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 both past and present cannot be ignored. The visions she receives and in turn relays to a skeptical Chorus, are an attempt not only to articulate the fate that awaits their king, but also to provide the reader with a timeline of the history and events concerning the curse that has been placed upon the house of Atreus. Though the verbal expression of her prophecies are initially scrambled and unable to be interpreted, the images she sees are both clear and accurate. Cassandra becomes aware of the history of murders and revengeful spirits in the family of Agamemnon and his fathers. She shares her knowledge with the people of Argos who eventually accept the visions and realize the causes of the Agamemnon's murder as a curse resulting from his father's actions. .
When Agamemnon is deceived by his wife, and enters 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 hundred lines of dialogue that follows, Cassandra converses with the men of Argos and slowly her words and prophecies begin to be understood and recognized as truth by the Chorus. .
Entering the play speechless and half hidden behind her captor, Cassandra's presence is not fully known by the audience until Agamemnon's first step upon the tapestries. With the exit of the king and queen into the palace, the Trojan slave becomes frantic, screaming incomprehensible phrases to the Chorus. Cassandra's visions are a shock to both herself as well as the Chorus, and the horror she witnesses in the house of Atreus is not hers to control.
