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Foundational Texts of Great Empires > Aesychlus, Agamemnon > Flashcards

Aesychlus, Agamemnon Flashcards

1
Q

AA: When did Aeschylus live?

A
  • Around 500BC

- Born in the Eleusis (a deme near Athens by the theatre of dionysus)

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2
Q

AA: How did Aeschlus embody Athenian Heroism?

A
  • He fought against the Persians at Marathon and Salamis.

- Died before the period of Athenian Empire and the Peloponnesian War

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3
Q

AA: Why was The Oresteia a signficant play for Aeschlus?

A
  • The trilogy was produced in 458, his last production in Athens.
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4
Q

AA: What is the Oresteia?

A

The Oresteia is a trilogy of plays detailing Agamemnon’s return to

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5
Q

AA: Where and in what manner were these plays performed?

A
  • Anually
  • Festival of Dionysus
  • In competition with other playwrights
  • 5 plays a day over 5 days
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6
Q

AA: How many plays did Aeschlus write?

A
  • 80 in his lifetime
  • Only 7 survived
  • Only Ancient Greek trilogy to survive.
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7
Q

AA: How is the Oresteia regarded today?

A
  • As perhaps the monument of Ancient Greek dramatic poetry.
  • Up there with Oedipus Rex // Hamlet
  • Its treatment of women is arguably not acceptable to todays media, yet as a work of literature it is still heralded.
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8
Q

AA: What three books make up the Oresteia?

A
  • Agamemnon
  • The Libation Bearers
  • Eumenides
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9
Q

AA: Who does Agamemnon’s wife commit adultery with?

A

-Aegisthus, while Aga is at war with Troy over 10 years.

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10
Q

AA: What do the chorus think Agamemnon should pay for in ‘Agamemnon’?

A

-During the siege of Troy he had to sacrifice his daughter iphigemia for success.

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11
Q

AA: Why is Clytemnestra wanting to kill Agamemnon (and Cassandra)?

A
  • She is having an affair with Aegisthus, Aga stands in the way.
  • He has been gone for 10 years.
  • He sacrificed their daughter.
  • He returned home with a new wife, Cassandra.
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12
Q

AA: How would Clytemnestra be viewed in Ancient Athens?

A
  • A notorious figure such as Elektra, as she is a woman who plots and schemes and performs actions outside of her wifely duties.
  • She defies the desired qualities of women.
  • Aeschylus appears to highlight the supposed natural weakness of ‘Women’ (Helen, Clytemnestra and Cassandra are all adulterous women)
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13
Q

AA: Why was Clytemnestra’s killing particularly heinous?

A

-She murdered him whilst giving him his homecoming bath, a ritual for warriors of the front line when they return from battle. This is somewhat sacred

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14
Q

AA: What is the plot of the first book, ‘Agamemnon’?

A
  • Agamemnon is coming home after 10 years battling in Troy.
  • The chorus of elderly Argives fear for what Clytemnestra will do during his return.
  • They reveal the course of Troy, and his sacrifice of Iphigenia to placate Artemis.
  • Clytemnestra makes the chorus cower, they will not warn Agamemnon.
  • Aga returns with Cassandra, and has a chilling reunion with Cyltemnestra.
  • Cassandra prophesises their fates but disregards it.
  • A demon appears in the Palace
  • Whilst bathing Aga, Cly kills him with an axe and Cassandra, revealing the bodies to audience.
  • Cly triumphs in pride over her victory.
  • The demon appears and warns that Orestes will soon return and kill them both.
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15
Q

AA: Where is Agamemnon king of?

A

Argos

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16
Q

AA: How was the trilogy received in Ancient Athens?

A

-Won first place in 458 BCE

17
Q

AA: What are important themes of the trilogy?

A
  • The cyclical nature of blood crimes.
  • The lack of clarity between right and wrong.
  • The conflict between the new and old gods.
  • Difficult nature of inheritence and blood ties.
18
Q

AA: What is the underlying metaphorical aspect to the drama?

A
  • Change from archaic self-help justice by personal revenge or vendetta,
  • To the administration of justice by trial throughout the series of plays.
  • Symbolises a transformation from Greek society governed by instincts, to a modern democratic society governed by reason.
  • Clytemnestras justice to Orestes’ justice
19
Q

AA: How might Athens’ change during this period have influenced Aeschylus?

A
  • He lived through the democratisation of Athens.

- Makes Oresteia appear to be about a positive transformation from personal chaos to collective justice.

20
Q

AA: Was the story of the house of Atreus pre-existing?

A
  • It was an ancient and well-known myth, which laid the basis for Oresteia.
  • However, Aeschlus approached it in a unique and distinctive way, conveying his own agenda.
21
Q

What common Ancient Greek conflict/tension/theme does the trilogy portray?

A

-Tyranny vs. Democracy

22
Q

AA: What actions of Aeschylus’ father further condemn Agamemnon?

A
  • Atreus, his father, boiled the children of his brother alive.
  • Theme of blood ties.
  • Orestes ends the cycle of inherited shame by finding refuge (From the furies) in Athens and seeking audience with Athena, who relieves him of persecution.

Foundational Texts of Great Empires (10 decks)

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