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Oct 21 2014

Agamemnon Discussion

Posted at 12:29 pm under Uncategorized

Agamemnon’s story can be seen as an example of Greek tragedy. Upon the Greek’s victory at Troy, the people of Argos eagerly await the return of their king, Agamemnon. However, the queen Clytaemnestra has different plans for the king. As an act of vengeance for the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia, Clytaemnestra murders Agamemnon upon his return. In the play, the queen is portrayed as untrustworthy and believed to be incapable of committing such an act. On the contrary, she proved to be correct in her news of the war, and she successfully avenges her daughter. Is she then a character who conforms to female stereotypes or one who defies them?

Scholarly Article

“Studies in Character: Agamemnon”
Author: F. R. Earp
The article deeply analyzes the characters in Agamemnon. The main comparison is between Agamemnon and Clytaemnestra. Agamemnon can be seen as oblivious, conventional, and and lacking in sympathy. On the contrary, Clytaemnestra is described as quick-witted, sympathetic, and dominant. This article clearly favors Clytaemenstra and commends her for being stronger than Agamemnon.

2 responses so far




2 Responses to “Agamemnon Discussion”

  1.   Noel Guevaraon 22 Oct 2014 at 4:37 pm 1

    I think Clytaemnestra displayed a lot of characteristics that can be thought of as stereotypical but I don’t see her as a stereotypical female. Based on our discussion Clytaemnestra was in charge of her household. Agamemnon violated the house when he sacrificed his daughter. Her goal was to avenge the death of her daughter and she did what she had to do to achieve that goal. If you look at it from the standpoint of Society vs House then she is just as valid in her actions to kill Agamemnon as Agamemnon was right for killing his daughter for the betterment of his society.

    I think this story tackled on double standard more than stereotypes, where characters like Agamemnon or Odysseus are celebrated for their actions and Clytaemnestra is not.

    Great job leading discussion by the way.

  2.   Ovadia Suttonon 27 Oct 2014 at 2:57 pm 2

    Ashley, I found your discussion in class to be very interesting. Clytaemnestra undoubtedly exhibits a stereotypical female in many ways, and yet, in many ways, she seems to be quite a unique character. I believe, as the play was authored a couple of thousand years ago, we would undoubtedly anticipate her to represent a stereotypical female. Despite this, we should notice in which ways she goes against the grain and breaks the mold. Clytaemnestra shows in many ways how one can break the norms that society dictates and represent quite a unique individual.