Clytemnestra's Sacrifice In 'Antigone'
What is the strongest case for the claim that Clytemnestra has a legitimate grievance?
Agamemnon goes to war, for ten years and sacrifices his daughter to gain favorable winds. Clytemnestra is left for ten years to mourn and think about her husband killing her daughter in order to win a war. When we think about punishment, we think about people being judged and justice being served. In this case, Clytemnestra acts as both the judge and the jury. The party found guilty and justice is an eye for eye. She believes Agamemnon's decision is unacceptable because he could have chosen another way to win the war other than sacrificing their daughter. Given our knowledge about the Greeks, we know honor to the means something. It is this honor that leads to Agamemnon's downfall. Agamemnon sacrifice of Iphigenia can be interpreted as a man purely trying to maintain his personal …show more content…
honor before his army. The choice to sacrifice his own child instead of turning back or risking the embarrassment and humiliation of not going through with the mission to Troy is a symptom of honor glorified to an extreme. Those who are honorable are heroes and those who are not are cast aside so Agamemnon is quick to suggest killing a virgin (i.e his daughter). He would rather kill his own daughter then admit his own shortcomings.
Clytemnestra’s true grievance seems to be in Agamemnon not being held accountable for this action by the same patriarchal society that condemns her.
The Chorus throughout the reading constantly question her authority and her standing as a woman. First with not believing that the Greeks had taken Troy even suggesting that it might be a woman hallucinating or spreading rumors. Clytemnestra even points out men questioning her authority while her husband was away. The Chorus is quick to condemn her of being adulterous while actively placing Agamemnon on a pedestal because he “endured so much for the sake of a woman, now a woman’s hand has struck him dead”. (Aeschylus, Lines 1453-1454) There is no mention of Agamemnon bringing back Cassandra, and Agamemnon is portrayed like a martyr and hero taken from life too soon. Since the chorus condemns Clytemnestra Strongly for her adultery and maintains that “Revenge will come and [Clytemnestra] will pay, blow for blow”, (Aeschylus, Line 1430). It is a vicious cycle where violence will be met with only more violence as justification for some act of
wrongdoing.
The story of Agamemnon highlights what could happen when you glorify masculinity and honor so much so that men can not admit their failings. It also shows the principle of an eye for an eye where violence is justified if someone does you wrong.
Agamemnon goes to war, for ten years and sacrifices his daughter to gain favorable winds. Clytemnestra is left for ten years to mourn and think about her husband killing her daughter in order to win a war. When we think about punishment, we think about people being judged and justice being served. In this case, Clytemnestra acts as both the judge and the jury. The party found guilty and justice is an eye for eye. She believes Agamemnon's decision is unacceptable because he could have chosen another way to win the war other than sacrificing their daughter. Given our knowledge about the Greeks, we know honor to the means something. It is this honor that leads to Agamemnon's downfall. Agamemnon sacrifice of Iphigenia can be interpreted as a man purely trying to maintain his personal …show more content…
honor before his army. The choice to sacrifice his own child instead of turning back or risking the embarrassment and humiliation of not going through with the mission to Troy is a symptom of honor glorified to an extreme. Those who are honorable are heroes and those who are not are cast aside so Agamemnon is quick to suggest killing a virgin (i.e his daughter). He would rather kill his own daughter then admit his own shortcomings.
Clytemnestra’s true grievance seems to be in Agamemnon not being held accountable for this action by the same patriarchal society that condemns her.
The Chorus throughout the reading constantly question her authority and her standing as a woman. First with not believing that the Greeks had taken Troy even suggesting that it might be a woman hallucinating or spreading rumors. Clytemnestra even points out men questioning her authority while her husband was away. The Chorus is quick to condemn her of being adulterous while actively placing Agamemnon on a pedestal because he “endured so much for the sake of a woman, now a woman’s hand has struck him dead”. (Aeschylus, Lines 1453-1454) There is no mention of Agamemnon bringing back Cassandra, and Agamemnon is portrayed like a martyr and hero taken from life too soon. Since the chorus condemns Clytemnestra Strongly for her adultery and maintains that “Revenge will come and [Clytemnestra] will pay, blow for blow”, (Aeschylus, Line 1430). It is a vicious cycle where violence will be met with only more violence as justification for some act of
wrongdoing.
The story of Agamemnon highlights what could happen when you glorify masculinity and honor so much so that men can not admit their failings. It also shows the principle of an eye for an eye where violence is justified if someone does you wrong.