Aeschylus’sThe Oresteia: “Agamemnon” & “The Libation Bearers”Lit 135 Alpert Q&A #1 Aeschylus was born near Athens, Greece, and lived 525-456 B.C.E. (about 2,500 years ago) “Agamemnon”:King Agamemnon is returning from his victory over Troy, after ten years of fighting by Greek armies trying (supposedly) to recover Helen, Agamemnon's brother's wife, who was seduced/stolen by Paris, a Trojan Prince. The play deals with a history of crimes by Agamemnon's family. His father, Atreus, cooked his brother’s, Thyestes, children and fed them to him. Queen Clytemnestra, Agamemnon’s wife, seeks revenge against Agamemnon because he sacrificed their daughter, Iphigenia, to gain favorable winds from the gods to sail to Troy (and she is more than angry that he returns with a young mistress, Cassandra—despite that she is a slave (formerly a princess) and thus a very unwilling partner). Cassandra has the ability to see the future, but is never believed. Clytemnestra's lover, Aegisthus (Thyestes's only surviving son), seeks revenge and the kingdom, which he feels is his (arguably, it is). It is considered a terrible crime to kill members of your family. The closer someone is related to you, the worse the crime. Heroes and good citizens are expected to avenge the murders of family and of their rulers as a means of enacting justice. Note: In citing these works you need to put the author and the phrase "trans." before giving the latest copyright date and the page number of the quotation. An example might look similarto: "blah, blah, blah" (Aeschylus, trans. 2099, p. 666). Brieflyanswer the questions below focusing on the page numbers given. I’m looking for signs of comprehension and analysis, not length. Include a brief quotation you feel is important (but you MUST have one or two for EVERY answer). There is a lot to cover here so make sure you answers are succinct. Q#1 pp. 3-5THE WATCHMAN What is this person’s job? Where is he, what is waiting to see happen? How does he feel about who is in charge and what does he hope to see happen? Q#2pp. 5-7NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN?! Where are all the fighting age men? Who is the Chorus made up of? Is there any benefit these men (might) have that makes up for their physical drawback?
