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Iphigeneia
Agamemnon’s wife, queen of Mycenae, and mother to Iphigeneia and Orestes. Like several other characters in the play, such as Achilles, the Clytemnestra presented in Iphigeneia at Aulis is very different than the version of Clytemnestra who appears in later Greek myths. The play is in many ways Clytemnestra’s origin story: watching her husband lie and betray her, willingly sacrifice their eldest daughter, and prioritize the pursuit of pride and glory for Greece over the safety of their own family will eventually push Clytemnestra into rage, vengeance, and even madness. Throughout the play, however, Clytemnestra is too shocked and devastated to even be truly angry about having been led to Aulis under false pretenses; her focus, as a mother, is on saving Iphigeneia’s life rather than exacting revenge on Agamemnon. A devoted parent who puts her children’s wellbeing above her own at all times—unlike her selfish, prideful husband—Clytemnestra has no drive toward the pride and stoicism her husband and his brother Menelaos claim to value. She is willing to prostrate herself before the great warrior Achilles, to beg for the help of the old man who has been her slave for years, and to tempt the rage of the gods, the Grecian armies, and the legions of men at her husband’s command rather than give up what is “most dear” to her: her daughter. In the end, Clytemnestra’s pleas for sanity and nonviolence are drowned out even by Iphigeneia, who willingly marches to her death at the altar in hopes that her sacrifice will allow Greece to win the Trojan War. Clytemnestra is devastated by her daughter’s choice—and even when a messenger reports that Iphigeneia has been spared by Artemis and brought up to heaven, Clytemnestra remains stoic, quiet, and simmering with a rage that foreshadows the bloody revenge she’ll exact later on in her own personal narrative.
Clytemnestra Quotes in Iphigenia at Aulis
The Iphigenia at Aulis quotes below are all either spoken by Clytemnestra or refer to Clytemnestra . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Iphigeneia at Aulis Quotes
THE OLD MAN: Atreus did not
sire you, Agamemnon, into a world
of pure happiness. You must expect
to suffer as well as rejoice,
since you're a man.
And the gods will see to that, whether
you like it or not.
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CLYTEMNESTRA: Son of a goddess, I, a mortal,
am not ashamed to clasp your knees. What good
would pride do me now? What matters more to me
than my daughter's life?
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ACHILLES: Pride rises up in me
and draws me on. But I have learned
to curb my grief in adversity, and my joy
in triumph.
Mortals who have learned this
can hope to live by reason.
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ACHILLES: I will be watching, in the right place.
You will not have to be stared at
hunting through the troops to find me. Do nothing
that would disgrace your fathers.
Tyndareos should not suffer shame.
He was a great man in Greece.
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CHORUS: But you, Iphigeneia, on your
lovely hair the Argives will set
a wreath, as on the brows
of a spotted heifer, led down
from caves in the mountains
to the sacrifice,
and the knife will open the throat
and let the blood of a girl.
And you were not
brought up to the sound of the shepherd's pipe
and the cries of the herdsmen,
but nurtured by your mother
to be a bride for one of great Inachos’ sons.
Oh where is the noble face
of modesty, or the strength of virtue, now
that blasphemy is in power
and men have put justice
behind them, and there is no law but lawlessness,
and none join in fear of the gods?
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AGAMEMNON: Oh immovable law of heaven! Oh my
anguish, my relentless fate!
CLYTEMNESTRA: Yours? Mine. Hers. No relenting for any of us.
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IPHIGENEIA: And now you want to kill me. Oh, in the name
of Pelops, of your father
Atreus, of my mother, suffering here
again as at my birth, do not let it happen.
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IPHIGENEIA: It is hard to hold out against the inevitable. […]
Now mother, listen to the conclusion
that I have reached. I have made up my mind to die.
I want to come to it
with glory. […]
You brought me into the world for the sake
of everyone in my country.
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IPHIGENEIA: If it means that one man can see the sunlight
what are the lives of thousands of women
in the balance? And if Artemis
demands the offering of my body,
I am a mortal: who am I
to oppose the goddess? It is not to be
considered. I give my life to Greece.
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MESSENGER: And the miracle happened. Everyone
distinctly heard the sound of the knife
striking, but no one could see
the girl. She had vanished.
The priest cried out, and the whole army
echoed him, seeing
what some god had sent, a thing
nobody could have prophesied. There it was,
we could see it, but we could scarcely
believe it: a deer
lay there gasping, a large
beautiful animal, and its blood ran
streaming over the altar of the goddess.
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Clytemnestra Character Timeline in Iphigenia at Aulis
The timeline below shows where the character Clytemnestra appears in Iphigenia at Aulis. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Iphigeneia at Aulis
...it. The old man reminds Agamemnon that he’s known him for years—he is Agamemnon’s wife, Clytemnestra’s, slave and he was even in their wedding party.
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Agamemnon reflects on his family’s history. His wife, Clytemnestra, is the daughter of Leda and Tyndareos. Clytemnestra’s sister Helen is now the catalyst behind...
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...his own daughter—but Menelaos begged his brother for help. Agamemnon has sent a letter to Clytemnestra asking her to send Iphigeneia to Aulis under false pretenses. He is claiming that the...
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...Agamemnon to read the new letter aloud. Agamemnon reads the simple letter aloud: it asks Clytemnestra to keep Iphigeneia at home. The old man asks if Achilles will be angry if...
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...help him, a messenger enters and announces that Iphigeneia has arrived along with her mother, Clytemnestra, and her younger brother, Orestes. The messenger says he knows Agamemnon will be happy at...
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Clytemnestra, Iphigeneia, and Orestes, escorted by a chorus of attendants, arrive in a chariot. The chorus...
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...of attendants removes the gifts comprising Iphigeneia’s dowry from the chariot and carries them inside, Clytemnestra gives a speech in which she fawns over her children. She tells the sleeping infant...
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Agamemnon turns to face his wife, Clytemnestra. He begs her forgiveness for his show of grief over Iphigeneia’s “marriage.” Clytemnestra tells Agamemnon...
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Clytemnestra asks if Agamemnon has made the required sacrifice to the gods on Iphigeneia’s behalf, and...
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Agamemnon laments having failed to send Clytemnestra away—now, she will be a direct witness to his terrible deceit. He goes off to...
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Clytemnestra exits the tent and introduces herself, greeting Achilles warmly. Achilles, however, is disgusted to see...
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Suddenly, a voice from inside calls to both Clytemnestra and Achilles—it is the old man. He asks if anyone is outside with them. They...
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The old man laments the terrible fate that Iphigeneia and Clytemnestra now face but he also expresses sympathy for the “monstrous decision” Agamemnon has been forced...
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Clytemnestra falls to her knees, grasps Achilles’s legs, and begs the “son of a goddess” to...
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...of anger, he has learned “to curb [his] grief in adversity.” He promises to help Clytemnestra—he will not let Iphigeneia be slaughtered by her father. If Iphigeneia were to die now,...
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Clytemnestra thanks Achilles for his loyalty and kindness. She admits that while she is ashamed to...
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Achilles tells Clytemnestra he has a plan. He suggests she go to Agamemnon herself, tell him she’s learned...
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Clytemnestra comes out from the tent and declares that she cannot find her husband. Iphigeneia has...
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Agamemnon asks Iphigeneia why she is crying and obscuring herself from his gaze. Clytemnestra steps forward to explain but then she declares that she “cannot think where to start...
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Clytemnestra rails against Agamemnon. She reminds him that he killed her first husband, Tantalos, and the...
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Iphigeneia then takes Orestes back from Clytemnestra and presents him to Agamemnon, begging the child to cry. She hopes that with his...
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Clytemnestra angrily chastises her husband for running away from the daughter he has decided to give...
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Iphigeneia calls out: she can see a group of men approaching. Clytemnestra looks into the distance and sees Achilles drawing near. Iphigeneia tries to hurry inside. When...
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...for Iphigeneia’s sacrifice and Achilles’s own death for his part in trying to save her. Clytemnestra is scandalized to learn that the Greeks would’ve rebelled against one of their proudest soldiers,...
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As the shouting draws nearer, Achilles staunchly promises to protect Clytemnestra and Iphigeneia to his last breath—even if thousands of men, led by the powerful Odysseus,...
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Iphigeneia turns to the weeping Clytemnestra, begging her not to shed any more tears. She asks her mother for a favor....
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Clytemnestra hands Orestes to Iphigeneia and tells her to say goodbye to her brother. Iphigeneia embraces...
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Clytemnestra offers to lead Iphigeneia to the altar, but Iphigeneia insists Clytemnestra stay behind—she would rather...
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...is looking forward to her journey to a new home. She exits with her attendant. Clytemnestra, carrying Orestes, goes into Agamemnon’s tent.
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A messenger enters and calls for Clytemnestra to come out and receive a message. Clytemnestra exits the tent, carrying Orestes and “shaking...
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...sail upon. The messenger reports that Iphigeneia has been “taken up into heaven,” and thus Clytemnestra’s grief should be quieted and her hatred of her husband should come to an end....
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...are ready to sail for Troy at last. Agamemnon confirms the messenger’s tale and bids Clytemnestra return home with Orestes. He promises to write her from Troy but warns her that...
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