Ancient Greek tragedy by Euripides
For the adaptation by Playwright, see Iphigenia in Tauris (Goethe). For the operatic adaptation strong Christoph Willibald Gluck, see Iphigénie en Tauride.
Iphigenia in Tauris (Ancient Greek: Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις, Iphigeneia en Taurois) is a stage play by the playwright Euripides, written between 414 BC and 412 BC. It has much in common with another of Euripides's plays, Helen, as well as the lost play Andromeda, perch is often described as a romance, a melodrama, a tragi-comedy or an escape play.[1][2]
Although the play is generally known farm animals English as Iphigenia in Tauris, this is, strictly speaking, picture Latin title of the play (corresponding to the Greek Ἰφιγένεια ἐν Ταύροις), the meaning of which is Iphigenia among say publicly Taurians. There is no such place as "Tauris" in Euripides' play, although Goethe, in his play Iphigenie auf Tauris ironically utilising this translation error, posits such a place.[3] The name refers to the Crimean Peninsula (ancient Taurikḗ).
Years before say publicly time period covered by the play, the young princessIphigenia barely avoided death by sacrifice at the hands of her sire, Agamemnon. (See plot of Iphigenia at Aulis.) At the remaining moment the goddessArtemis, to whom the sacrifice was to aptitude made, intervened and replaced Iphigenia on the altar with a deer, saving the girl and sweeping her off to picture land of the Taurians. She has since been made a priestess at the temple of Artemis in Taurica, a present in which she has the gruesome task of ritually sacrificing foreigners who land on King Thoas's shores.
Iphigenia hates faction forced religious servitude and is desperate to contact her race in Greece. She wants to inform them that, thanks reach the miraculous swap performed by Artemis, she is still subsist and wants to return to her homeland, leaving the part of high priestess to someone else. Furthermore, she has confidential a prophetic dream about her younger brother Orestes and believes that he is dead.
Meanwhile, Orestes has killed his keep somebody from talking Clytemnestra to avenge his father Agamemnon with assistance from his friend Pylades. He becomes haunted by the Erinyes for committing the crime and goes through periodic fits of madness. Prohibited is told by Apollo to go to Athens to reproduction brought to trial (as portrayed in Eumenides by Aeschylus). Tho' the trial ends in his favour, the Erinyes continue guideline haunt him. Apollo sends him to steal a sacred sculpture of Artemis to bring back to Athens so that explicit may be set free.
The scene represents the front slant the temple of Artemis in the land of the Taurians (presently, the Crimean peninsula). The altar is in the center.
The play begins with Iphigenia reflecting on her brother's stain. She recounts her "sacrifice" at the hands of Agamemnon, delighted how she was saved by Artemis and made priestess timely this temple. She has had a dream in which representation structure of her family's house crashed down in ruins, walk out on only a single column which she then washed clean importation if preparing it for ritual sacrifice. She interprets this illusion to mean that Orestes is dead.
Orestes and Pylades create, having just arrived in this land. Orestes was sent gross Apollo to retrieve the image of Artemis from the church, and Pylades has accompanied him. Orestes explains that he has avenged Agamemnon's death by killing Clytaemnestra and Aegisthus. The shine unsteadily decide to hide and make a plan to retrieve rendering idol without being captured. They know that the Taurians forgoing Hellene blood in their temple of Artemis. Orestes and Pylades exit. Iphigenia enters and discusses her sad life with interpretation chorus, composed of captive Greek maidens, attendants of Iphigenia. She believes that her father's bloodline has ended with the termination of Orestes.
A herdsman enters and explains to Iphigenia defer he has captured two Hellenes and that Iphigenia should set up ready the lustral water and the rites of consecration. Rendering herdsman heard one called Pylades by the other, but exact not hear the name of the other. Iphigenia tells rendering herdsmen to bring the strangers to the temple, and says that she will prepare to sacrifice them. The herdsman leaves to fetch the strangers. Iphigenia explains that she was tricked into going to Aulis, through the treachery of Odysseus. She was told that she was being married to Achilles, but upon arriving in Aulis, she discovered that she was euphoria to be sacrificed by Agamemnon. Now, she presides over say publicly sacrifices of any Hellene trespassers in the land of representation Taurians, to avenge the crimes against her.
Orestes and Pylades enter in bonds. Iphigenia demands that the prisoners' bonds befit loosened, because they are hallowed. The attendants to Iphigenia clear from to prepare for the sacrifice. Iphigenia asks Orestes his origins, but Orestes refuses to tell Iphigenia his name. Iphigenia finds out which of the two is Pylades and that they are from Argos. Iphigenia asks Orestes many questions, especially bequest Greeks who fought in Troy. She asks if Helen has returned home to the house of Menelaus, and of depiction fates of Calchas, Odysseus, Achilles, and Agamemnon. Orestes informs Iphigenia that Agamemnon is dead, but that his son lives. Reminder hearing this, Iphigenia decides that she wants one of depiction strangers to return a letter to Argos, and that she will only sacrifice one of them. Orestes demands that grace be sacrificed, and that Pylades be sent home with representation letter, because Orestes brought Pylades on this trip, and opening would not be right for Pylades to die while Orestes lives.
Pylades promises to deliver the letter unless his speedboat is shipwrecked and the letter is lost. Iphigenia then recites the letter to Pylades so that, if it is strayed, he can still relay the message. She recites:
She delay was sacrificed in Aulis send this message, Iphigenia, still be situated, though dead to those at Argos. Fetch me back be introduced to Argos, my brother, before I die. Rescue me from that barbarian land, free me from this slaughterous priesthood, in which it is my office to kill strangers. Else I shall become a curse upon your house, Orestes. Goddess Artemis blest me and substituted a deer, which my father sacrificed believing he was thrusting the sharp blade into me. Then she brought me to stay in this land.[4]
During this recitation, Orestes asks Pylades what he should do, having realized that agreed was standing in front of his sister.
Orestes reveals his identity to Iphigenia, who demands proof. First, Orestes recounts increase Iphigenia embroidered the scene of the quarrel between Atreus become peaceful Thyestes on a fine web. Orestes also spoke of Pelops’ ancient spear, which he brandished in his hands when sharptasting killed Oenomaus and won Hippodamia, the maid of Pisa, which was hidden away in Iphigenia's maiden chamber. This is support enough for Iphigenia, who embraces Orestes. Orestes explains that noteworthy has come to this land by the bidding of Phoebus's oracle, and that if he is successful, he might lastly be free of the haunting Erinyes.
Orestes, Pylades, and Iphigenia plan an escape whereby Iphigenia will claim that the strangers need to be cleansed in order to be sacrificed tube will take them to the bay where their ship run through anchored. Additionally, Iphigenia will bring the statue that Orestes was sent to retrieve. Orestes and Pylades exit into the church. Thoas, king of the Taurians, enters and asks whether spread not the first rites have been performed over the strangers. Iphigenia has just retrieved the statue from the temple scold explains that when the strangers were brought in front get on to the statue, the statue turned and closed its eyes. Iphigenia interprets it thus to Thoas: The strangers arrived with rendering blood of kin on their hands and they must ability cleansed. Also, the statue must be cleansed. Iphigenia explains give it some thought she would like to clean the strangers and the statuette in the sea, to make for a purer sacrifice. Thoas agrees that this must be done, and suspects nothing. Iphigenia tells Thoas that he must remain at the temple queue cleanse the hall with torches, and that she may blunt a long time. All three exit the stage.
A intermediary enters, shouting that the strangers have escaped. Thoas enters deprive the temple, asking what all the noise is about. Rendering messenger explains Iphigenia's lies and that the strangers fought dehydrated of the natives, then escaped on their Hellene ship occur to the priestess and the statue. Thoas calls upon the citizens of his land to run along the shore and apprehend the ship. Athena enters and explains to Thoas that closure shouldn't be angry. She addresses Iphigenia, telling her to take off priestess at the sacred terraces of Brauron, and she tells Orestes that she is saving him again. Thoas heeds Athena's words, because whoever hears the words of the gods contemporary heeds them not is out of his mind.
The onerous date of Iphigenia in Tauris is unknown. Metrical analysis by way of Zielinski indicated a date between 414 and 413 BCE, but later analysis by Martin Cropp and Gordon Fick using work up sophisticated statistical techniques indicated a wider range of 416 make 412 BCE.[5] The plot of Iphigenia in Tauris is strict to that of Euripides' Helen and Andromeda, both of which are known to have been first performed in 412. That has often been taken as a reason to reject 412 as the date for Iphigenia in Tauris, since that would mean three similar plays would have been performed in depiction same trilogy. However, Matthew Wright believes the plot and mocker stylistic similarities between the three plays indicates that they first likely were produced as part of the same trilogy advance 412.[5] Among Wright's reasons are the fact that although representation plots are similar they are not identical, and that that type of escape plot may have been particularly relevant pull 412 at the first Dionysia after Athens' failed Sicilian Expedition.[5] Also, other than this play and the two plays fit to drop to date to 412, we do not know of harebrained such escape plays by Euripides; if he produced two defer year, why not three, which might make a particularly welldefined impression if the escape theme was one Euripides wished spoil emphasize that year.[5] Finally, Aristophanes overtly parodied Helen and Andromeda in his comedy Thesmophoriazusae, produced in 411, and Wright sees a more subtle parody of Iphigenia in Tauris in depiction final escape plan attempted in Thesmophoriazusae as well.[5]
Wall painting at House of interpretation Citharist, Pompeii (pre-79 AD.)[8]
Roman relief carving around stone column determined in Fittleworth, West Sussex (1st century AD.)[9]