Sunday, February 14, 2010

4 Agamemnon

1. Lorn: desolate, forsaken.
-Merriam-Webster Online

Lines 1861-1865: "Thereafter, the lorn exile homeward stole
And clung a suppliant to the heart divine,
And for himself won this immunity-
Not with his own blood to defile the land
That gave him birth..."


2. Agamemnon cries out for help soon after Cassandra enters the palace, leading the Chorus to rightfully fear the worst. More shouts continue as the Chorus bickers over how to act, and then the shouts stop and Clytemnestra is standing over the bodies of Agamemnon and Cassandra. Clytemnestra justifies the murder by pointing out that he had killed their daughter and deserved to be killed as well. The Chorus is extremely shaken, mourning the king and blaming Helen of Troy for all of the troubles of late. Clytemnestra insists that by taking her husband's life she has ended the curse on their family. All of a sudden Aegisthus shows up and takes credit for the murder, claiming that he was leading Clytemnestra toward the act of violence unbeknownst to anyone. The Chorus tells Aegisthus that he will be killed, and they trade insults. Clytemnestra intercedes, arguing that what was meant to happen has happened. The Chorus accepts this but says that Orestes will take vengeance upon his return.


3. This section particularly emphasizes Clytemnestra's strength as a woman. She shows no remorse for killing her husband; rather, she sees her actions as completely justified and will not be persuaded otherwise. She rebukes the Chorus for saying that she was wrong to kill Agamemnon and in the end makes them see her side. However, at the end of the play, there is a feeling of moral uncertainty. While Clytemnestra first appeared to be a grieved mother seeking revenge, with the surfacing of her lover, Aegisthus, questions arise. Did she kill her husband solely because of his heartlessness toward her daughter, or did she have other intentions? Was she acting as a woman insane with bereavement or an adulteress seeking more power? Moreover, will the Chorus's prediction of Orestes's return be proven true? Will he revenge his father and kill his mother and Aegisthus? Clytemnestra seems pretty full of herself at the end of the play. Will the gods see this as hubris and end her life just as they did to her husband? If she isn't careful, it seems that this is where the next part of the play will be heading.
I think it's very strange that the Chorus is so full of threats but never follows through. When Clytemnestra kills Agamemnon and Cassandra, they tell her that she will be banished. She talks them out of it quite easily. Then, when Aegisthus takes credit, they say that he will be killed. Once again they are subdued. If the Chorus represents the elders of Argos, it is unthinkable to me that they should be so weak. Perhaps Clytemnestra's power intimidates them: she has a very domineering personality and it is said earlier in the play that she ruled better than her husband had. Either way, I found the Chorus to be a very interesting aspect of the play.


4. In the final moments of the play is Clytemnestra demonstrating hubris? If so, will she be smote for it? She seems very confident and sure of herself, but perhaps a bit too much so.

Is there a reason for the Chorus's easy obedience to their queen, even after she does something that seems so horrid to them? Why do they not stand up for themselves and for Argos?

Is Clytemnestra meant to be a sympathetic character? Are we meant to approve of her actions, or to be disgusted by them? Was Aeschylus suggesting that she was right to murder Agamemnon? Or was he trying to set her up to be a monster?

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