Poetics

by

Aristotle

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Iphigeneia Character Analysis

Iphigeneia is a princess in Greek mythology, Orestes’s sister, and a character in Euripides’s Iphigeneia at Aulis and Iphigeneia in Tauris. According to these plays, Iphigeneia is set to be sacrificed, but she escapes. She runs to a foreign country and is made a priestess. Years later, her brother, Orestes, arrives in the foreign country and is set to be sacrificed himself. Before Orestes is killed, both Orestes and Iphigeneia realize they are siblings, and Orestes escapes. Aristotle uses the Iphigeneia several times as an example in Poetics, especially of recognition.

Iphigeneia Quotes in Poetics

The Poetics quotes below are all either spoken by Iphigeneia or refer to Iphigeneia. 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:
Tragedy vs. Epic Poetry  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

The best recognition of all is that which arises out of the actual course of events, where the emotional impact is achieved through events that are probable, as in Sophocles’ Oedipus and the Iphigeneia (her wish to send a letter is probable). Only this kind does without contrived tokens and necklaces. Second-best are those which arise from inference.

Related Characters: Aristotle (speaker), Oedipus, Iphigeneia, Odysseus, Sophocles, Euripides, Homer, Orestes
Related Symbols: Oedipus Rex
Page Number: 27
Explanation and Analysis:
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Iphigeneia Quotes in Poetics

The Poetics quotes below are all either spoken by Iphigeneia or refer to Iphigeneia. 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:
Tragedy vs. Epic Poetry  Theme Icon
).
Chapter 8 Quotes

The best recognition of all is that which arises out of the actual course of events, where the emotional impact is achieved through events that are probable, as in Sophocles’ Oedipus and the Iphigeneia (her wish to send a letter is probable). Only this kind does without contrived tokens and necklaces. Second-best are those which arise from inference.

Related Characters: Aristotle (speaker), Oedipus, Iphigeneia, Odysseus, Sophocles, Euripides, Homer, Orestes
Related Symbols: Oedipus Rex
Page Number: 27
Explanation and Analysis: