Euripides: Iphigenia in Tauris

Iphigenia in Tauris tells the story of the princess Iphigenia who was sacrificed by her father Agamemnon to expedite his campaign against Troy but rescued by the goddess Artemis and transported to the land of the Taurians. There she herself must perform human sacrifices as a priestess of Artemis in the local cult. Troy has now been sacked, and Agamemnon murdered by his wife and avenged by his son Orestes. With his mother’s blood on his hands, Orestes is guided by the gods to seek purification through bringing the image of the Tauric Artemis to Greece, and so is reunited with his sister. The drama centres on her near-sacrifice at her hands, their recognition in the nick of time, and their ingenious and thrilling escape to bring the cult of Artemis to Halae and Brauron near Athens.