Aeschylus Agamemnon Essay

Aeschylus’ drama, Agamemnon, relates the story of a king’s downfall at the hands of his queen. Agamemnon, the king and the play’s namesake, is introduced almost halfway through the production. His first appearance creates a scene fraught with characterization, of himself and others around him, and symbolism. The scene and Aeschylus’ techniques allow interpretations concerning the king’s own hubris being his destruction. The introduction of Agamemnon portrays the chariot as his ability to identify his own pride as a flaw, the tapestries as his willing acceptance of his hubris, and Cassandra’s movements as her acceptance of her fate.

Amy Rose’s article, Vergil’s Ship-Snake Simile, explores the importance of the snake similes presented throughout book two and book five of the Aeneid. Specifically, there are important differences with how these snake similes are depicted in these two books, which Rose focuses on and examines their significance to the story. This article suggests that stark differences between these two books shines a light on Aeneas’ change of fortune since the fall of Troy. Rose further extends the argument to encompass that these snakes also symbolize Aeneas’ newfound responsibility to his followers. Therefore, the snake similes suggest Aeneas’ change of fortune and his newfound responsibility.

In “The Trojan Women,” there are four enduring women who dominate the play and only two men who say anything at all. Moving us with their rants and dramatic reactions, these women engulf the audience in overwhelming grief and irresistible pride. Euripides emphasizes these four women to help us understand one of his main themes. Hecuba with her pride, Cassandra with her virginity and uncanny wisdom, Andromache with her misery and heartache, and Helen with her powerful, seductive reasoning all represent superior illustrations of feminism throughout the play.

Through diction and imagery, the passage said by the chorus recalling the battle between Polyneices and Eteocles creates a respectful tone toward Polyneices in the beginning stanzas, but shifts to a condescending tone as the passage progresses. Polyneices is first shown commanding his army, and he “roused them with windy phrases” (9). The words ‘roused’ and ‘windy phrases’ denote power and pride, and suggest that Polyneices is passionate about what he is fighting for. In this way, the chorus speaks about him with a level of respect. He is also described as a “wild eagle screaming” (10). Eagles are strong, dignified animals, and describing him as such makes Polyneices appear powerful and ready to fight for what he wants. In the first two stanzas, the chorus describes Polyneices in a way that makes him appear noble, and discusses him with a tone of respect.

It came to Zeus’s attention that his divine envoys began begging him for retreat. It was a futile request. “There shall be no withdrawal!” bellowed Zeus. Instead, he raised the monstrous lightning bolt in his hand, and let out a thunderous shout. For a minute, there was silence. Then, the defendants of Malwarth jeered at their assailants. The morale of the legion began escaping them like sand in an hourglass…

I will abide by your plan. As I cannot have any doubt of my fate

choruses in their songs and dances.” Moreover, Aeschylus’s plays were known for their grand and beautiful language, complex plot structure, and their resonant themes. Their tragedies include the lives of individuals and their relationships to the gods. As shown in the Oresteia, the gods’ plans are carried out through human motives including the desire for vengeance. Importantly, the plays do not end in violence, but rather end in triumph in the rule of law, and in joy and reconciliation.

An eye for an eye, or in Clytaemnestra’s case, a death for an death is never the answer for bringing about justice. Clytaemnestra vengeance on Agamemnon backfires because she is simply doing the exact same thing as he did. In Clytaemnstra’s mind her actions are justified because of all the evil things Agamemnon has done to her and others. Clytaemnestra believes she has many reason to kill Agamemnon but most of those reason are based in hypocrisy because through killing him she is reenacting everything she hates about him.

A tale of sacrifice and murder based in pride and all for the sake of regaining a broken marriage. In Aeschylus’s Agamemnon, the reader is witness to the aftermath of a great war and difficulties associated with a bitter house hold plagued by death. The reader is only in contact with a small amount of the King of Argos, Agamemnon, but his role in this play and in many others is easily one of the most significant. In other words, every action committed by Agamemnon creates an event in the play that must be accounted for. Without our loyal king willing to do anything for his nation, these plays would not stand cohesively.

Agamemnon knows nothing of this affair and upon his return he is greeted with an overjoyed and welcoming Clytaemestra. Clytaemestra proceeded to inform Agamemnon that she had resisted all of the great many suitors who had propositioned her in his absence. Clytaemestra conveniently mentions nothing of her affair, clearly hiding the truth from her husband. The darkness of the opening twilight gives an early warning that just as light is hidden in darkness, so will a truth (the affair) be hidden in the actions of the play.

The hymn opens with a description of worship for the god Apollo, while he plays his lyre. With the first few notes of his song, the other immortals quickly gather to the place where the melody can be heard. Apollo’s music is entrancing, all present are intrigued by the beautiful music that is playing, and in

One of the greatest spectacles of Ancient Greek history was the art of the Tragedy. Audiences from all over the world would gather in search of theatricality and intellectual expression. This form of theatre held an element that allowed the audience experiencing it, to do so on an entirely new level. The incorporation and creation of the chorus had a tremendous effect on the overall experience of audiences everywhere. The Chorus remains onstage throughout the action of the play to show common emotion that the audience can relate to when the spectacle is being experienced. Their voices overlap, their stories heighten, and the physicality proceeds to compile to the overall escapade that is the chorus.

In The Eumenides and Agamemnon of The Oresteia trilogy, Aeschylus constructs an over-arching metaphor for elements of the new Athenian democracy. The chorus in each play represents the people who feel under-represented and disrespected, by the society's changing values. In The Eumenides, the chorus of Furies is frustrated with the younger gods and infringements on their power; in Agamemnon the chorus fears more the control of an effective woman in Clytemnestra rather than the leadership of fruitless Agamemnon. Both choruses take direct actions thought to ensure their prominence.

It is remarkable how O’Neill contrives to preserve the Chorus, which is a fundamental element of the Greek tragedy. Although it is not as dramatic as the tragic Chorus of the classical Greek plays, each and every of the three parts of “Mourning Becomes Electra” begins with the performance of a chorus formed of different men and women that comment upon the Mannons, the history of their family, revealing to the audience details about the behavior and the character of the heroes. Moreover, the setting chosen by O’Neill is similar to the classical one used by the Greeks. It is known that in Aeschylus’ times a wooden wall was used as a background of the setting, the wall usually stood for a palace or a temple and this exactly the same as in O’Neill’s trilogy, as the greatest part of the action takes place in front of the Mannon’s residence which is described as being an enormous stone mansion that has the aspect of a Greek temple(the temple of god Apollo) “with a white wooden portico, with six tall columns”[2]. However that was the typical construction for a house that belonged to an American aristocratic family in the XIX century.

He is always on stage until the stabbing, he narrates his view on the events of the play, this is a Greek Chorus. A Greek Chorus is a narrator that is always on the stage and their views shaped the audiences. Being a Greek Chorus means that this is a Greek Tragedy, Millar uses this and Alfieri to enforce the idea in the play that the inevitable is going to happen despite the audience not knowing what. This is also implied when mentioning Caesar as some may remember him as a tragic hero. A chorus in a Greek Tragedy comments on the play but is unable to change it. By using this old formation of a play Millar indicates that this chain of events is