ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the volition and valence of the sacrificial virgin and explains how these relate to the agency of historical women in ancient Greece. Similarities between the sacrifices of Iphigeneia and Polyxena as narrative frames to the Trojan War are clear and are often emphasized by scholars, but the differences are equally significant. These focus on outcomes, agency, and volition. When Iphigeneia is sacrificed, it is to propitiate Artemis so that the Greeks can sail to Troy. Her sacrifice, therefore, is for the collective good. In Etruria, Iphigeneia's sacrifice appears on a series of urns from Perugia and Volterra, which depict her held over the altar. As for Polyxena, ancient Romans may have had Ovid's Metamorphoses or Seneca's Troades in mind when looking at the maiden's representation in art. In reference to the problematic view of women as "victims or rebels", Chartier identifies consent as an important category of inquiry for female agency.
