Which archetype is Iphigenia an example of in The Oresteia?

Answer 1

Iphigenia is an example of the hero as sacrifice. In theDionysiancontext of Greek tragedy, she aligns with the god who dies for the community (even though the community seems unworthy of her). She becomes more than a mere victim by making the sacrifice her choice--even though, at the same time, it has become inevitable, the fate or moira so often central to such stories. In terms of Campbell's heroic journey, she has accepted the call, and will cross the threshold to the darkness of the "belly of the whale" to wed death rather than Achilles. LikePersephone, she descends to the underworld. The frequent addition of her replacement by a deer at the moment of sacrifice, however, seems a wishful deus ex machina more than afulfillmentof the cycle. In the Eleusinian mysteries associated with Persephone and Demeter, and the Bacchic ones of Dionysus, the cycle is completed by the "comedy" of new life, second birth, return to the world. Perhaps such a return is intended by the deer and Iphigenia's transportation by Artemis to Taurus.

Answer 2

Iphigenia can be seen as an example of the sacrificial victim archetype in The Oresteia. She is a character who is sacrificed by her father Agamemnon in order to appease the gods and ensure a successful military campaign. This archetype reflects themes of tragedy and the complexities of human morality in the face of divine will.