Clytaemnon By Aeschylus-Agamemnon

After Penelope is sent away by Telemachus, Athena suddenly appears amidst a bright light before him and Odysseus. The young, brash Telemachus nearly cried out, giving her presence away to others in the house of Odysseus, but Odysseus stopped him, saying, “Be still: keep still about it: just remember it. The gods who rule Olympus make this light” (Odyssey 354). Here, Odysseus’ quick, yet tactful reply to Telemachus perhaps saved the day, and Telemachus, because he didn’t feel ashamed at his father’s response to his foolishness, maintained his bravery and focused upon the task at hand.

He maintains his focus on Greek myths not only because of the sheer number of myths around the world, making it impossible to interpret and clarify them all, but also because European men, who would have been familiar with the myths from Greece, write most of the classics we analyze. He explains that these myths are not only a part of them but also “so much a part of the fabric of our consciousness, of our unconscious really, that we scarcely notice” (Foster, 51). Which suggests that, we can recognize Greek myths even if we do not realize it. With this simple fact presented to us, we no longer wonder why allusions to Greek myths have been used since they emerged and are still employed today. Myths are often exercised as “overt subject matter for poems and paintings and operas and novels” but more often “writers have…borrowed from and emulated” these myths (Foster, 52, 53). Instead of explaining every detail about every character, place or moment authors rely on other stories, such as myths, to expand and develop their tale. The writer will subtly hint at myths and hope you recognize their allusions to these old legends. Since we established that, we know these myths, whether consciously or not, we can take these allusions and decipher any hidden meanings the author has for us, giving each story a new level.

At the beginning of Book 2 of The Aeneid, Aeneas tells his story about the fall of Troy. The Greeks constructed a massive wooden horse to which the Trojans believed was an offering goddess Minerva. They then sent one of their youths, Sinon, to give the offering to the Trojans. The Trojans brought the wooden horse into to please the goddess but, the wooden horse was actually a structure to house some Greek soldiers to infiltrate Troy as well as execute a sneak attack when the city was asleep. Similar to guerrilla soldiers, the Greeks exit the wooden horse to begin their attack on the Trojan city. When Aeneas sees the city in flames, he gathers his men to attempt to save Troy. Aeneas attempts to kill as many Greeks as he can, but forced to retreat.

A chorus is a common element to Greek tragedy’s and in ancient theatre consisted of a group of people who provide a number of different contributions to a play, providing a historical perspective, acting as counsellors and advisors to the plays characters and at times representing various groups such as villagers or a jury. Within this essay, I will consider the main contributions of the chorus within “The Burial at Thebes”

This stereotypical feeling of female leadership is not only discussed by the watchman but also by the Chorus, whom are the old men of Argos that just observe throughout the play and comment on the action. As Clytaemnestra is lighting the torches of Argos the Chorus mock her assumption that the war is over by saying, "Tell us the news! What you can, what is right, Heal us, soothe our fears!" The chorus is sarcastically toying with Clytaemnestra asking her things that she is incapable of but perhaps the gods are. Possibly the chorus was saying that Clytaemnestra thinks she is as important as the gods themselves ruling Argos alone and being a woman.

Zeus is important in the poem as illustrating the role of the gods as justice bringers. When

Peripeteia or plot reversal is a tragic element that can be found in two tragic plays “Agamemnon”, “Hamlet” and “John F. Kennedy’s Secret Society Speech.” Main Points Both Agamemnon and Hamlet fulfill Aristotle’s definition of tragedy as they both depict the downfall of a good person through a fatal error and judgement which causes suffering on the part of the protagonists (Hamlet and Agamemnon and the audience in Secret Society Speech) Both Agamemnon and Hamlet are Kings, their personalities contribute to their downfall. Kennedy on the other hand is the President of the United States. He is basically lecturing the media.

Although she closed her eyes, she did not sleep. She reviewed the day’s events. “I was preparing the Palladium for the trip back to Athens when mayhem consumed the Ravenna. My negotiations with the city’s leaders were a success.” She mulled them over. “My Pentecost, with troop of hoplites was to take me back to Athens. Now I am a captive of this very likeable king who also wanted the Palladium.” Her thoughts continued. “Why didn’t he just try to ransom the Palladium, rather than butchering the temple guardians and robbing Athena’s Temple. That was a sacrilege. I hope Athena’s vengeance won’t be too merciless. I am beginning to like this gentle King but I

Theseus Returns to Athens Triumphant: Why Theseus Leaves Adriadne on an Island, How He Keeps the Tributes Busy on the Ship, and Why He Forgets to Raise the Sail.

When one says the name Prometheus, most people recall vague details from the old Greek myth of the titan god who stole fire. Some may have only even heard the name Prometheus from seeing the movie of the same name about space voyagers. However, the most important version of Prometheus' story in literature is the classical Greek play Prometheus Bound by Ӕschylus. It tells the story of Prometheus standing up to Zeus on behalf of humanity. Prometheus endures Zeus' punishments and becomes a hero. Not only is it an entertaining play, but it also illustrates the dangers of tyranny and oppression on society. In this way, Prometheus Bound is an important piece of literature, a major contribution to theatre, and a warning for society.

In Roman culture, “pietas” – the parent word of our modern English “piety” – was an expansive term, vital to Roman culture, which was spattered throughout the pages of historical literature and art. Unlike our contemporary “piety”, however, Pietas refers to a much more broad and abstract devotion. Roughly translated, it means a loyalty to family and country. Or, in more direct terms, it is a sense of duty and responsibility specifically to one’s father, Roman values and customs, the Gods, and country. Pietas was commonly displayed through art, sculpture, and even literature throughout the entire length of the Roman empire, from early Republican times through late Augustan times and beyond. The architecture of Fortuna at Praeneste, for example, was a large show of pietas in Republican times. In the early Augustan period, book two of the Aeneid has blatant references to Pietas. Both of these examples together, however, embody a thorough display of political and ideological pietas through Roman history albeit in different manners.

In the Oresteia, Clytemnestra is portrayed as an intelligent, powerful woman who acts decisively in her own interests and to protect the throne. Clytemnestra should be considered a heroine for demonstrating her excellence by defending her own honour according to traditions, and also for transgressing the boundaries that limited women in ancient times. Two of the most heroic acts that she performed were ruling Argos while Agamemnon her husband was away waging the Trojan War and ultimately taking revenge on him for the sacrifice of her daughter. Like many heroines, Clytemnestra is flawed and dies tragically in the end.

The first play, Agamemnon, tells about the return of the King from the Trojan wars and how his wife has chosen to react to the reunion. Clytemnestra is the queen who was angered by the fact that Agamemnon was away for a decade and that the King sacrificed their daughter Iphigenia to one of the gods. In one part of the play, the Chorus of Elders chants "Zeus who hath paved a way for human thought, by ordaining this firm law 'He who learns, suffers'" (Aeschylus, trans. 1893, 1.176-179) which speaks to the law that was formed by the words. The people of Greece followed the law that a person who commits a crime, whether that be a recognized law or one that the punisher deemed appropriate, is subject to some form of punishment. In Agamemnon's case, Clytemnestra believed that his actions justified his death. She did not believe that it was murder because his actions justified her actions.

Ancient Greece was an extremely patriarchal society to a point where women were treated as second class citizens. They were secluded in their homes, kept in contempt, deemed uneducated, and “tolerated only as a necessary evil” (Katz, Marilyn). In the play Agamemnon, the idea of a female villain such as Clytemnestra is subversive because she is constantly criticized and shunned by the chorus. Throughout Agamemnon women were considered oblivious, irrational, and over emotional. However, Clytemnestra’s plot to kill her husband took great planning and detail. Though the entire time she was acting out of emotion, she was able to still use intelligence and wit to avenge the death of her daughter. Women in the ancient Greece time period were often disrespected, and anything they say is disregarded. Clytemnestra attempted to warn the chorus about the situation in Troy, and though she was right, they still would not believe her. Also when Cassandra tried to warn Agamemnon and the chorus of the murderous actions that Clytemnestra had planned, they refused to pay any attention to her and died because of it. And at the end of the play in the midst of everything that occurred, the chorus still could not believe that such

The horrendous death of the trojan priest Laocoön and his sons is a classical event associated with the final days of Troy, inspiring works in literature as well as visual arts. Book 2 of The Aeneid, by the Latin poet Virgil, and the 1st Century CE marble sculpture ‘Laocoön and Sons’ are two famed works that are inspired by the Laocoön Episode. Though both the sculpture and the text are canonical works of their own genre, the latter is more superior in terms of delivering a comprehensive narrative on the Laocoön episode. The Aeneid amplifies movements of Laocoön and the serpents using literary devices and adopts a time frame spanning from the arrival of serpents to the death of Laocoön to deliver a complete narrative, whereas the sculpture, though using dynamic movements and utilizes a single moment within the time frame of the text, fails to contain a general, uninformed viewer within the episode’s context.