Death and Gender Roles: An Analysis of Iphigenia at Aulis
Of all the roles assigned to the women of Greek theatre, the most prevalent and seemingly most accepted is that of the sacrificial heroine. Religion was a cornerstone of Greek mythology, and sacrifice was presumably the only way for a female to gain praise that was typically accorded to men. Euripides established sacrifice as a motif in his plays, and the majority found females in the role of the sacrificed, be it as a victim or a champion. One of the most coherent examples of women's roles in relation to sacrifice is that of Iphigenia's nearness to death, the motivations behind it, and how she changed from an expendable offering to a martyr beloved by the masses. In Iphigenia at Aulis, Agamemnon summons his wife and oldest daughter to Aulis- the port where Greek warships are beached in preparation for their departure to Troy on the pretext that he wishes Iphigenia to marry Achilles. However, Clytemnestra and Iphigenia discover that Agamemnon's genuine intentions are to sacrifice Iphigenia to appease the gods after his own error. Iphigenia herself tries to persuade her father not to kill her. Unlike the chorus of the Aga
Make them show reverence.... Lead me, make me beautiful for the gods, for Greece's sake, to overthrow Troy. Braid blossoms into my hair, and laurel. Purify my body in lustral waters. Begin a dance around the holy place, adoring the goddess. Then, since I must, let me wash away her curse with my spilled blood. (1712, 1717-24) ...But I have only these poor tears to persuade you.... Don't make me turn my back on all I desire to enter that gloom where nothing is. I was the first to call you father and you to call me child. (1418, 1422-4) These incidents could be interpreted as evidence of Greek misogyny, but in the end, Iphigenia wins the people's praise that she feels she deserves as a martyr. In addition to gaining the adoration that she had hoped for, she escapes with her life- just moments before her execution the goddess sends a deer to replace her at the sacrificial altar. Her ability to escape the role of the woman as inherent property paid off with the sparing of her life, as well as the fullfilment of her heroic status. Why, she asks, should her one life hold back an army of tens of thousand
Some common words found in the essay are:
Clytemnestra Iphigenia, Troy Braid, , Paris Iphigenia, Aulis Agamemnon,
Approximate Word count = 765
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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