The Iphigenia in Tauris

The Iphigenia in Tauris is a play written by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. It tells the story of Iphigenia, the daughter of Agamemnon, who was sacrificed to the gods in order to ensure a successful voyage to Troy. However, in this play, Iphigenia is alive and well, serving as a priestess in the temple of Artemis in Tauris. Her brother Orestes, who is plagued by the Furies for killing their mother, seeks refuge in Tauris, where he and his friend Pylades are captured and brought before Iphigenia. She recognizes her brother but keeps it a secret, as she is duty-bound to sacrifice any Greeks who come to Tauris. However, with the help of Pylades and Athena, Iphigenia and Orestes are able to escape and return home to Greece. The play explores themes of family, duty, and the power of the gods.1915. Murray, Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Oxford has translated The Iphigenia in Tauris into English rhyming verse with explanatory notes. The play is not in the modern sense a tragedy, it is a romantic drama, beginning in a tragic atmosphere and moving through perils and escapes to a happy end. The story tells of Iphigenia who is sacrificed by her father to the goddess Artemis. At the last moment she is saved from death by Artemis, but is then set down in the land of Tauri to be her priestess, where all strangers cast on their shores are sacrificed in a savage ritual. Iphigenia, obedient to her goddess, and held by the spell of the altar, had to consecrate the victims, all of whom were Barbarians, as they went to be slaughtered. She waited in half in horror and half in revenge to sacrifice a Greek. When one arrives, it turns out to be her brother Orestes, although she doesn't know this at first. The recognition scene between Iphigenia and Orestes became a model to Aristotle. While not of the same order as Euripides' The Trojan Women, Iphigenia is a delightful play. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.