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What Is Agamemnon's Thirst For Power

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Aeschylus’ The Agamemnon displayed how man’s thirst for power can lead him to commit heinous crimes. The decisions of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra were difficult but not justified, because they derived from selfish intentions and the sin of hubris. Agamemnon’s crime occurred because he could not bear the thought of losing power while Clytemnestra sought to gain it through the use of’ deception. Aeschylus showed that they had committed morally unjust crimes against nature by depicting their true intentions.
Agamemnon hid under the guise of humble king and acted as if the decision to kill his daughter was for the good of the people. The true intentions of Agamemnon’s actions stemmed from his selfish desires. “How can I fail my fleet and lose …show more content…

It is because she tried to rise above her station in life that her intentions soon changed and her actions could not be justified. During the Trojan War Clytemnestra ruled Argos and tried to take the place of her husband. “This is to be commanded by a woman, who brings her quick hopes into the business of men!” (16). It is because Clytemnestra tried to rise above her station in life that her cause for killing Agamemnon changed. Killing Agamemnon was no longer only to avenge the death of Iphigenia but also to attain the ability to rule. “If no I contradict all that a suit the moment I said before I feel no shame” (44). Clytemnestra’s decision to kill Agamemnon could no longer be justified because it was stemmed from the desire to rule and she felt no shame for the lies she …show more content…

Aeschylus showed his disapproval for their actions by depicting these two qualities throughout the play. Agamemnon’s pride prohibited him from saving his daughter so Aeschylus illustrated this through the chorus. “For whosever are guilty of lives, upon them god’s eyes are fixed…Glory too high is dangerous; it is upon the peak hat thunder strikes” (25). Aeschylus displayed how his crime did not go unseen and he would soon fall because his hubris caused him to have too much pride in himself. The sin of hubris caused Clytemnestra to see the faults in Agamemnon as she gained power but not see the crimes she was committing “You are proud of thought, and presumptuous is your note” (45) The chorus condemned Clytemnestra as they saw that hubris caused her to commit crimes that were unjust. It is through the chorus that Aeschylus showed that the crimes of both Clytemnestra and Agamemnon were not justified because they stemmed from

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One such argued anachronism is the influence of the polis on the government style depicted within the story. Although scholars can interpret that the 8th century polis changed the 12th century story, through considering the intricacies of war time leadership it seems unlikely that this occurred. Instead, it seems that the groups of people disagreeing with Agamemnon represent dissidence within the ranks, which is not uncommon, and that the council of kings represent military strategy meetings. One of the first scenes in the epic details a meeting between all of the Greek kings and their leader Agamemnon. A problem had arisen due to Agamemnon not honoring the supplication of Chryses, in which he asked for the return of his daughter.

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Along these lines, Agamemnon ignored his side commanders when they offer him advice that would most likely help his reputation as a ruler. Also, Agamemnon would let his emotions get the best of him and make drastic decisions when it was critical. An example of this is when Nestor tells Agamemnon to hold on Briseis taking Achilles of which he doesn’t listen and then because of his emotions getting the best of him and him lacking, this sets up a chain reaction resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Achaian soldiers. He fails to realize when he is depressed that not everything is about himself and cannot retreat to his own wants and needs when he wants to, he is still a

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In Greek culture, honor was immensely important and the Cyclops has none. In contrast, Odysseus brags about the great feats of Agamemnon yelling, “So great a city he sacked, such multitudes he killed”(9.298-299) That Odysseus sees pride in killing, shows that the Greeks valued killing, but only if honorable. There is a stark contrast between the killings of the Cyclops and those of King Agamemnon. In the eyes of the Greeks, Agamemnon’s killings were for his country, his people, and the greater good of society. These murders had a selfless purpose.

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Achilleus, who considers himself a greater fighter than Agamemnon, does not believe that he should be taking orders from Agamemnon, and becomes angered when Agamemnon takes his prize, Brisies when he has to give up his prize, Criseis. Achilleus asks Agamemnon how “Anyone of the Achaians readily obey you” (79) and looses his temper. Achilleus becomes so enraged that he turns on his

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In contrast, in the Oresteia, the myth demonstrates an overwhelming theme of justice. Agamemnons’ death here shows the curse hunting his household from generation to generation, starting from Agamemnon’s father

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Eventually, Agamemnon ended up deciding that he would sacrifice his daughter, rather than give up his whole army and victory and keep his daughter. When the Chorus speaks of Agamemnon, they illustrate in the reader's mind a moral character who was caught in a moral dilemma: He had to choose whether or not he was going to kill his daughter for the good of his state. In Euripides' Iphigenia, we see that Agamemnon shows some remorse in one of his speeches: "What do I become? A monster to myself, to the whole world, and to all future time, a monster, Wearing my daughter's

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In Aeschylus' two plays Agamemnon, and The Libation Bearers, he demonstrates that a crime committed cannot go without the proper justice served. As read in Agamemnon, Clytemnestra believed she had to take matters into her own hands and get justice for her daughter because he was away at war for ten years, sacrificed their daughter Iphigeneia, and was unfaithful to Clytemnestra. This form of justice served was also seen when Orestes slayed his mother, Clytemnestra and her lover in The Libation Bearers, due her killing Agamemnon. Both of Aeschylus' plays show the idea of justice being served throughout them all by way of murder, and was driven by revenge and vengeance. The violent acts committed by members of this family are heinous and continue

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Agamemnon is considered to be an unsteady leader who is weighed down with significant responsibility and power. Agamemnon’s responsibility and power eventually overwhelms him and later on, the audience begins to see his vulnerability. The transformation of Agamemnon’s emotions ultimately leads to the outcome in his credibility. When Agamemnon tells his men to withdraw from war, he has become fearful that the Trojans will win the war. Rather than losing his honor, he would rather have his army retreat, than fight and die.

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The Oresteia is a play that is filled with conflict, and malice. In the first play, Agamemnon, The king Agamemnon and his wife Clytemnestra are at ends because Agamemnon killed their daughter. Although Agamemnon has his own flaws and sins, I think that he is a better person than Clymestrea. But what does it mean to be a good person? I think that a good person is someone who is selfless, loyal, and loving.

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The story of the death of Agamemnon is told in both the Homeric epic Odyssey and in Aeschylus’ tragic trilogy the Oresteia. Although the basic plot remains the same, differences in presentation, emphasis, and details show how myth is fluid and can be adapted to suit a particular author, performance, and audience. This myth serves in the Odyssey as an example of failed nostos caused by the breakdown of the hero’s household, and so it provides a foil for the successful return home of the epic hero Odysseus to his intact household. On the other hand, in the Oresteia, the myth illustrates the overarching theme of the nature of justice. Here the death of Agamemnon both illustrates the curse on his household and also provides the necessary background for Orestes’ important role in the transformation of justice from oikos-based revenge to polis-based trial by jury.

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They fight over the two girls. Later Achilles threatens to quit the war since he has nothing against the Trojans. He says that he only fights because Agemenom tells him too. King Agamemnon answered: Indeed, sir all that you say is fair and right. But this man wishes to be above all to rule everyone, to be King over everyone to order everyone-

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His pride was wounded, and so he took Iphigenia to the temple of Artemis. In the skies, even the hunting goddess Artemis, was shocked at Agamemnon’s deed. She took one

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He remained headstrong, stubborn and selfish in his actions, even warranting rebuke from the men on certain occasions. This is seen in the very first conflict that is witnessed on the pages of The Iliad. Agamemnon is faced with the request to give up his war prize, and immediately and indignantly decides against all the council of the army in order to keep his prize of a woman (28). With this decision, he sought his own desires selfishly and disconnected himself from the men he was meant to lead. Granted, he possessed a strong will, a thing very necessary for good leadership.

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