Student 1
Stanley Student
Phillips
IB English III
21 February 2012
Two Faces of Agamemnon
I.
Thesis: Agamemnon is portrayed as greedy in Agamemnon by the way he is
described in the text, however in the film, Iphigenia, he is portrayed as
conflicted and devastated.
II.
Topic Sentence: In Agamemnon, Agamemnon seems more satisfied with the
riches that were gained after the sacrifice than upset at the death of his
daughter.
A. “The storms of ruin live!/Her last dying breath, rising up from the
ashes/sends us gales of incense rich in gold” (804-806).
1. Agamemnon seems to be implying that his daughters death is
something he is overlooking because it resulted in riches.
2. Rather than mourning for his daughter, he is celebrating with his
people the amount of riches they have received.
B. “For that, we must thank the gods with a sacrifice/our sons will long
remember. For their mad outrage/of a queen we raped their city-we were
right” (808-810).
1. Agamemnon’s need to thank the gods implies that he is proud of the
decision to sacrifice Iphigenia because it resulted in their winning the
war.
Student 2
2. The congratulatory statement of “we were right” sets up the idea that
Agamemnon would do whatever was right to win the war, and not
second-guess what is morally right.
III.
Topic Sentence: In the film, Iphigenia, Agamemnon is heartbroken and feels
guilty at the thought of sacrificing his daughter.
A. “How can I face my wife…how can I keep my heart from breaking?”
(Iphigenia).
1. Agamemnon’s plea to keep his heart from breaking allows the
audience to be introduced to the idea that he is devastated by the
decision to sacrifice Iphigenia.
2. Agamemnon’s fear of facing his wife emphasizes the emotion of guilt
he is feeling over his daughter’s sacrifice.
B. “I know better than anyone else how much love there is in a fathers
heart..and how much pain” (Iphigenia).
1. Agamemnon’s explaining this in order to defend his sadness to his
people. Rather than acting like a king is supposed to and not show his
sadness, he is defending his sadness.
2. Agamemnon is also defending his love towards his daughter, and not
letting that go unnoticed by his choices.
IV.
Topic Sentence: In the text, Agamemnon, he claims to understand his society
and that he is proud of his choices, whereas in the film, Iphigenia, he claims
his decision was one he is not proud of.
Student 3
A. “Well I know, I understand society,/the flattering mirror of the proud”
(823-824).
1. Agamemnon’s claim of being the proud, and understanding them
greatly influences the idea that he is not at unrest for sacrificing his
daughter.
2. Agamemnon is showing no remorse for his daughter, and from this
statement, seems to be more bragging about his ability to understand
society’s needs.
B. “Even my own decisions have been a disgrace” (Iphigenia).
1. Agamemnon’s admitting that he made the wrong decision implies that
he regrets the choice to give up Iphigenia.
2. Claiming the decision was a disgrace is Agamemnon’s way of letting
the surrounding people know that he understands the pain he is feeling
is because of his actions.
V.
Conclusion: Agamemnon is portrayed in two different ways depending on the
version of him in text, and the version of him in film.