Contrastive-diachronic analysis of Euripides’ and Goethe’s Iphigenia as a basis for application in German literature teaching

Abstract

This research scrutinizes and draws comparisons between the plays Iphigenia among the Taurians by Euripides and Iphigenia in Tauris by Goethe. Born out of varied historical periods and diverse cultural settings, these works are assessed based on their external form and internal constitution. While they share a common mythology, the differences arising from their distinct temporal and cultural origins are markedly noticeable. The findings from this study serve to enrich the field of literary analysis and critique. Moreover, they propose potential ways to incorporate the contrastive-diachronic approach into literature instruction, potentially facilitating a broad literary education within constrained time frames. A succinct debate on this subject will conclude the analysis.