Iphigenia

What blame lies with man? What with men? And what with the gods? It’s curious how much emphasis is placed on the notion of Greece and Greeks here. A similar motif shows up on Troy (2004), which I had attributed to American sensibilities of the era; one recalls Ajax demanding the oarsmen row faster to help the Myrmidons because “Greeks are dying,” which seemed a little silly to me. I had really thought the understood motivations to be ones of personal glory and collective honor binding the kings to their oath of fealty to Agamemnon, not any sense of nationalistic pride. But here too there are appeals to notions of pan-Hellenic identity as justifications for action. I wonder how much of this is true to the originals, and how much is just the lens through which modern directors see this story. I’ll have to go back to read The Iliad again, and perhaps read Euripides’ play. Gosh I wish Eggers would direct films for the Epic Cycle.