The Not So Good, The Bad, and Some More Bad
I first want to state that I absolutely do not like Agamemnon. After reading both The Iliad and our assigned reading, I have come to the popular conclusion that Agamemnon is not a good person or ruler. First of all, he sends one thousand ships to return one woman back to Sparta. A woman that left on her own free will. This rescue mission cost many men their lives in a ten year war. TEN YEARS! That is a ridiculous amount of time for a war to go on over a woman. Secondly, as many people have also mentioned, Agamemnon sacrifices his own daughter to the gods in hopes that the gods will allow them victory over Troy. He didn't even hesitate to do so, he just sacrificed her. What kind of decent person could do that to their own child? Lastly, Agamemnon is easily influenced, which makes him a terrible ruler. Agamemnon knew that he did not need to walk on the red tapestry and put himself in the position of the gods, but he does anyways. He lets his wife, Clytemnestra, convince him to put himself in that dangerous position. I would not want a king who let his wife influence him into making bad decisions.
Something else that stood out to me in my readings is the way the Leader talks to Clytemnestra when she tells him that Troy has fallen. He does not believe that she actually knows that Troy has been conquered. In lines 273-276, he asks her if a spirit has taken her into a dream or if she is just talking behind rumors like a woman would. She then later has to explain her way of knowing. She knew because of the beacons of fire rushing back to inform her of the victory. Reading this little portion of the book made me mad in a way, because even though she is royalty, he still questions her. I then realized that women in this time were not looked at the same as men were, even though she was royalty.
Sydney Snow
P.S. I commented on Breanna and Joshua's posts.
Something else that stood out to me in my readings is the way the Leader talks to Clytemnestra when she tells him that Troy has fallen. He does not believe that she actually knows that Troy has been conquered. In lines 273-276, he asks her if a spirit has taken her into a dream or if she is just talking behind rumors like a woman would. She then later has to explain her way of knowing. She knew because of the beacons of fire rushing back to inform her of the victory. Reading this little portion of the book made me mad in a way, because even though she is royalty, he still questions her. I then realized that women in this time were not looked at the same as men were, even though she was royalty.
Sydney Snow
P.S. I commented on Breanna and Joshua's posts.
I laughed so hard about your comment about going to war that long over a woman. I agree. The longer I read this book, the more angry I become towards Agamemnon. He was not a good ruler. He was very selfish. He almost fought over his own desires rather than what was best for his country. Just like todays politics, you have to act for the greater good. You can not make decisions based on your own opinions and expect to be able to run a country. Sure, he can do what he wants because he is king. But, it does not make him a good or fair king. I feel like lot of pain and deaths could have definitely been avoided during this play if he would have acted a little more rationally.
ReplyDeleteAgamemnon definitely does not rely on sound logic or knowledge...he's basically the opposite of King Solomon. He relies too heavily on outside opinions and does not think for himself (or for the needs of others for that matter). #NotMyKing
ReplyDeleteThe Leader's treatment of Clytaemnestra also had me thinking about that culture's view of women, even strong-willed women like Clytaemnestra (we need to give her a shorter nickname). It definitely puts into perspective the value of the voice women have in our American society today.
Agamemnon was probably thinking about pride and not Helen`s right of choice. The Trojans had taken Helen from the Greeks and the Greeks would look weak if they just set back and let the Trojans walk over them. Agamemnon was also probably thinking that what is his daughter's life over the life of many. He probably truly believed that if he did not sacrifice his daughter that many others would die. That does not mean I agree with him. The vision even though believed in those days is not sound logic to kill your daughter.
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