Many plays present a unified perspective on a theme. The author gives readers a single way to look at the characters and events inside a story. In the Oresteia, however, Aeschylus encourages us to consider the situations and problems in the play from different points of view. Two points of view are notable and radically different: those of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. The core of that revolves around the murder of Iphigenia and how both of them view the events. Clytemnestra refuses to accept Agamemnon’s motives and feels forced to take her revenge on Agamemnon for the deed. Agamemnon considers it his obligation to sacrifice his daughter while Clytemnestra sees his action as a horrible lapse of betrayal.
After reading the play, I think Agamemnon didn’t have any choice but to sacrifice his daughter. I think he could have saved his daughter if he had the chance. Every father loves his children more than anything, and a dad’s love for his daughter counts the most. I think Agamemnon was left with no choice but to kill his daughter. The reason is Agamemnon could sail to Troy and succeed in the war. I think Agamemnon decided to kill his daughter because they had been hoping for a victory for so long. He was desperate.
Clytemnestra considers things differently, and she decides to kill Agamemnon because his actions were terrible. She decided to lure him, after he returns to Argos, decides to welcome him as if she is not bothered, and even lays out a carpet for him to walk on. Clytemnestra is angry about her daughter’s death but she doesn’t show her anger and pretends to be nice to him. She is a good actor and plans her revenge well. It is a strange end to a tragic story.
I agree with you that Agamemnon seemed desperate in that situation, it was the only thing he could do to appease Artemis. Like you said, he would have chosen to save his daughter if given the chance but he was not. I would also like to add that both Electra and Orestes had fond memories of him and stated that they loved him. This could only prove that he was indeed a good dad and loved his children. I also believe that Clytemnestra had the right to be angry at Agamemnon for doing so. However, to kill him is such an atrocious act but I guess there would have no been play if she had not done so.
To start off, I agree that out of desperation Agamemnon had killed his daughter. He didn’t seem to have any other choice, and I also believe that if there were any other ways to go about it, he would’ve have sacrificed his own flesh and blood. I feel like he was looking at the “big picture”.