Printed in the lecture material
LECTURE 5
Background to Agamemnon
- required Topic
- Printed in the lecture material for ancient Greek epic poetry are several characteristics of this type of poetry.
- 2 Options:
- Ø Choose three of these characteristics as they apply to one god or goddess as the basis (3 main points) of your essay.
- Ø Choose one characteristic as it applies to three different gods/goddesses as the basis (3 main points) of your essay.
- Ø Be sure to explain each briefly.
- Ø You may wish to refer to The Iliad and/or The Odyssey to help in your explanations.
this is the leture to wirte about and the website helps with infomation to write
King Atreus, after a quarrel with this brother Thyestes, killed two of the latter’s children and fed their flesh to him. Upon discovering what had happened, Thyestes killed Atreus, and he in turn was murdered by Atreus’ son Agamemnon. Agamemnon and his wife Clytemnestra had four children, Orestes, Electra, Iphigenia, and Chrysothemis. Before sailing for Troy as commander of the Greek forces, Agamemnon cruelly sacrificed Iphigenia. Clytemnestra never forgave him for this. During his ten year absence while fighting in Troy, she secretly became the mistress of Aegisthus, a son of Thyestes. In order to facilitate her love affair with him, she sent her son Orestes away to live with a king in Phocis. With Aegisthus she plots the murder of Agamemnon.
Aeschylus wrote 3 plays (a trilogy) based on this old myth. The title of the trilogy is The Oresteia, and the three plays which comprise the Oresteia areAgamemnon, The Libation Bearers, and The Eumenides (Furies).
To help with your understanding of Agamemnon, go to this site: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/agamemnon
