Essay The Powerful Clytemnestra in Aeschylus' Oresteia

In the trilogy Oresteia, the issues concerned are the transformation from vengeance to law, from chaos to peace, from dependence to independence, and from old to new. These four significant changes all take place throughout the play and are somewhat parallel to the transformations that were going on in Ancient Greece.

Euripides’ Iphigenia at Aulis provides important context regarding the sacrifice of Iphigenia and Clytemnestra’s past with Agamemnon. Clytemnestra is ashamed after talking to Achilles about the wedding between him and Iphigenia that he is unaware of. After discovering Agamemnon 's true intentions, she decides that she will no longer “let shame prevent” her from seeking Achilles’ help to stop Agamemnon because “whose interests should [she] consult before [her] child’s?” (Iphigenia at Aulis 24). Her concern for Iphigenia overpowers the indignity she feels because her child’s well being is greater than her own. Both women’s anger and desire for vengeance grow as their children are endangered or harmed as “vengeance makes grief bearable” (Medea 2.55). The playwrights show each as either a good or bad woman based on if their vengeful actions are ultimately in favor of their children or not.

Both Clytemnestra and Antigone are driven by their passionate transgressions and desires due to conflicts within their families, and they are incapable of bearing the consequences they bring upon their nations and societies. There are times when personal sacrifices are necessary to the greater social progress, and the death of Iphigenia is an example in which case her death contributes to the victory of the Greek army. Agamemnon, the commander of the Greek army, decides to sacrifice the life of his own daughter in exchange of the wind that carries the Greek army to the land of Troy, which eventually leads to a glorious victory. However, Clytemnestra is overwhelmed by the death of her daughter, and she is not capable of perceiving the death of Iphigenia as a sacrifice to secure the Greeks’ victory with help from the Gods. Her husband Agamemnon, who lies to Iphigenia and sends her

Everyone is going to die. This is no secret to the audience of the Greek play Agamemnon. Rather than surprising us with the murders that befall at the hands of vengeance, the Greek playwright uses this common story to display the underlying theme that one must first suffer before they can reach the truth. To understand the significance behind the story of Agamemnon, one must understand the passions and how they relate to the human person, Zeus’s law of suffering into truth, and Aeschylus’s motives for writing Agamemnon and how he reflects Catholic teaching.

Orestes’ father, Agamemnon, is suffered for the truth of the prophecy, the child is the price: if he kills his child, his country will win the war. Due to this prophecy, Agamemnon is tortured and agonizing between his two important roles: father of his family and father of the country. If he chooses his family and doesn’t kill his child, they will lose the war. All people in the country will be tortured as slaves and colonists. However, if he chooses the win, the peace and the pleasant from a family will not exist anymore. His family will be demolished. Eventually, in the middle of the story, he decides to kill Iphigenia. Agamemnon chooses his country, his subjects, and the win, not his family’s peace. He makes Iphigenia drink three solutions including the pills which make her die. “I feel like I’ve done something so wrong that my whole life, my family, nothing will be able to- the worst mistake. I got it wrong. It was wrong. It was wrong” (Aeschylus, 56.) This demonstrates how he is suffered by the truth that he killed his daughter. His choice, even

Sophocles, in Oedipus at Colonus, further expands on the Oresteia’s idea of the polis vs. the oikos. When Oedipus arrives at Colonus, he is a suppliant after being cast into exile by his son, Polynices. Oedipus soon learns from his daughter Ismene that Creon and Polynices want to take Oedipus because there was a prophecy that whatever country contained the body of Oedipus would be free from harm. The prophecy here sets up the conflict within Oedipus’ own oikos. Oedipus himself, seems to be aware of this issue.

“Eumenides”, the third and final piece in Aeschylus’s Oresteia trilogy, resumes the tale where “Choephoroe” left it as Orestes is pursued by the vengeful Erinyes. The primary plot point in “Eumenides” is the judgement Orestes undergoes for his act of matricide, and the conflicting ideas of justice provided by the various parties that are associated with it. Topic In “Eumenides”, the best idea of justice Argument is Athena’s Reason because her lack of a personal stake in the matter allows her to give a truly fair solution to the situation. (topic) The Erinyes do not have the best idea of justice because, as they have a personal stake in the matter, they twist their ideals to fit the situation and lean it in their favor.

In Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, it dives deep inside the realm of justice, who has the right to do what he or she does. While the fight for justice is the endless battle within the text, family is also portrayed as a weakness, which leads to the struggle of maintaining power and can be shown to inhibit people’s lives.

Had Agamemnon never found out that it was prophesized that his daughter should be sacrificed in order for the Greeks to be successful, Iphigenia would have never had the opportunity to make the decision to willingly die. Without this decision, Iphigenia would have never been presented with the opportunity to gain any

In the Oresteia there seems to be a continuing cycle of revenge. Someone is murdered and then a relative must kill the murderer, therefore becoming a murderer himself. A new chosen one is then selected to take revenge on that person who killed before him and the cycle goes on and on. The furies also play a part in this cycle of revenge. They seek out those who kill their blood relatives and haunt them and torture them for eternity. So basically they also take revenge for the ones that have been murdered. Revenge is a continuing theme throughout the play until Athena has a hand in making it come to an end.

Throughout many myths, scarifies and prayers are common. Most scarifies and prayers are towards gods to get their help or something from them. In both Homer's Iliad and chapter thirteen in the Metamorphosis, this theme is seen. In the Iliad, sacrifices are done by Chrysies and by Agamemnon, one wanted his daughter back the other wanted to win a war. In the chapter thirteen of The Metamorphosis, Achilles forces the Greeks to scarified someone for him as an act of forgiveness and regret.

In this, the Chorus is shocked that a woman could have carried out such a terrifying act as Clytemnestra did in murdering Agamemnon, and in response, Clytemnestra says she does not want to be looked or treated as a woman. Other actions by Clytemnestra that completely defy the sub- ordinate position of women in Athenian society include running Athens itself! Imagine a society in which women are looked down upon yet have a woman leading them- that is Clytemnestra’s Athens. Aeschylus’ representation of Clytemnestra can be seen as both negative and positive, an example being that she seeks justice for her daughter but at the same time is unapologetic for committing the murder.  It is through defying traditional gender roles and adopting masculine

Clytemnestra shows no shame or remorse for her actions. She proudly brags that she killed her husband. Also, she refers to the issue of strife, which refers to the condition of opposites between the victor and the victim, but she feels that her actions as victor are justified since the victim committed the same crime: “evil for evil to an enemy.” As she brags about the murder, she uses flowery language and vivid imagery to describe how his blood fell on her like rain. Then, she compares Agamemnon fulfilling the Curse of the House of Atreus to filling a glass with wine, which emphasizes how routine everyone considered the killing of Iphigenia. The Chorus questions the causation of her unnatural lack of fear and remorse then proceeds to discuss

In the play “Iphigenia” written by Euripides, the theme that is expressed is bravery. The play showed bravery because the daughter of Agamemnon, Iphigenia, was brave enough to offer her own life as a sacrifice so that the Greek army can invade Troy. A quote that represents Iphigenia’s courage is “My death will save the women of my people – they will bless my name – I will be called “The woman who set Greece free!” Life is not so sweet that I can shrink from my duties”. Here Iphigenia talks about how as the princess of Greece she mustn’t run from her duties to save Greece; therefore she offers her life and shows her bravery and willingness to die for Greece. “The goddess needs my blood; how can I refuse? No – take me!” this second quote again just like the first quote, shows how Iphigenia is willing to sacrifice herself, showing the theme bravery.

Agamemnon returns from Troy, a victorious general, bringing home spoils, riches and fame. He is murdered on the same day as he returns. Clytemnestra, his adulterous wife, has laid in wait for her husband's homecoming and kills him whilst he is being bathed after his long journey. During the Agamemnon, large proportions of the Queen's words are justifications for her action, which is very much concerned with the sacrifice of Iphigenia to the gods, in order for the fleet to set sail for Troy. Aegisthus, the new husband of the Queen Clytemnestra, and partner in the conspiracy to murder the war hero, had reasons, which stemmed from the dispute between the Houses of Atreus and Thyestes. Was the