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King Lycomedes
Iphigenia is Agamemnon’s priestess daughter; Agamemnon summons her to Aulis, telling her mother that she’ll marry Achilles there. However, he sacrifices her upon arrival. The goddess Artemis demanded this sacrifice before she allowed the Greek army to sail to Troy—specifically, she demanded the army kill a virgin priestess. This incident causes Achilles to distrust Agamemnon.
Iphigenia Quotes in The Song of Achilles
The The Song of Achilles quotes below are all either spoken by Iphigenia or refer to Iphigenia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 18
Quotes
He leaned forward in his chair. “May I give you some advice? If you are truly his friend, you will help him leave this soft heart behind. He's going to Troy to kill men, not rescue them.” His dark eyes held me like swift-running current. “He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.”
The words drove breath from me, left me stuttering. “He is not—”
“But he is. The best the gods have ever made. And it is time he knew it, and you did too. If you hear nothing else I say, hear that. I do not say it in malice.”
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Iphigenia Quotes in The Song of Achilles
The The Song of Achilles quotes below are all either spoken by Iphigenia or refer to Iphigenia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 18
Quotes
He leaned forward in his chair. “May I give you some advice? If you are truly his friend, you will help him leave this soft heart behind. He's going to Troy to kill men, not rescue them.” His dark eyes held me like swift-running current. “He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature.”
The words drove breath from me, left me stuttering. “He is not—”
“But he is. The best the gods have ever made. And it is time he knew it, and you did too. If you hear nothing else I say, hear that. I do not say it in malice.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
