CLASSICS 2D03 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Calchas, Clytemnestra, Euripides
13 Jun 2018
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Iphigenia in Aulis – WEEK #7
Euripides – Iphigenia in Aulis
Agamemnon: King of Argos, commander of the Greek army in the Trojan War
Clytemnestra: Wife of Agamemnon
Iphigenia: Daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra
Achilles: Great Greek warrior
Artemis: Goddess of Chastity
Menelaus: Brother of Agamemnon, married to Helen
Calchas: seer who advised that Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter in order to bring back the wind
Chorus: Women of Chalcis
The Story: The play revolves around Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek forces in the Trojan War, and
his decision to sacrifice his own daughter, Iphigenia to allow his troops to set sail and preserve their
honor by doing the battle against Troy
Play set in Aulis
Background
• Helen is married to Menelaus, King of Sparta. She is beautiful; her face and body are without
flaw, she is perfect. Even the goddess of love, Aphrodite, admires her. One day, Aphrodite
competes with other goddesses in a beauty contest in which the winner will receive a golden
apple. The judge is a young Trojan named Paris. Aphrodite tells Paris that if he selects her to win
the contest, she will award him the most ravishing woman in the world. After Paris chooses
Aphrodite, she tells him about Helen, who lives in Greece with her husband Menelaus, king of
Sparta. Paris goes to Greece, woos Helen and runs away with her to Troy, a walled city in Asia
Minor (in present-day Turkey). The elopement of Helen and Paris is an insult to call Greeks. How
dare a Trojan invade their land and steal the wife of one of their Kings? Infuriated, king
Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon, king of Argos, assemble mighty armies of Greeks who
include the finest warriors in the land
• While at Aulis, Agamemnon goes hunting and kills a deer. But the deer was a favorite of Artemis,
goddess of the hunt and the moon. In retaliation against Agamemnon, Artemis causes the winds
to die down, making it impossible for the Greeks to launch their sailing vessels.
• A seer named Calchas tells Agamemnon that the winds will not resume until he appeases
Artemis. The only way he can do that, Calchas says, is to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, to the
goddess.
Story
• The Greek fleet, ready to set sail for Troy, is waiting at Aulis. The seer Calchas has advised that
the lack of wind is due to the will of the goddess Artemis, whom Agamemnon has slighted, and
to appease her, Agamemnon must sacrifice his eldest daughter, Iphigenia
▪ The Greek army is on the verge of sailing off to Troy, but there is a problem: the wind is not
blowing. It seems that Agamemnon has upset the goddess Artemis, who in turn hampers
Agamemnon’s efforts by holding the wind hostage unless he sacrifices his daughter
Iphigenia, in her honor.
• He must consider this seriously because his assembled troops may rebel if their honor is not
appeased and their bloodlust is not satisfied.
• He has sent a message to his wife Clytemnestra, telling her to bring Iphigenia to Aulis, on the
pretext that Iphigenia I to be married to the Greek warrior Achilles before he sets off to fight
• Beginning of play, Agamemnon is having second thoughts about going through with the
sacrifice and sends a second message to his wife, telling her to ignore the first letter in which he
told a lie in order to get Iphigenia to Aulis
▪ The problem for Agamemnon lies in the fact that he is also the leader of the Greek army.
They are getting restless and any further delay could lead to dissension. To make matters
even more difficult, Helen is his brother’s wife and Menelaus wants Agamemnon to sacrifice
his daughter
▪ However, Clytemnestra never receives the second letter because it is intercepted by
Agamemnon’s brother, Menelaus, who is enraged that Agamemnon tried to change his
mind
• Agamemnon is angry and tells his brother that he has no right to interfere in his private
matters. Menelaus replies that Agamemnon has a duty to Greece and his soldiers to
wage war against Troy, to teach them a lesson. He says that Agamemnon, who was
previously very eager to lead the Greeks, is now proving himself too weak to do so
• In return, Agamemnon criticizes his brother, saying that Menelaus was unable to control
his own wife, Helen. Now he is willing to make Agamemnon suffer because he wants his
wife back. Agamemnon also hints that Menelaus is jealous of him because he is the
leader of the Greek armies. Then he says that if Menelaus wishes to go to war to fight
over his wife, that is his privilege. But Agamemnon says that he will not sacrifice his own
daughter and burden his conscience with such a foul deed
▪ Menelaus realizes that it may lead to mutiny and the downfall of the Greek leaders if the
troops were to discover the prophecy and realize that their general had put his family above
their pride as soldiers
• Messenger arrives to inform Agamemnon that his wife, daughter and son had arrived at Aulis,
he also tells Agamemnon that the Greek soldiers are abuzz with questions about why their
commander’s family is in the camp; some soldiers wonder whether there is to be a wedding
▪ Menelaus, now sympathetic towards his brother, attempts to comfort him and offers him
his hand. Agamemnon takes it and says it appears that he will have to sacrifice his daughter
after all. But Menelaus takes back what he previously advised, now saying that Agamemnon
should spare his daughter and dismiss the army
• The Chorus commends Menelaus for his pacifying words
• Menelaus decides that “never shall your girl…be slaughtered by her father”. He no
longer wants to cause Agamemnon pain so he can be happy. He says he can always find
another wife.
▪ Menelaus begins to counsel Agamemnon in this direction, but this causes Agamemnon to
reverse his course and decide to sacrifice his daughter
• Agamemnon now says that if he does not revert to his earlier plan, Calchas will inform
the entire Greek army of his decision.
Menelaus suggests that that they kill Calchas, but Agamemnon tells him that one
other man already knows of the seer’s pronouncement: the very clever, Greek
warrior Odysseus. Ever eager to increase his popularity with the soldiers, Odysseus
would probably tell them that Agamemnon went back on his word to carry out
Calchas’s decree; Odysseys then might undertake to sacrifice Iphigenia himself.
• Therefore, Agamemnon says, he must do the unthinkable and forfeit the life of his
daughter.
Document Summary
Agamemnon: king of argos, commander of the greek army in the trojan war. Calchas: seer who advised that agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter in order to bring back the wind. Background: helen is married to menelaus, king of sparta. She is beautiful; her face and body are without flaw, she is perfect. Even the goddess of love, aphrodite, admires her. One day, aphrodite competes with other goddesses in a beauty contest in which the winner will receive a golden apple. The judge is a young trojan named paris. Aphrodite tells paris that if he selects her to win the contest, she will award him the most ravishing woman in the world. Aphrodite, she tells him about helen, who lives in greece with her husband menelaus, king of. Paris goes to greece, woos helen and runs away with her to troy, a walled city in asia. The elopement of helen and paris is an insult to call greeks.
