Clytemnestra, in Greek legend, a daughter of Leda and Tyndareus and wife of Agamemnon, commander of the Greek forces in the Trojan War. (Excerpted from Csapo, E. and W. Slater's The Context of . According to Greek mythology, Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae, a kingdom of legendary Greece. According to Homer's Iliad, the conflict between the Greeks - led by Agamemnon, King of Mycenae - and the Trojans - whose king was Priam - took place in the Late Bronze Age, and lasted 10 years. What is more, the traditional term dog-face () used in book 1 appears to have affected the poets choice of words in book 9. Nestors advice is not heeded, since Agamemnon rejects any mediation. He is worried about Agamemnons anger (78) and voices his concern. [1] Did the Romans "copy" their political system from the Greeks? He brought with him another woman as a concubine, the prophetess Cassandra, who was famous for not having her prophecies believed. (2020, August 26). A historic Trojan War would have been quite different from the one that dominates Homers epic. You can find the reprint on Google Books. The word may suggest a leading military rank, which is related to fighting prowess, strength, or even stature. He includes a threat made all the more emphatic by the use of the future perfect. We will send you an email with a link that you may use to reset your password. Gill, N.S. The question of sexual relations with ones concubine emphatically announced by Agamemnon in, I am suggesting that cultural tensions dovetail with traditional implications in the poets presentation. Aegisthus murdered Atreus and took the throne of Mycenae. For a more pop account, check out Eric Cline's Trojan War: Very Short Introduction. His response was sorrowful lamentation. Neither is he a father pleading for his captured warrior son. Certain descriptive traits have recurred in the foregoing chapters. Agamemnon is, however, not content to leave things at a rhetorical level. Agamemnon and his Greek forces laid siege and fought with Troy for ten . Bull (, 481) is made more prominent through its position (i.e. There could even be something about Agamemnons impulsive rush into battle that, while flattering, also parallels the sorts of thoughtlessness we noted in our consideration of Agamemnons character in the, Part of the ceremony that will precede the duel between Paris and Menelaos is one of oath-sacrifice, to assure that any pledges () have the gods as witnesses and guardians (3.280). This traditional saying indicates that an important decision is at hand. Agamemnon, who is said to cause the Trojans to flee in terror (178), takes his place in the fighting. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Agamemnon thoughtlessly miscalculated the reactions of his troops and overplayed his role. Further, as we began to see in Chapter 2, Agamemnon's traditional personality in Iliad 4 is shown to be one given to thoughtless, foolish, and rash words and actions. Definition by Mark Cartwright Agamemnon (Person) Agamemnon was the legendary king of Mycenae and leader of the Greek army in the Trojan War of Homer's Illiad. His reaction is sorrowful lamentation. His character, as we have seen it unfold from this and earlier chapters, seems consistent enough for his audience to doubt that possibility. "Agamemnon, the Greek King of the Trojan War." This arming of Agamemnon and his ardent. It is up to Agamemnon to react appropriately and to embody a clear response in the future. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. [248] Such counsel to act responsibly mirrors a familiar choice formula first used by Athena to Achilles (Iliad 1.207). Book 11 begins with a description of Agamemnons arming, the Achaian advance against the Trojans, and Agamemnons. Program where I earned my Master's is changing its name in 2023-2024. His actions are often chastised by his inferiors and end up in apology and retraction; he blames divinity, yet is still responsible and suffers the consequences. What made Agamemnon a great King? : r/ancientgreece - Reddit Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. When the moment comes, Achilles will not in fact agree to help his comrades, but only gives in a bit by allowing Patroklos to enter the battle in his armor. Helen of Troy, portrayed here in a 1882 painting by Edward Burne-Jones, has fascinated artists through the centuries (Credit: Trustees of the British Museum). When Helen was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris, Agamemnon led the Greek expedition to Troy to take back his brother's wife. Odysseus retort begins with the idiom looking darkly ( ), a formula that, as we noted in Chapter 2, highlights a significant breach in social convention, The direct address that follows shows the increased agitation of Odysseus at Agamemnons leadership (14.8485): Cursed. Browse other questions tagged, Start here for a quick overview of the site, Detailed answers to any questions you might have, Discuss the workings and policies of this site. What is interesting about this prayer is that it not only fulfills the customary requirements of swearing to certain gods, but also includes the tenor of Agamemnons personality in its lines. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to ourFacebookpage or message us onTwitter. Analysts early excised the scene, viewing it as a later addition, and noted that Agamemnon, Odysseus, and Nestor never actually made reference to the dream. Authors as diverse as John Dryden, Alexander Pope and Louis MacNeice have been moved to translate various versions of the classical myth. The traditional phrase, boasts that he is the best of the Achaians ( ), introducing a reported claim, is an idiom without the speakers active validation. He is swift to fulfill his threat against Achilles (318325), although his own messengers display an immediate revulsion toward carrying out his orders (327). In. Told of a possible location for the city, at Hisarlik on the west coast of modern Turkey, Schliemann began to dig, and uncovered a large number of ancient treasures, many of which are now on display at the British Museum. There is no good evidence as of now whether Agamemnon was a real person or not. We need not consider at length all the particulars of the embassy. In Agamemnons case, too, the audience is well aware of his larger character traits. Most historians now agree that ancient Troy was to be found at Hisarlik. The poet now brings Nestor back into view. Agamemnon's son Orestes took revenge by killing Clytemnestra, his mother. [242] Following this etiological story, we hear Agamemnon declare what he feels naturally follows from his personal entanglement with at: he should pay restitution (137138): [243] Yet, since I was deluded and Zeus snatched away my wits, / I am willing to make things right again and to offer considerable compensation ( , / , ). Troy was real. For the moment the hero took the abuse of Agamemnon who claimed that Tydeus begot a son worse than himself in fighting, but in the assembly better ( , , 400). . While the similes comparison and structure may not be Homers best, Agamemnon is struck as he lies there by the contrast in what he sees. Is there discussion among scholars about whether the Agamemnon of the Iliad was was closely based on a real person, probably with some embellishments and inaccuracies? Agamemnon will stand forth to declare Menelaos the clear winner and ask once again for a recompense that will be known to future generations, only to be answered by the divinely appointed (4.7072) arrow of the oath-breaking Pandaros (4.134140). She urges him to stop his anger from ending in a physical assault on the leading wanax; that is, she prods in her address to him, if you will obey ( ). Agamemnons sleeplessness, moreover, is indicated by language that is focused on internal unrest (10.4, 910) and a simile, which compares his sleepless state to a storm sent by Zeus (510). The Trojan War is the legendary (and almost certainly mythical) conflict in which Agamemnon laid siege to Troy in an effort to retrieve Helen, his sister-in-law after she had been taken to Troy by Paris. The audience was deeply moved to see the play acted this way. It does not, despite certain scholarly opinion (e.g. Book 9 acts as a complete scene, with the whole book encapsulated in a large ring structure. One comment of Achilles is particularly pertinent, however. His discovery of the Mask of Agamemnon was not his first, but second remarkable discovery. VDOM DHTML tml>. The predicament of highlighting Agamemnons excellence actually exists at most every turn, as we have seen in Chapters 2 to 4, even in the matter of his otherwise stalwart qualities as a warrior. In Chapter 4, I suggested the possibility of the House of Atreus story affecting the poetic choice of language in, The curse of the House of Atreus is not actively spoken of in the, A few additional comments are in order, however, about the influence of backstories from Agamemnons past and future on the, There are also, consequently, implications in what we have been arguing for an accurate way to read the oral-derived Homeric epics, although these implications are no doubt clear by now. He is reassured, however, by Achilles, who deflects Agamemnons anger from the prophet to himself (Louden 2006:160). There have been some promising finds in the past century that lends itself to that idea, chiefly the Pylos tablets, among which the names Orestes, Atreus, Tantalus, and Thyestes all occur. This "Trojan War erupted because Helen, a queen from Sparta, was abducted by . He was a king of Mycenae, and the supreme commander of the Greeks during the Trojan War. Kelly demonstrates that our present scene includes a uniquely long example of the suggestion of retreat theme. The subsequent actions of Agamemnon in testing (. The staff of office (, Chryses, however, is not a warrior pleading for his life. He will offer restitution to Achilles; yet, by sitting rather than standing, fashions himself overtly as a victim. Homers core audience could consider the narrative moments against (diachronically) past, present, and future stories. Determined to get Helen back and punish the Trojans, Agamemnon and his brother marched a mighty army against Troy, and eventually succeeded in bringing its people to their knees. It was an action that had both a mythic and possibly a cultic parallel, as I noted. But then Agamemnon took Briseis from Achilles. Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Nestor says that he would be inclined to disdain such a message as false had it originated from anyone other than the one who boasts that he is the best of the Achaians. 1 Answer. The "Mask of Agamemnon" is one of the most famous gold artifacts from the Greek Bronze Age. Further, if Agamemnons speech does include a tradition-based suggestion of retreat, one should, I suggest, also compare. After the death of some famous heroes, including Achilles, the Trojans fell victim to a ruse in which they accepted a large, hollow horse as a gift, only to find . His heightened concern for the Danans. His criticism is based upon Agamemnons continual unwillingness to be dissuaded from his ways by a wise, Agamemnons reply is bombastic, but also generous. Surely there are more appropriate comparisons for Agamemnons relation to suppliants than warriors begging for their lives on the battlefield or even a warrior-king coming for the corpse of his son. Achilles, however, is not prepared simply to overlook Agamemnons menacing threat, and the tenor of his reaction is carried in a traditional phrase: , Agamemnons shamelessness is also given characteristics in. Ancient Troy: The city and the legend | Live Science Why, why not? The play Agamemnon was written by one of the greatest Greek tragedians Aeschylus (c. 525 - 455 BCE), "Father of Greek Tragedy."Older than both Sophocles and Euripides, he was the most popular and influential of all tragedians of his era.Winning first prize at the Dionysia competition in 458 BCE, Agamemnon was the first play in a trilogy The Oresteia; the remaining two tragedies were .
