Bring Me My Battle Axsignment
A Character Critique of Clytemnestra in “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus
The Greek tragedy “Agamemnon” is the first play in Aeschylus’s trilogy “Oresteia”. It follows King Agamemnon’s return to Argos and his vengeful demise at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra (referred to as Cly). Cly is the Queen of Argos, daughter of KIng Tyndareus, wife of King Agamemnon (referred to as Aga) and sister of Helen. During the Trojan War, while Aga was gone, Cly played the role of a regent. Cly also acts as the antagonist; killing Agamemnon and Cassandra. Cly’s motivation to kill Mycenae’s king is rooted in Agamemnon’s sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia, her affair with Aegisthus, and the curse of the House of Atreus. Cly developed …show more content…
Deviousness has aided Cly in the execution of her plot to kill Aga. First, she misrepresented herself in front of the Chorus by portraying herself as loyal to Aga as a “house dog”(pg.28), although she was having an affair with Aegisthus. Next, by laying out a purple path for Aga to walk on, Cly led the king into a false sense of security. Finally, Cly underhandedly performed the sacrificial ritual of cleansing with lustration by planning that Aga take a bath. This led Aga into a vulnerable state where he could not defend himself. Interestingly, Cly achieves justice through destruction. First, the queen kills Aga in an effort to reunite him and his daughter. Next, Cly a personification of the curse of the house of Atreus as she continues the cycle of revenge. Also, Cly is naive and is taken advantage of by Aegisthus as she adopted his narrative of killing Aga. Her naivety is also displayed when she believed that Aga had a choice as to whether or not to sacrifice Iphigenia. However, after killing Aga she believes that “a compact will be made with the house of Pleisthenes (Atreus)”(pg.48). How can she expect Orestes to act any different than Aga and disobey the gods. Aeschylus has effectively characterized Clytemnestra to fit this …show more content…
First, Aeschylus introduced the use of a chariot which conveyed Clytemnestra wanting to bring Aga, literally off his high horse, and down to her petty level during the purple path episode. Next, by having Cly kill Aga in a bathtub Aeschylus highlighted Cly’s deviousness. She appears to want to do something but it’s really just her own good. Throughout the play we see how confidently Clytemnestra rules. However, when Aegisthus exits the palace and reveals how he was the mastermind behind Aga’s death, Cly is viewed as weak character and not intelligent nor strong. Aeschylus knew that this wasn’t the case with Clytemnestra and he highlighted her strength by her preventing the fight between the Chorus and lover. Disappointingly, at some points, the reader needed to possess prior knowledge. If the viewer didn’t know about Cly’s affair then all they wouldn’t of seen the irony when she depicted herself as loyal. Aeschylus built a very strong character in
A Character Critique of Clytemnestra in “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus
The Greek tragedy “Agamemnon” is the first play in Aeschylus’s trilogy “Oresteia”. It follows King Agamemnon’s return to Argos and his vengeful demise at the hands of his wife Clytemnestra (referred to as Cly). Cly is the Queen of Argos, daughter of KIng Tyndareus, wife of King Agamemnon (referred to as Aga) and sister of Helen. During the Trojan War, while Aga was gone, Cly played the role of a regent. Cly also acts as the antagonist; killing Agamemnon and Cassandra. Cly’s motivation to kill Mycenae’s king is rooted in Agamemnon’s sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia, her affair with Aegisthus, and the curse of the House of Atreus. Cly developed …show more content…
Deviousness has aided Cly in the execution of her plot to kill Aga. First, she misrepresented herself in front of the Chorus by portraying herself as loyal to Aga as a “house dog”(pg.28), although she was having an affair with Aegisthus. Next, by laying out a purple path for Aga to walk on, Cly led the king into a false sense of security. Finally, Cly underhandedly performed the sacrificial ritual of cleansing with lustration by planning that Aga take a bath. This led Aga into a vulnerable state where he could not defend himself. Interestingly, Cly achieves justice through destruction. First, the queen kills Aga in an effort to reunite him and his daughter. Next, Cly a personification of the curse of the house of Atreus as she continues the cycle of revenge. Also, Cly is naive and is taken advantage of by Aegisthus as she adopted his narrative of killing Aga. Her naivety is also displayed when she believed that Aga had a choice as to whether or not to sacrifice Iphigenia. However, after killing Aga she believes that “a compact will be made with the house of Pleisthenes (Atreus)”(pg.48). How can she expect Orestes to act any different than Aga and disobey the gods. Aeschylus has effectively characterized Clytemnestra to fit this …show more content…
First, Aeschylus introduced the use of a chariot which conveyed Clytemnestra wanting to bring Aga, literally off his high horse, and down to her petty level during the purple path episode. Next, by having Cly kill Aga in a bathtub Aeschylus highlighted Cly’s deviousness. She appears to want to do something but it’s really just her own good. Throughout the play we see how confidently Clytemnestra rules. However, when Aegisthus exits the palace and reveals how he was the mastermind behind Aga’s death, Cly is viewed as weak character and not intelligent nor strong. Aeschylus knew that this wasn’t the case with Clytemnestra and he highlighted her strength by her preventing the fight between the Chorus and lover. Disappointingly, at some points, the reader needed to possess prior knowledge. If the viewer didn’t know about Cly’s affair then all they wouldn’t of seen the irony when she depicted herself as loyal. Aeschylus built a very strong character in