Questions and Discussion
The Agamemnon establishes the basic patterns of imagery and themes
for the Oresteia trilogy:
Patterns of Imagery: How do these
advance the plot and contribute to the meaning of all the plays in the trilogy?
What happens to these imagistic patterns in the final play of the trilogy?
- Light and Darkness: How are these
images introduced in the prologue? How are they developed throughout the play?
- The House and its Curse: How does the
physical house symbolize the family and its curse? How does the curse operate
through different generations of the family? Does the presence of the curse
exclude all possibility of personal guilt on the part of individual family
- Animal Imagery: What are the most
prominent animal images in the play? With what characters are they connected?
Why does animal imagery play such a prominent part in the Agamemnon?
- Imagery of Entanglement (yoke, bit,
net, etc.): What function do these images perform in the play and how are they
related to the operation of the curse?
- Sickness and Healing: Which of these
two images is more prominent in the Agamemnon? Why?
II. Themes: How are these developed
throughout the trilogy; how are they resolved in the final play? How are they
related to the patterns of imagery?
- Grace and Wisdom through Suffering: How
is this theme presented in the Agamemnon?
- Masculine versus Feminine: How does
Aeschylus present the major conflicts in the play in terms of the opposition
between the masculine and feminine spheres? How is this opposition developed
through the characterization and actions of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra? Which
sphere triumphs in the Agamemnon?
- Hubris (excessive pride): Which
character/s in the play manifest this quality? How? What does the chorus say
about this quality?
- Dilemma: What are the major dilemmas
faced by Agamemnon and Clytemnestra? How are they related to the
masculine/feminine opposition? to the curse?
What is the function of the chorus in the Agamemnon? Why is it so
prominent? What is the primary function of Cassandra and how is her role
similar to that of the chorus?
Barbara F. McManus
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