Agamemnon Essay, Research Paper
In Agamemnon by Aeschylus, Clytaemnestra is the character with the bulk of the power because of her ability to pull strings the other characters. She is non influenced or swayed by Aegisthus to slay her hubby. She kills to derive justness for her girl s decease, as she feels their jurisprudence justifies her Acts of the Apostless. Clytaemnestra manipulates the other characters into believing that she is weak, she toys with the other characters to farther authorise herself. In her head, it is a benefit that she will derive more power over the land and retain her courtesan, Aegisthus. From the beginning, Clytaemnestra was a adult female with power. Her first action in Agamemnon was to command. She was subsequently described by the chorus of aged work forces as turning strong in her house, with no fright of the hubby. ( Line 151-152 ) The Chorus looked to her for counsel and protection, touching to her as their lone guardian, resolved queen. ( Line 257-258 ) Her power was recognized by the Chorus, We ve come, Clytaemnestra. We respect your power. Right it is to honour the warlord s adult female one he leaves the throne. ( Lines 258-261 ) This line instantly sets up the fact that Clytaemnestra has gained power in Argos during Agamemnon s absence.
It is in this first reference to Clytaemnestra that we learn that power is a chief facet of her. When Clytaemnestra explains that she is illuming the alters because the war against Troy is over, which she knows because of the torch signals, she says that they are her cogent evidence, my firing mark the power my Godhead passed on from Troy to me! ( Line 318-319 ) This is one of the many illustrations of how Clytaemnestra was non given proper recognition for her resourcefulness, and how her topics sometimes looked down upon her. These feelings come from the imposts of the civilization where adult females were looked upon as inferior to work forces. Even the chorus, though it claims it respects her, mocks her behind her dorsum. Therefore, most characters in this drama expose different frontages for the environing audience of people. Even though the Chorus did non ab initio believe her study about the triumph at Troy, this does non compromise the regard and fright they feel for their queen. They justify their incredulity the easiest manner they can, with the impression that adult females are easy swayed by chitchat. Clearly, it was more their uncertainties about believing triumph had come after ten old ages, instead than merely their misgiving of adult female that led them to their uncertainty.
This is non to state that adult females were seen as peers to work forces, but her state of affairs does non look every bit bad as it was described. Clytaemnestra is non merely seen as powerful in this brush, but full of self-control ( line 355 ) It is this description of her that compliments the cognition that it is her evil intriguing that leads to the slaying of Agamemnon. Aeschylus sets up a really self-driven adult female who prospers on her place of power. In Agamemnon, the power that Clytaemnestra held was rooted in her desire to slay her hubby in retaliation for her girl s forfeit. Law bound her to revenge her girl s decease. Aeschylus created a character that became overwhelmed with hatred for another. After this initial position of Clytaemnestra is made, Aeschylus starts to perplex her character in an reference to the chorus. She says of Agamemnon, and for his married woman, may his return and happen her true at hall, merely as the twenty-four hours he left her, faithful to the last. ( Lines 601-603 ) The sarcasm of this statement is that she has a courtesan, Aegisthus, which the chorus knows about, so her statement is known as a prevarication. She does non hold faithful emotions towards her hubby, but feelings of retaliation and hatred. Therefore, when she besides sees that Agamemnon has a courtesan, Cassandra, this farther enrages her to seek retaliation on her hubby.
Clytaemnestra was willing to make anything to follow through on the slaying of her hubby. The slaying has become her life, and subsequently in the drama, her decease. Therefore, she openly lied to the Chorus when claiming that she was a faithful and loving married woman who had non changed since Agamemnon s going. ( Line 603 ) She besides puts on a forepart when Agam
emnon returns, playing the function of a incapacitated married woman, lonely for her hubby. Clytaemnestra s character alterations from being the bold leader of the house, to an adoring married woman. She says, I am non ashamed to state you how I love the adult male. ( Lines 832-843 ) This is such a contradictory statement compared to her existent feelings for Agamemnon, which are of hatred and disgust. She is seting on a frontage to conceal her existent motivations. Her power lies in the ability to pull strings Agamemnon, without him recognizing it. She becomes both lifelessly, but really cautious non to acquire caught. In this manner, Aeschylus creates a adult female really cognizant of the manner she portrays herself.
The parts of Agamemnon, where she did uncover her true feelings came when she talked about her kids, And so our kid is gone, non standing by our side, the bond of our dearest pledges, mine and yours, by all rights our kid should be here. ( Lines 864-866 ) While she is most likely speaking about Orestes, it seems to be that these lines have intending on several degrees. Not merely was she informing her hubby of their boy s whereabouts, she besides seemed to mourn over the decease of Iphigeneia. Further, she suggests that the expatriate of Orestes was her hubby s mistake, stating, You risk all [ for ] the wars. ( Line 872 ) It is in these few lines that Aeschylus presents the failing of Clytaemnestra, her inability to protect her kids and her choler because she can non. Agamemnon gives up his last sum of power when Clytaemnestra convinces him to walk into his house on the ruby pictures, likely boding his blood at his decease.
Clytaemnestra justified her slaying to the Chorus, it was clear that she felt no shame or repent for him. She claimed complete duty for the offense, stating, I did it all. I don t deny it, no. ( Line 1400-1401 ) She felt happy in slaying her hubby because the act represented her life focal point. In her head, she fulfilled her life s fate and responsibility. Clytaemnestra called herself the ancient spirit of retaliation. ( Line1529-1530 ) In her head, she has set things straight by killing Agamemnon. In her words, it was an act for act, lesion for lesion. ( Line 1555 ) To her, it was a justified and merited slaying. She was non influenced by understanding for Agamemnon, she was confident in her determination. She says to the chorus, you try me like some despairing adult female. My bosom is steel, good you know. ( Lines 1426-1427 )
In Agamemnon, Clytaemnestra was clearly non influenced by Aegisthus, nevertheless, she did she take an inactive function in the slaying. Clytaemnestra does take the action of slaying, but she stabs Agamemnon s back, which displays the murderess as fallacious and full of hocus-pocus, killing a adult male who was incognizant. In footings of Clytaemnestra s relationship with Aegisthus, Clytaemnestra clearly is equal, if non more powerful. Though Aegisthus claimed he planned Agamemnon s decease, he had no active portion in the existent slaying. Clytaemnestra is the 1 who obtains justness in this drama. Although Aegisthus nowadayss himself as the swayer of Argos, Clytaemnestra was the 1 who discouraged him from killing the work forces of Chorus by stating, No more, my dearest, no more heartache. We have excessively much to harvest, right here, our mighty crop of desperation. Our lives are based on hurting. No bloodshed now. ( Line 1687-1891 ) At this point you can see Clytaemnestra s transmutation from an intense adult female driven by a desire for retribution to a more relaxed character as her life is complete with the decease of Agamemnon. Aeschylus Clytaemnestra was a adult female who was driven by the desires of her retaliation. In her head, she was now driven by the act of retribution. Murder, to her, was non a horrific act, but she felt it was her responsibility. This is non to state Clytaemnestra was about cold because of her quest for retribution. She did hold one really humanizing characteristic, the love she had for her kids. Whether Clytaemnestra is seen as the liquidator of Agamemnon or simply a assistant, her character surfaces though her handling of this event. She is powerful and craft. She is a character driven by power and retaliation with the demand to acquire what she desires, no affair what act she must execute.
