Euripides: Iphigenia at Aulis

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This is a story that once again traverses familiar ground, but I found this one really quite moving. It revolves around Agamemnon & his choice to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to appease the goddess Artemis whom he has previously offended, to grant the Greek troops safe passage to Troy. We get the perspective of Iphigenia as someone coming to terms to why she has to be forsaken, from someone pleading with her father to live because

batsy "it is sweet to look on the day's light" to someone who convinces herself that dying as a sacrifice for the Greek cause is a noble thing to do because "it is wrong for me to love life too deeply". I felt her anguish & while I disagreed with her final assessment, it is a moral & philosophical issue that continues to pose complex problems.

I read the translation by Charles Walker. With this, I've read all of Euripides! He is absolutely top-tier. 2y

batsy The painting is "The Sacrifice of Iphigenia" by Giovanni Andrea Carlone (1600-1750), & it's worth looking it up on a bigger screen for all the superb details, including Artemis's hunting dog peeking out from a cloud on the top right. (There's a bunch of great paintings on this theme to be found online.) 2y

Suet624 You pack so much really interesting info into your reviews. ❤️ 2y

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Chrissyreadit I agree @Suet624 🙌 @batsy you have a talent for description and narrative. 2y

batsy @Suet624 @Chrissyreadit Thank you for your kind words ❤️❤️ 2y

vivastory I recall this story was used in GoT. Excellent review, as always! When I first read the three Greek tragedians, I recall Euripides was my least favorite but I have acquired an appreciation for his work the past few years! 2y

batsy @vivastory Thank you! And I know this is strange but I've not seen a single episode of GoT or any of its spin-offs (I think) so I'm very much out of the loop whenever it's brought up 😆 2y

kspenmoll Thank you for sharing the beauty of Greek works. I love the paintings you post.💕 2y

vivastory I love GoT, not quite as enthused over the spin-off so far. GoT was interesting bc it reached a point in the show where it had exceeded what Martin had written with his books & there were 2 memorable death scenes lifted from classical lit: Iphigenia & Seneca's Thyestes 2y

batsy @vivastory It's interesting that he adapted from the classics! The only reason I've put it off is because I thought I might read the books before the show, but that's unlikely to happen now, and now it seems like there's so much to watch! If I ever have a bunch of time I'd like to at least watch the first season 🙈 2y

batsy @kspenmoll Thank you for reading! And happy thar you're enjoying the paintings 💜 2y

AnnR “With this, I've read all of Euripides!“
WOW. Well done! This isn't anything I'd feel comfortable tackling but I enjoy reading your reviews. I read more for relaxation now, and the occasional science/nature/botany related book. 2y

batsy @Ann_Reads Thank you! The plays have been really easy to read; I too thought it would be daunting but it's been one of my highlights this year 💜 2y

Graywacke Congrats on getting through all Euripides! 2y

batsy @Graywacke Thanks! 🙂 2y

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