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Image depicting Clytamnestra with a Bloody Axe

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There are multiple scenes in Agamemnon where Clytamnestra can be seen rebelling against the societal norms of Ancient Greece. While King Agamemnon is fighting the Trojan War, Clytamnestra assumes the position of ruler of Argos. A woman ruler is unfortunately still rare in modern times, and it was even more scarce during the BCE. The chorus acts as the townspeople of Argos and can be seen doubting Clytamnestra's leadership due to their patriarchal standards. Another instance of Clytamnestra being a "girl boss" is when she takes revenge against Agamemnon for his infidelity. Although Clytamnestra is also having an affair, in the context of Ancient Greek gender roles, it can be seen as empowering. Agamemnon was gone for ten years, likely engaging in sexual activities with other women during the war. For Clytamnestra to prioritize her own emotional needs and take charge, is very progressive for the time. In summary, Clytamnestra can be described as a "girl boss" for her progressive actions.

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An depiction of Cassandra and Ajax during the Fall of Troy.

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Cassandra is a Trojan Princess that was forced into sex slavery by Agamemnon after the Fall of Troy. I believe you could classify Cassandra as a tragic character because of her omnipresent helplessness, her curse of foresight, and the tragic fate she meets. The God Apollo cursed Cassandra by allowing her to see the future, but making it so that no one would ever believe her. This makes her powerless and helpless when confronted by Clytemnestra. She knows that she is about to be executed like a prisoner on death row, and there's nothing she can do to save herself. Before she gets murdered, however; she is condemned to a life of sexual abuse by Agamemnon and also gets raped by Ajax during the fall of Troy. It's impossible not to feel tremendous amounts of sympathy for Cassandra, and for this reason I believe she is an example of a tragic character.

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Artistic depiction of Orestes slaying Clytamnestra

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Orestes struck me as an interesting character to dissect. As the son of Agamenon, he feels personally responsible for avenging his father. He is also next in line to rule Argos, which would incentivize him further to avenge his father. When it comes time to confront Clytamnestra, Orestes is portrayed as a hero coming to deliver justice. But that justice comes in the form of murdering his mother, who is arguably a girl boss and definitely not a psychopath. I find it interesting how his familial obligation to his father outweighs his obligations to his mother. As mentioned earlier, by killing his mother he would become King which is extra incentive, but it's still surprising to me how easily he makes the choice to kill his mom.

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image depicting Orestes running from Furies.

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The cycle of violence is a theme that is present in The Libation Bearers. When Clytamnestra kills Agamemnon, it causes Orestes to kill Clytamnestra, which causes more consequences for Orestes, which ultimately only divine intervention can save him from. The cycle of violence shows how our actions have consequences, and the butterfly effect that follows could have devastating consequences, such as both your parents ending up dead and being hunted by the Furies.

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Image of Greek soldiers killing the son of Hector

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The Trojan Women has very progressive messaging for its time. The women of Troy are all shown being forced into sex slavery, and this shows the gender inequality that was rampant during the time. The play also discusses some other horrors of war, like innocent children dying, such as the son of Hector. War was seen as glorious in the patriarchal world of Ancient Greece, so this depiction of the horrors of war is certainly very progressive for the time.

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The Gods Poseidon and Athena are grieving at the start of The Trojan Women, but they aren’t grieving for the people that died. They're upset that the Greeks desecrated their temples during the Iliad. Because of this insult to the Gods, Athena and Poseidon agree to take revenge against the Greeks. In particular, they make Odysseus' journey home a lot more troublesome. This part of the play really intrigued me as it provided context for why Poseidon and Athena were picking on Odysseus in The Odyssey.

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Artistic depiction of Athena and Poseidon dueling 

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The Gods of Ancient Greece can act rather human at times. Poseidon and Athena have a petty rivalry that is born out of ego and pride on both sides. When Athena approaches Poseidon to strike a deal, she offers to put their rivalry on hold so they can cooperate against the Greeks. The anger they have towards the Greeks is greater than the anger they have towards each other. This scene would've been very controversial at the time as it depicts the Gods in a petty, self-absorbed, and human way.

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Dramatic irony occurs when the reader is aware of something that a character is not yet aware of. Sophacles uses this literary device to frame the story in a more interesting way. In Oedipus Rex, the audience knows who Oedipus is, but he doesn't. We know he married his mom and killed his dad, and we watch as he tries to figure it out as well. This makes the climactic scene where he learns the truth about his identity more exciting and suspenseful.

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It is prophesied that Oedipus would kill his father and marry his mother, and so to avoid this fate, Oedipus' parents pretty much exile and condemn the kid to death. Oedipus doesn't die, and instead goes on to fufill this prophecy, which brings into question how much free will Oedipus has, or any of us have. Prophecy was important in Ancient Greek culture and it seems that they did believe in the idea of a predetermined set of events secured by supernatural forces. We can assume that Sophacles may have also believed in the power of prophecy.

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The end of Oedipus Rex surprised me. Maybe eye gouging is something that Ancient audiences were more entertained by, kind of like how contemporary audiences love cinematic fight scenes in action movies. It's an odd response to learning the truth of your identity, but if I place myself in Sophocles' shoes, I could see why he wrote this. After learning the truth, Oedipus is disgusted and shocked. His shame is overbearing, and he must express his emotions through an act of violence (how very toxically masculine). The ending was very visceral and wild, and the graphic actions that took place certainly caught me off guard.

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Odysseus leaves Troy with a full crew and returns to Ithaca alone. Does this make him a bad leader? When given the bag of wind that will help accelerate his journey home, Odysseus doesn't tell his crew whats in the bag. This lack of communication and trust can paint Odysseus as a bad leader, but also shows his crew as being reckless. When they encounter Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus thinks of a plan to listen to the siren song without going insane. His plan works but jeopardizes the safety of his crew, and this unnecessary risk definitely paints him as a bad leader. I would say that Odysseus is not a bad leader, but a neglectful one. He doesn't keep his crew informed and as a result they don't trust him. He also prioritizes his own curiosity over their wellbeing.

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Odysseus has a lot of hubris for someone so intelligent. After defeating the cyclops he gives away his full name to flex his victory. This causes Poseidon to become even more angry and endangers his crew. Odysseus also shows hubris when confronting Scylla and Charybdis, as his curiosity is more important to him than the safety of his men. Ultimately, Hubris causes many unfortunate things to happen during Odysseus' journey home.

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The depiction of women in Ancient Greek Epic Poems is generally misogynistic. When Clytamnestra killed Agamemnon, Agamemnon felt as if this was reflective of all women. He warned Odysseus not to be too trusting with his wife, Penelope. Penelope is portrayed as being loyal, submissive, and less of an empowered woman than Clytamnestra. From this, we can assume that empowered women were viewed as a threat in the patriarchal world of Ancient Greece, and submissive women were preferable.

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Sappho's work is distinct from the writings of other Ancient Greeks during this time. Her writing carries a lot more emotional weight and explores the intimacy thats present in relationships. Sappho often wrote about love, yearning, and beauty; particularly in the context of homosexual love between two women. These themes are often not given a lot of attention in other writings from this time, making her material distinctly unique.

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Sappho would often employ metaphors and similes to express a thought descriptively. These metaphors and smilies typically involve nature and the beauty of the natural world. Flowers, stars, animals, and other aspects of nature were included in her writing to heighten the creativeness. The descriptive imagery utilized by Sappho certainly made her poems stand out.

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As discussed in prior posts above, women were not considered equal to men during this time in Ancient Greece. It was brave of Sappho to express herself as honestly as she did in her writings. Institutional barriers such as education must've been a hurdle for her to cross, and because of her accomplishments she is remembered as a feminist icon and pioneer of queer literature.

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Significance of Troy and Priam's wager with the gods

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Significance of Troy and Priam's wager with the gods

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The story of Priam's choice connects the Roman epic with the Greek epic. The Trojan War begins because Helen and Priam elope to Troy, but they only fall in love because of Aphrodite's gift. When Priam chose Aphrodite over Hera, this made Hera jealous and was the root of her beef with Aneus. Aneus is the son of Aphrodite, and so by making his life harder, Hera is exacting revenge. This is another example of humanity in the Gods.

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Aneus and Odysseus share many similarities, however one is certainly a better leader. Aneus respects his crew and we see him engage with them way more than Odysseus ever did. Aneus was written as an idealized version of a hero. The Aneid is technically political propaganda, which is why Aneus is such a respectable character. Aneus is meant to represent the Roman Empire, which is why he's depicted as being flawless. Odysseus is a much more relatable character because there is no explicit political subtext surrounding his character. Odysseus has good moments and bad moments, whereas Aneus has exclusively pretty good moments and triumphant moments. In summary, while both protagonists  are very similar, i would argue Aneus' lack of relatability stems from his creation as a political propaganda piece.

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When writing about women, Ovid frames it from the perspective of male desire. He objectifies the woman and reduces her down to her body parts. This depiction of women can be seen as problematic because of the inherently patriarchal view of intimacy.

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In the opening lines of his poems, Ovid takes time to explore the setting. He paints a picture of a romantic night, talking about the windows, the stars, and the appearance of his female companion. He describes the woman's clothing in explicit detail and the visual imagery really transports the reader into the scene. In summary, Ovid's poems describe the setting and characters in explicit detail

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A classical allusion is a type of metaphor that references some other well-known work or character. Ovid would often use Classical Allusions in his writing to connect the events of his poems to contemporary politics or mythology. An example of an allusion takes place in Ovid's Metamorphoses. Ovid references the story of Pygmalion in a simile to demonstrate the level of desire and passion he holds for his female companion.

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Plato's teacher was the renowned Greek Philosopher and professional instigator known as Socrates. Socrates instilled many important teachings on morality and truth to Plato, which helped him construct his own worldview. Plato used his wisdom to teach his own students, and among them was Aristotle. Aristotle became the teacher to Alexander the Great. I find Plato's relationship with Socrates and Aristotle intriguing because of the massive impact they've had on western philosophy and history.

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Plato probably wouldn't fit very well into our binary political system, as his views can be appreciated by both sides of the spectrum. Plato cherished education and believed a structured education system was very important to the health of a nation. Plato thought very highly of himself and pictured himself on top of the social hierarchy. The people below him on the hierarchy are the undereducated, which in Ancient Greece is most people. He believed in a society run by philosopher kings, individuals that were well educated and had a sense of justice. I would say that Plato was a political idealist that thought too little of democracy, similar to his teacher, Socrates.

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The Parable of the cave talks about the important distinction between perception and reality. Plato claims that people generally prefer to live in ignorance and that the enlightened person would feel responsible for those who are ignorant. Plato claims that there is a higher truth, something supernatural that we can not see. I would disagree with Plato's religious assertions, but his idea of perception and reality is spot on. The person who exited the cave was able to see the truth for himself, so obviously his mind was changed, but the people stuck in the cave haven’t been presented any proof, so why should they believe in the new narrative spun by the one who escaped. I wouldn't fault the cave dwellers for being ignorant and I wouldn't fault the "enlightened" person for wanting to express his truth. Ultimately I think Plato's belief in a supernatural truth is misguided but his view on perception and reality is accurate.

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Class Consciousness in The Eclogues of Virgil- Eclogue I

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Class Consciousness in The Eclogues of Virgil- Eclogue I

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This poem depicts a conversation between two lower-class members of society. They're both shepherds discussing various economic and social injustices committed by the Roman Empire. This poem challenges the view of class relations in Roman society. The ruling and elite classes are criticized for their greed, and the lower class is shown in a sympathetic light due to the oppression they put up with from the rich Romans. This poem shows how the yearning for equitable governance has been around for centuries.

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An image depicting the death of Agamemnon. 

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Agamemnon gets choked by Clytamnestra, using a robe. For the King of Argos, "hero of the Trojan War", brother to King of Sparta, you would think that his death would be the traditional, glorious, and bloody death that most Ancient Greeks with a legacy get. Agamemnon's death subverts the patriarchal worldview held by society at the time and even now. His death is emasculating, and we can see how it affects him in the revisionist history that he tells Odysseus. He tells Odysseus that he was stabbed to death, which contradicts the record of events in Aeschylus' play. In summary, Agamemnon's death challenges the patriarchy.

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Image of a Chorus that you would find in an Ancient Greek Play

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In both Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers, the chorus acts as the townspeople of Argos. In the Libation Bearers they help provide some context for characters like Orestes and Electra, and react to the events of the play; often siding with the audience's opinion. They explain how Orestes was exiled as a child and is soon to return to avenge his father and reclaim the throne. They also comfort Electra when she is giving libations to her father. The Chorus is a useful tool for Ancient Greek play writers as a vehicle for audience reactions and for delivering exposition.