Clytemnestra is a formidable figure in all three plays: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers and her brief appearance as a ghost in The Eumenides (The Furies). Aeschylus′ Clytemnestra: Sword or Axe? "we raped this city and we were right" Clytemnestra talks of how much she loves him ironically and is believed by the myopically ignorant Agamemnon and chorus Agon between Clytemnestra and Agamemnon where Clytemnestra appeals to his Harmatia to compound his hubris He reveals his concubine The image of Klytemnestra is one of the first attempts by Aeschylus to create a dramatic image endowed with individual features. The Chorus responds to Clytemnestra's defense of her action; she has just said that Iphigeneia will welcome Agamemnon in the Underworld. The inquiry is in the quote above from Odysseus. 13, Clytemnestra persuades Agamemnon to expend public wealth by treading upon delicate, invaluable fabrics, thereby destroying them, as a token of his triumph. Soon, things fall into chaos as Agamemnon is heard screaming from his home upon being murdered by Clytemnestra, who also kills Cassandra in her rage. Because of her passion for him and her wrath at the death of Iphigeneia, she plotted to kill Agamemnon on his return. When Clytemnestra finally convinces Agamemnon to enter their home, she kills him with an axe while he is undefended in his bath, like an animal killed for sacrifice. Meantime Clytemnestra, left behind in Argos, took Aegisthus the youngest son of Thyestes as her paramour. This is the last word they say in this interchange with Clytemnestra, and it is an admission that there has been justice in what she has done, yet a forecast of more vengeance to come. Once the deed was done, Orestes and Electra were compelled to avenge the death of their father with the death of his murderers. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. This masculine representation continues in the behaviours and activities Clytemnestra… Clytemnestra's human nature took over when she committed lustful acts behind Agamemnon's back. nothing bad will happen and she will become ruler and safe from reprisal. * - Volume 37 Issue 1 - Malcolm Davies. Peace! This shows the way Clytemnestra uses deception to further her aims. This affair took place with this relative of her husband., Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon to avenge the sacrificing of her daughter Iphigenia. Beginning with the position that Aeschylus expresses in Agamemnon a conflict between the character of Agamemnon and his wife Clytaemestra, it is discussed what form that conflict takes, how it is depicted, and how it is understood by its intended audience. (Thanks to Yi Lin for this) Question: Why has she been remembered? Iphigenia was one of how many children?, Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon to avenge the sacrificing of their daughter. the world's a stage and we are the players. Tantalus (grandfather Agamemnon and his Greek forces laid siege and fought with Troy for ten years after Paris abducted Helen, the wife of Menelaus, Agamemnon’s brother. RIse up from bed' Watchman uses colloquialism suggesting he is restricted in what he can say When Agamemnon returns from the war, Aegisthus and Clytemnestra kill him at a banquet (in violation of the all-important host-guest relationship). In retaliation, Orestes kills Aegisthus. Answer: You can find this quote in Aeschylus’s “Agamemnon,” after Clytemnestra has killed Agamemnon and Cassandra. Agamemnon comes in on a chariot higher than everyone else. Unfortunately for Agamemnon, he died a very different death. Agamemnon ‘s fortunes have therefore taken a complete reversal from the very summit of prosperity and renown to the abyss of ruin and an ignominious death. So Troy was the last besieged, and after ten years’ of time taken. Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon and Cassandra, but her motive for these murders is much more serious than Just marital infidelity: He sacrificed his own daughter, “my beloved child to whom I gave birth suffering great pains, Just to control the Thracian winds with pells” (1417-18). Aeschylus dramatic trilogy that recounts Agamemnons return to Argos 3 Plays from CLSA 3015 at University of Iowa She is perhaps, the most complex character of the entire series, even if she seems more like an antagonist than a protagonist. In 1948 Winnington-Ingram made what is still the most eloquent feminist evaluation of Clytemnestra. He says it is a horrible way to die and warns Odysseus, especially about women. Clytemnestra's human nature took over when she committed lustful acts behind Agamemnon's back. Regular readers will be well-aware of the bad blood flowing through, and often out of, the members of this unfortunate dynasty. Agamemnon Lines 1331-1677. Clytemnestra herself also uses language usually reserved for male characters. Agamemnon, was the first of a trilogy of plays (the Oresteia), performed back to back during the Great Dionysia of 458BC; it focused on two generations of ‘The Cursed House of Atreus’. Carey “Agamemnon in the end consented to the sacrifice. Clytemnestra is pretending to love and miss him, but actually she has been having an affair with Agamemnon’s cousin, Aegisthus, the whole time, and is planning to kill Agamemnon. Question: She is an important character in some powerful plays. Homer repeats the telling of the fall of Agamemnon many times throughout the epic. Surely the reaping of the past is a full harvest, and not good, And wounds enough are everywhere.—Let us not stain ourselves with blood.” ― Aeschylus, The Agamemnon of Aeschylus Translated into English Rhyming Verse with Explanatory Notes Upon his return, Clytemnestra and Aegisthus murdered Agamemnon. Skip to main content. The method Clytemnestra uses to carry out the murder of Agamemnon is a secretive and sneaky one. Ten years passed and Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus, Agamemnon’s cousin, were well prepped to avenge the murder. PLAY. Therefore Agamemnon has no reason to believe he is in any danger. Nay, peace, O best-belovèd! STUDY. And let us work no evil more. Conclusively, ‘philos-aphilos’ is a vigorous force throughout the story, and is shown in Agamemnon’s killing of his daughter, and Clytemnestra’s killing Agamemnon. Iphigenia was one of how many children?, Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon to avenge the sacrificing of their daughter. Motivated by greed and lust Aegisthus betrayed the trust of Agamemnon and seduced his wife Clytemnestra. Agamemnon, rather than calling off the expedition, he does the unthinkable. When Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia, she believes she is righting a wrong that has been done to her, balancing the scales of justice. Clytemnestra, in Greek legend, a daughter of Leda and Tyndareus and wife of Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. In most stories she knows, children have a mother and a father, like Iphigenia had Clytemnestra and Agamemnon, and Helen had Leda and Zeus. In Greek mythology, Agamemnon (/ æ ɡ ə ˈ m ɛ m n ɒ n /; Greek: Ἀγαμέμνων Agamémnōn) was a king of Mycenae, the son, or grandson, of King Atreus and Queen Aerope, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra and the father of Iphigenia, Electra or Laodike (Λαοδίκη), Orestes and Chrysothemis. This affair took place with this relative of her husband., Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon to avenge the sacrificing of her daughter Iphigenia. Second, of course, his wife and the mother of Iphigenia, is outraged. He concluded that the Oresteia is based on conflict between the sexes; that Clytemnestra hates Agamemnon for being a man and wants his power; and that in his strong portrait of Clytemnestra and purposely inconclusive trial scene of Eumenides, Aeschylus protests the ‘personal … The quote is part of her speech in defending her murder of Agamemnon. Despite Agamemnon’s good intentions, bloodlust, murder, adultery, deceit and superstition reigned over his bloodline. After bidding farewell to Cassandra as she enters the royal palace at Argos, the Chorus of Elders wonders if her prophesy shall really come true: that Clytaemnestra will murder Cassandra and Agamemnon in revenge for his sacrificing her daughter Iphigenia ten years ago when the Trojan War first began. Problems deceived and divided his family and eventually sealed his fate. Atreus forced Thyestes to eat his own children, and Aegisthus conspired in the murder of Agamemnon in vengeance. She praises him and makes him believe he is worthy of walking on the red carpet she has laid out for him. In revenge for his mother's murder of his father, Orestes returns and kills both Clytemnestra … Many of the other characters describe Clytemnestra in a masculine way whilst still referring to her as a woman. She treats Agamemnon the way he wants to be treated, like a glorious king. He is about to learn that while he was at Troy, his wife Clytemnestra has been having an affair with Aegisthus and they are about to play him false in the most extreme way possible: they are going to kill him.Indeed, Agamemnon is next met by his wife Clytemnestra, who lures him into the palace to his doom. Ironically, she has actually unbalanced them again, causing another person (Orestes) to kill her out of revenge in the same way that she killed Agamemnon. Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon thinking that. Clytemnestra was then killed by Watchman on how Clytemnestra is not womanly 'She manoeuvres like a man' Watchman calls to Clytemnestra that the beacons have been lit 'There's your signal true and clear my Queen! She took Aegisthus as her lover while Agamemnon was away at war. Agamemnon decided that he wanted Clytemnestra to be his wife, and so he killed Tantalus and Clytemnestra’s son. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings. Clytemnestra, along with his beloved, Agamemnon cousin Aegisthus, kills both, her husband and his captive, Aegisthus becomes the ruler of the state. The old men wonder if a man so great as Agamemnon, having … This is the main plot that unfolds in The Agamemnon. Agamemnon and Clytemnestra both must die bc. He tells Odysseus about his brutal murder by Aegisthus, who was with his own wife Clytemnestra. Agamemnon Quotes. Instead, father sacrificed daughter at the altar so his army could set sail for Troy. Sometimes they have teachers too, but not always, and they never seem to have sergeants.M.R. ... What Tempest quote goes along with the appearance vs reality theme? The character of Clytemnestra in the Agamemnon is complex as the role she adopts is constantly shifting. Agamemnon has sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia to Athena, and Clytemnestra has killed him for it. 14, The wife of Agamemnon who, with the assistance of her lover Aegisthus, murdered him on his return from the Trojan War and was later murdered by her son Orestes. “CLYTEMNESTRA.