Study Questions Aeschylus: Oresteia Agamemnon 1.In Aeschylus’Agamemnon(Hackett Publishing, 1998), the king of Argos, Agamemnon, conquers the city of Troy in an exhausted 10-year war. This feud was driven by both honour and revenge. In explaining the history of the war between Argos and Troy, the Chorus illustrates that Menelaus is the brother of Agamemnon and husband to Helen. The Chorus recalls that Helen had eloped with the prince of Troy, and that the brothers were “like vultures grieving wildly for stolen young kidnapped from their lofty nests” (49). Beyond the eloping of Helen, Agamemnon is motivated to avenge the sacrifice of his daughter, Iphigenia, in order to advance himself within the war. The Chorus describes the horrific sacrifices through “her pleading, her terrified cries” (228). The people of Argos are conflicted about the war. They question the misfortune of all the bloodshed between both the men of Argos as well as the men of Troy for "one woman's promiscuous sake”. Another major theme that is discussed amongst the chorus is hubris. The Chorus is indeterminate whether to feel if Agamemnon should act with pride and upset the Gods.
