The eighteenth century was known as the ‘Age of Enlightenment ‘ as it was a clip of rational and moral advancement particularly throughout Europe. This clip of rational wonder amongst philosophers meant that they began to oppugn traditional values and ethical motives in favor of ground and self-government. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was considered really influential and worked with Johann Schiller as portion of the Weimar Classicism literary motion as they branched off from the antecedently favoured ‘Sturm und Drang ‘ manner which was popular during 1770-1776. By the 1780 ‘s Goethe was composing in a classical manner which normally follows the 5 verse signifier and focal points on blue people every bit good as fabulous topics, this can of class be seen in, Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ as it is a reworking of Euripide ‘s ancient Grecian play. The Enlightenment was considered to be a clip of optimism because of the alterations that society was sing with scientific finds, concluding and cognition.

, Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ is a merchandise of Weimar Classicism and is expressed through Greek mythology ; it is Goethe ‘s theoretical account of ideal humanity. Goethe ‘s ain positions are highlighted by the character of Iphigenie, she is cardinal to the drama and is indispensable to the narrative ; this is necessary as she embodies the rules of The Enlightenment, which means the subjects of the Enlightenment tally continuously throughout the drama, doing this a text highly relevant to the patterned advance made during that clip. Goethe has idealised the characters in order to do them look as if they are members of the eighteenth century, alternatively of belonging to ancient Greece ; this allows the reader to associate the occurrences and inquiries of the Enlightenment to their ain lives in order to profit themselves and larn from what they are reading. , Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ demonstrates a adult female ‘s enterprises to unify two different races in order to accomplish harmoniousness.

, Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ is considered to be a text of the Enlightenment as it includes all of the chief values and inquiries associated with the period. Indeed Iphigenie herself embodies the Enlightenment as she is capable of learning others and come oning herself. One of the chief values of the Enlightenment was rational advancement. Peoples began to oppugn whether the Bible was in fact the ultimate truth or whether worlds were still developing and whether they are still able to larn and be taught. Is the human head a beginning of truth? Immanuel Kant summarises the Enlightenment in the first line of his essay, Beantwortung der Frage: Was ist Aufkl & A ; auml ; round ‘ , where he states that ‚Aufkl & A ; auml ; rung ist der Ausgang des Menschen gold seiner selbstverschuldeten Unm & A ; uuml ; ndigkeit ‘ . He explains that worlds had replaced the hunt for cognition with the hunt for rational independency. ( Deligiorgi, 2005, p55 ) Which meant that people had become cognizant of the restraints to their acquisition and questioned whether there was really a bound to what they knew. They wanted to oppugn the Bible and dispute what they had been told by the Church. Kant asked how do we cognize what we know? We can non hold direct cognition of the universe because our senses are interceding factors, so what can we cognize? Kant ‘s statement was that we learn from the footing of our experience but our modules are basically flawed. In respect to Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ one of the inquiries that pervades the drama is why Iphigenie was saved by the goddess Diana despite the fact that her male parent, Agamemnon, had agreed for her to be sacrificed in order to guarantee his ships ‘ safety on their ocean trip to Troy. After she is saved she serves Diana as a priestess, so here we question the function of the Gods as Diana has no ground to salvage Iphigenie, yet over clip the Gods learn a batch from her. This is an illustration of Enlightenment thought as everyone has the same potency and what was antecedently known and existed can ever be improved upon. Here in a reversal of the traditional myth the Godhead are being instructed by world.

We understand that Iphigenie is Diana ‘s chosen one, Sie wollte nicht mein Blut und H & A ; uuml ; llte rettend in eine Wolke mich ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p16 ) . Intellectual advancement can be clearly seen in, Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ as Iphigenie is able to learn the Supreme beings that forfeit is incorrect, she applies her ain ethical motives to their beliefs ( Williams, 2000 ) . Iphigenie realises that the uninterrupted violent death of aliens in Tauris is immoral and one of the inquiries in the drama is whether she will be able to morally educate Thoas in order to forestall him from leting the violent death of any more aliens who come to his land. Iphigenie besides demonstrates cognition and moral duty when she tells Thoas that she intends to go forth his island alternatively of running off. In this drama it is the worlds who are responsible for work outing jobs and non the Gods ; this demonstrates Enlightened thought as people had to presume duty by trying new things and non rely upon others. This is demonstrated once more by Iphigenie who does non trust on godly intercession or any aid from the Gods in order to acquire back to Greece ; she accepts that she will hold no pick other than to stay in Tauris unless she gets human aid. In bend, as will be demonstrated in this essay, by the terminal of the drama the Taurians have learned from her and it seems that they will non return back to their barbarian ways.

Moral advancement as shown by Iphigenie in the drama, was achieved during the Enlightenment as philosophers pondered whether world was capable of still come oning. They questioned whether human cognition was finite and/or whether it was possible for world to still be taught. Philosophers began to believe that worlds make advancement in order to accomplish a moral end. This is achieved in, Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ by the characters, particularly the Gods ‘ , development and can be demonstrated from the text as follows. First, Thoas is a barbaric and so non really portion of the European Enlightenment, he lives by his ain regulations and it could be argued that barbarian races such as the Taurians should be left entirely and allowed to develop in their ain manner and into their ain several fates. Iphigenie interferes nevertheless to demo that their actions are immoral and over clip the Taurians understand that their behavior towards aliens and adventurers to their island is incorrect, they develop morally from what she teaches them. Following, Iphigenie is cognizant of the expletive that her household is under ; each coevals of her household will kill or be killed by each other. Cardinal to the drama is the cognition that Iphigenie learns that her female parent Klytemnestra has killed her male parent, and besides that her brother Orest commits matricide, but despite this all she wants is to return to what is left of her household in Greece. It is curious that she wants to go forth an island where she has done so much good in favor of returning to a state where her household are no longer together. Thoas is astonished that she wants to go forth, he says, Der Gr & A ; auml ; uel! Sag nun, durch Welch ein Wunder/ Von diesem wilden Stamme Du entsprangst ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p15 ) . The Greeks can be described as ‘cunning and resourceful plotters ‘ whereas the Taurians are barbarian and slow witted, yet they become figures of profound unity and trust in the cardinal goodness of Gods and of world ( Williams,2000, p157 ) . Iphigenie is faced with the chance of holding to kill her ain brother on history of the expletive and besides on history of the Taurians barbarous behavior towards aliens on their shores. Merely through instruction and moral patterned advance will she be able to salvage her brother and interrupt the expletive. A 3rd illustration of moral patterned advance can be seen in the Greeks determination to steal the statue of Artemis. It reflects on them as persons and on the Greeks as a race if they decide to steal from the Taurians and to take Iphigenie back to Greece. The Greeks believe the graven image is theirs and they wish to do what is foreign their ain.

Self finding was a cardinal standard of the Enlightenment, as people wanted to better on what they already knew and to better themselves. Womans were oppressed in the male dominated society and the drama trades with the issue of Female emancipation. An illustration of this concerns Thoas ‘ purpose of coercing Iphigenie into matrimony, in order to hold another kid which is an honorable thing to go on to her as Thoas trusts few people. Such an act is contrary to the rules of the Enlightenment. Iphigenie frequently refers to Thoas as, Den K & A ; ouml ; nig, der mein zweiter Vater ward! ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p61 ) . It is curious that she sees him as a male parent figure even though he wanted her to be his married woman, they seem to hold a stopping point relationship which is non dissimilar to the relationship shared between a male parent and his girl. Iphigenie refers to herself as holding a, kindlich Herz’almost as if she is moving upon her naivete and virginity as grounds non to get married Thoas. In Act 4. Scene 4 Iphigenie expresses her desire to be a adult male because, Das, wenn Es einen K & A ; uuml ; hnen Vorsatz hegt, Vor jeder andern Stimme sich verschliesst! ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p52 ) She believes that work forces are able to do determinations and non be affected by anyone else ; adult females were non allowed to contend and the lone power and arm that adult females could trust upon is their usage of words, Iphigenie says, Ich habe nichts ALSs Worte, und Es ziemt dem edlen Mann, der Frauen Wort zu achten ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p57 ) . It is true that adult females had no function of power during the Enlightenment, they were oppressed and had no engagement in the alterations made in society at the clip. Iphigenie has an interior battle, she knows that she can non stand up to her male oppressors and so she has to utilize her intelligence to do them come unit of ammunition to her manner of thought. She uses words and expresses her points passionately … , Muss ein zartes Weib sich ihres angebornen Rechts ent & A ; auml ; u?ern, Wild gegen Wilde sein, wie Amazonen das Recht diethylstilbestrols Schwerts euch rauben und Massachusetts Institute of Technology Blute die Unterdr & A ; uuml ; ckung R & A ; auml ; Chen ‘ . ( Goethe, 2002, p58 ) Here she pleads with Thoas that she is a adult female and she is contending a conflict that she can ne’er win because no 1 will listen to her, she asks him to honor the truth that she has told him as she has no other arm to contend with, merely her word. , So steh ich lair hier wehrlos gegen dich? Die sch & A ; ouml ; ne Bitte, den anmut’gen Zweig, In einer Frauen Hand gewaltiger ALSs Schwert und Waffe, st & A ; ouml ; ?est du zur & A ; uuml ; ck ‘ . ( Goethe, 2002, p58 )

Thoas stereotypes adult females as he believes that adult females do non hold ground ; he does non understand why Iphigenie would desire to go forth Tauris after the generousness and kindness that she has experienced on the island, nevertheless his position alterations at the terminal of the drama when Iphigenie comes to him to explicate why she can non give the two aliens and why she has to travel back to Greece, he accepts her even though she has rejected his matrimony proposal. Iphigenie represents female subjugation ; In return for her life being saved she must now function as Diana ‘s priestess, she does non hold freedom. If she had agreed to get married Thoas so this would intend that she would non be able to populate an liberated life.

We can see other illustrations of the perceptual experience of adult females within the drama. Iphigenie wishes that she could be a adult male so people would listen to her, Orest understands the function of adult females and says, Ein Weib wird United Nationss nicht retten, wenn er z & A ; uuml ; rnt ‘ ( Goethe,2001, p26 ) but it is Pylades who sees that adult females are fortunate because, den ein Mann, der beste selbst, gew & A ; ouml ; hnet seinen Geist an Grausamkeit ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p26 ) . It was rare for adult females to hold chief functions in Grecian mythology but Euripides was known for making strong female characters such as Iphigenie. Indeed it is important that the chief character of the drama is female, holding respect to the kernel of the Enlightenment, since adult females did non hold important functions in dramas nor so in any country of life, the fact that Iphigenie is a adult female shows that alteration was at hand and extremist.

Iphigenie is the lone enlightened and civilized European on the island and she has to utilize her cognition and capablenesss to contend for what she believes in. It is wholly dateless because it shows what cognition can make and how ignorance can impede your development. Iphigenie represents the closed circle of Weimar society and how it is hard but non impossible to alter and better near knit groups of people. Despite being continually oppressed by work forces she is strong minded as Pylades says, Allein ein Weib bleibt stet auf/ Einem Sinn lair sie gefasst ‘ ( Goethe, 2002, p26 ) , she must nevertheless remain on an island which she considers to be a destiny worse than decease.

An illustration of Enlightened religion is demonstrated in the drama by Iphigenie non leting herself to go forth Tauris without explicating to Thoas who the two aliens on his island are and why she will non kill them but will alternatively go forth with them. This act expresses how communication brings about advancement ; Iphigenie places her, reines kindliches Vertrauen ‘ in Thoas, the, edeln Manne ‘ . She entreaties to Thoas ‘ ground, she is convinced that she has taught him how to be a good individual and in her penultimate address she appears to utilize rearward psychological science in order to acquire him to allow her what she wants, Sieh uns an! Du hast nicht oft Zu solcher edeln Tat Gelegenheit. Versagen kannst du ‘s nicht ; gew & A ; auml ; hr es bald ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p66 ) . She has to show the badness of the state of affairs that she can non be kept at that place any longer when she has a opportunity to return place, back to her Heimatland. The function of the Heimatland is affecting in the drama as Iphigenie provinces at the beginning, Kann uns zum Vaterland dice Fremde werden? ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p76 ) .The fact that Foreigners on Thoas ‘ shore are killed and Iphigenie was meant to be killed in Aulis may demo that it was rare for aliens of all time to last one time they had left their Heimatland in hunt of a new place. There is sarcasm here as in fact the Enlightenment saw an addition in travel and geographic expedition on history of the new thirst for cognition, yet in the drama the Taurians find it hard to react to alter and kill adventurers to their island.

Peoples stopped listening to pervert authorization figures in the Enlightenment and used their ain ground. There are different signifiers of hearing in the text ; Thoas does non believe that Iphigenie will listen to the voice of ground, Pylades tries to state Orest what he understands their mission to be but conveys it wrongly and Iphigenie says that the Gods speak to her through her bosom and they do non believe she should get married Thoas, Sie reden nur durch unser Herz zu United Nationss ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p18 ) . Once once more this demonstrates the rule of free ego will expounded through the Enlightenment because Iphigenie will get married the individual who is best for her, non who she can make best for. Iphigenie believes that the voice of truth can bridge cultural differences. ( Kerry, 2001, p47 ) Another illustration of enlightened idea is when Thoas begins to understand that they had non intended for Iphigenie to be kept alive yet he becomes so affectionate of her, , Was auch der Rat der G & A ; ouml ; tter mit dir sei, und was sie deinem Haus und dir gedenken ; So fehlt Es doch, seitdem du bei uns wohnst ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p12 ) . He believes that Diana was right and because Iphigenie was sacred to her she is now sacred to him. , Wie du ihr heilig warst, so warst du ‘s mir. Auch sei ihr Wink noch k & A ; uuml ; nftig mein Gesetz ‘ . ( Goethe, 2001, p13 ) . He develops a moral scruples and begins to gain that the uninterrupted forfeit of aliens who land on his shore is incorrect and unnecessarily immorality.

Philosophic minds of the Enlightenment targeted faith as they believed in human ground and the domination of the mind as a tool to battle ignorance and incredulity, hence this is surely non a spiritual text. Iphigenie nevertheless, voices the ethos of Christianity on several occasions throughout the drama ; she was saved by Diana and from that she ever sees the good in people. Despite all the error that occurs within her household she exculpates any of Thoas ‘ improper activity, as she does with her ain Father, she sees Thoas as her 2nd Father and hence she does non keep him responsible for anything that he does. A farther illustration is when Iphigenie tells the truth alternatively of stealing from the Taurians and so flying which is how Pylades and Orest had intended to move, this can be seen as an act of confession in demoing honestness which is another Christian instruction. She admits and confesses to her possible error. It is in her nature to state the truth, which shows Christian instruction and besides she understands that it would be incorrect to go forth Tauris when she owes so much gratitude to the Gods and to Thoas. In fact she battles with herself as to whether she should return place to her darling Greece but this would intend, Zu rauben und lair Mann zu hintergehn, dem ich mein Leben und mein Schicksal danke ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p53 ) , although she does state, Es bleibt wohl Undank ; nur decease Not entschuldigt ‘s ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p51 ) so presumptively had she felt that it was necessary to go forth the island and non merely because she wanted to travel place, so she could hold escaped and told no 1. Iphigenie has strong beliefs which could be considered to be Christian, which she stands by, it is these nevertheless which clash with the regulations and beliefs of the Taurians. Iphigenie can non excuse the forfeit of guiltless people which Thoas the barbaric supports and she makes an ardent supplication to him which demonstrates her turning moral strength but otherwise she is comparatively inactive throughout the drama ; her trust in the Gods stems from her Jesus and therefore she has adequate religion in them for her to believe that Thoas will set an terminal to forfeit, which he temporarily does. The Gods in the drama represent the values of the German Enlightenment both morally and ethically. Williams writes, we should endeavor to emulate the higher existences whom we project as model, and honor the immortals as if they were examples of baronial humanity ‘ ( Williams, 2000, p84 ) .

The 18th century Germans considered themselves to be enlightened compared to the remainder of Europe which is a comparing which can be made between the Greeks and the Taurians in the drama. It could be argued nevertheless that there is no such thing as an barbarian race but alternatively they are merely a choice of people who know no better, possibly they have non questioned that which they already know. Iphigenie says, Ich bin so frei geboren ALSs ein Mann ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p57 ) this implies that every individual is born the same and that we become who we are through conditioning and acquisition, she besides says, Von Jugend auf hab ich gelernt gehorchen, erst meinen Eltern und dann einer Gottheit ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p56 ) . This relates back to the cardinal inquiries of the Enlightenment and Kantianism, John R Williams writes in ‘The life of Goethe ‘ that, Iphigenie ‘s religion is founded on the grounds of her ain experience ‘ , Kant argues that we are all Borns experienced and we reflect this on to the universe, this is why he did non believe in ground as no two people can see the same thing. Thoas is a thoughtful and sensitive adult male who is capable of feelings which he clearly has for Iphigenie, which shows that he is capable of alteration, he has the possible to alter and he recognises and understands why he must. He besides understands the demand to seek and get married Iphigenie as it would brace his political government which remains in hazard if he remains single and has no inheritor. Both factors demonstrate that Thaos displays emotional Enlightenment.

The relationship between adult male and the Gods is heightened in Goethe ‘s version and characters act in a certain defined ways because of it ; a good illustration can be seen in the character of Pylades. Pylades believes that adult male must listen to the will of Gods but rely on their ain opinion, their ground. Reason is merely questioned in the drama by Orest ‘s lunacy ; When he comes out of his episodes he believes that he is dead and nil that he is sing is existent. He is huffy from the expletive and from killing his female parent, but he is meant to be a civilized Hellenic. He says, Der Brudermord ist hergebrachte Sitte ‘ , Iphigenie and her brother Orest seem to pay for their households errors by populating with the expletive and they have a conditioned mentality on life because of their parents. Orest recalls his childhood, Das Lebens dunkle Decke breiteted die Mutter schon mir um hyrax zarte Haupt ‘ , yet Pylades believes that, Die G & A ; ouml ; tter R & A ; auml ; Chen der V & A ; auml ; ter Missetat nicht an dem Sohn..Es erbt der Eltern Segen, nicht ihr Fluch ‘ . This shows enlightened thought because adult male has to do errors in order to larn from them and to go through on what has been learnt to future coevalss. Orest ‘s misinterpretation because of Apollos ambiguity meant that Orest was in fact able to salvage his sister and to convey her dorsum to Greece, he was besides cured of his lunacy. Without this error, Ipigenie would ne’er hold been able to return place.

The Enlightenment was described as being a clip of optimism, but is the text excessively optimistic? All was right at the terminal and Iphigenie was allowed to return place. This nevertheless, demonstrates the significance of the Vaterland/Heimatland, one of the inquiries in the drama is whether a foreign land of all time truly be place? Iphigenie wants to travel back to tradition and faith, she has experienced cultural diverseness, she tried to alter it and now wants to go forth.

, Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ can be seen as the evolvement of a basic savage system in which the civilized behavior of the Taurians is brought out, and its comparing to an enlightened and humane Grecian system. The drama shows the development of society and civilizations reign over barbarisnism ( Lamport,1990 ) . We are led to believe that the Taurians would non hold developed had it non been for Iphigenie. It shows that we still necessitate faith because we need something to believe in, such as how the Taurians believe in the word of Iphigenie. Pylades proves to be a voice of ground throughout the drama and suggests that, Auch sind wir nicht bestellt uns selbst Zu richten ; / Zu wandeln und auf seinen Weg Zu sehen ‘ ( Goethe, 2001, p51 ) here he shows that merely one time you have tried something can you look back and assess whether it was deserving it, we seldom make the right determinations the first clip unit of ammunition but one learns from 1s errors. This is of class relevant to the Enlightenment as adult male discovered something new, tried it and it was successful, and from it we learnt.

The Enlightenment was a clip of optimism as it stressed the demand to liberate the person from the restraints of authorization and repression of the old order represented by the Aristocracy and the Church. There was a cardinal human right to self will and self finding and persons were capable by utilizing ground to do their ain determinations whatever the effects, based upon their perceptual experience of what is right and incorrect. The discontent and uninterrupted subjugation of adult male, which is represented by Iphigenie so leads to arising, such as the Gallic Revolution. Goethe in, Iphigenie auf Tauris ‘ nowadayss us with an person, who significantly is a adult female, who stands up to demands of authorization but resists them, cognizing they are morally incorrect. She strives for what is best even though it may non be best for her.