Fredricksmeyer
Masterpieces of Greek Literature
Aeschylus. Agamemnon
Background
Aeschylus 524—456 (supposed death by concussion)
from wealthy Eleusinian family
ca. 90 tragedies of which we have 7 relatively complete, and fragments of others
proudest of his own patriotism—epitaph: “I fought at Marathon” (Greeks as
political animals/non-political = idios)
innovations—
added second actor (and then third under influence of Sophocles, as in the
Oresteia)
diminished role of chorus (12 members)
increased importance of dialogue
probably invented trilogy
typical features include—
character over plot—less about what people do than their motives
tragedy of tension—long crescendo followed by swift and often brutal
denouement
intense interest in crime and punishment (and the workings of divine
will and justice)
frequent use of “double motivation”
frequent use of “overdetermination”
elevated style (satirized in Aristophanes)
Agamemnon 458 BCE
I. Diachronic Reading of verses 1-103, which introduce and begin to develop the trilogy’s
central themes, imagery, and so on:
Verses 1-20
dramatic tension: 1 (= verse 1)
House of Atreus/improper cuisine (of Atreus)/inherited guilt: 3
dog simile: 3
improper running of household (oikos): 3
light/dark: 4, 8-9
male/female (light = Ag/dark = Klyt.)
gender role reversal-she’s like a man: 10
dramatic tension: 14 (see 1)
improper running of household (oikos): 17-19 (see 3)
light/dark: 20 (see 4, 8-9)
Verses 21-37
light/dark: 21-22
just/unjust, and female sexual incontinence: 26
light/dark: 27
dramatic tension: 34-35
House of Atreus/improper cuisine (of Atreus)/inherited guilt: 36-37
Verses 40-58
legal terminology/justice of Trojan War: 40
Zeus’ will/improper xenia: 44
bird imagery/abduction of Helen: 49-54
divine will/the Furies, v. 55
Verses 59-82
Zeus’ will: 59
just/unjust, and female sexual incontinence: 61
polis (public dispute)/oikos (private dispute)
divine will: 69-71
Verses 83-103
improper sacrifice: 87
light/dark: 101
dramatic tension: 102-03
II.
Synchronic Reading of verses 104-end in that reinforce and add on to themes, imagery,
and so on introduced in verses 1-103:
bird imagery/guilt of the Atreidae: 113-121
anger of Artemis that will lead to improper sacrifice and guilt of Agamemnon: 133-38
dramatic tension: 131, 155, 346-47, 1214 -41
1214-41: guilt of Agamemnon-bigamy/inherited guilt/lion imagery-gender role reversal/dog
imagery-duplicity of Klytemnestra/snake; for lion imagery, etc., see also1258-59
imagery of entrapment: yoke/net/robe/bridle: 1381-84
perverse sexuality-eros/thanatos: 1389-92
improper sacrifice ( by Agamemnon and Klytemnestra)/guilt of both: 1417, 1432-33
III. Partial Summation
Agamemnon
just
male
light
pious-instrument of Zeus’ will
Klytemnestra
unjust
female
dark
impious-improper sacrifices, etc.
sexual incontinence
gender role reversal
Yet, at the same time:
Agamemnon
unjust and impious
inherited guilt
own guilt
-slaughter of Trojan youth
-improper sacrifice of daughter
-bigamy
IV. Causation (Agamemnon’s death “overdetermined”)
A.
divine will
Zeus (xenios)
Artemis (protectress of young things/huntress)
Atê
Peitho
Furies
B.
C.
Fate
human will
Agamemnon desires—
Trojan War
polygamy
Klytemnestra avenges—
improper sacrifice of Iphigenia
Agamemnon’s bigamy
Aegisthus—
avenges crimes against his family
seeks political power
V. Basic scenes into which tragedies divided:
A.
prologue
B.
parodos
C.
episode 1 (or kommos)
D.
stasimon 1 (or kommos)
strophe-antistrophe-strophe-antistrophe-etc.
episode 2
stasimon 2
etc.
E.
exodos