The Myth of
Iphigenia:
Many
people in today’s society are intrigued by Greek mythology, especially when it
comes to appeasing the gods through sacrifice.
The sacrifice of Iphigenia by Euripides is no different. Many plays, musicals and paintings have adapted
Iphigenia’s story to entertain an audience.
Iphigenie (1862) by
Anselm Feuerbach
Background:
While
many believe that Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, head of the Greek military, are
Iphigenia’s parents, some myths hint at Helen of Troy and King Theseus of
Athens as being the true, biological parents.
Myths clearly tell us that Theseus abducted Helen and held her captive
in Attica. When rescued by her brothers,
Theseus was punished. Helen, along with whom many researchers believe to be Iphigenia,
born of Helen while she was prisoner to Theseus, was brought back to Sparta. “Helen entrusted Iphigenia to her
sister, Clytemnestra, who brought her up as if she had been her own child so
that Helen could pretend that she was still a virgin” (Parada).
The Appeasement of
Artemis:
Many
stories vary as to why Artemis was offended by Agamemnon, but most of them
claim that Agamemnon had boasted after killing a sacred animal. "Artemis herself could not do it
better" (Apollodorus & Frazer).
Other accounts in addition mention that he did “not sacrifice to her the
golden lamb” (Apollodorus & Frazer).
Nonetheless, Artemis was indeed angry, causing the fleet of Troy to be
wind-bound at Aulis.
Agamemnon
turned to a seer named Calchas as the troops were becoming uneasy. Calchas returned an oracle, saying that only
if he sacrificed his fairest daughter, Iphigenia, would they then be able to
sail again. At first Agamemnon denied
this request, but as the troops became more restless he realized he was left
with no choice.
Agamemnon
went to his wife and told her that their daughter was to be married to Achilles
because of his military service. While Iphigenia
was sent to the altar in Aulis, Clytemnestra learned of her husband’s trickery
when realizing Achilles knew nothing of the marriage.
The Sacrifice of Iphigenia
(1671) by Jan Havicksz Steen
Iphigenia’s
Reaction:
Iphigenia
begged to her father, "Do not destroy me before my time, for it is sweet
to look upon the light, and do not force me to visit the world below” (Euripides). But Agamemnon had angry and restless troops
forcing him to perform the sacrifice.
Eventually, Iphigenia accepted death, as she knew that she would be
remembered as a saving light. It is said
that Agamemnon burst into tears and looked away as his daughter was led to the
altar.
Sacrifice or Saved?
From
here there are again variances. Some say
the sacrifice was made and the ships were able to continue their travels. Others say that Artemis saved her at the last
moment by placing a deer in her place. Artemis then gave her a spot as a priestess
and possibly immortality as well.
This
tale seems minor in comparison to what follows.
The troops sailed on to fight a bloody, ten-year battle and Agamemnon
was killed not in battle, but by Clytemnestra, who harbored revenge for
Iphigenia.
The Sacrifice of
Iphigenia (1749) by Francesco Fontebasso
Iphigenia’s Effect
on Greek Society:
The
Greek’s highly regarded Iphigenia’s sacrifice.
She “goes
willingly to her death to allow a military expedition of aggression for which
she has no responsibility against a foreign foe in which she has no real
investment” (Kovacs). Her bravery and
nobility was said to be greater than most kings and soldiers, for which the
Greek’s honored her. In Marianne
McDonald’s book on Classical culture she describes Iphigenia as both “consistent
and heroic, exhibiting what I call a new heroism: no longer are Homeric heroes
the sole repository of virtue; now virtue is to be found in women, slaves and
children” (McDonald). This proves that
while Greek society did see women as the lesser of the two sexes, some
exceptions were made to women that showed outstanding morals.
Conclusion:
Whether
Iphigenia was truly sacrificed or whether she was saved at the last minute by
the same god that demanded her sacrifice, Greeks and scholars alike hold her
story in high regards. The bravery and
virtues that she had, gives her infamy as well as praise.
Bib:
Apollodorus, and
James George Frazer. Apollodorus: The Library. London: W.
Heinemann, 1921.
Feuerbach, Anselm. Iphigenie. 1862.
Fontebasso, Francesco. The
Sacrifice of Iphigenia. 1749.
Gross, Rachel & Grote,
Dale. "Iphigenia." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2014. Encyclopedia
Mythica Online. 28 Jan. 2014.
Kovacs, George Adam. "Iphigenia
at Aulis": Myth, Performance, and Reception.” Order No. NR97110
University of Toronto (Canada), 2010 Ann Arbor ProQuest. 28 Jan.
2014 .
McDonald, Marianne.
"Iphigenia's "Philia": Motivation in Euripides "Iphigenia
at Aulis""Quaderni Urbinati Di Cultura Classica:. 1st ed. Vol.
34. Roma: Ed. Dell'Ateneo, 1986. 69-84.
Parada, Carlos. "Iphigenia
- Greek Mythology." Greek Mythology Link. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
Steen, Jan Haviscksz The Sacrifice of Iphigenia. 1671. by
Jan Havicksz. Steen
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