Here are the major characters in
Aeschylus' Agamemnon:
1. Agamemnon - The king of
Argos and commander of the Greek army in the Trojan War. He is a tragic figure
who is caught between his duty as a warrior and his responsibilities as a
husband and father.
2. Clytemnestra - Agamemnon's wife
and the queen of Argos. She is a complex character who is driven by a desire
for revenge against her husband for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia.
3. Cassandra - A Trojan
princess who was captured by Agamemnon and taken as his concubine. She is a
prophetess who foresees her own death and the downfall of Agamemnon.
4. Aegisthus - Clytemnestra's
lover and the son of Thyestes, a former king of Argos. He is a symbol of the cycle
of violence and revenge that plagues the house of Atreus.
5. The Chorus - A group of elderly
men from Argos who serve as a moral and emotional guide throughout the play.
They express the themes of the play through their songs and dialogue.
6. Iphigenia - Agamemnon and
Clytemnestra's daughter, who was sacrificed by her father to appease the gods
before the Trojan War.
7. Menelaus - Agamemnon's
brother and the husband of Helen, whose abduction by Paris sparked the Trojan
War. He is not present in the play but is referenced frequently.
8. Thyestes - A former king of
Argos and the father of Aegisthus. He is referenced as an example of the cycle
of violence and betrayal that plagues the house of Atreus.
Agamemnon is the first play in the Oresteia
trilogy by the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. It tells the story of King
Agamemnon, who returns home to Argos after ten years of war in Troy. Upon his
return, he is greeted by his wife Clytemnestra, who has been plotting revenge
against him for sacrificing their daughter Iphigenia to the gods before he left
for war. Clytemnestra, along with her lover Aegisthus, murders Agamemnon and
takes control of the kingdom.
The play explores the themes of revenge,
justice, and the consequences of actions. It raises questions about the
morality of war and the role of women in society. The character of Clytemnestra
is complex, as she is both a grieving mother seeking justice for her daughter
and a vengeful wife seeking retribution for her husband's actions. The play
ends with the chorus calling for the intervention of the gods to restore order
and balance to the world.
