Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Iphigenia Among the Taurians
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Quizzes
Portrait of Plato (ca. 428- ca. 348 BC), Ancient Greek philosopher.
An Odyssey of Grecian Literature
Quick Facts
Greek:
Iphigeneia en Taurois
Also translated as:
Iphigenia in Tauris
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Iphigenia Among the Taurians

play by Euripides
Also known as: “Iphigeneia en Taurois”, “Iphigenia in Tauris”(Show More)
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Iphigenia Among the Taurians, tragicomedy by Euripides, performed about 413 bce and consisting chiefly of a recognition scene followed by a clever escape.

In the play Iphigenia has been saved by the goddess Artemis from sacrifice and now serves the goddess’s temple at Tauris in Thrace. Her brother Orestes, who is still seeking to appease the Furies for his crime of matricide, is ordered by Apollo to obtain the statue of Artemis from Tauris and to return it to Athens. Knowing that all strangers in Tauris are to be sacrificed to the goddess, Orestes nonetheless journeys to Thrace, where he is captured and delivered to Iphigenia for sacrifice. She recognizes him, and, with the help of Athena, they escape from Tauris with the statue.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.