Agamemnon by Aeschylus

 

Greek or Attic tragedy is the earliest form of tragedy known to man. The history of Classical Greek tragedy spans a remarkably short time. The three masters, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides— each of the three was found to be a genius. These three are all the Greek tragedians that survive to us in their works.

   Aeschylus (525-456 B.C), son of Euphoriant (a mother of the old Athenian nobility), was the earliest of the three great Athenian tragic poets. He was born at Eleusis, a town in Attica. His “Agamemnon” is the first of three plays in Aeschylus’s trilogy, “The Oresteia”. According to Greek mythology, Agamemnon rules the ancient kingdom of Mycenae and leads the Greek army during the infamous Trojan War. Agamemnon is a legendary hero known for his bravery and skill on the battlefield.  The main themes of Agamemnon are revenge and justice. Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, murdered her husband after he had returned from the Trojan War, in retaliation for his sacrifice of their daughter.

Characters:

Agamemnon- King of Argos and Mycenae

Clytemnestra- Wife of Agamemnon

 Iphigenia- daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra

Cassandra- A Trojan Prophetess, Daughter of Priam

Aegisthus- Son of Thyestes

Watchman

Chorus of Argive Elders

Atreus- Agamemnon’s father

Thyestes- Agamemnon’s uncle

Apollo, Artemis

Paris, Helen, Menelaus

 

Theme of the story:

  Destiny or fate had a moral significance for the Greeks.  Here, we see fear, revenge, justice, and judgment -all these make the story a tragic story.

 

Summary:

This story is about the Trojan War. Here, we see two brothers, Atreus and Thyestes, contending for the throne of Argos. Thyestes seduced his brother’s wife and was driven out of Argos by Atreus. Eventually, Atreus became the sole king of Argos. After that, we see that Thyestes returned and asked to be forgiven. Atreus pretended to be reconciled with his brother but secretly planned to avenge the seduction of his wife and to make him (Thyestes) unclean in the eyes of the citizens of Argos. Atreus murdered the two young sons of Thyestes, cut their bodies into unrecognizable pieces, and had them served to their father at a banquet given in honor of his return. Thyestes was horrified when he learned, and he cursed Atreus and all his descendants and fled from Argos with his only living child, the infant Aegisthus.

When Atreus died, the throne of Argos was inherited by his son  or grandson Agamemnon. He became the mighty king of Mycenae and one of the most powerful rulers of ancient Greece. He married Clytemnestra, the daughter of the king of Sparta. They had three children: Iphigenia, Electra, and Orestes.  Another son of Atreus, Menelaus, married Helen, the sister of Clytemnestra. Helen, according to Greek legend, is the most beautiful woman of her age in the world. She was the daughter of Zeus and Leda. When she was still a child, she was carried off by Theseus but was recovered by her brothers. She selected Menelaus, king of Sparta, for her husband, after her many suitors had bound themselves by an oath to defend her. She was subsequently seduced by Paris, son of Priam, king of Troy, and carried off to Troy. To get her back, Menelaus assembled the Greek princes who had been her suitors, and these resolved to make war on Troy for her recovery. This war of Troy lasted ten years and after the fall of Troy, Helen was reconciled with Menelaus and lived with him at Sparta(Ref: Sir Paul Harvey, The Oxford Companion to English Literature). Here, Agamemnon was elected commander of Greek largest contingent.

After the war,   Agamemnon returned home with one ship because his fleet was scattered by a storm at sea. When they were about to take ship at Aulis, contrary winds were sent by the virgin goddess Artemis, whom Agamemnon had offended.  And these contrary winds kept the fleet in unwelcome rest, and famine and weariness wasted the strength of Greece. At last, the prophet Calchas spoke out in the name of Artemis and demanded the sacrifice of Agamemnon’s daughter Iphigenia as an atonement.   The cruel alternative now lay before him, either of killing his child or refusing a personal sacrifice on behalf of the allies whom he had summoned to take part in a personal quarrel. Agamemnon exclaimed: “terrible is the choice between disobedience and the murder of a child: how can I leave my troops to their fate? How can I refuse to my allies the sacrifice they desire and demand?” Thus, he decided to sacrifice his daughter. Iphigenia (daughter) was slain, and straightway the winds became fair, and the army set sail for Troy, where most of them were to find graves. Agamemnon is accompanied by his newest concubine, Cassandra, the daughter of the king of Troy.  Hearing of this deed, Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, vowed revenge. Meanwhile, Aegisthus (surviving son of Thyestes) returned from exile after a long time to Argos in the absence of Agamemnon.  Aegisthus discovered that Clytemnestra had developed a bitter hatred for Agamemnon because of the sacrifice of her daughter. Her enmity for her husband continued to increase as she found other women with Agamemnon. Then Aegisthus began to plot against his cousin in the hope of regaining what he considered his rightful place on the throne and of avenging the treatment his father and brothers had received at the hands of Agamemnon. He remained in the background. Clytemnestra and Aegisthus made a plan to kill Agamemnon as revenge. Clytemnestra gave her son Orestes into the care of the king of Phocis and, in the darkened palace, nursed her consuming hate. In her desire for vengeance, she was joined by Aegisthus. Hate brought the queen and Aegisthus together in a common cause; they became lovers as well as plotters in crime. When Agamemnon arrived with Cassandra, Clytemnestra greeted him with feigned warmth and invited him to take a bath. Once he was in the tub, Clytemnestra threw a net over him and struck him down with an axe. Cassandra, who had been cursed by Apollo with the gift of prophecy but never to be believed, foresaw Agamemnon’s murder but was powerless to prevent it. She, too, was slain by Clytemnestra.  Thus, the death sets off a chain of events and revenge and leads to more tragedy in the family of Agamemnon.

Probable Questions:

Briefly describe the story of the play ‘Agamemnon’.

The role of Chorus in the play ‘Agamemnon’.

What do you know about the legend of the house of Atreus?

Consider ‘Agamemnon’ as a tragedy.

Sketch the character of Clytemnestra.