Lect 16 Agamemnon and Curse of Kindred Blood

Lecture Overview

• Lecture 16: Agamemnon and the Curse of Kindred Blood

Nostoi

• Definition: Stories of return of Greeks from the Trojan War.

• Key Character: Ajax (the Lesser)

• Reference: Homer, Odyssey

Menelaus

• Reference: Homer, Odyssey

• Important Concepts:

  • Proteus: A key figure in the stories of return.

  • Elysian Fields: The afterlife where heroes reside.

  • Multiple stories of reunion with Helen.

Agamemnon

• Comparative Analysis:

  • Contrasts with Achilles and Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.

• References to Plays:

  • Aeschylus, Oresteia trilogy

  • Euripides, Orestes

  • Several other plays explore similar themes.

Bad Behavior in the House of Atreus

• Notable Characters:

  • Pelops & Hippodamia

  • Myrtilis

  • Thyestes and Atreus, whose violent legacy defines the family.

The Banquet of Thyestes

• Key Figures:

  • Thyestes, Aerope: Thyestes' mistress.

  • Pelopia: Thyestes' daughter and victim.

  • Aegisthus: Biological son of Atreus who raises Thyeates' children.

• Event: Agamemnon's family history involves betrayal and revenge.

Agamemnon: Rise to Power

• House of Tyndareus (Sparta):

  • Leda, Zeus' children: Polydeuces & Helen.

  • Tyndareus' children: Castor & Clytemnestra.

• Political Maneuvering: Agamemnon and Menelaus drive Thyestes out of power in Mycenae.

• Outcome: Agamemnon rules Mycenae and marries Clytemnestra.

Sacrifice of Iphigenia

• Literary Sources:

  • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura

  • Euripides, themes elaborated in two plays related to Iphigenia.

Agamemnon Returns Home

• Cassandra's Role: Foretells doom but is ignored.

• Clytemnestra's Affair: Clytemnestra is in a relationship with Aegisthus.

• Diverse Influences: Variants on who kills Agamemnon and how.

Fate of Agamemnon

• Achilles' Comments: In the Underworld, he notes Agamemnon is "doomed to a most pitiable death."

• Murder Context: Agamemnon's demise through Aegisthus as detailed in Homer's Odyssey.

Oresteia by Aeschylus (458 BCE)

• Main Events: Agamemnon and Cassandra are murdered by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.

Roles of Orestes and Electra

• Family Dynamics: Orestes is sent away and returns to Argos.

• Collaboration: Plots with Electra to kill Clytemnestra; variations exist on their motivations.

Aeschylus, Oresteia Themes

• Symbolism:

  • Viper, Phocis, and Orestes pretending to be a herald.

  • Furies (Erinyes) and Miasma (blood pollution) concepts.

Aeschylus, Oresteia: Trial of Orestes

• Setting: Trial in Athens; Orestes versus the Furies.

• Judiciary: Athena serves as judge; Furies renamed to Eumenides (the Kindly Ones).

Euripides' Adaptations of the Trial

• Multiple Versions:

  • Orestes goes to Tauris to retrieve the statue of Artemis and discovers Iphigenia.

  • The version being read highlights contemporary views.

Euripides, Orestes

• Dramatic Conflict: Menelaus and Tyndareus charge Orestes and Electra.

• Intervention: Apollo intervenes in the classic deus ex machina.

Gender in the Nostoi

• Agamemnon's Admonishment: Praise for Penelope contrasted with reproach for Clytemnestra, revealing societal views on women's roles in narratives.

Aeschylus, Oresteia: Orestes' Defense

• Defense Perspective: Orestes claims that women's audacity in murder undermines male authority, creating societal implications.

Euripides, Orestes on Conception Theory

• Theoretical Context: Discussion on conception in Classical Greece reflecting Aristotle's views on gender and conception.

Themes in Iliad, Odyssey & Oresteia

• Characterizations of Women:

  • Bad Wives: Helen and Clytemnestra as dangerous, seductive figures.

  • Good Wives: Andromache and Penelope represent virtuous femininity.

  • unmarried Virtues: Represented by Parthenos (Unmarried Woman) and Nausicaa.