Bringing Greek theater and Euripides back to life

The classical theater of the Getty Villa and the English translation of Iphigenia in Aulis by Euripides is for many of us the closest we can get to sitting in a real Greek theater and watching a true Greek tragedy.

Euripides was well-known to Alexander who could quote parts of his many plays. He was a prolific writer and about ninety of his plays are known to us, although only nineteen of them have survived.

It was only one year after Euripides’ death that his Iphigenia in Aulis was performed for the first time in Athens during the Great Dionysus Festival. Aristotle kindly referred to Euripides as “the most tragic of poets” which I find not surprising remembering how I couldn’t help weeping the first time I saw the film version of Iphigenia directed by Michael Cacoyannis with music by Mikis Theodorakis.

The scene is set on the shores of Aulis where Agamemnon, king of Sparta, is ready to sail his fleet to Troy in order to assist his brother Menelaus in recovering his wife, the beautiful Helena. Agamemnon’s ships are, however, waiting in vain for favorable winds to blow them east to Troy. The goddess Artemis is consulted and in order for the winds to return, she demands the ultimate a sacrifice from Agamemnon: he is to sacrifice his eldest daughter Iphigenia. It is a family tragedy played to the extreme that moved people then and still moves us now so many centuries onwards.

From September 7 till September 30, 2017, this tragedy will be performed every Thursday and every Saturday at the Getty Villa. For more information, please click on the Getty Villa site.

[Poster is from Getty Villa]