Character and Justice in Oresteia
In Oresteia by Aeschylus, the topic of justice is considered. When contemplating the notion of justice in the tragedy and in our modern world, we must account for the character of those involved in seeking justice. Agamemnon, husband to Clytemnestra and father to Electra, is judged very differently by these two women based on his actions and character. Clytemnestra views him as a villain and Electra views him as a paragon.
To begin, Clytemnestra and Electra are both stakeholders in the issue of Agamemnon’s character. They all hold an interest in the issue of if the character and actions of Agamemnon were just because of their relation to Agamemnon and Iphigenia. This creates a Faultline between the two where they compete in justifying his actions. The action that Clytemnestra and Electra are judging him for is the sacrifice of his daughter. Clytemnestra is passionately angry that Agamemnon would sacrifice his own daughter, but Electra judges Agamemnon less harshly because Agamemnon did it to protect his troops.
As a stakeholder, the agency that holds Clytemnestra to this issue is the fact that Agamemnon sacrificed their daughter and brought home a slave bride from the war. Electra is more understanding of Agamemnon’s actions because he did not have a way around it and sees her father’s actions as justified. Clytemnestra describes him as a villain and ultimately murders him for his actions, though the sacrifice he made was for the Trojan War and an order by the gods. Electra recognizes this and believes her father not to be wrong in what he did. Electra did not believe that Clytemnestra should have murdered Agamemnon and the outcome of her interest in this Faultline results in Electra helping Orestes kill their mother, Clytemnestra.
To judge Agamemnon’s character, it is important to account for the feelings that both Clytemnestra and Electra hold toward Agamemnon. It is incredibly sad that he had to sacrifice his daughter, and valid that Clytemnestra is upset by this. However, she paints him to be a murderous monster because she is so upset that her daughter was sacrificed and kills him. In comparison to Electra’s view that Agamemnon had to sacrifice his daughter for the war, Clytemnestra’s response is very explosive. Agamemnon was not the villain Clytemnestra made him out to be, but he also was not somebody to be worshipped. He brought home a war prisoner to be his slave bride and sacrificed his daughter which can somewhat validate Clytemnestra’s feelings, but does not evoke the idea that murdering him is justified. Electra envisioning Agamemnon as a paragon is also unjustifiable because of these reasons, but it is fair that she can recognize the necessity of the sacrifice.
To conclude, Agamemnon does not fit either of the views of Clytemnestra and Electra, but his actions and character are more fitting of Electra’s description. He was not a paragon but was also not an actual villain. Ultimately, Agamemnon’s character is questionable, but his actions were necessary to benefit his people and the war.
Primary Source: https://ir.canterbury.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/10092/10501/1%20-%20The%20Oresteia%20of%20Aeschylus%20-%20Agamemnon.pdf?sequence=3
Secondary Source: https://canvas.ucsc.edu/courses/37339/assignments/182244?module_item_id=288144
