Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Aeschylus'Agamemnon in Historical Context. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page essay that discusses Aeschylus' play Agamemnon within the historical context of fifth century BC Greek culture. The writer argues that the play substantiates and rationalizes male dominance. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khhisaga.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
the Oresteia, of which the play Agamemnon is the first in the series. Collectively the trilogy dramatizes the extreme difficulty in "understanding and obtaining a just social and religious order"
(Pomeroy, et al 184). Agamemnon draws its name from that of the Greek commander-in-chief during the Trojan war who returns home victorious after a ten year struggle to take Troy.
However, this play might have been more accurately named after Agamemnons faithless wife Clytemnestra, as it largely revolves around her plot to murder Agamemnon and retain power, aided by her
lover, Aegisthus. As pointed out by Pomeroy, et al, the murder of Agamemnon poses a moral dilemma for his children, Orestes and Electra, who have to choose between not avenging
their father and murdering their mother (185). Examination of this play demonstrates that portrayal of Clytemnestra serves to substantiate the role of women in Athenian society, while simultaneously rationalizing the
correctness of male hierarchical social dominance. Greeks could only be married to one spouse at a time, but there was a double standard for sexual behavior that allowed husbands
to have additional sex partners of either gender (Pomeroy, et al 158). Agamemnon brings home a captive princess, Cassandra, as his concubine; however, his infidelity was not judged by the
same standard as was Clytemestras during that era because Agamemnons unfaithfulness did not threaten the integrity of the family, while hers did. Pomeroy, et al, state that "Marriage was the
social institution that sustained the oikos, and its principal purpose was reproduction" (158-159). Likewise, the status of daughters in ancient Athens was not equivalent to the status of sons.
When a baby was born, the father decided whether the child was to be raised or exposed to the elements and allowed to die (Pomeroy, et al 157). While most
...