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Structure of Aeschylus' - Agamemnon

The document provides a detailed summary of the structure and plot points of Aeschylus' Greek tragedy Agamemnon. It outlines the play's 15 scenes (prologue, parodos, 5 episodes, 4 stasima, kommos, and exodos) and summarizes the key events and revelations that occur in each, such as the signal fire announcing Greek victory in the Trojan War, Cassandra's prophecy of Agamemnon's murder, and Clytemnestra's recounting of killing Agamemnon upon his return home. The summary concludes by noting the play ends with Aegisthus and Clytemnestra as the new rulers of Mycenae despite foreshadowing that O

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344 views2 pages

Structure of Aeschylus' - Agamemnon

The document provides a detailed summary of the structure and plot points of Aeschylus' Greek tragedy Agamemnon. It outlines the play's 15 scenes (prologue, parodos, 5 episodes, 4 stasima, kommos, and exodos) and summarizes the key events and revelations that occur in each, such as the signal fire announcing Greek victory in the Trojan War, Cassandra's prophecy of Agamemnon's murder, and Clytemnestra's recounting of killing Agamemnon upon his return home. The summary concludes by noting the play ends with Aegisthus and Clytemnestra as the new rulers of Mycenae despite foreshadowing that O

Uploaded by

mrpoetry
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The$Structure$of$Aeschylus’$Agamemnon

(by$Dr.$Janice$Siegel,$from$Dr.$J’s$Classics:$http://people.hsc.edu/drjclassics/syllabi
/IH/agamemnon.shtm)

NOTE:$The$summary$below$has$been$tailored$to$match$the$line$numbers$in$Robert$Fagles’$translation
of$Aeschylus’$Oresteia.$The$line$numbers$are$slightly$different$than$in$the$original$Greek$text.
!

Prologue$1443.!Sentry!finally!sees!signal!fire!signaling!the!end!of!the!Trojan!War

Parodos$(Chorus$Entrance)$444258.!Chorus!(old!men!of!Argos)!gives!essential!background!about
the!cause!and!misery!of!the!Trojan!War,!and!reveals!real!fear!about!what!Clytemnestra!has!in!store
for!the!returning!Agamemnon!(specific!reference!to!the!sacrifice!of!Iphigenia).

Episode$I$2584356.!Dialogue!between!Chorus!Leader!and!Clytemnestra:!the!chorus!does!not!trust
that!Clytemnestra!has!good!information!about!a!Greek!victory.

Stasimon$I$3564492.!Chorus!praises!the!gods,!discusses!political!unrest!in!Argos.

Episode$II$4934682.!Herald!reports!to!Chorus!that!the!Greeks!have!won.!Herald!praises!the!gods
and!speaks!of!the!horrors!of!war.!Clytemnestra!enters!briefly!to!say!“I!told!you!so”!to!the!Chorus!and
to!announce!that!she!will!welcome!Agamemnon.!Exit!Clytemnestra.

Stasimon$II$6834794.!Chorus!considers!the!tragedy!of!the!feud.

Episode$III$7954976.!Agamemnon!addresses!the!Chorus:!he!thanks!the!gods.!Clytemnestra
addresses!the!Chorus!in!Agamemnon’s!presence:!she!speaks!of!the!hardship!she!endured!waiting
for!news!of!Agamemnon!all!these!years.
!!!!She!then!addresses!Agamemnon,!giving!a!speech!renowned!for!its!doubleOedged!meaning!and
lots!of!veiled!references!to!the!child!he!killed.!She!has!her!servants!lay!out!red!carpets!for
Agamemnon,!also!with!a!double!meaning.!He!orders!Cassandra!to!be!given!hospitality.
Clytemnestra!and!Agamemnon!enter!the!palace.

Stasimon$III$97741031.!Chorus!reflects!on!an!unnamed!terror!they!feel.

Episode$IV$103241068.!Clytemnestra!reappears!and!asks!Cassandra!inside.!Cassandra!does!not
move,!and!Clytemnestra,!angry,!stomps!inside.

Kommos$106941354.!Cassandra!reveals!to!the!Chorus!all!that!will!happen!inside!the!house,!as!well
as!knowledge!of!the!past!(Curse!of!the!House!of!Atreus)!and!future!(the!vengeance!of!Orestes).!A
priestess!of!Apollo,!she!appears!practically!possessed!as!her!speech!goes!on.!The!Chorus!cannot
understand!that!she!means!that!Clytemnestra,!a!woman,!will!be!Agamemnon’s!murderer.!She
enters!the!house!to!go!to!her!doom.
Stasimon$IV$135541368.!Chorus!expounds!on!the!evils!of!power.!They!identify!Agamemnon!as!the
recipient!of!his!father’s!curse!and!bemoan!the!cycle!of!vengeance!that!will!cause!his!death!too!to!be
avenged.

Episode$V$136941475.!The!Chorus!running!in!all!different!directions!represents!the!political!unrest
caused!by!these!events.!Clytemnestra!reveals!the!body!of!Agamemnon,!recounts!the!murder!and
explains!why!she!had!a!right!to!kill!him.

Exodos$147641708.!Aegisthus!gives!his!story!of!vengeance,!the!childOfeast!that!is!part!of!the!Curse
of!the!House!of!Atreus.!Clytemnestra!stops!the!fight!between!the!Chorus!and!Aegisthus!and!his
men,!claiming!that!the!cycle!has!come!to!an!end.!No!more!killing.
!!!!In!1588O1594!the!Chorus!explains!the!problem!with!the!Mycenean!system!of!justice.!But!the
Chorus!has!already!suggested!that!Orestes!should!avenge!the!murder.!The!play!ends!with
Aegisthus!and!Clytemnestra!as!King!and!Queen!of!Mycenae.

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