102
The Courier-Review.
LITERARY.
Iphigenia in Greek and German.
BY MACGREGOR DOUGLAS.
At the time when German literature began to form itself and to make itself felt and appreciated by the world, it was without a firm foundation upon which to build. It had no definite forms nor models of its own which it could follow. The result was that the then German literature followed and served almost every literature that, at the time, had any prestige whatever in the literary world; and, as a natural consequence, bore the marks of foreign influence.
The men of genius who built German literature had each followed some school of letters or some one or more orders of thought. We can see the influence of the English novel and drama throughout all the novel and drama of the Germans. Next to, if not above the English in influence, comes the old classical Latin and Greek, and especially the latter. If Goethe follows the English of Shakespeare in a number of his works, the influence of the Greek is as plainly seen in his Tasso and Iphigenia.
The story of Iphigenia, of her sacrifice at Aulis, of her rescue by the goddess, and of her stay and life among the Taurians is well known to almost all common readers, probably more so from Goethe's imitation—for it is an imitation to a certain extent—than from the original of Euripides.
The main story and facts of the two versions are the same, although the German writer varied somewhat from the Greek, in order to work out his own thoughts.
It would be best to first look somewhat into the more apparent differences between the two plays. That is, differences in the context of the two.
In Goethe's the first noticeable point differing from the original is the fact that Thoas is in love with the priestess and seeks her for his wife. In the Greek, Thoas does not figure in
the role of lover at all, and indeed his relations with Iphigenia seem to be very distant and respectful, as one would expect of a warrior towards a priestess whom he meets and knows only in the sacred dignity of her office.
Instead of Iphigenia telling Thoas who she is after a prolonged silence, as she does in the German, Euripides makes it appear that her identity is generally known, for the king addresses her, when he first meets her before us, as the daughter of Agamemnon.
The last two points are of little real importance, but serve to show the character of the more slight differences.
Also in Goethe's version, the priestess is ignorant of the fate of Troy, while in the Greek, she has heard of its downfall at least and asks the captives concerning the details.
The next point of real importance is concerning the plot to escape. In the story of Euripides, Iphigenia invents the scheme and carries it out without any aid whatever. In Goethe's, the plan is thought out by the two captives, and Iphigenia is instructed as to her actions and as to what to tell the king in order to deceive him.
In the Greek, the fugitives get on board their ship, and, meeting with a storm, are driven back into the harbor and almost shipwrecked. They only escape by the intervention of Minerva, who induces Neptune to quiet the waves. Minerva also influences Thoas to relinquish his pursuit of the Greeks and to permit them to depart in safety. The whole conclusion of the Greek play is much different from the German. Goethe makes Iphigenia lose heart and disclose to Thoas the whole plan and beg his forgiveness and permission to depart in peace, which he gives.
These are the chief points of difference, so far as the mere formal is concerned.
It appears at first sight that Goethe has followed too closely his Greek model; but when we take a closer insight into the German play,