... striking, innovative words to drive an image into the mind of his audience. Clytaemestra, notorious as a villain or perhaps an anti- heroine, effectively acts as a medium for Aeschylus" brilliant rhetoric in Agamemnon. Clytaemestra's rhetoric not only invokes vivid imagery, but also confuses and perverts spheres of logic and rhetoric: sacrifice with murder, liquids with cloth, and blood with wine. ... of heart" (10- 11). The relationship between the male and the female is anything but dynamic, making the perverse state of the relationship between Clytaemestra and Agamemnon unnatural; it...

• Word Count: 1605
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

In Aeschylus" tragedy Agamemnon, the strongest female role seen in any play to date, is that of the character of Clytemnestra. She is portrayed as powerful, dominating, and ... . Clytemnestra's character demands complex and clever handling especially if we keep the Greek society in mind and Aeschylus does that with skill. Clytemnestra is introduced in the play, following the death of her daughter, Iphigenia. Agamemnon according to societal pressures had to sacrifice his daughter in order to appease the gods. From the start ... her daughter's death was not justified, she was determined to aven...

• Word Count: 1325
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... of Troys temples. The Greeks had violated the codes of war. Clytemnestra would be happy to be hearing this. The Herald compares the greatness of Agamemnon and his men to the losses of Priam - ancient king of Troy. The Chorus Leader welcomes the Herald home. In the Stichomythia we learn that ... life unmarked" Theme often echoed about poets suffering. Men are born to suffer. The misery and practicality of war are emphasised. Aeschylus fought in the war. The Heralds words are Aeschylus" words. The Herald talks about how the armies have been penned in like animals and how they had their qu...

• Word Count: 2409
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School

... means justice in Ancient Greek; however there are several different interpretations as to what justice can mean. In The Oresteia by Aeschylus the definition of dike is the relationship between individuals. Justice becomes an issue of to what extent we are responsible for our ... seen as a correction of a wrong. In the Oresteia a complicated series of events plague the house of Atreus of Argos (Agamemnon, pg1) following the end of the Trojan War. Agamemnon returns from the war a hero, but upon his arrival he is murdered by his wife's lover and his cousin. However, ... only a small part of...

• Word Count: 1953
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... exactly what each of the characters in Aeschylus" book of plays, The Oresteia, did. It becomes very clear to see that each character holds different views on justice. The first play, Agamemnon, introduces us to Clytaemnestra who murders her husband because Agamemnon sacrificed his daughter. Agamemnon murders his daughter in order to satisfy ... from his homeland, Orestes comes back to bring his father's murderers to justice. Orestes sees things the same way as his mother does in Agamemnon. An oracle tells Orestes that the only way for his father's killers to be brought to justice is for h...

• Word Count: 1328
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... i.e. hunting, as soon as they had the capabilities to have a written language. Thus, it is not as surprising that ancient literature such as Aeschylus" the Oresteia would have many references to hunting, and one of the most prominent and promising methods to hunting, the use of traps and nets. ... humans with nets. Closely after this referral to hunting, we see the father, Agamemnon, sacrificing his daughter Iphogenia at the behest of the gods. What is truly significant about the passage of her sacrifice is how Aeschylus words the imagery to form a subliminal, yet traceable referral to h...

• Word Count: 1605
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... soon enough its fields of interest spread to various myths along with historic facts. As ancient drama was an institution of Democracy, the great tragic poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides as well as the comedian Aristophanes elevated public debate and political criticism to a level of aesthetic achievement. Euripides and the ethologist Menandros, ... in-law. Greek tragedy flourished in the 5th century BC. Of the more than 1000 tragedies written during that century, only 31 remain, all by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. AESCHYLUS Aeschylus lived between 525 BC and 456 BC. He was a ...

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Connecting the Dots: Cassandra's Role as a Prophetess In Aeschylus" Agamemnon, the prophet Cassandra undergoes a transformation from a seer whom no one will believe, to a visionary whose knowledge of unseen events ... his palace unknowing of the dangers within, the reader expects his murder to take place soon and thus conclude the vengeance of Clytaemnestra. Aeschylus postpones the death of Agamemnon and, using Cassandra's character, furthers the suspense and emphasizes the significance of the action which is to take place. In the three ... do little more than produce befuddled replies, attemp...

• Word Count: 1721
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... time do not reflect the evidence that we have about the women in classical Athens. The tragedies of Medea, Antigone, Electra, and even Agamemnon, show women are strong and free willed and are capable of doing things on their own. In Euripides" Medea, Medea is constantly talking about ... to produce sympathy from the audience, making the audience aware of her and other women's plights in that time. The character of Clytemnestra in Aeschylus" Agamemnon is very masculine and is shown posses some male traits. In these plays there is a sense of role reversal, showing the women to be ... commi...

• Word Count: 1759
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... justice and order, protectors, guides of their city-states, and the cause of all events. This is demonstrated through the significance of Agamemnon's death in Aeschylus's in The Oresteia, the perspectives of the cosmologists Anaximander and Hesiod, the role of Athena in The Odyssey, the effect of Demeter ... . This was the focal point of Ancient Greek perception of justice, and is demonstrated in the downfall of the House of Agamemnon. The downfall of the house of Agamemnon began when Cassandra begun to ramble prophecies about a curse on the house and indicates that "a great evil is plo...

• Word Count: 1605
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography

... power because of pride or some other personality flaw. Well-known characters in some of the greatest Greek tragedians' plays illustrate this idea. In Aeschylus's Agamemnon, the title character is a returning king who behaves arrogantly and thoughtlessly. He is murdered by his wife and his kingdom falls apart. ... shining future. The evolving theme of an individual's weakness and subsequent downfall supports the Greek's democratic system, where no individual becomes too powerful. Agamemnon is a great warrior, but not a great family man. On his way to the Trojan war, he sacrificed his dau...

• Word Count: 1999
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... individual's appropriateness for sacrifice. Typically, Greek mythology portrayed the current moral standards of society, thus creating the prominence of animal sacrifice in ritual. Yet, in the Oresteia, the story of Agamemnon revolves around human sacrifice as a secondary motif. Simultaneously, however, epitomizing public reaction to such types of ritual. The first instance of sacrifice, and the cause of all following retribution, ... up He dares to become the sacrificer of his own daughter in order to help an army recapture a woman and to open up the sea to his ships- (Aeschylus). The f...

• Word Count: 2118
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Homer's The Iliad, Aristophanes Lysistrata, and Aeschylus The Seven Against Thebes, all dealt with issues concerning manhood in the Greek and Roman days, war also came but it was only because of the ... father, but instead he asked Achilles for a replacement and that he wouldn't rest until he gets another woman by his side, this was how arrogant he was. Agamemnon's pride makes him so arrogant that he demands that Achilles prize Briseis be given to him, and because of this attitude of him the Greeks army suffered devastating loses. ... Achilles was angry because of this and withdrew from the...

• Word Count: 1457
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... to read a message, which is shrouded in symbolism. Law is law. Law of blood, which an eye for an eye for an eye infinite. Aeschylus cannot think this. This causes the waste of humanity; this concept was not readily accepted during his time. He wanted to change the principle that was ... where he would be banished from society or even worse killed. To soften his message, he evolves his idea through the use of a trilogy, the Story of Agamemnon, Euripides, and the Libation Bearers (I think that's right). Anyways, he softens his idea much like Achebe does not to send any harmful messages. I...

• Word Count: 1551
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... Revenge in the plays "Medea" and "The Libation Bearers" In 458 B.C. Aeschylus produced his great trilogy, "The Oresteia". The Oresteia was said to perfect the vision of warning and reward, which in other words also can be thought of as betrayal and revenge. The Oresteia originally consisted of four plays-Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Euminides and Proteus. Proteus did not survive ... takes revenge on Thyestes and feeds his sons to him. Thyestes takes revenge by cursing Atreus, and then flees with his one remaining son Aegisthus. Atreus had two sons called Agamemnon and Menelaus. ...

• Word Count: 1623
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Discuss the character of Clytaemnestra. How far do you think Aeschylus expected the audience to sympathize with her? anestra has defied the socially determined places of men and women and has ungendered herself ... first speech contains light imagery, she clearly sees hope amidst darkness "the blaze went dancing on to ecstasy", "torch", "glowing" upon hearing the news of Agamemnon's arrival and this is summed up when she says "it brings dawn to the black widow's face". Clytaemnestra speaks confidently and with no inhabitations "Good-bye to ... a perfect double meaning "let the red stream flo...

• Word Count: 1324
• Approx Pages: 5

... to drive a more tragic plot with a lot of thought going into characters emotions and how they will affect the audience. Furthermore, in studying Aeschylus's Agamemnon we can see something very different from Oedipus the King but with the same idea that violence is not the center of the tragedy and does not ... have to be staged. In Agamemnon, unlike Oedipus the King the chorus does not give such a vivid description but we do have the offstage screaming: "Ah, I am struck a deadly blow ... ill-fated relationship with his mother is an unchangeable tragedy alone. It is key to point out tha...

• Word Count: 1654
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... mice). Little is known about his birthplace and life. Most known facts about Homer are based on legends and Herodotus' history. Aeschylus, father of tragic drama Aeschylus is the earliest of the three great Greek tragic dramatists (the others are Sophocles and Euripides). His plays are marked by a ... strong moral sence, demonstrating that suffering is the inevitable consequence of sin, until the wrong doing has been expiated. Aeschylus enriched the drama with his technical innovations. He introduced a second actor where only one and a chorus had been used previously, making possible th...

• Word Count: 2001
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... issues. The Athenians liked to believe that by making men free and politically responsible, the acropolis civilized its individual citizens and enabled them to live worthwhile lives (Stockton and Jackson). Aeschylus aptly personifies the basis of this societal value with the words of Athena: ?[A]nd on this hill of Ares I will found my court. From this rock shall come the respect ... ). The effectiveness of the thematic representation of the Athenian ideals is infinitely compounded by the monumentality of the Parthenon, which is owed to its monumental structure. Likewise, the immortality o...

• Word Count: 1317
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School