Euripides · c. 480-406 BC
Iphigenia at Aulis
Ἰφιγένεια ἐν ΑὐλίδιRead our guide to Iphigenia at Aulis
Iphigenia at Aulis was produced after Euripides' death, around 405 BC. The Greek fleet lies windbound at Aulis on its way to Troy, and the seer Calchas has declared that the army can sail only if Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter Iphigenia to Artemis. Agamemnon lures her and her mother Clytemnestra to the camp with the pretext of a marriage to Achilles, and the play follows his wavering, the quarrel with Menelaus, the discovery of the truth, and Iphigenia's decision to die for Greece. The sections follow the play's own units (prologue, parodos, episodes, choral songs and exodos) and keep the standard line numbers of the Greek text.
Contents · 28 passages
- 1–48Prologue: Agamemnon and the old servant before dawn368 words
- 49–104Prologue: Agamemnon explains the oath, the delay and Calchas' demand485 words
- 115–163Prologue: Agamemnon sends a second letter to stop Iphigenia346 words
- 164–302Parodos: the women of Chalcis describe the Greek army and fleet734 words
- 303–333First episode: Menelaus seizes Agamemnon's letter403 words
- 334–377First episode: Menelaus reproaches Agamemnon for his changes of mind540 words
- 378–439First episode: Agamemnon refuses to kill his daughter; a messenger announces her arrival689 words
- 440–472First episode: Agamemnon laments his plight308 words
- 473–527First episode: Menelaus relents but Agamemnon fears the army526 words
- 528–589First episode: Agamemnon fears Odysseus and the army; choral song on Aphrodite409 words
- 590–630Second episode: Iphigenia and Clytemnestra arrive at the camp301 words
- 631–676Second episode: Iphigenia greets her father530 words
- 677–740Second episode: Clytemnestra questions Agamemnon about the wedding702 words
- 742–800Second choral song: the coming war against Troy and Helen's birth355 words
- 801–856Third episode: Achilles meets Clytemnestra and the wedding is denied568 words
- 857–899Third episode: the old servant reveals Agamemnon's plan613 words
- 900–976Third episode: Clytemnestra begs Achilles for help818 words
- 977–1035Third episode: Achilles promises to protect Iphigenia623 words
- 1036–1097Third choral song: the wedding of Peleus and Thetis; Iphigenia's coming sacrifice364 words
- 1098–1145Fourth episode: Clytemnestra confronts Agamemnon467 words
- 1146–1210Fourth episode: Clytemnestra's speech against the sacrifice665 words
- 1211–1254Fourth episode: Iphigenia pleads for her life449 words
- 1255–1335Fourth episode: Agamemnon says the army leaves him no choice; Iphigenia laments584 words
- 1336–1367bFifth episode: Achilles reports that the army demands the sacrifice475 words
- 1368–1402Fifth episode: Iphigenia chooses to die for Hellas407 words
- 1403–1432Fifth episode: Achilles admires Iphigenia and offers to defend her at the altar284 words
- 1433–1531Exodos: Iphigenia bids her mother farewell and goes to the altar818 words
- 1532–1629Exodos: the messenger reports the sacrifice and the substituted deer927 words
More by Euripides
English translation by Edward P. Coleridge (1891). Original text: Greek text: Gilbert Murray (ed.), Euripidis Fabulae, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1913, as digitised by Perseus. English: Edward P. Coleridge, The Plays of Euripides, London: George Bell and Sons, first published 1891 (Bohn's Classical Library; the Perseus header records a later printing).
Greek text and translation from the Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Perseus Digital Library); translation public domain. Introductions, summaries and notes © GreekMythology.com.
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