Iphigenia

Posted by Amarissa on December 20, 20011 at 15:17:31:

Iphigenia

...whose name means “strong-born,” was the daughter of Agamemnon, the great king of Mycenae, son of Atreus and supreme commander of the Greek armies in the Trojan War. Agamemnon, never pious or humble, committed the transgression of entering a grove sacred to the goddess Artemis, twin sister of Apollo, goddess of the hunt, of wilderness, and of virginity. There he killed a deer, and even boasted that he was a better hunter than Artemis herself.

When Agamemnon led the Greek armies to Troy, his ships were becalmed by Artemis at Aulis. He inquired of the seer Calchas, himself the son of Thestor and great-grandson of Apollo, who told him that in order to appease the goddess, Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon sent a letter to his family, saying that Iphigenia should come to Aulis in order to be married to Achilles. Iphigenia arrived with her mother Clytemnestra, but the ruse was discovered.

Achilles vowed not to let the sacrifice take place ... a foreshadowing of the conflict between Agamemnon and himself that would bedevil the Greek cause throughout the war. Clytemnestra was enraged at the deception, the initial unraveling of her regard for her husband that would end in her betrayal of him with Aegisthus. Iphigenia, however, chose to be willingly sacrificed according to her father’s wishes, and even prevailed upon Achilles to stand aside and allow the act to be fulfilled. Her reasons were threefold: the honor of her family, her patriotic devotion to the Greek cause, and her passionate love for her father. In the first instance, her family’s honor could only be preserved if the goddess were appeased. In the second, she knew that if the abduction of Helen from her uncle Menelaus by the plundering Paris of Troy went unanswered, every Greek princess like herself would be vulnerable to kidnapping and rape at the hands of the Trojans, and thus to sacrifice herself in service to the Greek armies was a small price to pay for safety of every other girl. Finally, she had always worshiped her father, and could not imagine denying him anything he might wish ... if she had a hundred lives to offer him, she would not have hesitated.

She set only one condition: that he himself should pull the bow that would kill her. She wanted to give her life to him, and only to him.

Hereshe is, young Iphigenia, willingly offering herself at the temple of Artemis, in atonement for her father’s offense. She stands proudly, offering her last gift, her very self, as her father’s arrows enter her and bring her noble death. Her love for him is never stronger than at this final moment, and she rejoices in the opportunity fate has given her, to demonstrate her complete devotion ...

Agamemnon’s tangled emotions cloud his sight and his aim falters, his fabled arm is weak. Calmly his daughter stands, taking arrow after arrow from her father’s bow. Still he cannot find her heart. Each impact jolts her young body ... she braces one hand on the wall behind to steady herself. Eyes closed, she feels the blood trickle down her thigh. She grows weaker as she bleeds from within, but yet finds the strength to stand and face death as bravely as any warrior. Soon she will crumple to the ground, but not yet ... let Ajax, Achilles, and all the assembled Greek commanders watch, and behold true honor. Has Calchas whispered to her that her glory will be greater even than her father’s? Another could take command, but only she can offer the sacrifice necessary if the ships are to sail. Her mother watches, crying tears of grief and also of pride. Another arrow sinks into her soft flesh; she sways but does not fall. Artemis herself cannot but be moved by the the young girl’s spirit ... she will surely take her to Olympus after her death and keep her as a companion ...