William Chiu

The story of Agamemnon truly lives up to the genre tragedy. Throughout the story characters constantly betray one another and scheme to kill each other. Most evident of these traits would be Agamemnon's wife Clytemnestra who kills her own husband. However one cannot blame her angry for Agamemnon failed to demonstrate qualities of a father nor humanity when he decided to allow the sacrificing of his daughter for his own personal gain. His inhuman act places the story's value of women in question. We are at opposing ends when we compare the emphasis placed on the power of Clytemnestra and the lack of importance placed in the life of Agamemnon's daughter. One suggest the author values the respects the ability of women to take charge and give orders. While the other shows how women can be killed almost at will. However despite the man-like qualities exhibited by Clytemnestra, she stills demonstrates the qualities that are very stereotypical of women with her reasoning for killing her husband. One cannot help but assume that she murdered her husband and husband's lover out of angry jealousy. Agamemnon a very interesting because it did not have excessively long soliloquys. It focused on the human aspect of the characters by allowing the readers to see the emotional conflicts occurring thorughtout the story.