GLOSSARY FOR EURIPIDES’ IPHIGENIA IN TAURIS
ACHILLES (ah-KILL-eeze), son of the sea-goddess Thetis; greatest warrior of Greece.
AGAMEMNON (ag-ah-MEM-non), son of Atreus, king of Argos and Mycenae, leader of
the Greek army attacking Troy.
ARGIVE (ARE-geyeve), from Argos.
ARGOS (ARE-gos), city in southern Greece.
ARTEMIS (ART-eh-mis) daughter of Leto and Zeus; goddess of the hunt, wild things,
and children.
ATHENA (ah-THEE-nah), daughter of Zeus; goddess of wisdom, patron of the Athenians.
ATREUS (AY-tree-us), son of Pelops, father of Agamemnon and Menelaus.
AULIS (OW-lis), port opposite Euboea, from which the Greek fleet sailed for Troy after
Iphigenia was sacrificed.
CADMUS (CAD-mus), founded Thebes, invented the alphabet.
CALCHAS (KAHL-kas), seer, who said Artemis asked for Iphigenia to be sacrificed.
CASTALIA (cahs-TAHL-ee-ah), spring sacred to the muses at Delphi.
CHOES (KO-eeze), “festival of cups,” commemorating Orestes’ isolation after he killed
his mother.
CLYTEMNESTRA (CLEYE-tem-NEST-rah) wife of Agamemnon.
DELOS (DEE-los), island to the east of Greece on which Leto bore Apollo and Artemis.
DIONYSUS (DYE-oh-NYE-sus), god of wine and theatre.
DIOSCURI (DEE-os-COO-ree), Castor and Pollux, sons of Leda and two brothers of
Helen and Clytemnestra, who shared their immortality.
EUBOEA (you-BEE-a), large island across from Aulis.
EURIPUS (you-RIP-us), the narrow strait separating Euboea from Boeotia, the Greek
mainland.
FURIES, spirits of vengeance.
HELEN, Menelaus’ wife, stolen by Paris the Trojan prince, and cause of the Trojan War.
HEPHAESTUS (heh-FES-tus), god of fire and smithy/carpenter. Son
of Hera.
HERA (HERE-rah), wife of Zeus, king of the gods.
IPHIGENIA (Ih-fih-jen-EYE-ah) daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.
LAERTES (lay-AIR-tees), father of Odysseus.
LETO (LEE-toe), mother of Apollo and Artemis, by Zeus.
LEUKOTHEA (LEW-ko-THAY-ah), name of Ino, married to Cadmus, transformed into a
sea-goddess.
MENELAUS (men-eh-LAY- us), Son of Atreus, king of Sparta, brother of Agamemnon,
married to Helen.
MYCENAE (my-SEE-nee), the town in the south of Greece (Argos) that Agamemnon
ruled.
MYRMIDONS (MEER-me-donz), Thessalian people ruled by Achilles.
NEREIDS (NEAR-ee-ids), sea nymphs, followers of Thetis.
NEREUS (NEE-ree-us) god of the sea and father of Thetis.
ODYSSEUS (oh-DISS-ee-us) a Greek hero known for his cleverness.
OENOMAUS (OY-no-MAH-us), king of Pisa, and father of Hippodameia, Pelops’ bride.
Pelops treacherously arranged Oenomaus’ death.
OLYMPUS (oh-LIMP-us), a famous man who played the flute. It is also the name of the
mountain on which the gods were said to live, but in this play Olympus refers to
the musician.
ORESTES (or-REST-eeze), son of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.
PALAEMON (pah-LAY-mon), sea god, son of Leukothea (formerly Melicertes).
PARIS (PAIR-iss), son of Priam, king of Troy. After judging Aphrodite the most beautiful
of the goddesses in a three-way contest between her, Hera, and Athena, she
helped him to kidnap the beautiful Helen from her husband Menelaus.
PARNASSUS (par-NASS-us), mountain sacred to the muses, Apollo and Dionysus,
located next to Delphi, north of Greece.
PELEUS (PEE-lee-us), King of Thessaly, and father of Achilles.
PELOPS (PELL-ops), Son of Tantalus.
PHOCIS (FOE-kiss), city north of Athens, near Delphi, where Strophius, Pylades’ father,
ruled.
PISA (PEE-sah), city in the west of Greece that Oenomaus ruled.
PYLADES (PYE-la-deez), son of Strophius and friend of Orestes.
SPARTA (SPAR-tah), city in the south of Greece where Menelaus ruled with Helen.
STHENELUS (STHEN-eh-lus), son of Capaneus.
TANTALUS (TANT-ah-lus), son of Zeus. He deceived the gods and was condemned to
Hades. His punishment is to try to eat the fruit on a tree which springs away from
him when he tries to reach it, and drink water which always recedes when he gets
close. We get our word “tantalize” from his name.
TAURIANS (TAWR-ee-ans), people who lived at the northeastern end of the Black Sea.
THEMIS (THEH-mis), prophetic daughter of Earth, whom Apollo ousted from Delphi.
THESEUS (THEE-see-us), king of Athens.
THETIS (THEH-tiss), a sea-goddess, mother of Achilles.
THOAS (THO-ahs), king of the Taurians.
TYNDAREUS (tin-DAR-ee-us), father of Clytemnestra, Helen, and Phoebe; husband of
Leda.