Agamemnon and Antigone

Agamemnon and Antigone

            Tragedy was a common theme in the classic drama and literature, and it was often used by authors to highlight a consequence of doing or not doing something. Most of the classic Greek writers such as Sophocles and Aeschylus believed that facing tragedy was both a healthy and necessary antidote to human foolishness. It is because of this that most, if not all, of the classic playwrights, integrated this theme in their tragic drama. It thus calls for close attention to determine the various choices that were outwardly or subtly made by the characters and how it ended up influencing their outcome in the fateful end. “Antigone” by Sophocles and “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus are some of the classic tragic dramas that captured how certain flaws of men, particularly ignorance, led to the tragic end of many characters in the play. The core similarity between the two plays is the flawed choices made by key characters that led to the death of many characters in the story when they would have avoided the whole fateful end by paying attention to the consequences of their choices. This essay will argue against the idea that it is the lack of concern by men in power for the experiences of women that is the primary cause of tragic outcomes in “Antigone” by Sophocles but only applies “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus.

Literary Tragedy

The two selected plays achieve the tag tragic dramas because of the events that occur at the end of every play, mainly associated with the protagonists regardless of the different plot used to sustain the narratives. A tragic drama can be defined as a literary work where the main character is brought to ruins or suffers extreme sorrow, which occurs as a consequence of a tragic flaw, incapacity to bear unfavorable circumstances or moral weakness in their character. It then points to the fact that for an event to qualify as a tragic outcome in literary works, it must eliminate pity and distill a sense of resolution to a flaw of a character. It will thus be essential to assess the factors or behavior among the men that led to the tragedies in the selected literary works, and that validates the consequences faced by the men.

Analysis of the Literary Works

It is evident throughout the two works “Antigone” and “Agamemnon” the characters who suffer the tragic end are those who were unwilling to surrender a principle of virtuosity subtly or significantly influenced by their lack of concern but not entirely for the experiences of women. In the story “Antigone,” the concept of tragedy befalls Creon, the king of Thebes because he was driven by the need to punish Antigone, who had disobeyed him as the king. This undertone the idea that though there is a love-triangle in the drama, the motives and character of Creon were not entirely with the experience of a woman, but the pride of being a king drove him. In the story “Agamemnon,” the narrative is different, and it is evident that Agamemnon suffers the tragic end where he loses his life because of his love for Cassandra along with sins of Atreus, his father. In this given case, it is clear that it was the lack of concern by Agamemnon regarding the possibilities of the consequences of his practice, or even his father’s mistakes would later cost him his life. As a result, his tragic end was influenced by the experiences of two women; Casandra and his wife, Clytemnestra. These events hence trigger the need to understand the role played by two women in the tragedy that faced Agamemnon. It is, therefore, evident that there is a tragic outcome in the two stories, a lack of concern by men drives them, and not entirely by the experiences of women.

The Role Played by Antigone in the Tragedy of Creon

It has already been established that the catastrophic events that faced Creon when the story ends were all influenced by Antigone’s lament. The death of the two brothers of Antigone serves as a pretext to her laments, and because of her strong sense of fidelity to natal over marital family, she raises the concern of democracy (Honig 4). The tragedy of Creon then can be seen from the perspective that his experience with Antigone did not entirely trigger them, but the lack of honor he showed to nephews Eteocles and Polynices. At the beginning of the play, which advances from the death of Oedipus, it is clear that the brothers are to share the throne of their father Oedipus, but a year later, Eteocles declines to step down from the throne. The events that antedate the war in the family set up Creon for his tragedy. From the mandate given by Creon to the conversations that he has with Antigone, the audiences are allowed to see his inability to perceive truth, serve justice, and promote democracy even in his family. It is because of this that the words from Teiresias trigger terror in Creon’s heart as he realizes that Antigone was never a threat to the state, but instead, he was the threat (Shelton 107). His quest to seek advice from the Chorus highlights the advent of the tragedy and indicates his admission of human weakness after realizing that everyone abandoned him and that he is no longer in control over his life (Shelton 107). It is the flawed character of Creon, which made him have a false belief in his power in making laws and governing the people that set him up for the fateful end. In turn, it is arguable that it was his lack of concern to do what was right over his ego that set his tragedy in motion, and this is in no way related to Antigone or Queen Eurydice.

The Experience of Women and the Tragedy of Agamemnon

The story of Agamemnon takes a different trail from that of Creon in the sense that it was the lack of concern by men and the experiences of women that led to the demise of the king. Roisman pointed out that women played an integral role in the Greek tragedy, especially whenever there was a problem that arose from the family, and a man acted against the interest of the household, which then forced the woman to retaliate by exacting vengeance (564). This is the case that is seen in the story of Agamemnon. The events that led to the death of Agamemnon were set even before he was a king, and they began when his father Atreus killed Aegisthus’ brothers and sisters only for Aegisthus to end up being the queen’s lover. At the same time, the queen, Clytemnestra, plotted against the death of the king as vengeance against Agamemnon for killing their daughter Iphigenia and her role in having more power over the king is more evidently when Clytemnestra successfully persuades Agamemnon to walk over the carpet which symbolizes sealing over his fate (Roisman 565). The provided explanation captures the fact that Agamemnon showed a lack of concern over his history and how his acts affected those around him, especially his wife. Agamemnon’s marriage to Cassandra is also symbolic regarding his ignorance and experiences of women that led to his tragic end. Cassandra was aware of everything that was set in motion and believed that her presence in Argos was but a process of fulfilling a divine action (Mitchell-Boyask 276). Nonetheless, if Agamemnon had been aware of over the plan that was in motion, he would have questioned Cassandra of what she had seen was about to happen. Nevertheless, Agamemnon remained ignorant of the circumstances and agreed to let everything occur without his control, and it is this that gave Clytemnestra the chance to kill the two of them.

Conclusion

Women have always played a crucial role in tragic literature, and they are always seen as the vehicle that wills the hand of fate over men or that instigate every consequence that befalls the ignorant men who are in power. Though it can be argued that the primary cause of the tragic outcomes in “Agamemnon” and the “Antigone” is the same because of the involvement of women in the narratives that led to the catastrophic end for both kings, it was not the experiences of women in both stories that led to outcomes. In “Antigone,” it was the ignorance and arrogance of Creon that influenced his tragedy, while it was the lack of concern and experiences of women in “Agamemnon” that cajoled the death of the king.