1. Aeschylus’ Agamemnon PART ONE: The Shape of Tragedy

2. 2 1 st Episode (beg.) – Comments chorus doubts cl – why? –b/c woman –so long? –doubt of cl – character judged, or gender foreboding –cl smartest –victory doubtful rhythm –natural – doubting her the thing of the town –cl responds –chorus degrading her ›can’t handle the gender thing chorus hesitant to show deference to cl she’s more convincing b/c of the doubt –more sympathetic

3. 3 Agenda Backstory & Backdrop Aeschylean Dramaturgy –Aeschylean Epiphany –Poetry and Drama –“Tragic Formula” –Cycle of Suffering Clytemnestra, Chorus –Of Gender and Fire Signals…

4. Backstory & Backdrop

5. 5 Play-Facts Playwright –Aeschylus 525-456 Plays (tetralogy) –Oresteia 458 ›Agamemnon ›Libation Bearers ›Eumenides ›Proteus (lost) Historical context –Areopagus court

6. 6 Backstory… Feast of Thyestes Sacrifice of Iphigenia Abduction of Helen Sack of Troy map genealogy

7. Greece Turkey (Asia Minor) Athens Argos Sparta Troy Aulis Delphi

8. Genealogy

9. Agamemnon: Analysis (numbers = Penguin pages) Prologue 104 f. Watchman Parodos 105 ff. entry march (recited) –misgivings: expedition lyric (sung, danced) –portent of eagles and hare 1st episode 112 ff. Leader, Clyt. –fire signals 1st stasimon 117 ff. –Paris’ crime 2nd episode 121 ff. Herald, Leader, Clyt. –victory. Menelaus lost? 2nd stasimon 129 ff. –Helen’s blood wedding 3rd episode 132 ff. Chorus (reciting). Ag., Clyt. –red carpet welcome 3rd stasimon 141 ff. –foreboding 4th episode 143 ff. Clyt., Leader –Cassandra to enter palace Cass., Leader, whole Chorus –Cass.’s visions (spoken, sung) Choral recitation 158 –perils of power Scene 159 Leader, whole Chorus, Ag. (offstage) –murder Exodos 160 ff. Clyt., Leader 160-162 –ekkuklēma with corpses Clyt., Chorus (lyric dialogue) 162 ff. –recriminations Clyt., Aegisthus, Leader (dialogue) 168 ff. –gloating in victory, more recriminations

10. Aeschylean Dramaturgy Epiphany Poetry and Drama “Tragic Formula” Cycle of Suffering

11. 11 Aeschylean Epiphany (C.J. Herington) verbal ambiguity human visual clarity divine to

12. 12 Aeschylean Dialogue Actor + Chorus-leader (koruphaios) Two actors –plus Leader (opt.)

13. 13 Poetry & Drama: Ag. Parodos 1. Portent of eagles and hare. 2. Anger of Artemis. 3. Hymn to Zeus. 4. Sacrifice of Iphigenia.  complex thought  extravagant imagery  riddle-like metaphor

14. 14 Tragic Formula: Reversal as … koros (excess, extravagance) hubris (arrogance, violation) atē (delusion, ruin) dikē (justice)

15. 15 Cycle of Suffering Blood feud Crime begets crime Sins of the fathers … pathei mathos (from suffering, knowledge) –“Zeus has led us on to know, … that we must suffer, suffer into truth,” (Chorus p. 109)

16. Clytemnestra, Chorus Of Gender and Fire Signals…

17. 17 Clytemnestra, Chorus (Your thoughts) [comment]