CLASSICS 1B03 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Oresteia, Clytemnestra, Aegisthus
31 Aug 2016
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Tragic = pertaining to tragedy as a genre. Heroism in tragedy: tragedians not interested in heroic ideals, how a hero would fit into contemporary life (hint: not well, tragedy shows the downfall of the hero/of royalty, agamemnon fits the model. Clytemnestra"s prayer to zeus; words are cryptic and ominous. Gods, not just apollo: enters the house of her own free will knowing she will die, the scene between clytemnestra and cassandra mirrors the scene between agamemnon and clytemnestra yet clytemnestra doesn"t get her way. Clytemnestra"s search for justice; reveals that she has been lying all along, explains what she did to agamemnon. Traps him in the bath and strikes him with a sword/knife. Talk about justice and how this act is justice for her daughter. Aegisthus (agamemnon"s cousin) clytemnestra"s weakened lover: problem: the king is now dead, a woman is now in charge.
