IPHIGÉNIE EN AULIDE

Glory or oblivion?

It has to do with placing in relief the human drama and poetically symbolizing Agamemnon’s emotions.

Like a fetus floating in the maternal womb, the sea/sky which encompass and agitated waves which disturb, it is a representation of fragility and power, the struggle between duty and nature.

Humanity comes from water and only by crossing it does she complete her passage. The anchor that paralyzes becomes the altar of sacrifice.

We are equally interested in the political dimension of the play issuing from the antechambers of power. It is often in these in between places that relationships become knotted and severed, that conspiracies come to fruition and decisions are taken.

The central aspect in Iphigénie is passing from point A (Mycenae) to point B (Troy), Aulis being the antechamber. In order to reach point B the Greeks must find a solution to the conflicts which paralyze them. Are we headed towards “shipwreck?” It is essential here to treat the solitude of the politician who finds himself confronted by the fatality of having to place a price on his own blood. What is the value of a sacrifice? How much is a life worth in exchange for a war? Glory or oblivion?

The red carpet is at the same time the symbol of honor, of Agamemnon’s interrupted journey and the destiny which awaits Iphigénie. This carpet reserved for the powerful of the earth permits the concealment of the blood their power necessitated.

Iphigénie en Aulide will forever be a current event even if repetition trivializes the tragedy. Occupants and occupiers, aggressors and aggressed finish by quenching the thirst of the same horror and seem to take a liking to it, as seen in the events witnessed daily in the Middle East.