The Male Characters Of Euripides by
E M Blaiklock
Proceeding from page 120:
Euripide’s Play The King Of Men.
And does Achilles love Iphigenia? 'After an awkward attempt at expressing his admiration, says Norwood," 'he declares that he will nonetheless fight to save her. At the end of the play we learn that, so far from doing this, the loquacious champion has actually taken part in the ceremony.' Perhaps Norwood's view does injustice to the subtlety of Euripides character-drawing. Headlam, who regards Achilles as 'a high-minded and honourable soldier', suggests that his greatest dread is a "scene" and he is anxious that nothing should be left untried to avoid it' (l. 1009). Awkardness in matters of emotion is not unsoldierly nor a matter for reproach. T. E. Lawrence might have treated such a Clytemnestra thus. The young man's admiration must be regarded as genuine and not ill-expressed.
As for the ending, and Norwood's stronger censure, two views are open. Two and a half lines cited by Aelian have cast doubt on the authenticity of
ll 1532-1629. If Aelian's quotation comes from a lost Euripidean ending to the play we are left in ignorance of Achilles' final actions. Perhaps he fought with bare sword at the altar, and was restrained by the goddess from the machine. Perhaps the play was the poet's Edwin Drood, and the suspected lines come from a redactor's hand. If so, the lines which picture Achilles forgetful of his finest hour and cooperating at the altar may be testimony to the fact that one ancient reader adopted the harsher view of Achilles' character.
And if the lines are genuine that view is the only possible one. The poet has endeavoured to show the flashes of finer feeling which could light, until he quenched them, even the darkness of Agamemnon's self-deception. We have seen that it may have been his intention to show the birth of better manhood in Menelaus' heart. What would be more natural than an attempt at the climax of the play to show Achilles, cleansed for an hour of conceit, and humbled to true valour before the spectacle of the maiden's sacrifice? Lines I421-1426 will admit of a noble interpretation. We could wish the mood to last. Whether it did or not depends upon how Euripides ended the play.