The play begins with a watchman on the roof of the palace at Argos, waiting to hear of the fall of Troy from the Greek armies. He is notified by a beacon of the fall of Troy and goes to tell Clytemnestra. At this time, the Chorus enters and tells the story of how Paris, Prince of Troy, stole Helen, the wife of the Greek king Menelaus, thus sparking the Trojan War. The Chorus also tells of how Agamemnon, Clytemnestra’s husband, sacrificed their daughter to the god Artemis to gain a favorable wind for the Greek ships to reach their destination in Troy.

Clytemnestra calls for sacrifices of thanksgiving to the gods and the Chorus questions her decision. She states that Troy has fallen and Agamemnon has returned, knowing this from the beacon, so the Chorus gives thanks and wonders if it is true until confirmed by a herald.

Agamemnon returns, bringing along with him a princess named Cassandra he has taken from Troy. Clytemnestra welcomes him and professes her love for him, asking him to enter the palace.

Also important in both the Iliad and Agamemnon is the understanding of events that take place before the stories. In the Iliad, it is important that one knows that Helen had been taken from Menelaus nine years before the story actually began. A war was waged between the Greeks and Troy, and the Iliad covers a later of the war.

One of the issues in the play I happened to notice after reading the play and comparing it to events in the Iliad is the ability for some characters to know fates and how they accept them. This makes for a great tragedy, and the reader has a sense of helplessness and despair while following the plot.

In Agamemnon, it is important that one understands that the sacrificing of Iphigenia in the Iliad is the motive for Clytemnestra’s anger toward her husband. The story begins immediately after the war and Agamemnon’s return home.

Achilles’ revenge in the Iliad is plainly visible when the death of Patroclus, Achilles’ longtime friend and an excellent warrior, sends him into a rage, wanting to bring the slayer of Patroclus to justice (Homer). In the end, justice is brought about when Achilles kills Hector, avenging the death of his lo

Some topics in this essay:
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