In the story of Agamemnon, the general understanding of natural order is questioned by the impious acts played by the characters involved. In the conflicting stories told by Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, it is difficult to say who is justified in their actions. Clytemnestra, has been consumed by resentment after the sacrifice of her daughter Iphigenia, she seeks revenge by killing her husband with the help of her lover Aegisthus. Agamemnon is torn between helping his brother or honoring family ties
Euripides’ Electra demonstrate the supposed danger of a woman’s transgression from her traditional role as a wife, and conversely the danger of men acting out of their expected roles through the character Aegisthus. Furthermore, both Electra’s Clytemnestra and Medea’s Medea demonstrate a betrayal of their roles as mothers, emphasising the importance of a mother’s nurturing attitude in the ancient perspective, while Aeschylus’s The Choephori transparently interprets betrayal in marriage as an inevitably
Portrayal of Clytemnestra in Agamemnon and Electra In both Electra and Agamemnon, Euripides and Aeschylus have chosen to represent Clytemnestra as a complex character being neither all bad nor all good - the signature of a sophisticated playwright. In Agamemnon, Clytemnestra is a morbidly obsessive woman, utterly consumed by the murder of her daughter for which the audience cannot help but sympathise; she is capable only of vengeance. In the Electra, Clytemnestra is placed
The Powerful Clytemnestra in Aeschylus' Oresteia What Price Glory? was the title of a Maxwell Anderson play about World War I. Although the Oresteia deals with the period following a much different war, the same question can be asked of it. In the trilogy Aeschylus presents the reader with a stunning example of ancient Greek society, in which warrior ideals were firmly held, and glory in battle was considered the supreme good. The question of moral justification in the trilogy brings in many
Deceitful Clytemnestra of Euripides' Electra Agamemnon returns from Troy, a victorious general, bringing home spoils, riches and fame. He is murdered on the same day as he returns. Clytemnestra, his adulterous wife, has laid in wait for her husband's homecoming and kills him whilst he is being bathed after his long journey. During the Agamemnon, large proportions of the Queen's words are justifications for her action, which is very much concerned with the sacrifice of Iphigenia to the gods,
First Impressions of Clytemnestra in Euripides’ Electra The play begins with the dreary-eyed watchman, scared stiff ("old comrade, terror" 17) of the Queen ("that woman - she manoeuvres like a man" 13) and her tyrannical rule. He says that he cries "for the hard times" that he endures. We are very sure from what he says that the House of Atreus is in cruel hands and he clamours for the return of his "loving" King. Clytemnestra is never mentioned by name, as the sentry is afraid of punishment
Clytemnestra falls into the horrible double standard that women hold in our world and her reputation is tarnished by the misinformation given about her. In Homer’s epic Odyssey Agamemnon labeled Clytemnestra as his ”accursed wife” (Homer 463) who is accused of killing him to be with her supposed lover Aegisthus, but in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon she reveals unapologetically her reasoning for killing her husband, which changes the whole perspective of her character. It is revealed in the play Agamemnon
Atreus and its curse. In this play two characters, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, were both faced with difficult decisions. However, neither of their decisions are justified since their motives were not pure and they murdered their family members and expected to witness no retaliation. Agamemnon sacrificed his innocent daughter, Iphigenia, in order to lead his fleet to Troy, which was unjust and disrespectful in the eyes of Artemis. Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon for power over Argos, even though initially
This notion manifests differently in respect to gods and humans. Clytemnestra, a human, violates gender roles as she threatens the order brought by men while Demeter, a goddess, conforms to them. Clytemnestra endangers the order established by men, oikos, by threatening their social positions and traditions. In Agamemnon’s absence, Clytemnestra serves as his substitute and rules the house like a man. The chorus tells Clytemnestra, “Lady you speak good sense like a prudent man” (Aeschylus Agamemnon
themes of vengeance, and family ties are brought to light. Aeschylus’s portrayal of Clytemnestra and Electra shows the roles women upheld in Greek society as well as their wide variety of feelings when compared to men. These two women are at opposite ends of the spectrum showing the reader how one woman may run the house and everything in it, while one suffers silently. Aeschylus begins by portraying Clytemnestra as Agamemnon’s faithful wife brought only to a murderous rampage by the news of her
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
Agamemnon the chorus fears more the control of an effective woman in Clytemnestra rather than the leadership of fruitless Agamemnon. Both choruses take direct actions thought to ensure their prominence. Agamemnon picks of the story eponymous Greek king following the conclusion of the Trojan War. In his absence, his wife Clytemnestra has assumed the throne, and the polis has flourished under her. However, as a woman, Clytemnestra is nonetheless seen as unsuited to continue her reign given the morays
The furies, The Furies see Orestes and seek punishment on him saying, “Blood must pay for blood,” (line 264). Orestes just killed Clytemnestra and the members of the Chorus were enraged. They wanted him to pay for murdering the queen. The Chorus means once someone murders someone the only way to get back at them is to kill the killer. After Orestes slaughters Clytemnestra, he explains that he did it out of revenge and he takes the full account for it. “I killed the women who bore me. I do not deny
There is a distinction between men and women within the Oresteia that presents a detachment within the house of Atreus and in turn Athens. However, the three plays of the Oresteia provide a conclusion to the battle of the sexes. Characters within the play show their side to misogyny or misandry. It is quite obvious that the women are misandrists, while the men are misogynists. This division between men and women within the Oresteia reflects the division within the household, but is overcome through
Oresteia by Aeschylus, the story of Clytemnestra guilt or innocents is questioned. She does many things that people are not too happy with and those controversial actions throughout the story, mainly in the first part Agamemnon get her into the trouble. As we explore the case that builds against her innocents by exploring the killings of Agamemnon and Cassandra and the boastful expression about the killings. This action causes a great deal of rage in Clytemnestra. One could very well understand why
The Cycle of Vengeance in Aeschylus’s Oresteia The cyclic thread of vengeance runs like wild fire through the three plays in Aeschylus’s Oresteia. This thread, with its complexity of contemporary and universal implications lends itself quite well to – in fact, almost necessitates – deeply interested study. While a brief summary of the Oresteia will inevitably disregard some if not much of the trilogy’s essence and intent, on the positive side it will establish a platform of characters, events
An Overview of Electra Euripides' play Electra, produced in 415 b.c.e., starts with a peasant recounting past events: Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon and took the throne of Mycenae. Agamemnon's son Orestes escaped and has been raised in Phocis. Daughter Electra, when marriageable, was forced to wed this peasant instead of any noble, whereby Aegisthus' rule might be endangered. The marriage has not been consummated. "If any man thinks me a fool, for harbouring / A young
Tragedy in the Oresteia The human will desires transcendence. Instead of recognizing the physical and mental limits of our species, we labor to circumvent them. The desire for immanent achievement, transcendence and supremacy becomes especially apparent whenever man attempts to intervene against nature: in medicine, we attempt to secure immortality through antibiotics and surgery; in contemporary moral culture, we attempt to justify and defend sanguineous deeds of the past and present through
story of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and Cassandra after the Trojan war. "Cassandra" is the second part of "Mycenae Lookout" and chronicles Cassandra, Apollo's ill-fated prophetess, who is captured by Agamemnon at the war's end and brought back to Mycenae as a slave. The fates of Cassandra and the House of Atreus collide with Agamemnon's return to Mycenae, where his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus plot his murder. Aegisthus and Clytemnestra both seek revenge: Clytemnestra for her daughter's
Features of the Characters in Electra In Euripides' 'Electra', there are a number of parts, speaking and non-speaking, that reveal the redeeming features of the otherwise pitiful characters. This essay will consider the roles of Orestes, Electra, Clytemnestra, the Peasant and Aegisthus (whose actions are only reported to us). It is arguable that the characters are not redeemable due simply to the plot of the play: a son returns, kills his father's unworthy successor, his mother (with the aid