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Iphigeneia is a strange, wayward character because of her circumstances: offered as a sacrifice to Artemis by her father Agamemnon, saved by Artemis herself and taken to Taurica to serve as a high priestess of Artemis, overseeing the ritual sacrifice of foreigners. Iphigenia‘s back & forth with Orestes (before she learns who he is) reminded me of an Ivy Compton-Burnett novel. The dialogue's pacing, the swift sharp truth of the aphoristic lines.
batsy Indeed, an ICB novel does seem to traverse through similar themes as a Greek tragedy. This one is resolved with what seems like a bit of a random deus ex machina by Euripides‘s standards, but it doesn‘t matter when in Philip Vellacott‘s translation we get lines that give Orestes the veneer of a superhero who has earned his right to be badass: “My name‘s Orestes, let me tell you; I‘m her brother, and now I‘m going to take my long-lost sister home.” 2y
batsy Painting: "Iphigenia in Tauris" (1893) by Valentin Serov 2y
nathandrake1997 Exquisite review ❤️ Always wanted to read Greek plays and I might start with Euripedes soon 😄❤️ 2y
batsy @nathandrake1997 Thank you! I feel like you can't really go wrong with Euripides 💕 2y
tokorowilliamwallace I own the Goethe retelling of this, though I haven't gotten to it yet, as I don't often read drama/plays. 2y