Saturday 10 December 2011

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von "Iphigenia in Tauris”"

Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von "Iphigenia in Tauris" (German: Iphigenie auf Tauris) - 1787

A play by Goethe, one of the books you have to read in the German high school. Iphigenia is the daughter of Agamemnon who offers her to the goddess Artemis. Even though the goddess rescues Iphigenia and takes her to the island of Tauris, a lot of things happen as a consequence.

I am not a big fan of reading plays, I rather watch them. However, this is a very interesting story that teaches a lot about Greek mythology.

From the back cover:

"Goethe wrote in the early 1800's. His works encompassed poetry, drama, literature, theology, science, painting, and humanism. This romantic play begins in tragedy and progresses through several perilous adventures to its happy conclusion. Iphigenia is sacrificed to the goddess Artemis by her father. Artemis saves her and makes her a priestess. It was Iphigenia's role to consecrate the barbarian victims before they were sacrificed. She wants revenge on the Greeks and waits for one to come to be sacrificed. When a Greek finally arrives she does not initially recognize him as her brother."

I also read "The Sorrows of Young Werther".

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