Agamemnon

Agamemnon

Agamemnon is a confusing tale of the people that are waiting for the soldiers to

get home from the Trojan war. Most of the play is the chorus singing about many of the

things that happened during the war. The play also shows the disrespect the men had for

women in that time period.

In front of Agamemnon's palace, a watchman wishes his shift would end. He is

tired and wants to sleep but he must stay awake. He awaits news from Queen

Clytemnestra.

The Chorus of Argive elders enters, singing of the war. They sing of the gods,

asking for them to help them win the war, and of the great army. They anxiously await

the news from the Queen.

In the song, they tell how Agamemnon killed his child. He sacrificed his daughter

to Apollo so that Apollo would make the winds blow for his armies ships. The chorus

thinks that deed was horrible, but had to be done for the good of the country.

The leader asks Clytemnestra if she's heard any news. He doesn't like being ruled

by a woman and treats her somewhat rudely. He only listens to her because of his loyalty

to his King. She tells the leader that the army has taken Troy. The leader is skeptical and

asks her to repeat herself several times. The Queen gets angry and tells him she is not a

"credulous girl."

When the leader asks how Clytemnestra found out the city was taken so quickly,

she tells him that one God delivered the message to another and so on. He yet again asks

her, which makes it seem he thinks she is a young girl with little sense. When the leader

finally accepts her answer, he belittles her again by saying it was "worthy of a wise man's

utterance." Although the Queen has power while the King is gone, it means almost

nothing to the leader because she is female.

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