The play opens on Agamemnon's palace in Argos. The time is just minutes before the fall of Troy. It is night. A lonely watchman on the roof of the palace, under the starry sky, soliloquizes about his weariness. He has been enlisted by the queen to look out for a beacon of fire, a signal that the war has finally come to an end. The Argive soldiers have been at Troy for ten years now. The Watchman's fatigue and melancholy encapsulate the sentiments of most of Argos. Her citizens have been awaiting the return of their compatriots and progeny for far too long. Many have almost lost hope.

The Watchman sees a light flare up in the distance. He compares it to dawn. He thinks first about the queen and her joy, then about the return of the king. Overcome with eagerness to relay the good news, he leaves to find the queen.

The Chorus enters and relates some history about the war and Argos. They mention Menelaus and Agamemnon, brothers, and describe their departure from Argos. Metaphorically, the war cries of the two kings become the shrieks of eagles after the loss of their young. The ostensible cause of the war-Helen's abd

After hearing the Herald's lamentable news about Menelaus, the Chorus launches into execrations of the adulterous Helen. Next, the Chorus considers the decimation of Troy, saying, basically, that it got what it deserved. For the Trojans had too loudly celebrated the fatal and transgressive marriage. A remarkable parable in which a lion, having been affectionately reared by humans as cub, later reverts to instinct and tears its hosts apart. This is then equated with Helen's sojourn in Troy.

The tone of Agamemnon's as he enters should be well noted. It is that of an austere soldier, a warrior. Clytaemestra's lavish reception contrasts sharply with her husband's abstemious character and his initial reluctance to tread the red carpet. His accusation that she is trying to "soften" him is also important. Agamemnon is callous insofar as he has executed his daughter. "Will" is mentioned in this section more than once, and we know that ambition and daring are the chief excesses of the will, i.e. of a hardened soldier. In short, Agamemnon's lack of pity is criticized by both the Chorus and his wife.

Following the death of Agamemnon, the Chorus, as representative of the state, or society, finds itself in a state of chaos and disarray. They cannot decipher the ultimate meaning of the climax. Was it necessary? Did the gods ordain it? How should they mourn Agamemnon? All of these tricky questions need untangling, and most of them remain unanswered at the end of the play. In fact, this is as it should be. Explication of the crime committed in Agamemnon forms the subject of the next two plays of the Oresteia. But it costs us little to speculate. Judging from the pleasure Clytaemestra derives in the carrying out of the murder, it is reasonable to assume she has not acted by divine sanction alone. Furthermore, there are the prophecies of Cassandra, Aegisthus' tyranny over the Chorus, and the anticipated return of Orestes that foreshadow Clytaemestra's culpability and her eventual demise at the hands of her son (in the next two plays).

The monumental, dramatic timing of the opening of the play, given as "directly after the fall of Troy," verily cannot be ignored. We are on the heels of one of the greatest wars in western history, and without a doubt the greatest in classical antiquity. The Watchman can be thought of as a type; in many ways he represents all those citizens and members of Agamemnon's court who yearn for the return of their estranged king and their countrymen. In his soliloquy, the repetition of words related to restlessness and sleeplessness, to tired vigilance, and to disquiet establishes the mood in Argos. It is one of grieving and longing. Indeed, the Watchman is even weary of the rotations of the stars.

Just then, Aegisthus, son of Thyestes and Clytaemestra's secret lover, enters with his bodyguards behind him. He rejoices over the dead king and lauds Clytaemestra's fine execution. He retells the story of Atreus and Thyestes, then relates that he was the one responsible for planning the regicide. Finding a braver voice, the Chorus insults Aegisthus for not having killed Agamemnon himself. Aegisthus, for his part, mocks the age and impotence of the old Chorus. He promises to silence any dissent with cruel slavery. The Chorus voices its hope for Orestes' return. Clytaemestra intercedes; and after cooling Aegisthus, reminding him that they now have the power, the doors to the palace close.

A series of complex questions arise in the wake of Agamemnon's murder. Most of them are introduced by the Chorus. We might usefully think of this as the beginning of a kind of internal interpretation. The repercussions of Clytaemestra's action must be determined in order for the final "healing" to come to Argos. Is the murder, as she says, the will of the gods? Or, as the Chorus asserts, an act of cruel, bloodthirsty vengeance? These are crucial ethical questions.

The Chorus finds a new topic in aging pride, and its main folly

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Approximate Word count = 4996
Approximate Pages = 20 (250 words per page double spaced)