This temper surely gave Clytemnestra the ability to withstand her "wretched life" by serving as a type of emotional outlet for her anger and disappointment related to being imprisoned in her own household as the doting wife of Agamemnon who certainly experienced sexual encounters with other women as leader of the Greek armies at Troy.
Another example has Clytemnestra admitting "Thus harassed by these ever-rife reports
(i.e., that Agamemnon was dead)/Full often from my neck have forceful hands/Seized and untied the beam-suspended noose" (Swanwick, 179), a reference to attempting to hang herself from a roof beam. This indicates that Clytemnestra was indeed a very strong woman with sufficient inner strength to do away with herself because of her grief associated with Agamemnon and his alleged death at the hands of the Trojans -- "For a woman severed from her mate/To sit forlorn at home is grievous woe" (Swanwick, 179).
In Iphigenia at Aulis which focuses on the sacrifice of Iphigenia at the hands of Agamemnon, after throwing herself into the arms of her father whom she obviously loves a great deal, Iphigenia proclaims "Be mine, all mine today; turn not unto moody thoughts" (Swanwick, 236) which shows that Iphigenia possesses the strength to sway her father from negative thinking related to his trials and tribulations in the Trojan...
As a supportive note, Agamemnon acquiesces to his daughter's strength upon replying "Why so I am, all thine today; I have no other thoughts" which induces Iphigenia to order her father to "Soothe thy knitted brow, unbend and smile" (Swanwick, 236).
Also, when Agamemnon accidentally tells his daughter that they await a long absence from each other at some point in the future (a possible reference to his daughter's sacrifice), and Iphigenia does not know of what he is speaking of, she senses pity in him and states "My words shall turn to senselessness, if that will cheer thee more" (Swanwick, 237). Thus, although a young and inexperienced girl, Iphigenia shows her inner strength in the shape of love for her father and her ability to transcend her own selfish desires via caring more for her father than for her own inner happiness. Ironically, it will be Agamemnon who sacrifices his own daughter; thus one wonders if Iphigenia somehow deep down realizes this fact which if true only increases her strength and honor as a tragic Greek heroine.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven, CT:
Yale University Press, 1996.
Swanwick, Anna, Trans. The Dramas of Aeschylus. London: George Bell & Sons, 1907. Rpt.
Constable, 2005.
In the second part, the role of Clytemnestra changes somewhat, but she is still depicted as a weak woman. The weakness of her position in society is further illustrated by the fact that her son, Orestes, confesses freely to his mother's murder, and also that he never shows any remorse. It is clear that to Orestes, his father, not his mother, is of importance to him, that he finally
Athanasius of Alexandria, roughly 296 -- 373 AD, is also known as St. Athansius the Great, St. Athanasius the Confessor, and St. Athanasius the Apostolic. The was the 20th Bishop of Alexandria and of his 45 years in the episcopate he spent 17 years in five different exiles ordered by four different Roman emperors. For scholars of the early church, he is known as one of the first Christian theologian/scholars,
Aeneas' detachment differ from Rama's? The French philosopher Simone Weil once wrote that, "There is no detachment where there is no pain. And there is no pain endured without hatred or lying unless detachment is present too." In the Aeneid and Ramayana a central issue is how each text's protagonist detach themselves from the consequences of their actions. The greatest juxtaposition can be seen in how the two men respond
Mourning Becomes Electra It must have come as something of a shock for the original audience of Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra in 1931 to take their seats, open their programs, and discover that this extremely lengthy trilogy of plays does not actually contain a character named "Electra." This may seem like an obvious point, but it is one worth considering as we approach O'Neill's American analogue to the Oresteia of
Here we can see that Agamemnon struggled over what to do but finally set his eyes upon the prize. His crime becomes justified through the victory. However, when Agamemnon kills his own daughter, he is violating one of the most fundamental rules set in place by the gods, which prohibits the murder of a family member. Agamemnon is indifferent to what he has done. When Clytaemestra confronts him about
Yet they also quickly undermine their strengths as leaders by focusing overly much on their impulse to take revenge. Revenge is a key theme of Agamemnon, a driving force behind most of the characters' actions. Selfhood is depicted as a journey in Aeschylus' play mainly through the title character. Agamemnon's changing sense of self contrasts considerably with that of his wife. While Agamemnon has let go of the sacrifice of
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now