[Music] let's review the plot of the play Agamemnon the introduction opens in the Greek city of Argos on the roof of the Royal Palace a watchman impatiently awaits news of the outcome of the Trojan War when he sees the signifier indicating victory the watchman rejoices during the rising action at the chorus a group of archive elders come on stage just be collectively they've been hoping for victory for 10 years and asked the archive Queen Clytemnestra for news the chorus explains that the prophet Calchas predicted the argaï victory and recalls how the goddess artemis forced Agamemnon leader of the our guide forces to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia so his troops could set sail Clytemnestra exits the palace to tell the chorus the archive armies have captured troy the chorus reflects on the destruction caused by Paris and Helen whose kidnapping started the Trojan War and laments the damage in sorrow war causes some chorus members distrust the Queen Clytemnestra a herald arrives to confirm Troy's capture Agamemnon returns with Cassandra a prophet from Troy and captured member of the royal family now his war prize he praises the gods for saving him and says he'll work with the chorus to establish a democracy Clytemnestra greets Agamemnon saying she suffered without him and then lays out a purple red carpet for Agamemnon to walk on he says that honor is for a god not a human but he gives in after an argument the chorus sense his dread Clytemnestra and the chorus urged Cassandra to enter the palace and take her place as a slave but she refuses crying out in horror claiming she sees murder and tragedy in the palace she tells the chorus her visions a woman Clytemnestra will kill Agamemnon and Cassandra herself the chorus members are confused distressed and don't know whether or not to believe her cassandra enters the palace knowing she will die the chorus begins to speak about the inevitability of fates but screams from the palace interrupts them the chorus members panic and scatter debating whether Agamemnon is dead and whether his killers will capture the city of Argos in the horrifying climax of the play the palace doors open revealing Clytemnestra with blood on her hands having killed agamemnon and cassandra during the falling action she claims Agamemnon's death was revenge for the sacrifice of their daughter Iphigenia and tries to justify her actions the chorus members grieve for the slain Agamemnon but Clytemnestra says he brought this death on himself then a justice Agamemnon's cousin appears he is Clytemnestra x' lover and assisted in her plot in the resolution he explains how long ago a justices father is teased was betrayed by Atreus Agamemnon father as part of their power struggle Atreus tricked is teased into eating his own young children then banished him from the city deities left Argos and called down a curse on the house of Atreus ensuring its members would die violently adjust this tells angry chorus members they now will have to serve Him and they hope arrestees Agamemnon's exiled son will return the play ends with Clytemnestra and Aegisthus now rulers of Argos returning to the palace as the chorus separates [Music] let's review the characters in Agamemnon starting with the titular King Agamemnon himself Agamemnon is a tragic hero and the namesake of the play proud of his rank and accomplishments he is less admired now by his subjects for fighting an unpopular and costly war he's portrayed as less intelligent and less forward-thinking than his wife believing prosperity will shield him from misfortune Agamemnon attempts humility saying he does not want to be treated like a god but like other Greek tragic figures he is fatally flawed by hubris Clytemnestra is another key character driven by the desire for vengeance and power the shrewd audacious Clytemnestra is the play's most developed and complex character a course that has little respect for women typical of the play's ancient times constantly compares her to a man she professes loyalty to Agamemnon and praises him at the same time as she plots his assassination she also is argumentative defending her thoughts and opinions to the chorus when they disagree cassandra Agamemnon's war captive is a character emotional and distraught by the destruction of her homeland given the gift of prophecy by Apollo she can see accurately into the past present and future however after cassandra refused him sex Apollo cursed her so no one would believe her prophecies she dramatically and graphically foretells Agamemnon's death as well as her own as well as the prophecy of doom that will come to fruition another character is a justice like his lover Clytemnestra adjust this watts power and revenge and is led to murder by the need to avenge a wrong done to his family his manner is a Thor atte t'v and menacing he wants to implement a strong controlling government threatening to enslave anyone who disagrees with him including the chorus the chorus also functions as a character because chorus members represent citizens of Argus they have a vested interest in the actions and may make moral pronouncements based on characters decisions Escalus gives chorus members opinions and sympathies and occasionally individual lines though with no impact on the outcome of the drama the chorus is loyal to Agamemnon leader of their City but disagrees with his decision to go to war they also ardently patriotically support their troops Agamemnon's death deeply affects the chorus let's review the main symbols in Agamemnon the first of which is Nets Nets snares entrapments and entanglements appear repeatedly as a nautical image a fishing net that evokes helplessness nets surround characters whose fates are inescapable and beyond their power to change and cover characters soon to die or cities soon to be conquered the net imagery comes to suggest death or fate itself is closing in on the characters Clytemnestra claims to have staked a net around the dead body of agamemnon the chorus also claims Agamemnon lies in a spider's web of death the watchdog is another symbol the watchdog represents responsibility and waiting guardianship a dog is a humble servant protecting others at the expense of itself but both watchdogs of the house of Atreus and city of Argos Clytemnestra and agony non misuse responsibility to further their own agendas the symbol of the watchdog services in the watchman's character - as he watches diligently for a signal fire from Troy early in the play he acts as the protector of the house and the four seer of good fortune or trouble but Clytemnestra and agony and the other two watchdogs are failing in their roles as protectors the watchmen a palace servant is aware of their limitations as rulers and when he introduces Clytemnestra he comments on her determined resolution of a man equality she demonstrates as she gains individual power the purple carpet is another symbol this purple carpet is referred to as red a deep reddish purple similar to the color of blood and its symbolism is tied to the bloodshed in the house of Atreus and two evil acts that encourage death it's color comes from dye in the sea another force larger than humans themselves Clytemnestra brags in Episode three that the dye is as valuable as silver symbolic of wealth she is ignoring the choruses many warnings against flaunting wealth which leads to judgment and catastrophe blood is also a feature of human and animal sacrifice a gift to the gods as well as an act to preserve the living Clytemnestra for instance talks eerily of pouring Agamemnon's blood and libations to the gods birds are another notable symbol characters are often compared to birds and offer details about the character's personality faith and moral righteousness or lack thereof Cassandra is a helpless Nightingale and a singing Swan before her death Clytemnestra in her murder is compared to the death seeking Raven heading to war agamemnon and menelaus are too proud Eagles Menelaus and Agamemnon are also represented as birds whose nest has been robbed at Helen the appearance of birds also serves as a sign from the gods the two Eagles one white and one black that fly by on the right side of the ship as Menelaus and Agamemnon depart for Troy are viewed as a favourable sign when the Eagles devour a pregnant hare the sign remains favourable that the sons of Atreus would devour Troy [Music] let's review the central themes in Agamemnon starting with fate like many Greek dramas Agamemnon deals heavily with the concept of fate or preordained events that humans cannot influence or finally control responsibility and accountability your central questions of the play if Zeus decides the fate of all mankind can Agamemnon be blamed for sending Trojans to their inevitable destruction despite fame however the chorus believes humans are still held to a moral standard and that humans should accept responsibility and punishment for evil deeds fated or not part of fate is paying for one's crimes God's control events in ways humans cannot gods manipulate the weather as Artemis does when Agamemnon is not able to set sail God's curse humans as Apollo curses Cassandra with prophecies no one believes with the gods intervening freely in human affairs characters and greek drama struggle with the question of free will do they have the ability to make decisions or is every action governed by fate another important theme is revenge versus justice the code of revenge governs the primary actions in the play many characters believe their roles are to avenge loved ones blood for blood in feuds that cross many generations sayest these curses the entire family of the house of Atreus for all to die in acts of bloodshed and vengeance a justice seeks to avenge his murdered siblings the children of theists ease and the wrong done to his own father Clytemnestra believes Agamemnon's death is what he deserves for killing their daughter justice to Clytemnestra and agony menon seems to mean righting wrongs with vengeance the archived attack on Troy is an act of vengeance and Agamemnon believes his win is just justice also involves people suffering or dying for acts their family members commits since families are so intricately linked the chorus claims people should be rewarded or punished according to the righteousness or evil of their deeds righteousness versus evil is another central theme unlike vengeance righteousness means doing good when others are doing evil virtue brings honor and fulfillment that's what the chorus thinks and accordingly the characters in the play believed they on the side of righteousness Agamemnon goes to war and Clytemnestra takes matters into her own plotting hands however others affected by these actions view them as evil and violence but does righteousness become evil when advanced by an individual rather than a court of law much of the plays dramatic tension comes from the conflict between individual codes of righteousness and evil there are a couple main motifs in Agamemnon the first is ships and sailing in ancient Greece ships were the primary method of travel to other cities for both commerce and warfare the royal family was called the ship of state a justice asserting his authority to the chorus says your masters on the higher tiers control the ship nautical images evoke order roles and hierarchies they also represent journeys and exile from one's homeland additionally Clytemnestra is described by the chorus as a sea monster and at a few points making bad decisions leads to the God's punishing Agamemnon's fleet resulting in the loss of his brother Menelaus another motif is prophecy prophecy manipulates and expands the plays sense of time which transcends the literal time of the plays events and flashes back to the past and forward to the future past and future distant events significant to the play are foretold by the prophets Calchas and Cassandra Cassandra also predicts the return of arrestees an event that connects Agamemnon to it's two sequels furthering the story of the epic family dynasty over time prophetic imagery anchors the actions of the play the chorus contemplates the purpose of foretelling future tragedies which are inevitable even though they haven't happened the prophets in the play Cassandra who appears on stage and Calchas who does not can see what is to come and meld those visions into their experience of the present with their recurrent dreams the chorus members are filled with their own visions of forthcoming doom but will be reluctant to clarify what they see knowing they cannot change events you