even though it was just a way to bring his daughter to her doom rather than the truth, Achilles still decided to save her, and he was ready to sacrifice his own life for her. (while it was a father's duty to do the same instead of crying her loss before she even died.)
At the end, Iphigenia does not die, but she disappears to join the gods. Her courage won her a place among them.

A volte il proprio destino è già stato scritto dagli Dei, e non c'è nulla che possa contrastarlo. In questa tragedia di Euripide "la profezia che si autoavvera" fa da padrona nel destino della giovane Ifigenia: donna ingenua, ma anche devota e più coraggiosa di Agamennone stesso, incapace di prendere una scelta. Ho apprezzato che qui il condottiero sia stata rappresentato in una sua versione molto più umana e realistica, anziché spietata come di consueto.

امتیاز دادن به این نمایشنامه اوریپید کار مسخره ایه، از این نظر که پایانش به دست ما نرسیده (یا اصلا نوشته نشده) و نسخه ای که ازش مونده مملو از اضافات و حذفیات مختلف بوسیله فرزند اوریپید و دیگرانه.
به هر حال اون چیزی که مونده ترکیبیه از بخش های شاهکار و کلیشه های تکراری اوریپید. بخشی که ایفیگنی در مسلخ خودش به اشتباه فرض میکنه که در مراسم ازدواجش هستش و همسرایان براش سرود میخونن جزو شاهکارهای تراژدی های یونانیه، جایی که تراژدی با درگیری تقدیر شوم و معصومیت زنانه/کودکانه کوبنده تر میشه (نمونه اش در فصلی از زنان تروایی که هکوبا برای آینده نوه اش که لحظاتی بعد کشته خواهد شد، تصمیم میگیره)
اما در پایان تراژدی، طبق معمول، زنان اوریپید در حساس ترین لحظه درام ناگهان تصمیم به ایثار خود در راستای بقای شوهر/پدر/خانواده/ملت میگیرن و با مونولوگی انباشته از شعار از تصمیمی که در راستای قربانی کردن خود گرفتن، حمایت میکنن. در اینجا هم ایفیگنی، دختر آگاممنون، که در ابتدا کودکی وحشت زده است، به این نتیجه میرسه که فدا کردن خود در راستای مام میهن ارزشمندترین کاریه که یک زن میتونه بهش دست بزنه. حالا اینکه چطور یه دختر بچه میتونه به این نتیجه برسه الله اعلم!

i’m not crying, you are

having read the Oresteia trilogy, this really gives some context to all of those events. it’s a constant back and forth between a wide range of opinions and feelings. this play is full of sorrow, it’s full of ambiguity and it’s definitely full of bravery. let it be known that Iphigenia and Clytaemnestra are the most well-spoken characters in this play. Achilles and Agamemnon are just there because everyone knows them (this is an incredible exaggeration, every single character in Greek tragedy is a deeply developed consciousness that struggles with the dynamics of the tragedy-filled, god-controlled ambiguity of life)

don’t let anyone ever tell you women were just side-characters in Greek plays. Iphigenia deserves a shrine fr

“ო, ჩემი ქალის ნაზო ღაწვნო, ქერა კულულნო… რას გიქადიან ელენე და ფრიგიელები… უტყვია სიტყვა. ლამის გავწვიმდე შენს სხეულზე ცრემლთა ავდარში.”

ძაააან ძააააან ძააააააან ძაააააააააააანნნ!!!!!!

War fever leads to tragic choices and sacrifices.

Quality.

This seems to me like Euripides' attempt to redeem the horrible story of Iphigenia's sacrifice by portraying her as choosing to go through with it for the good of Greece. He gives her some kleos (glory). I was surprised that my edition said the ending was spurious, because having a god set things right at the end seems totally in character, and his sequel assumes those events.

In another play, Euripides says something like "these stories are terrible, but they reveal the gods." I've thought about that, because after dwelling on their religious stories for a while, mainly concerning the House of Atreus, it is striking how horrible they are. Christianity has a crucifixion, but also a great deal of beauty, comfort, and good news. I listen to Christmas carols long past Christmas, and I feel sort of sorry for Euripides and his compatriots, who knew no equivalent.

I first read about the sacrafice of Iphigeneia in the Orestia by Aeschylus - Aeschylus was the first ancient playwrite I read and I fell immediately in love with his visceral, forceful style and imagery. I feel that what set Euripides' Iphigeneia apart from previous works I have read is that he incorporates criticisms of "the mob" into his dialouge and into the characters' motives.

I read this book because it was referenced in "The Gay Science" by F. Nietzsche and I want to understand where he is coming from.

I am a bit of an existentialist in that I tend to hermeneutically read text with an eye toward existentialism. As such, I was particularly moved when Iphigeneia took ownership of her sacrifice. I very much admire characters who take what was given to them by chance or fate (whatever you want to call it it is something that is beyond their control) and make it their own - the Sisyphian task is not an easy one!

Full disclosure: I've known Edward Einhorn for well over 20 years, and have had the good fortune to see many of his plays on stage during that period. Somehow I missed seeing this one, his translation of Iphigenia in Aulis, which premiered in NYC at the famed off-off-Broadway theater La MaMa in 2013. (I must have been invited; I hope I sent one of my staffers to see it; I almost certainly begged off because I probably saw a dozen versions of this play by Euripides during the two decades I was reviewing theater.)

In any event, Edward kindly sent me this published version of his translation, and I am very pleased that he did. It contains the full script of the play, but there is much more here that makes it a very worthy addition to one's library! First, there are numerous illustrations accompanying the text; these are drawn by cartoonist Eric Shanower, whose work I was not at all familiar with but am now most impressed by. The pictures transform this Iphigenia into a kind of Classics Illustrated (I mean that as a compliment). Pictures, someone said, speak a thousand words, and that's the case here: since we can't see and hear actors perform the text as we read it, Shanower's images bring them to life in a wondrous and imaginative and beautiful way.

But there is much more. The book opens with a map of the world of the play, allowing us to locate Troy and Athens and Sparta and other places from Greek myths. I don't think I've ever seen that before! (There's also a pair of hugely detailed genealogy tables in the Appendix that show the House of Atreus and the House of Troy.)

Perhaps best of all are essays written by Edward that talk about the history of the project and the way the translation was made, the important themes of the play, and an analysis of a single potent line from his perspective as not just the writer but the director. These are smart and thought-provoking and, indeed, have saved me the trouble of having to write about the important ideas brought out in this play, Edward having illuminated them so much better than I could ever hope to.

This is a fine modern version of a timeless story of superstition and faith, cowardice and nobility, brought together in an exemplary package.

At the beginning of the Trojan War, Paris has run away with Helen, and an army waits upon the shore to journey to retrieve her. But the winds are not in their favor, and they cannot sail. Agamemnon is told by the prophets that to ensure a change in the wind he must sacrifice a virgin, his own daughter Iphigenia, to the gods. He wrestles with the decision, quarrels with his brother Menelaus, and lies to his wife Klytemnestra. The armies threaten treason. Achilles vows to protect the maiden. Agamemnon curses the fate that will tear his daughter from their family. Ultimately, the decision lies with Iphigenia herself.

This translation/adaptation of Euripides' story really captured my attention! It reflects all the intense emotions of the Greek play and explores some deep themes. Honor and respect are lost and gained. Family ties and loyalty are tested. I really enjoyed the rich language of this adaptation.

The illustrations are beautiful! I love the ink style of the art, and the bold lines. Every character's face has fierce emotions, and you can see the tension in their body language. It really enhances the story!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.