Iphigenia in Tauris tells the story of the princess Iphigenia who was sacrificed by her father Agamemnon to expedite his campaign against Troy but was rescued by the goddess Artemis and transported to the land of the Taurians. There she herself must perform human sacrifices as a priestess of Artemis in the local cult. Troy has now been sacked, and Agamemnon murdered by his wife and avenged by his son Orestes. With his mother's blood on his hands, Orestes is guided by Apollo to seek purification through bringing the image of the Tauric Artemis to Greece, and so is reunited with his sister. The drama centers on Orestes' near-sacrifice at Iphigenia's hands, their recognition in the nick of time, and their ingenious and thrilling escape to bring the cult of Artemis to Halae and Brauron near Athens.
Martin Cropp's first edition was originally published in 2000 and provided the first commentary on the play since those of Maurice Platnauer (Oxford, 1938) and Hans Strohm (Munich, 1949). It contributed significantly to a revival of interest in what had been a rather neglected and underrated play. This new edition incorporates substantial revisions to the introduction and commentary and some corrections to the Greek text and translation in light of reviews of the first edition and other recent work.
