Gender Roles in the Play: Agamemnon by Aeschylus

901 Words2 Pages

In the play Agamemnon, Aeschylus depiction of gender roles are both typical and atypical of a standard male or female behavior in the culture and era because male characters in ancient Greece resemble the powerful nature of a warrior. They are seen as the head of the household where the male role is to go out and do hard labour to provide for the family and bring honor to the country, while females are to stay home to tend the kids and do house chores. This is most typical when looking at the gender role in Ancient Greece. Female characters are dependent to the status of the male characters. In the play, Clytemnestra hold great power because of her title as the queen of Greece and wife of Agamemnon. Although male characters are significant in the play, female characters such as Clytemnestra and Cassandra depicted by Aeschylus are complex for numerous reasons. First, Cassandra is a very different character, since she was given the ability to tell and predict the future. Her role in the play is symbolic because of her given ability and her constant struggle in the Trojan War. Cassandra went through rape, war, losing her family and abducted to a kingdom cursed by the Greek gods. Her persistent characteristic make her a powerful female character as equal and symbolic as other male characters in the play. However, the reader must understand that in ancient Greece, the cultural mythology of Greek gods and goddesses is primary to understanding the text. The gods hold the greatest power of all. Apollo is a popular god in Greek for his passion to give unnatural power to humanity. Cassandra was chosen by Apollo to inherit the ability of comprehending prophecies. When Apollo has fallen in love with Cassandra, but she refuses, he cursed her ...

... middle of paper ...

...a decade in Troy fighting, which made Clytemnestra feel isolated and desperate for love and care. On the other hand, Cassandra seem to be sympathized because she is a prisoner from war taken away from Troy to die in the hands of Clytemnestra.
Based on the play, Agamemnon, although Cassandra was caught between an inevitable affair which led to her death, she resented the Greek god Apollo. In the play, she connected with the Chorus to tell how contented her feelings were that she was tortured through the words of lies. If Apollo had never cursed Cassandra, Agamemnon and herself may not have to die since Cassandra was able to see the approach of her death and Agamemnon through a women. Cassandra also hold a great amount of grudge and revenge because as much as she wanted to prevent the tragic event from happening, she hoped for the death of Agamemnon to revenge Troy.

Open Document