Iphigenia in Tauris

"Iphigenia in Tauris" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is a dramatic play written in the late 18th century. The story revolves around the central character, Iphigenia, who is the daughter of Agamemnon and a priestess of Artemis, trapped in Tauris as she longs for her homeland, Greece. Through themes of sacrifice, identity, and the struggles between personal desires and divine will, the play explores the human condition and the power of fate. At the start of the narrative, Iphigenia reflects on her tragic predicament in a sacred grove dedicated to the goddess Diana. She expresses her longing for her family and struggles with her role as a priestess, feeling trapped by the duties that conflict with her wish to return home. As she engages with Arkas, a servant of the king Thoas, it becomes clear that the lives of two Greek strangers, Orestes (her brother) and Pylades, are under threat, and she is torn between her obligations to the king and her desire to protect them. The opening establishes a tension between personal loyalty and state duty, setting the stage for the unfolding drama filled with emotional conflict and existential dilemmas. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German polymath, who is widely regarded as the greatest and most influential writer in the German language. His work has had a profound and wide-ranging influence on Western literary, political, and philosophical thought from the late 18th century to the present day. A poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic, his works include plays, poetry and aesthetic criticism, as well as treatises on botany, anatomy, and color.