Clytemnestra's Power In Agamemnon

To begin with, in the Greek tragedy Agamemnon by Aeschylus, the two women with the most prominent roles as female characters are Clytemnestra and Cassandra. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, is left alone ruling Argos while her husband has left to fight in the Trojan War for a decade. Cassandra is a prisoner of Agamemnon’s as well as Apollo’s mistress.
A common theme arises as both women are involved in acts of adultery. Clytemnestra has an affair with her lover Aegistus, whereas Cassandra, as previously mentioned, is Apollo’s mistress. This begins the reigning contrast both characters. Power and lack of power. There is much more emphasis put on Clytemnestra’s power and character demonstrated through her number of lines that far surpass those of Cassandra. She displays confidence and willingness to speak her mind. “Ye hold me as a woman, weak of will, And strive to sway me: but my heart is stout, Nor fear to speak its uttermost to you, Albeit ye know its message.” She receives the response “Woman, what deadly birth, what venomed essence of the earth.” Her words are immediately shot down but still …show more content…
Clytemnestra and Cassandra are each very distinct and contrary characters regarding power. Cassandra portrays an utter lack of power over herself and the perception others have of her, staying true to a woman’s standing in Ancient Greece. The curse Apollo inflicts upon Cassandra illustrates her lack of power. She begins with the ability to prophesize the future which then turns into having that same ability without being believed by anyone. This evidently takes away Cassandra’s credibility reflecting the idea that women at the time were not credible. This adds to her lack of power as opposed to Clytemnestra’s authority and influence. As Cassandra speaks the words “Thou hast destroyed me, thou, my love of old!” she herself admits she was the subject of Apollo’s destruction, she has been