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Study Guide
Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Limit the scope of your paper by selecting one of the following topics:
- What is Agamemnon's case? Is there any way to defend his actions? Is justice served against him? On what grounds could his death be avenged?
- What is Iphigenia's case? Does she require vengeance?
- What is Clytemnestra's case against Agamemnon? Is there any possibility (even hypothetically) of reconciliation?
- The prophet Calchas: what is his role? Is he responsible for this whole mess?
- The prophet Cassandra: what is her role?
- Discuss the role or the idea of Helen. She lurks in the background throughout. Why does the Chorus hate her (or do they)?
- What about the Chorus anyway?
- The Chorus and Clytemnestra both cite the point of view of the victims of war, i.e. the Trojan losers. They require vengeance too, each of them individually. Is there any possibility for reconciliation between Greeks and Trojans, or is the only solution genocide?
Some highlights in the text, organized by character.
| Chorus | in this play, old men from the city (l. 79) opposed to the war (l. 783) others were opposed as well (l. 825) |
|
| 115-258 | Iphigenia, prophet Calchas "Cry, cry for death, but good win out in glory in the end." |
|
| 360-465 | hymn of thanks, victors and victims |
|
| 683-766 | Justice vs. Fury | |
| 977-1031 | Justice vs. Fury | |
| 1345-1367 | wheel of fortune; duet with Cassandra | |
| 1476-1489 | Helen/Fury, the trouble with women | |
| 1496-1604 | Spirit of Fury on the house; duet with Clytemnestra cf. 1690, 1695, 1702 (Orestes) |
|
| Clytemnestra | 322-340 | victors and victims |
| 341-352 | warning not to desecrate temples (divine retribution) cf. 515-522: Agamenmnon desecrated them |
|
| 841-864 | duty to avenge Iphigenia | |
| 865 | Trial begins: indictment | |
| 898 | Trial: entrapment (desecrate sacred tapestries) cf. Furies at end of Eumenides, change gowns from black to sacred crimson |
|
| 957-976 | Climax: Clytemnestra has resolved to murder him; but it won't happen for another 400 lines. Aeschylus holds the tension at this level. | |
| Agamemnon | 809 | we were right |
| 957 | tramples the sacred crimson | |
| 972 | divine justice: Zeus, trampling out the vintage | |
| Cassandra | 1075 | prophesy |
| 1088 | indictment | |
| 1138 | sees her own future cf. 1220 (vision), 1228 (interpretation), 1270 |
|
| 1189-1198 | Furies dancing on the house | |
| 1212 | her gift of prophesy | |
| 1280 | curses Apollo | |
| 1300, 1338-42 |
will be avenged by Orestes: this vision is a final gift from Apollo. She will die (so shall we all), but she will be avenged and can therefore rest in peace. |
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