Summary
Iphigenia in Taurus unfolds in the solemn sanctuary dedicated to Artemis, the huntress goddess, perched along the rugged coast of Taurus. The drama commences with an evocative prologue from Iphigenia, one of its central figures. In the tradition of Euripidean prologues, she recounts the story’s antecedents and offers glimpses of the unfolding drama. Iphigenia reveals the mystery of her survival after what was thought to be her sacrifice by her father, Agamemnon, offered to calm the tempest that stymied his naval forces bound for a decisive clash.
Artemis, the chaste guardian of birth, had once extorted a pledge from Agamemnon to sacrifice the most exquisite being born within twelve moons. From Clytemnestra, his wife, came Iphigenia, and Artemis demanded her life. Agamemnon spun a web of deceit to abduct his daughter, feigning preparations for her nuptials with Achilles. Yet, as she lay upon the sacrificial altar, Artemis spirited Iphigenia away, leaving a deer in her stead to dupe the mortals below. Transported by magic to the far-off and uncivilized land of Taurus, Iphigenia became a priestess bound to Artemis’s sanctuary, ironically tasked with preparing sacrifices of her own people, the Hellenes, upon the altar.
In the quiet of the previous night, Iphigenia recalls being visited by a peculiar dream. In it, an earthquake wreaked havoc upon her father's house, leaving only a solitary pillar standing. This pillar bore brown hair, over which Iphigenia wept as she prepared it for the fatal rites of Artemis’s temple. Iphigenia interprets this vision as an omen of her brother Orestes's death, feeling an inability to honor him with a proper burial. She withdraws into the temple to pour libations in his memory.
The Arrival of Orestes
As she exits, Orestes and his steadfast companion Pylades emerge from the seaside. The oracle of Phoebus has tasked them with a dangerous mission—Orestes must retrieve a sacred statue from Artemis's temple to atone for avenging his father's murder by slaying his mother, Clytemnestra, who herself had turned on Agamemnon for his cruel sacrifice of Iphigenia. Only this courageous act will deliver Orestes from the relentless furies that hound him. The duo strategizes to hide among the sea cliffs until night cloaks their movements.
Chorus of Mourning
The chorus, a group of maidens aiding Iphigenia in her sacred rituals, enters with a song celebrating Artemis’s temple and rites. They join Iphigenia in lamenting her ominous dream and soon alert her to the approach of herdsmen. These herdsmen convey to Iphigenia that during their cattle’s seaside sojourn, they discovered two young Hellenes in a sea cave. Following local custom, they aim to seize these strangers for sacrifice. One of the captives, seized by madness, raved about “fiends from Hades” (tormentors being the furies haunting Orestes), and in his delirium, he slaughtered several cattle, mistaking them for his tormentors. The herdsmen retaliated by hurling stones and delivering the pair to the king, who decreed they be sent to Iphigenia for purification and sacrifice. Eager to soothe her grief over her brother’s supposed death, Iphigenia orders the two brought before her.
Revelations and Ironies
Iphigenia recounts the haunting memory of her near-sacrifice, painting it with vivid shades of heartache, as she shares her tale with the chorus. She rises to a conclusion that the gods could not be the source of her agony—humans, rather, lay blame on the divine for their own misdeeds. The chorus joins her in prayer for her return to Athens. As the strangers are brought forth, the chorus subtly reminds us that human sacrifice defies Hellenic law.
With the prisoners unbound, Iphigenia begins her interrogation, seeking their...
(This entire section contains 1187 words.)
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identities and tales from Athens. Orestes, preserving his pride, withholds his name, narrating his matricide as though it was another’s deed, speaking in the third person. The audience keenly perceives the dramatic irony in Iphigenia’s yearning for a brother as noble as the man before her, and Orestes’s own wish for his sister’s presence to purify him.
Plans of Escape
The valor and resolve of the pair impress Iphigenia, prompting her to devise a ruse that would free one of them to bear a message to her brother. She departs to retrieve a letter, while Orestes and Pylades marvel at her familiar knowledge of their city. Recognition teeters on the brink, but Pylades’s fear of being accused of Orestes’s murder prevails. Iphigenia returns, and she and Pylades exchange solemn vows to fulfill their promises, thus allowing Pylades his freedom to deliver the letter.
To ensure the letter’s safe delivery, Iphigenia insists Pylades commit its words to memory. During this recital, the two men realize the woman before them is Orestes’s sister. Joyously, Orestes turns to Iphigenia, but the chorus condemns him for defiling her sacred garments. Iphigenia demands undeniable proof of his identity. When convinced, she regretfully contemplates the sins she nearly performed.
With truth unveiled, Iphigenia shares her tale of survival, and together they plot their escape. Killing the king is forbidden under the sacred “law of guest and host.” So, Iphigenia concocts a deception—she will claim the statue and prisoners are tainted, necessitating cleansing in the sea, thus granting them the chance to flee to Orestes’s awaiting vessel. She prays for Artemis’s blessing, and the chorus lends their voices in support.
The Accusation of Impurity
In a scene charged with tension, King Thoas strides in, flanked by his vigilant guards, inquiring zealously after Iphigenia’s whereabouts. As she arrives, bearing the sacred statue, she halts Thoas with a revelation: the relic has been tainted by an "impurity." Convincing him of the need for purification, she speaks of prisoners burdened with heinous crimes committed in their homeland. Granting her wish, Thoas consents to her performing the cleansing ritual in solitude. His lack of suspicion is stilled as she requests him to purge the temple with fire while she conducts her rites by the sea. Shielding the profaned image from prying eyes, Iphigenia sets off to the shore accompanied by her two so-called "prisoners." The chorus weaves a tapestry of tales, singing of Artemis and Phoebus, concluding with a cautionary note on the uncertainties of dream interpretations.
The Great Escape
Suddenly, a messenger bursts forth, breathless, to inform King Thoas of a daring escape: the prisoners, along with Iphigenia, have seized a ship and fled. Despite the boldness of their breakout, their vessel teeters perilously close to the shore. Thoas, resolute, commands his horsemen to recapture the fugitives. However, divine intervention halts him in his tracks; Athena, the embodiment of wisdom, intervenes. She reveals to Thoas that Apollo decrees Orestes must transport the divine image to Athens. With authority and grace, Athena mandates an end to the practice of human sacrifices and pronounces that the accused shall now receive the justice of a fair trial, judged by the consensus of a majority vote—a leniency once granted to Orestes for the murder of Clytemnestra. Thoas, recognizing the wisdom in her decree, acquiesces. Athena commends his choice, reminding him that even the gods must yield to Necessity’s decree.
