Agamemnon the Characters in Aeschylus\'

Agamemnon

The characters in Aeschylus' play Agamemnon act with impunity and hubris. Although besieged by a terrible war in Troy, the Greeks do not maintain their position of power with compassion or foresight. The house of Agamemnon suffers greatly as a result of the betrayal and arrogance exhibited by the cent ral characters and especially by Queen Clytemnestra. Aeschylus' play reeks of sexism: not only is the Queen depicted as a necessarily ruthless leader but other female characters are also depicted as being weak-willed and at the mercy of the males around them. For example, Cassandra was stolen from Troy as a slave and becomes a mute lunatic who prophesies the downfall of Agamemnon's reign. The playwright intersperses intricate plot and character development with themes about selfhood and leadership in Agamemnon.

Queen Clytemnestra, however, cunning, is a strong and powerful leader. Her sense of self is strong enough for her to view murder as a justifiable means to an end. The Queen is even so cold-hearted as to murder her own child in the name of a sacrifice to the goods. Undoubtedly her guilt is what led Queen Clytemnestra to murder her husband and his concubine Cassandra. Interestingly, though, Aeschylus shows that Queen Clytemnestra is not the master of her own destiny. Instead, Cassandra is a prophet who reveals the fate of the Queen. Fate is immutable; not even the politically powerful like Queen Clytemnestra or Agememnon are immune to their destinies. Therefore selfhood is depicted as egoism. The self struggles against fate in a brazen form of hubris. Egotistical characters like the titular King Agamemnon and his impudent wife Clytemnestra are particularly prone to pride.

Leadership is tricky business in ancient Greece, as Aeschylus points out. On the one hand, the Greeks seek only to preserve their integrity against the brash Trojan incursion that erupted over Helen. The leaders in Agamemnon including the title character act partly out of a genuine desire to do what is best for Greece. Yet they also quickly undermine their strengths as leaders by focusing overly much on their impulse to take revenge. Revenge is a key theme of Agamemnon, a driving force behind most of the characters' actions.

Selfhood is depicted as a journey in Aeschylus' play mainly through the title character. Agamemnon's changing sense of self contrasts considerably with that of his wife. While Agamemnon has let go of the sacrifice of Iphigenia to focus on the present and future demands of his position, Queen Clytemnestra does not. She harbors guilt and resentment to a breaking point, feeling and then acting on an irrational urge to murder. Whereas Agamemnon becomes aware of the destructive power of hubris in the human spirit, his wife does not. He refuses to play into her egotistical demands such as walking with pomp down the purple-plated floor. By bolstering his image, Queen Clytemnestra only boosts her sense of self with pride; Agamemnon displays more growth as a character but is killed before he can reach true self-realization. Cassandra is instrumental in helping Agamemnon achieve his personal growth. Although taken captive to Greece, she becomes a channel for transformation. She assists Agamemnon on his journey with complete disregard for her self, too. Cassandra is the only ego-less character in the play, and brings out the true natures of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra.