Role and Nature of the Gods in Agamemnon - Essay Example

Role and Nature of the Gods in Agamemnon The Greek Tragedy was developed out of a mixture of ancient myths and stories, while the classic Greek Theatre can be attributed to the religion of Dionysus, as the poems and dances were performed particularly for Dionysus, a God of mixed blessings. Agamemnon written by Aeschylus in 458 B.C.E is the first play in the tragic trilogy, Oresteia. The story of Oresteia was an ancient myth-family tragedy, which involves the bloodguilt acts of vengeance, the curse and the wrath of Gods that caused all the consequences. The play was set in the backdrop of the Trojan War and the successful returning of the king Agamemnon, who is killed by his wife, Clytemnestra and her lover, Aegisthus. The role of Gods in the play is inevitable as the entire Greek myths revolve around stories of Gods and how they affected the lives of the humans on Earth. We shall discuss in detail the Greek classic tragedy of Agamemnon, by analyzing the role and nature of the Gods in the play. The central focus of the play is the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra, for the vengeance of sacrificing their daughter, Iphigenia at Aulis, for placating the Goddess Artemis. The play begins with the arrival of Agamemnon’s arrival from the Trojan War, marking his success at Troy. The Chorus is a major part in the novel, depicting the incidents then and before to the audience through beautifully narrated poetic lyrics. Though Clytemnestra and Aegisthus play a prominent role in the blood-guilt, they take no responsibility for their actions, as they blame their vengeance to be Fate and Justice. The play closes with the Chorus admonishing their actions and warning them about the consequences they are to face, through Orestes’ return to avenge, which is continued in the subsequent plays of Oresteia. Analyzing the role of Gods in the play is vital for understanding the morals and religious emphasis of Aeschylus. Agamemnon concentrates on the man’s position on Earth in relation to the Gods, divine law and punishment. The role of Gods in human life is undeniable, owing to its fragility and universality of suffering. The play holds too many references of Greek Gods in its lyrics. The Chorus shows constant respect to the Gods particularly, Aretmis, Apollo and Zeus. Aretmis was the Goddess to whom Agamemnon’s daughter was sacrificed for helping his ships to sail for Troy. There are also mentions about the avenging Goddesses, the Furies, who are probably responsible for punishing the people for their terrible crimes. At one instance, the Chorus mentions that the Furies are about to punish the Greek soldiers who plunders Troy too much, and have conquered the city with violence. “Someone – either Apollo or Pan or Zeus – hears the birds' wailed lament, the sharp cry of these settlers in their home, and for the transgressors' later punishment sends a Fury.” (Aeschylus, 1970, 55-58). The Gods have eventually punished majority of Greeks for their violent conquest at Troy by destroying their ships after leaving. The Chorus also praises the Gods, Apollo and Zeus for protecting them. When the Herald brings the news of safe homecoming, he shows great respect to Gods, particularly Hermes and Zeus, for protecting themselves and their fleets, despite their destruction of altars of God in Troy. It is obvious from the play that the nature of the Gods is to punish the offenders and avenge for their injustice. The victory of Greeks in the Trojan War was attributed to the vengeance of Gods on Trojan prince, Paris, for disregarding the sanctity of marriage by taking Helen, Menelaus’ wife, to Troy. The Gods aided the Greek forces to success for avenging on the city of Troy for its past injustice. Similarly, God’s wrath can also be intensified by disregarding his recognition and honor. Agamemnon’s hubris act of walking in the red-carpet tapestry offended the God Zeus, as the recognition for victory belongs to Him. When Clytemnestra insists on honoring Agamemnon for his accomplishments, he falls for his conceited pride, ultimately earning the wrath of Zeus, for taking away the credit of Gods. The death of Iphigenia, which was the former cause for all the bloodsheds in the House of Atreus, was actually acted out for appeasing a Goddess, Artemis. However, Clytemnestra still blames for the actions of his husband and takes vengeance on him. She justifies her act of killing to be the justice paid back for her daughter’s death, rather than recognizing that he was solely following the commands of the Gods. Moreover, she mentions that it was Zeus, the king of Gods, who have prompted her to kill her husband for offending His recognition. But actually she was the one who persuaded him to walk on the crimson carpet. She even feels no guilt for her acts, mentioning that she was an instrument for Zeus in exacting justice to her daughter’s death. However, the Chorus of Algive elders does not support her argument and insists that Gods will punish her eventually for her actions. Every act has its own consequences, and Clytemnestra is deemed to face the outcomes of her blood-guilt. The Chorus at the end of the play reveals that true justice will be served and Orestes will return to avenge for his father, with the leading of the Gods. It was not only the curse on Atreus family or the vengeance of Clytemnestra that caused the death of Agamemnon, but his mistakes that kindled the wrath of the Gods. Formerly, he and his army violently persuaded the city of Troy by destroying the temple alters, which was an act of sacrilege against the Gods. Moreover, he has claimed the recognition for the victory, which was solely God’s. “Neither burnt sacrifice nor libation of offerings without fire will soothe intense anger away.” (Aeschylus, 1970, 69-71). Without God’s protection, it was clear that Agamemnon would inevitably perish. The terrible fate of Agamemnon was deserved by him for his actions against Gods at the city of Troy, as well as yielding to his own ego and pride, by his hubristic act of walking on the tapestry. It was habitual for the people to carry out their vengeance in the name of God, for making it guiltless on the eyes of the justice. However, holding the name of God for injustice does not mitigate the consequences or wrath of the Gods. Though the fall of Troy was justified by the Gods, the violence of the Greeks intensified the wrath, turning it against them. The nature of Gods can be seen not only as a just divine power, but also a wrathful humane identity, concerned for injustice and sanctity. From Agamemnon, it is evident that the role of Gods has a significant influence on the lives of the humans. The majority of the play deals with the role of Gods on the lives of human beings, particularly how their actions cause the divine powers to execute vengeance on mankind. Though Gods are just in punishing the offenders, they are much more concerned of their honor, respect and sanctity. As viewed from Agamemnon’s destiny, his death was ordained not for his sacrifice or ancestors’ curse, but his hubris acts and disregard for Gods. Vengeance is God’s; and they will eventually exalt Justice on the mortals for their actions. Gods explore the actions of the humans, and strike them down for their violation of justice, as in case of Agamemnon, Paris and even Clytemnestra. Overall, Agamemnon shows that justice will be ordained from the Gods, towards the transgressors and they will suffer, but woe is sure to escalate on the lives of those who carry out vengeance on the transgressors, by the name of justice. Works Cited Aeschylus. Agamemnon. Prentice-Hall, 1970. Read More