In Greek lore The Battle of Troy caused all of Geese to unite to battle Troy. While some of Geese were heading across the seas towards Troy the leader of the expedition, Agamemnon, killed a deer in a grove sacred to artemis. artemis, in retaliation, caused unfavorable wind to prevent them from leaving the port they were in. The seer revealed that the only way to carry on was to have Agamemnon sacrifice his oldest daughter. This story inspired Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Alfred Tennyson. In both The Sacrifice of Iphigenia by Giovanni and “Iphigenia” by Alfred us the myth of Iphigenia to show that the reaction to the event can be more important than the
There are obviously many obligations at hand in Iphigenia at Aulis. The one however that widely catches my attention is Iphigenia’s ending decision to accept her fate. Iphigenia’s fate of death is a sacrifice that her father Agamemnon has to uphold to his brother Menelaus. Agamemnon like any father would not willingly offer his child as a sacrifice, however he does so because of his “commander-in-chief” position and the oath he took on behalf of Menelaus.
The first chapter of the trilogy is the story of Agamemnon, the war hero of Troy who returns home after 10 years. The King had left on a rather sour note, having murdered his daughter Iphigenia to appease the Gods in order for the fleet to sail for Troy. Clytomnestra, the Queen, cannot understand the sacrifice. This is the first occurrence of the so-called gender battle in the trilogy. Agamemnon’s actions are typical of the classic Greek ‘male’ point of view. He is mostly concerned with issues of war, honor and the welfare of the city. Clytomnestra, in contrast, is more concerned with ‘female’ issues, such as the welfare of the family. The Queen, during the King’s absence, becomes obsessed with her daughter’s death, and takes a new lover to the exclusion of her remaining children in an attempt to steal control over the city. When Agamemnon returns, instead of a faithful wife he finds a quick death at the hands of Aegithus. It is interesting to note that another person is also killed, an innocent. Clytomnestra kills Cassandra, a prophetic girl brought home from Troy, on a whim...
In today’s society, sacrifices play a big role in our everyday lives. They range from small, such as sacrificing that piece of cake to keep you feeling healthier and a little better about yourself, to big sacrifices such as a firefighter sacrificing his life for a complete stranger. At the end of the day, they all all make a difference for better or for worse. In the play “The Crucible”, many various sacrifices were made during the process of exposing the possible witchcraft that was going on in Salem. These sacrifices were a result of fear. People were afraid that they would be accused of witchcraft and would do anything to avoid being pinned. A few of the sacrifices that were made were people 's lives, the happiness
Women usually are the most unfortunate roles in Greek tragedies. As women, particularly as mothers, family is the most important factor of their lives. While men are after honor and glory in warfare or in politics, women are after honor and protection for their families. In Agamemnon, Clytaemnestra encountered a situation no woman should ever have to face: she had to welcome the murderer of her daughter, who was also her husband, back into her home (Agamemnon, Lines 897-899). Instead of showing reluctance, she welcomed Agamemnon with sweet words and open arms. The reason for her actions was to weaken Agamemnon to the point where she could kill him without his retaliation. Through deliberate planning, she succeeded in killing him to avenge her daughter; she exclaimed after the deed was done, "Here is Agamemnon, my husband made a corpse/ by [my] right hand - a masterpiece of Justice" (Lines 1429-1430). By murdering Agamemnon, she claimed justice for her daughter. The story,
The Trojan War is arguably the most famous Greek event. Homer wrote about the event in the Iliad, and Euripides wrote about the aftermath of the war in his play, Women of Troy. The works share multiple characters, including Hecabe, queen of the fallen city of Troy, and Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships. Both characters discuss the gods at some point throughout both texts, with varying beliefs. Similarly, each woman displays her cleverness, or lack thereof, in both texts. In addition, the Iliad and Women of Troy both describe the two women manipulating other people, albeit in very different ways. The differences and similarities between Hecabe and Helen are apparent in both works, as evidenced by their religiousness, their manipulation
Agamemnon survived the ten year long Trojan War, even as other great warriors such as Achilleus fell. Tales of the war are widespread and it is described by both its veterans and non-participants in glorified terms. Agamemnon is often singled out for leadership and accomplishments. Demodokos sings of the “famous actions/ of men on that venture” and “that lord of men, Agamemnon” while performing for Odysseus on Alkinoos.(VIII, 73-74, 77). Agamemnon stands out as one of “the leaders of the bronze- armored Achaians” who fought at Troy and is recognized as a major hero of the war (IV,496).
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, his character, Rebecca Nurse, helps portray the theme of religion by dying a martyr of her faith and being the purest and saintliest character hung for witchery. When Rebecca was asked by Governor Danforth to confess to witchcraft she replied, “Why it is a lie, it is a lie; how may I damn myself? I cannot, I cannot.” (IV) Rebecca’s response to Governor Danforth displays her clear trust in her faith. Her reassurance is apparent in this statement because knows she just sentenced herself to death, but also sent herself to the Kingdom of Heaven. Rebecca’s confidence in her beliefs is noticeable when she says, “Let you fear nothing! Another judgment waits for us all.” (IV) This shows that Rebecca sees life and everything in life as temporary, and life after death as eternal. She knows she is making the right decision by telling the truth, and she is content with the consequences.
After Achilles and Clytemnestra have a conversation, they realize they have been lied to. Finally, the slave enters and explains Iphigenia’s dire fate. Achilles promises that he will not let Iphigenia be sacrificed, and he exits. Iphigenia and Clytemnestra plead with Agamemnon to not kill his own daughter, but Agamemnon refuses to listen. Achilles enters and explains to Clytemnestra that the Greeks want Iphigenia dead, and will “drag her by her hair” if she
Looking at Poem 16, Sappho’s focus on the beginnings of the Trojan war and ultimately the epic of the Iliad is not about the rage of Achilles, the quarrelling between Agamemnon and Achilles, or Hector’s victory over Patroclus and Achilles’ subsequent retaliation, but rather it is about love. Sappho’s poem is about the love of Helen, and the power of love and how it is more important than that of any army, navy, parents or children.
In his tragedy Iphigenia in Aulis, Euripides portrays Iphigenia with qualities that were especially uncommon for the women of Greek literature. Although a majority of the tragedy is centered around Agamemnon’s struggle to make a seemingly impossible decision, the significance and beauty of this tragedy is highlighted near the end of the tragedy when Iphigenia chooses to sacrifice herself to Artemis for the greater good of Greece. This act of selflessness highlights qualities such as courageousness, selflessness, and loyalty that many famous Greek writers often chose to associate with men rather than women. Ultimately, Euripides uses Iphigenia’s final dialogue to argue that women of the time, just like men, were capable of making extraordinary sacrifices and significant contributions that were just as important in maintaining the overall prominence of Greece as the glorious
In book one the Iliad begins with the poet, Homer, asking the muse to tell of the rage of Achilles. It begins with Apollo’s priest Chryses going to the Achaean camp to ask if he can pay ransom for his daughter Chryseis who was captured. Agamemnon sends him off rudely and Chryses prays to Apollo asking him to punish the Greeks. Apollo answers this request by bringing a plague upon them. Achilles calls an assembly with a seer and promises the seer immunity so that he can find out why Apollo is angry. Agamemnon agrees to give back Chryseis if he can take Briseis from Achilles. It is this chain of events that ultimately leads to the fued between the two men. Achilles decides to stop fighting in the war to show the Greeks just how valuable he is and he persuades his mother,
Achilles is introduced into The Iliad getting into a debacle with the leader of the Greek army, Agamemnon, during the last year of the Trojan War. Achilles starts a quarrel with Agamemnon because he has demanded possession of Achilles’ woman, Briseis, in consolation for having to give up his woman, Chryseis, so that the gods will end their plague upon the Greek soldiers. Achilles does all he can to get his loved one back, but he knows that nothing will waver Agamemnon’s decision. This is when Achil...
The Greek myths, Phaethon and Daedalus and Icarus, have characters that exhibit pride as well as disobedience, which lead to their downfall, both figuratively and literally. Literary elements are used by the authors of both myths in order to describe and develop characters and events, and to teach a lesson. Through the use of characterization, imagery, and conflict, the mythical protagonists, Phaethon and Icarus, demonstrate a common theme that a prideful disregard of the warnings from those who are older and wiser is likely to lead to disastrous consequences.
Throughout the Iliad, a conflict develops through the process of each chapter which rests on the surface over a Maiden. The disagreement is caused due to one person or the other feeling far more powerful or superior than the other and is left to sense as if they should receive what is rightfully theirs even if it is not a fair exchange. This conflict is seen between two leaders who view each other with different status: Agamemnon the Argive leader of the expedition to Troy, who had inherited the role of king through his father, and Achilles the leader of Myrmidons. As the dispute develops, it is apparent that the discord between Agamemnon and Achilles is more than something about women; it seems to be their mindset distracting them from having a dispute between their views on power, honour, glory and pride amongst themselves.
The critics of the film, Troy (2004) by Wolfgang Peterson, were too mythologically correct. They had assumed that Peterson had gotten the myth wrong and completely disrespected the original stories. However, the inherent nature of Greek epic poetry in itself is that they are dynamic, always changing. The word “Myth” comes from the Greek word mythos which means “word”, “speech”, “tale” or “story”. Myths are traditional stories of collective importance that were shared, usually passed down through oral tradition. Having them passed down through generations orally is similar to a very long game of telephone, as the story gets passed on some parts may change as the performer forgets what happens or they may change some details of the story to their