... Agamemnon deserved to die for her suffering pain. In The Libation Bearers, Orestes is a tragic hero, who believes his act of vengeance in murdering Clytaemestra and Aegisthus for the death of his father, is justifiable. Orestes is successful in avenging the murderer of his father, by plotting the assassination of his father's executioners with his sister, Electra. The chorus ... all to witness. As Clytaemestra is standing over the dead bodies of Agamemnon and Cassandra, she happily announces their death with the confession of the brutal murders. She arrogantly tells the chorus of her tri...

• Word Count: 2363
• Approx Pages: 9

... from 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. Sophocles's character Oedipus ... be prejudiced against those who hold power. He goes on to wage war and destroy innocent lives, angering both the people and the gods. The chorus predict his downfall: "The gods fail not to mark those who have killed many. The black Furies stalk...

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

... although modern scholars debate the layout of particular theaters. These theaters held 15,000 to 20,000 spectators. As the importance of actors grew and that of the chorus diminished, the stage became higher and encroached on the orchestra space. The actors - all men - wore theatricalized versions of everyday dress, but, most important, ... , or groups of three, usually bound together by a common theme, and each trilogy was followed by a satyr drama (low comedy involving a mythological hero, with a chorus of satyrs). The titles of 79 of his plays are known, but only 7 have survived. The e...

• Word Count: 2321
• Approx Pages: 9

... of that 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 the ... 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 t...

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

... . He yields, though he knows that he is making a mistake, and gives her one more day. Medea must also conceal her purpose from everyone else in the play, except the chorus whom she must win over to her side. There is only one person who can and does pose a real obstacle to Medea's plans, who can effectively confront her with an ... themselves unjustly treated, would be huge and deadly. The epic poems [i.e., Homer's Iliad and Odyssey] do not really question Achilles' right to bring destruction on the Greek army to avenge Agamemnon's insults, nor Odysseus' slaughter of the entire younger g...

• Word Count: 1681
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School