3 Agamemnon

1. Bower: 1 : an attractive dwelling or retreat
2 : a lady's private apartment in a medieval hall or castle
3 : a shelter (as in a garden) made with tree boughs or vines twined together : arbor
-Merriam-Webster Online

Lines 1000-1002: "And he who followed spake of ill on ill,
Keening Lost, lost all lost! thro' hall and bower."


2. Clytemnestra praises Agamemnon highly, going so far as to lay a purple carpet down for him to walk on. Agamemnon humbly refuses, saying that he is afraid of the gods and is a mere mortal. Clytemnestra doesn't let it go, though, and eventually Agamemnon enters on the carpet. Cassandra remains outside, even when Clytemnestra tells her to come in. She then cries to the gods, much to the confusion of the Chorus. Cassandra explains that Apollo cursed her with the gift of prophecy but the curse of nobody believing her. She then states that she, along with Agamemnon, is fated to die by a woman. The Chorus doesn't understand her implication, and she goes to enter the hall.


3. Agamemnon's feigned modesty both amused and angered me. After arriving loudly and arrogantly at his palace, declaring victory and honor, it is no secret that he regards himself very highly. However, in a show of the "goodness" of his character, he refuses to walk on the purple carpet that his wife laid down for him. Although Clytemnestra did so in a sarcastic manner, the fact that he fancies himself so humble makes me laugh. When he claims that he is humble before the gods, I wonder how anyone took him seriously. He is the one who killed his own beloved daughter to spite them and go to war against their wishes. Clearly he has no respect for the deities. Eventually, Agamemnon caves in and walks on the carpets, showing a lack of willpower as well. His wife, a woman, could control him quite easily. What kind of King must he have been? Did he allow his pride to get in the way of nation-wide matters as well?
Cassandra uses many animals to describe Clytemnestra. Around lines 1408-1416, she makes a comparison both to a "coward lion, crouching in the lair" and a "dog-like" nature. In line 1420 she compares the Queen to "the double snake." Again in line 1448, Cassandra calls Clytemnestra a "lioness." Clytemnestra is also compared to both a spider and a snake at various points in the story. Why so many animal references? Obviously they're symbolic, with the snake being deceitful and untrustworthy, the spider spinning a web of lies, and the lioness representing her power as Queen. "Dog-like" is likely because of the lowliness of dogs in comparison to humans. It's ironic, though, because in modern times dogs are seen as extremely loyal. Clytemnestra, however, slays her own husband. Loyal? I think not.


4. I assume Clytemnestra had planned to murder Agamemnon for awhile. Did she know that he would be bringing home a concubine? Was Cassandra's murder also in her plan, or was it spur of the moment?

Why does the Chorus not believe Cassandra after she explains her curse? Is it that thorough, or are they naive? It would seem to me that if she tells them she can see the future but nobody will believe her, they would believe whatever she predicts. Obviously I would not have done well in the Chorus, though.

Are the multiple animals supposed to represent the many faces of Clytemnestra? Most characters in the story are only compared to one animal, but she is compared to many. Is this to show her complexities? Are we supposed to understand her more than any other character?