‘The Sacrifice of Iphigenia’ and Agamemnon’s Dilemma
A defense of Agamemnon
In the infamous episode, Dance of Dragons from Season 5 of Game of Thrones viewers who had knowledge of The Iliad and Greek tragedy recognized the retelling of the sacrifice of the Greek princess Iphigenia by her father King Agamemnon from the extant play by Aeschylus, Agamemnon.
In the episode the priestess Melisandre advises Stannis Baratheon that if he wants to win the battle for Winterfell and become King of Westeros he must sacrifice his daughter Shireen to the Lord of Light, R’hllor. As a princess and daughter of Stannis, Shireen has the king’s blood, which has magical properties. Stannis, like Agamemnon, is at first reluctant, but his wife Selyce, who could be described as a religious extremist, considers it a ‘great honour’ for her daughter to be sacrificed.
Shireen wants to help her father and offers her services to him but is completely unaware of what they have planned for her. She is dragged towards the pyre where she is to be burned to death, screaming in terror and begging her father and then her mother to save her. Selyce regrets her decision but is prevented from saving her daughter from the flames.
To say this scene was shocking and revolting is an understatement. The reaction to the horror was unanimous. This event did not…
