»Es spricht kein Gott; es spricht dein eignes Herz«. Kommunikative Autonomie und rhetorische Typologie in Goethes Iphigenie

Abstract

AbstractThe following contribution will show how Goethe’s play Iphigenie auf Tauris, being deeply rooted in rhetoric and discourse, is differing from its Euripidean predecessor as well as from the prevailing opinion of literary scholars. Firstly, by looking at Iphigenie’s struggle for autonomy, the text will show that Iphigenie’s ›devilish humanity‹ stems from herself being a rhetorical person, and that her weaknesses let her turn to communicative and rhetorical means. Secondly, by analyzing the communicative strategies used by the main personnel of the drama, namely Iphigenie, Thoas and Pylades, I will show that Goethe embedded a rhetorical typology into his work. All three of them embody different rhetorical strategies and only by using them thoughtfully, a communicative rather than a violent denouement is possible. With the consequence that even Orestes’ healing can be seen as a therapeutic rhetorical act. Thus Iphigenie can be seen as a mediation upon the possibilities and limitations of rhetoric and communication.