Comparing Euripide's Play And Iphigenian Tragedies

When referring to Iphigenia among the Taurians, Edith Hall says in her introduction of the Euripides plays, “Its escapist plot, lack of a catastrophic death or suffering, and happy ending have led it to be classified as a tragicomedy” (xviii). Atrocity is a concept that is very important in the known plays written by Euripides. It seems insignificant in Iphigenia at Aulis and Iphigenia among the Taurians because there is no tragedy that occurs within the two plays. It is actually an important and significant concept to both plays when thinking about the storylines because the near-atrocities contribute to the drama and intensify the storylines. These two plays are very obscure compared to other tragedies because they both nearly have atrocities but they are avoided in the end. Although Iphigenia among the Taurians and Iphigenia at Aulis both show the prevention of

Orestes has an impact on Iphigenia in both plays. In Iphigenia at Aulis, Orestes is only a baby, but he still shows emotion for her and Iphigenia uses him to try to convince her father that what he is doing is wrong (1242-1249). She says, “Brother, you are only a tiny champion for your friends, but weep with me none the less and beg your father that your sister shall not die” (1242-1244). In Iphigenia among the Taurians, Orestes is grown and Iphigenia hatches a plan to escape because he has shown up and she does not want to see him killed (1029-1049). Agamemnon and Clytemnestra played a large part in her early life during Iphigenia at Aulis because Agamemnon tries to sacrifice her and Clytemnestra tries to convince Iphigenia and Agamemnon to not go through with the sacrifice throughout the play. They did not have a role in her life in Iphigenia among the Taurians because she was in a far off land and they were both dead at this point in time