Essay Questions

What is presented in the play as the innovation in drama?

Though the play was not understood by contemporaries, its innovation lies in the careful development of the inner world, and in revealing the psychology of the heroine. There is the dynamics of characters and circumstances. Euripides argued that the world is mysterious and unpredictable, and there is no harmony in it. He introduced colloquial speech on stage as well, which in antiquity seemed to be impudent. The heroic character is preserved, but the process of how a person becomes a hero is shown. Thus, Iphigenia in Aulis is a very important piece of ancient literature.

How is the intrusion of the gods into the lives of mortals depicted in the play?

In Ancient Greece, people believed that everything what is happening is directly connected to the gods’ wishes and even whims. Mythology tells that Artemis bore malice against Agamemnon, because once, when he was hunting he had shot a sacred doe, and assured that his well-aimed shot excelled the skillfulness of Artemis, the goddess of hunting. The goddess decided to punish him by taking his daughter away, moreover Artemis demanded Agamemnon to walk his daughter to the alter where she would meet her death. Though Euripides somewhat changed the plot, according to the ancient myth, its central point was the revenge of the goddess Artemis.

How does Iphigenia’s character evolve through the play?

At the beginning of the play Iphigenia is overwhelmed with joy and love, and rapturously worships her father and anticipates the future wedding with her beloved Achilles. But the harmony of her soul begins to collapse when she learns that her father is going to sacrifice her to the gods, and the poor girl burst into bitter tears. After having relieved herself in her sorrow, Iphigenia sees with the awareness the evil surrounding her, and does not want to oppose the will of the gods and of her father. Refusal of resistance, combined with blind worship of her father and the enthusiastic belief in the divine justice, leads Iphigenia to ecstatic readiness to sacrifice herself, and she finds her true destination.