2 Agamemnon

1. Rapine: : pillage, plunder
-Merriam-Webster Online

Lines 636-642: "But at Fate's judgement-seat the robber stands
Condemned of rapine, and his prey is torn
Forth from his hands, and by his deed is reaped
A bloody harvest of his home and land
Gone down to death, and for his guilt and lust
His father's race pays double in the dust."


2. The Herald enters, ecstatic to be back in his homeland, Argos. A touching greeting takes place between the Chorus and the Herald. He then announces the return of Agamemnon and goes on passionately about how the warriors have suffered greatly. Clytemnestra reminds the Chorus that she told them the war was over, even persisting in her argument when they did not believe her. She then asks the Herald to tell Agamemnon to hurry home as she misses him greatly. The Chorus asks the Herald what has become of Menelaus, Agamemnon's brother and Helen's real husband, but the Herald is unsure of his fate. After the Herald leaves the Chorus once again mentions Helen, this time relating her to death. Agamemnon arrives grandly in a chariot with Cassandra. Clytemnestra comes forward and (sarcastically) greets her husband very enthusiastically, comparing him to the gods. Agamemnon seems to fail to see her irony and is abashed by her praise, telling her he isn't worthy.


3. The uncertain fate of Menelaus raises the question of Hubris and the gods' response to such pride. The Greeks defeated the Trojans, even though the gods did not want them to go to war. They had their victory, but the gods surely did not want them to go unpunished. It is not known whether Menelaus returns home or not; however, the fact that he had difficulty in doing so, either way, suggests that the gods were angry. As angry as the gods might be at Menelaus, they must be infinitely more furious toward Agamemnon. Not only did he go to war, but he slaughtered his daughter in order to do so. The gods did not tell him he was free to fight, they told him to sacrifice his daughter because he should have known that they would never ask him to do such a thing in seriousness. However, Agamemnon killed his daughter in spite of this and sailed off to battle. This act made it seem that Agamemnon viewed himself as superior to the gods, which would have angered them greatly. From Greek legend it is known that Hubris does not get a free pass - ever. If Agamemnon's pride was not so bloated and his ego so large, he would realize that he is in grave danger. However, because he is elated with the victory and the glory of war, he assumes safety. We will have to see if he is a fool for doing so.


4. Did Aeschylus intend to write Agamemnon as a naive character, simply not realizing his mistake in disobeying the gods, or was he supposed to be arrogant?

Was Clytemnestra genuinely overjoyed to see her husband and praising him sincerely, or was she, as I suspect, sarcastically greeting him? If the latter, did he miss the sarcasm entirely or did he pick up on it? Either possibility could greatly alter the play.

Why is the Chorus so hesitant in believing Clytemnestra? Has she been proven to be a liar previously? Is it because she is a woman?