agamemnon, clytemnestra character analysis Navigation

Even though Agamemnon gets a shout-out in the play's title, Clytemnestra may well be its most interesting character. AN ANALYSIS THROUGH CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT Toward the end of Euripides' Electra, the main characters reach what they have taken to be their goal: revenge for the mur­ der of Agamemnon. Clytemnestra in Agamemnon and Medea are both strong women. Clytemnestra’s role has been discussed from a modern perspective, sometimes imposing on the ancient poet’s text contemporary ethical and ideological values that are alien to it. This surviving unified trilogy allows the reader to experience the development of these three-part stories and to observe the common strands of informatiion and enlightenment winding throughout. Even though Agamemnon gets a shout-out in the play's title, Clytemnestra may well be its most interesting character. Historically, Greek tragedies have been used as a means to convey particular political and ethical testimonials about society, usually in order to convey certain morals or to ensure order. Word Count: 943. Agamemnon is the tragic story of the Greek ruler and fighter Agamemnon. It details the homecoming of Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, from the Trojan War.After ten years of warfare, Troy had fallen and all of Greece could lay claim to victory. Aegisthus in the Greek myth-making is a favorite hero of ancient tragedies and dramas, known for his tragic fate, as a representative of the Pelopidas, over which the tribal curse gravitates. The character of Clytemnestra in the Agamemnon is complex as the role she adopts is constantly shifting. Featured Scenes. Like a two-sided coin, we are given multi-facets of Agamemnon as a character. Character Analysis of Phoenix Jackson in A Worn Path Essay; The essence of masculinity comes through Clytemnestra with the language that she uses and the pivotal point of the story, her committing the murder of her husband, Agamemnon. Clytemnestra also adds to the complexity of the final revenge. Despite all that has been written about her, there has not yet been a full enough analysis of what, in addition to 'hypocrisy,' her speeches in Agamemnon reveal about her character. The Odyssey Character Analysis | LitCharts. Clytemnestra and Aegisthus are an example of fearsome characters, when she kills Agamemnon and Cassandra, and he threatens the chorus near the end of the play. In Agamemnon, Clytemnestra is a morbidly obsessive woman, utterly Straw Feminist: A possible interpretation of Clytemnestra's character. The writer argues that it would have been easy for Aeschylus to portray Clytemnestra as a completely unsympathetic character. 4.3/5 (166 Views . The character of Cassandra in this play is one of the more memorable characters, especially as she is one of the characters who, like Agamemnon, is … Womanlike Power: The Study of Clytemnestra’s Role as a Powerful Female Character in the Patriarchal Greek Society of Agamemnon April 19, 2019 by Essay Writer In ancient Greek Society women were not regarded as equals with men, they were viewed as inferior and incapable of doing what a … Agamemnon 's son. The main character in this text is Agamemnon, brother to Menelaus, husband to Clytemnestra, and father to the ill-fated Iphigenia. More generally, though, literary metaphors strongly link … She played the simpering submissive wife for a while, but her refusal to back down showed her true nature. Absalom, Absalom! The play Agamemnon by Aeschylus depicts the tragic fall of a hero. The “agon” of the play (the struggle and argument between the main characters which typically supplies the basis of the action) occurs relatively early, when Agamemnon and Menelaus argue over the sacrifice, and there is in fact a second agon when Agamemnon and Clytemnestra trade arguments later in the play. Character List Clytaemestra Clytaemestra is the only character to appear in all three plays of the trilogy.She dominates the action of Agamemnon but has smaller roles in the other two plays.Many critics consider Clytaemestra the most impressive and fascinating woman in Greek tragedy. Shakespeare's the Tempest and the Role of Gender Performativity Between Prospero and Ariel Essay. Many of the other characters describe Clytemnestra in a masculine way whilst still referring to her as a woman. The Odyssey Introduction + Context. The title character of "Hippolytus" is a nice asexual boy who expresses no ... Agamemnon: [being stabbed by Clytemnestra] Damn you negative consequences! So which of these two, if any, are the play’s tragic hero? ...Agamemnon- Personal Response Agamemnon is a play that takes place in the city of Argos while tying in places such as Troy. 2 The passage on which his theory is based belongs to the kommos, the lyric antiphonal between Clytemnestra and the Chorus: 3 1 Gilbert Murray, The Agamemnon of Aeschylus, translated into English Agamemnon Summary. She is the daughter of a king, and clearly a powerful and confident woman, embittered by long years of brooding on Agamemnon's sacrifice of their daughter, Iphigeneia. Clytemnestra. Agamemnon Agamemnon was the most powerful king in Greece and the commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. Clytemnestra Agamemnon (Cassandra)* Clytemnestra goes inside the palace with Agamemnon CHORAL ODE: The Chorus has a sense of foreboding doom Clytemnestra (Cassandra)* Clytemnestra tries to make Cassandra come inside Cassandra Cassandra foresees her own and Agamemnon’s deaths Medon. Of the plays in the trilogy, Agamemnon contains the strongest command of language and characterization. Agamemnon, the King of Argos returns home after a victorious war against the Trojans to celebrate his triumph only to be murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra. In Sophocles’ chef-d’oeuvre, Oedipus is an effective leader of Thebes, ambitious, development oriented and courageous, to mention a few. It is Agamemnon and his fate which are mostly responsible for his tragedy in the play Agamemnon. Clytemnestra’s taking vengeance can be justified on several grounds, because the things that contributed most in killing Agamemnon are the hereditary guilt, Agamemnon’s murder of ‘Iphigenia’, pride , conceited elements in his character etc. Clytemnestra dresses lavishly and disrespects her subjects with profanity and swearing. Agamemnon and Achilles, comrades of Odysseus at Troy, are among the many other dead who approach. Clytemnestra herself also uses language usually reserved for male characters. In addition, the act depicts Clytemnestra’s willful character. The main actions in the pay come after the chorus from the older men. Aegisthus (stays in Argos, does not kill Agamemnon himself)-Is Clytemnestra a feminine character … This event, more than anything, helps unlock Clytaemestra's character. Clytemnestra. In some later versions Clytemnestra herself does the killing, or she and Aegisthus act together, killing Agamemnon … For example, there is a clever moment of anagnorisis in the animated short film Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers.In the film, Wallace takes in a boarder, a penguin, for extra income. In the original play by Aeschylus, Agamemnon is the King of Argos and is returning to his kingdom after fighting in the Trojan war for ten years. Clytemnestra : Clytemnestra is Helen's sister, or half-sister, depending on which version of the story one follows. The character Clytemnestra has not only rejected her feminine role in the Greek society, but also knocks the patriarchal society of its axis because of her masculine actions. Cassandra, Agamemnon’s spoil of war, wears Middle Eastern clothing (Rourke) to show she came from Troy, located in the Asian Minor. The queen of Argos, and its ruler in her husband Agamemnon ’s absence. Answer: Agamemnon is the first play in a trilogy of tragedies by Aeschylus entitled the Oresteia. Compare these two characters in terms of the amount of power each has and the limited ways in which they can demonstrate it. Second-Hand Storytelling: The Greek Chorus and Cassandra are the main source of the antecedents. Agamemnon. Plot Summary. He sends a letter asking Clytemnestra to send Iphigenia to Aulis. This is the emphasis of the play because the beginning of Clytemnestra’s anger to Agamemnon. Clytaemnestra's First Speech Analysis. Waiting at home for Agamemnon is his wife, Queen Clytemnestra, who has been planning his murder. him to bend to her will. I can’t even conceptualize what Agamemnon done to his daughter. Homer frequently refers to him, comparing Penelope favorably to Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra. He is also commander-in-chief of the armies. As his war booty Agamemnon brings with him the prophetess-maiden Cassandra, daughter of King Priam of Troy. Agamemnon is the first of three plays which display the unending and terrible consequences of a private blood feud which continues from one generation to the next until it is finally stopped by instituting a public legal process to replace private revenge. Upon Agamemnon’s return from Troy, he was killed (according to the oldest surviving account, Odyssey 11.409–11) by Aegisthus, the lover of his wife Clytemnestra. —Richard Lattimore, “Introduction to the Oresteia” in The Complete Greek Tragedies. Finally, Clytemnestra gets Agamemnon to go into the house and her plan is set in motion, but She killed Agamemnon for the political … Her siblings are Castor and Pollux, said to be the twins pictured in the constellation Gemini, and the famous Helen of Troy, whose face launched a thousand ships. The chorus are relatively passive throughout the play until aggressive actions towards Aegisthus at the end. Proteus 's daughter. Clytemnestra’s marriage to Agamemnon was forced, as Robert Graves noted in his Greek Myths (112, c and h, pages 413-414). The poetry is magnificent and moving, with skillful portrayal of major and minor characters alike. Agamemnon (chariot scene)-cf. Waiting at home for Agamemnon is his wife, Queen Clytemnestra, who has been planning his murder. When Calchas informs Agamemnon he must sacrifice his daughter to Artemis, the king concocts a ruse. Left alone for ten years, she has become bitter after Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter, Iphigeneia, in order to sail to Troy. In his pride, he sacrificed his own daughter to ensure safe passage to Troy. However, she proves them wrong each time destroying the idea of what a typical woman should be. For the last ten years, he was. Aeschylus’s Agamemnon is a Greek tragedy that centers on the protagonist, Clytemnestra; who seeks vengeance against her husband, Agamemnon. But maybe that's just part of her charm. Agamemnon 's unfaithful wife. AESCHYLUS' ORESTEIA: THE POWER OF CLYTEMNESTRA The aim of this paper is to concentrate on the first stage, the charac­ terization of Clytemnestra as deine. One of the most prominent themes in Agamemnon is revenge. Agamemnon and Clytemnestra had four children: one son, Orestes, and three daughters, Iphigenia, Electra and Chrysothemis. He has brought her as his concubine. Agamemnon: Theme Analysis. As a psychoanalytic term for daughter–mother psychosexual conflict, the Electra complex derives from the Greek mythological character Electra, who plotted matricidal revenge with Orestes, her brother, against Clytemnestra, their mother, and Aegisthus, their stepfather, for their murder of Agamemnon, their father (cf. Agamemnon (Ἀγαμέμνων, Agamémnōn) is the first of the three plays within the Oresteia trilogy. Electra is a tragedy written by Sophocles that chronicles a chapter of the ongoing difficulties of the House of Agamemnon. …more The suffix -iad means "concerned with" or "connected to" -- for example, Homer's Iliad is the story of the war in Troy, whose name in Greek is Ilium. Odysseus sees him in the Land of the Dead. Fittingly, this expansion in setting prompts an expansion in the story itself, as each of Telemachus’s hosts adds his own story to The Odyssey . In Aeschylus’ play Agamemnon, the dynamic, strong female character of Clytaemnestra is introduced. Though Agamemnon is the main focus of the play, the character Clytemnestra is clearly the more interesting. The King of Argos, the husband of Clytemnestra, and the commander of the Greek armies during the siege of Troy. “The Trojan Women“ (Gr: “Troädes“ ) is a tragedy by the ancient Greek playwright Euripides. Clytemnestra was then killed by Also, what happens Agamemnon? According to Electra, Clytemnestra killed Agamemnon so that she could be with Aegisthus. Character of Clytemnestra in the play Agamemnon. Though Agamemnon is the main focus of the play, the character Clytemnestra is clearly the more interesting. He returned from Troy victorious, only to have his wife, Clytemnestra, murder him. Character Analysis Agamemnon Agamemnon inherited the role of king from his father, and his community expects him, as king, to stabilize society, arbitrate disputes, and call council meetings and assemblies. The girl was chosen by Apollo and granted the gift of prophecy but as a result of Apollo's anger towards Cassandra, nobody believes her predictions. As a result, the reader must take a deeper look into the understanding of Clytemnestra. Zig-Zagged: The title character in Agamemnon tried to sacrifice his daughter to the gods, and ends up murdered by his wife Clytemnestra and her paramour Aegisthus. It details the homecoming of Agamemnon, King of Mycenae, from the Trojan War.After ten years of warfare, Troy had fallen and all of Greece could lay claim to victory. Agamemnon focuses on Clytemnestra's murder of Agamemnon. In Aeschylus' tragedy Agamemnon the character of Clytemnestra is portrayed as strong willed woman. This characteristic is not necessarily typical of women of her time. At times he is depicted as being very moral, and at other times, very immoral. Clytemnestra in the first in the series of plays by Aeschylus, which is Agamemnon, is one of the most fascinating female characters in ancient literature as she walks a fine line between male and female, subject and ruler, and lover and fighter. In Aeschylus' tragedy Agamemnon the character of Clytemnestra is portrayed as strong willed woman. Comparing the 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. As the ruler of all of Argos and husband to the duplicitous Clytemnestra, Agamemnon is highly a complicated character and it is very difficult to distinguish whether he is virtuous or immoral. See also R. Sevieri, Analysis of Aeschylus’s Oresteia By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on July 27, 2020 • ( 0) [The Oresteia is a] trilogy whose special greatness lies in the fact that it transcends the limitations of dramatic enactment on a scale never achieved before or since. Years earlier, Agamemnon had sacrificed his daughter to the gods when it seemed that some supernatural force was preventing the Greek fleet from advancing. Men of … Penelopiad is the story concerned with Penelope. It comes in handy in Sophocles’ Oedipus the King and Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. She is also an avenging mother. Last Updated on August 5, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. The main theme of the Agamemnon is rather a dilemma than any positive message. A character analysis of Clytemnestra in 'Electra' by Sophocles. This characteristic is not necessarily typical of women of her time. The first half of this article focuses on an examination of the character of Clytemnestra in Aeschylus' Agamemnon. In Agamemnon, the only two characters with any weight or backstory are Agamemnon, the returning war hero, and Clytemnestra, the dutiful spouse. The Chorus. Clytemnestra, in Greek legend, a daughter of Leda and Tyndareus and wife of Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. Eidothea. Character analysis of Aeschylus' Agamemnon (only the main characters) THE STORY OF AGAMEMNON. The character of Clytemnestra in Aeschylus’s Agamemnon is a perfect example of the relevance of persuasion and manipulation in tragic theatre, a genre which, since the introduction of the second actor, allowed the representation of contrasts and successful or unsuccessful attempts to overcome an opponent by persuasion. Whose … Clytemnestra is decisive, resolute, and aggressive, and her femininity is often called into question. This use of the cloth is by Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s murderous wife, once again suggesting a connection between the malicious cunning of women and the cunning of their work in textiles [17]. Thesis Statement / Essay Topic #3 : Duality and Strength : A Character Analysis of Clytemnestra. This characteristic is not necessarily typical of women of her time. Clytemnestra murders her own husband, the hero of the Trojan War, but she does so to avenge Agamemnon’s killing of their daughter, Iphigenia. She also murders Cassandra, Agamemnon’s concubine. Orestes. As a result, the reader must take a deeper look into the understanding of Clytemnestra. Upgrade to PRO to read our character analysis for Agamemnon and unlock other amazing theatre resources! 218 Likes, 3 Comments - UCSF School of Medicine (@ucsfmedicine) on Instagram: “During the first Match Day celebration of its kind, the UCSF School of Medicine class of 2020…” He tricks his wife, Clytemnestra, into preparing Iphigenia to marry the famous Greek warrior Achilles. Agamemnon was king of Mycenae. We'd better explain. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters… The focus of play is the discussion Clytemnestra and Agamemnon are involved in. With help from Aegisthus, Clytemnestra made a plan to kill Agamemnon. Daddy and the Muscle Academy, a Film by IIppo Pohjola: An Analysis Essay. Clytemnestra is Agamemnon’s wife and has been ruling Argos while he was away fighting. Ten years prior, her. In the play Agamemnon, by Aeschylus, Clytemnestra, not Agamemnon, is the play’s tragic hero. She took Aegisthus as her lover while Agamemnon was away at war. Agamemnon, when Cassandra first names Agamemnon as the Queen's metaphor. Famous Book Titles Taken from The Bible #1. interpretation of the character of Clytemnestra, "as being really 'possessed' by the Daemon of the House when she commits her crime." A shape-shifting sea god. Electra, by Sophocles). Clytemnestra married King Agamemnon of Mycenae … Clytemnestra is a mother out for revenge. Analysis. She remained faithful to her husband as long as his bard was there to guard her; but Aegisthus sent the bard to die on a desert island, and Clytemnestra yielded to Aegisthus, who made many grateful sacrifices to thank the gods. Of all the characters she has the most powerful speeches and the most confrontational scenes. In Aeschylus” tragedy Agamemnon the character of Clytemnestra is portrayed as strong willed woman. Voice 10:54 Character Analysis Even though Agamemnon gets a shout-out in the play's title, Clytemnestra may well be its most interesting character. Instead, he forces the audience to see Clytemnestra's point of view. Agamemnon: analysis. However, she is able mask her anger in … Let’s start our discussion with the analysis of Clytemnestra’s personality. Proteus. As soon as Clytemnestra persuades Agamemnon to come into the house, she strikes him dead using an axe. Although Betensky's article is flawed in that it treats characters as living persons rather than fictional creations, it does provide an extremely useful analysis of significant metaphors in Clytemnestra's speech. The three main characters of the play Agamemnon are Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, and Cassandra. Electra tells us that Clytemnestra is a cruel, pitiless, woman, a killer of her own husband who deserves to be punished for her actions. Clytemnestra is the daughter of the King and Queen of Sparta. Anagnorisis is a literary device commonly used in tragedy.However, anagnorisis can also be a source of humor for an audience and produce a comedic effect. Upon Agamemnon's return from Troy, he was killed (according to the oldest surviving account, Odyssey 11.409–11) by Aegisthus, the lover of his wife Clytemnestra. This lesson will focus on the role and character analysis of Agamemnon in Homer's The Iliad. Upgrade to PRO to read our character analysis for Clytemnestra and unlock other amazing theatre resources! Analysis of Tragedy in Agamemnon. Agamemnon's reasoning for taking Briseis from Achilles tells us all we need to know about his character. Justice and Vengeance. CLYTEMNESTRA: Sweet lord, step forth,... Clytemnestra Agamemnon. By interesting, we don't mean likable – after all, technically speaking, she is a liar, a two-timer, and a murderer. She murders Agamemnon to avenge the death of their daughter, Iphigenia, whom Agamemnon sacrificed during the Trojan War to ensure his fleet’s passage into Troy. He does not appear in Sophocles' Electra directly, but is still in many ways a key character. These men were too old to fight in the Trojan War, … READ MORE - PRO MEMBERS ONLY. This characteristic is not necessarily typical of women of her time. Secondary Character Title: Despite being the character of the title, Agamemnon isn't given much action (aside from his murder) and the true protagonists is Clytemnestra. Character of clytemnestra in the play Agamemnon 1. But beneath her venom is a deep, inconsolable pain. The chorus wears clothing of today’s day and age (20 th Century hats, shoes, etc.) In any character analysis of Clytemnestra and Lysistrata, it is important to note both of these characters’ strength lies in the fact that although they are women and able to hold a certain sexual sway over men, they are both very masculine and in many senses, they are more like men when viewed in terms of actions and dialogue alone. His wife, Clytemnestra, was left behind by him when he left for the war. She is a murderer, an androgyne, a liar, an orator, and executor of a palace coup. Agamemnon tells the story of his murder by his wife, Clytemnestra, and her paramour, Aegisthus, a story referred to repeatedly throughout the epic, effectively contrasting the murderous infidelity of Clytemnestra with the dedicated loyalty of Penelope.