Agamemnon

A detailed Summary of Agamemnon


Agamemnon is the first book in the Orestiean Trilogy written by the famous Greek tragedy writer, Aeschylus. Agamemnon is a story of justice and revenge. The story takes place in a city called Argos. It starts with Agamemnon, the king of Argos, away at the Trojan War. The city is eagerly awaiting the news of their king's welfare and the outcome of the war. Watchmen are posted in the city, watching for the beacon that would report the capture of Troy and Agamemnon's return. Beacons are set up from Troy to Argos; when one beacon is lit, the next one will be lit, until the last. The play starts when a palace watchman discovers the beacon and tells Agamemnon's wife, Clytemnestra, the good news.

The chorus enters relating the story of Agamemnon and his brother Menelaus. When Menelaus' wife, Helen, ran away to Troy with Paris, the prince of Troy, Menelaus gathered an army, led by Agamemnon, to attack Troy and retrieve Helen. Most important about the chorus's speech is their mention of Agamemnon sacrificing his daughter, Iphigenia, in order to be able to wage war on Troy. The


y tell how she was sacrificed despite her cries, all for a wind that would take them to war. Clytemnestra then tells the chorus about the defeat of Troy and Agamemnon returning from his ten years away at war.

Alone with the chorus, Cassandra starts going into trances. She seems to break down, asking why Apollo has brought her to Argos just to destroy her again. She then talks about a woman entrapping a man. She says, "The treacherous water's poured, the lustral bath is full; she holds him in a trap made like a gown- she strikes! He crashes down! Listen! It is treachery, treachery, I say!"

Cassandra walks fearfully into the palace, then the chorus hears Agamemnon's cry for help. After some deliberation of what to do, they go into the palace only to see Clytemnestra over the dead bodies of Agamemnon and Cassandra. Clytemnestra tells that the reason for this seemingly wrong act was to do justice for Agamemnon sacrificing their daughter. Clytemnestra's lover and partner in crime, Aegisthus, enters the palace with an armed bodyguard and justifies his part in the crime. He tells of

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 738
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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