Abstract
The paper provides a brief overview of the "Oresteia," a three part cycle of plays that include the Agamemnon, the Choephoroe and the Eumenides. The paper portrays how Clytemnestra's role is ultimately one of a weak woman in society; although she is queen and is very persuasive, she remains unsuccessful in the end.

Outline:
Introduction
Brief Overview of the Oresteia
The Role of Clytemnestra
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The Oresteia is a three part cycle of plays; the Agamemnon, the Choephoroe, and the Eumenides. The Agamemnon sets the tone for the role Clytemnestra plays as a woman whose advice and words are completely disregarded by her husband. In the Agamemnon, Clytemnestra is deceived by her husband, Agamemnon, into sending him their youngest daughter Iphigenia. Agamemnon cuts Iphigenia's throat on an alter as a sacrifice. Furthermore, Clytemnestra's advice to respect the defeated Trojan temples and people is deliberately disregarded by Agamemnon, and the city is wildly looted, destroyed and burned. Clytemnestra finally kills Agamemnon after the Trojan War, when he brings home a raped and captured Trojan priestess."

Tags:Agamemnon, Choephoroe, Eumenides, woman, gender, Trojan

Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts two female characters from the Greek classics: Clytemnestra from Aeschylus' "Agamemnon" and Penelope from Homer's "Odyssey." The author shows how the lives of both characters are profoundly affected by the Trojan War and the absence of their husbands. However, the author also demonstrates how the two have completely opposite natures and motivations -- Clytemnestra's hate for Agamemnon and Penelope's love for Odysseus.

From the Paper
"Penelope is the perfect match to Odysseus. Strong and determined, she has been hanging on to the hope that he will return to her one day. In the meantime, she has to make use of her intelligence to keep the suitors away from her and the throne. In an effort to protect her only son Telemakhos, she keeps the suitors' hopes of marrying her alive. She learns the ways of deceit as a means of survival. Smarter than the men who crowd her hall, she slips through their fingers with ingenious stratagems such as the weaving of the shroud and the bow competition. But her condition as a woman only allows her liberty of action to a certain extent. Even though her intelligence is enough to trick even the clever Odysseus as it is told in Book Twenty-three (the olive tree trunk bed), she knows that with the return of her husband her power is no more. As a woman, her will is accepted as long as it does not interfere with the male fancy. "This question of the bow will be for men to settle, most of all for me. I am master here" (Fitzgerald, 414), declares Telemakhos, neutralizing his mother's orders concerning the bow competition. Penelope does not question the limitations she has to accept because of her condition as a woman. She bows down to them, realizing that it is not for her to contradict a man's order. Penelope has never really wanted to ascend to the throne and govern Ithaca. It is the immediacy of the threat to Odysseus' power that pushes her to find a way to preserve what belongs to her man by right -- or, in this case, by marriage, since Odysseus has become ruler of the land by means of taking Penelope as his wife. Unlike Clytemnestra, whose ability to reign over Argos is admired and praised, Penelope is unable to maintain the order in Ithaca."

Tags:trojan, war, ithaca, power, love, hatred, odysseus

Abstract
This paper examines how in his play "Agamemnon", the Greek playwright Aeschylus offers a character study of a complex woman, Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon, the Greek ruler who conquered Troy. It looks at how when considering the characterization of Clytemnestra provided in the "Agamemnon", many have made a comparison to the much weaker and insignificant character presented by Homer and how unlike Homer, Aeschylus creates a strong version of this character, a woman who manipulates the will of men in order to get what she wants. It discusses her duplicity and the complexities of her character, her strong character portrayal and the fact that she was a powerful women of her time.

From the Paper
"She stands firm in the continued celebration of a war finally won and stands in opposition to the warnings of the chorus about celebrating too soon. This is a form of action on the part of Clytemnestra. This action speaks volumes as it gives the audience great insight into her strength. The Chorus did not believe what Clytemnestra had told them; rather they had a typical male view of her and seemed to think she was just being a weak hearted person who is blinded by her longing for her husband. The image that the Chorus has of Clytemnestra was very different from the type of woman she proved herself to be at the end of the play. She emerges a stronger person because in comparison to Agamemnon she tends to dominate, thus showing the reversal of roles between herself and her husband."

Tags:troy, homer, aegisthus, argos

Abstract
In this paper, an analysis of the rise of patriarchy in Ancient Greek society is provided by means of an analysis of the character of Clytemnestra as she is portrayed in Aeschylus' Oresteia and other Greek epics, that show that she is shunned and pays the ultimate price for her autonomy.

From the Paper
"Patriarchy generally refers to the dominance of males in a social hierarchy. We see that most cultures and societies throughout history have been dominated by males. The rise of patriarchy often had the impact ..."

Tags:Agamemnon, heroic, war, domestic, gender, roles, norms, values, oppression, family, Gods, culture, society

Abstract
This paper first explains why Clytemnestra is viewed as a murderess, and then goes into the reasons why, in the writer's opinion, she is a heroine. The paper includes insightful quotes, examples, and facts, in order to support the writer's particular point of view.

From the Paper
"The Greek playwrights of ancient times wrote their plays for entertainment purposes only. Therefore, I highly doubt that they could foresee their dramas and tragedies being put into print and analyzed ages and ages after their death. For this reason, controversy can, and does exist pertaining to what exactly the playwrights wanted their audience to perceive. In Aeschylus' tragedy, Oresteia, the audience is faced with a judgmental fork in the road. The featured character, Clytemnestra, can be perceived as both a murderess and a heroine. Objectively, I would assert that there are existing facts to support both notions, but personally, I would argue in favor of the idea that Clytemnestra is a heroine and has a perfectly fair rationalization for her actions."

Tags:aeschylus, agamemnon, greek, tragedies

Abstract
This paper examines the topic of rage in Aeschylus' "The Oresteia", a triad of plays that chronicle the downfall of the royal house of Argos. The paper focuses on the role that rage, as a psychological phenomenon, plays in facilitating the dramatic and tragic action and consequences that characterize this play. Specifically, the author focuses on the character of Clytemnestra."

From the Paper
"Psychologically, we can think of rage as being a kind of all-consuming anger that facilitates and encourages irrational behavior. A person enraged is likely to do things that are not in his or her own best interests and which can have far-reaching consequences beyond the immediate, visceral pleasure of satisfying the rage. This is evident in Aeschylus' The Oresteia, specifically in the character of Clytemnestra, whose enraged actions in the play Agamemnon create significant ripples that fuel the drama and tragedy of that play as well as the following two of the triad. Rage is the basis of Clytemnestra's actions; her rage is the catalyst for the death and carnage that follows."

Tags:greek, aeschylus, clytemnestra

Abstract
This paper explains that both Clytemnestra from Aeschylus' play "Agamemnon" and Medea from Euripides' play "Medea" are betrayed by their husbands and decide to take vengeance into their own hands. The author points out that one major difference between the women is that Medea seems to have been completely faithful and loving to her husband; whereas, Clytemnestra may have never loved Agamemnon. The paper relates that another difference between the women is the weapon of choice in that Clytemnestra chooses to use knives in order to bathe herself in her husband's blood but Medea uses her magic to kill Kreon.

From the Paper
"Medea has not sent away her children, because she plans to use them against Jason. Both mothers claim to love their children but only one actually tries to protect their children from harm (there is more suspicion that the true reason is so she can be with her lover privately). Medea loves her children; we see this as she faces reality of their murder. She questions whether or not she could really kill them but decides in the end it is for the best."

Tags:children, weapon, love, betrayal, strong

Abstract
This paper examines the ancient myth of the murders at the House of Atreus. It analyzes the different versions of what happened in the story as interpreted by three Greek playwrights ? Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus. In particular it discusses the part played in each of the versions by two women, central to Greek mythology- Clytemnestra and Electra and attempts to determine which of the women can be considered the most villainous. It looks at how Sophocles does not take one side or another but how the other two playwrights do not hesitate to condemn both Clytemnestra and her children for their murders of their husband and mother respectively. It shows how in Sophocles? play, Electra is the protagonist and how she is determined to avenge the death of her father at all costs.

From the Paper
"The story behind these murders has been explored by all three great playwrights - Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus. The former two call their play "Electra" while the latter calls his play "Libation Bearers." While Sophocles does not take one side or another, the other two playwrights do not hesitate to condemn both Clytemnestra and her children for their murders of their husband and mother respectively. Sophocles has written the most analytical play as far as characters? feelings are concerned. His play was the one I found the most interesting of the three. I will use excerpts from mainly his play to analyze this great myth."

Tags:aeschylus, agamemnon, euripides, orestes, sophocles

Abstract
The paper shows how Penelope is a significant character in the epic "The Odyssey", not only because of her importance in the development of the plot, but also because she plays a key role in the development of the characters with whom she interacts. The paper discusses how Penelope plays the foil of Clytemnestra and the suitors, with her admirable traits of loyalty and politeness serving to contrast and bring to light the opposing traits in the other characters. The paper also shows how Penelope reinforces the personality of her husband by paralleling him, and thus demonstrating how clever the couple is.

From the Paper
"Penelope's clever actions back in Ithaca mirror those of Odysseus as he journeys home to see her. Odysseus was a very wise hero, and was likewise favoured by the Athena, goddess of wisdom. He hoodwinks his opposition in order to bring himself closer to home and Penelope, whereas Penelope hoodwinks her opposition to remain loyal while waiting his return. We learned in book IX about how Odysseus had cleverly escaped from the Cyclops. After being trapped in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus, Odysseus gets him drunk and deceives him into thinking that his name is No-one with much forethought, then goes on to blind Polyphemus. His preventative actions allow his escape, since the other Cyclops do not come to his aid when he calls "my friends, [...] no-one, no-one is using treachery" (book IV, p. 182). The trick that Penelope plays is directed at the suitors who wish to separate her from Odysseus by forcing her to re-marry."

Tags:loyalty, graciousness, politeness, virtue, goodness

From the Paper
"The figure of Clytemnestra in Sophocles' tragic play Electra seems ready-made for a feminist critique, or for a critique from any school which seeks to advance a cause based on morality or integrity. Clytemnestra appears to embody every human sin, every human weakness, every human evil imaginable. As Meyer Reinhold writes, "Clytemnestra's character has been completely blackened by Sophocles in this play" (57). Reinhold adds that Clytemnestra is "delineated as completely evil" (59). Clytemnestra has taken part in the murder of her husband Agamemnon, has married Aegisthus, the other murdering conspirator, has mocked and made life hell for her daughter Electra because Electra will not let her mother forget her horrible crimes, and shows nothing but delight when she is tricked into believing that her son Orestes is dead. Clytemnestra believes that Orestes was the last real.."