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Here we can see that Agamemnon struggled over what to do but finally set his eyes upon the prize. His crime becomes justified through the victory. However, when Agamemnon kills his own daughter, he is violating one of the most fundamental rules set in place by the gods, which prohibits the murder of a family member. Agamemnon is indifferent to what he has done. When Clytaemestra confronts him about it, he says, "I have no fear" (925) in relation to his sense of right and wrong. The gods will not allow him to enjoy his victory just as they did not allow Paris to enjoy his.
Zeus uses others to exact this revenge with Clytemnestra being the most powerful example of how events work out to his favor. When she murders Agamemnon, we see how the glory of the king and his victories do not matter in the gods' big picture. In fact, it is worth noting that Agamemnon's victory can never fully be enjoyed because he returns to an embittered wife. Clytaemestra becomes an agent of Zeus because she refuses to let Agamemnon forget what he has done to their daughter. When Clytaemestra murders Agamemnon, it is as if she recognizes her role in the big picture by announcing that is "proud to tell the truth" (1392). She believes that she is completely justified in taking the actions of Zeus in her own hands. She is not remorseful nor is she afraid of any retribution. Even thought she, too, has committed her own sin of infidelity, she is vindicated in the play. The Chorus does hint that Agamemnon will be avenged but we do not see it in this play. In fact, at the end of Agamemnon, Clytaemestra and Aegisthus seem to walk away unscathed. Aegisthus even...
The play ends with the two of them claiming to restore order to the house and walking away.
In Agamemnon, Zeus' form of justice might be best exemplified with the phrase might makes right. Because man is reckless, his form of justice is actually more like a form of vengeance and violence than anything else. However, what makes this form of justice so intriguing is how Zeus uses humans to inflict revenge upon each other for breaking the laws that the gods have set in motion. While it is certainly known that the "lust for power never dies - / men cannot have enough" (1354-5), we realize the power of this statement with the actions of individuals that are driven by human emotion goaded by Zeus. Zeus is the one "who brings revenge" (515) and he "drives Atreus' sons at Paris" (67).
The power of retribution is strong in this play and we see it primarily with Agamemnon and the sin that he inherits and commits. He might be a great warrior and king but his fortune is contained and short-lived as he reaches a scorned wife with plans of her own revenge. These characters become agents of Zeus through the serious affliction of human emotion. Zeus does not need to lift a finger when he knows that humans will be guided by their emotions and that is really the only thing he needs to see his will carried out. Agamemnon demonstrates how the will of the gods is unavoidable even in the face of victory.
Works Cited
Aeschylus. Agamemnon. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces.…
Works Cited
Aeschylus. Agamemnon. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. New York W.W. Norton and Company. 1985.
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