Aeschylus: The Oresteia
Short Poetic Stanzas and Thoughts
Iphigenia
Your melodious voice oft rose on wings
To solace the hearts and minds
And ears of those nearby.
Gentle young virgin,
Beautiful daughter,
No fault lies
In your tender young breast.
Goose-pimpled cries ripple the air,
Daddy! Daddy!
Iphigenia was an innocent pawn in this whole situation. Her father deceived her to come and be sacrificed, and once again we see the gods play fast and loose with the lives of humans. The men avoided her eye because they knew her. Her songs were highly regarded at events in the palace, yet King Agamemnon and the men were stoked for war and the balance of the battle was greater than any kindness they might have towards her. Her skin was goose-pimpled from the cold air when they removed her clothes to kill her in the sacrifice. In my poem, she appealed directly to her father with the words most likely to touch his heart, to no avail.
Agamemnon
Ruthless king of battle,
Elevated before men.
Forging the victory,
To steal back the whore.
Quietly death
Warns you through women.
Deafness leads to your fall.
Agamemnon was all business and the business was war. The damned leader was not ordered to kill Iphigenia but he was told he would lose his army if he did not do so, and he favored the army over a mere daughter. He did have anguish over it, but the view is presented that Agamemnon is a great leader because he suffered the personal pain and loss for the sake of his men and the victory in the battle. He came home with a prophetess but did not listen to any warnings she may have given to him. She was of royal birth and therefore suitable to be his concubine or personal servant and that seems to be are far as he was interested in Cassandra. He was easily tricked by Clytemnestra even though he briefly argued with her about walking on the sacred cloths. He did not listen to women, unless they were a goddess, and that became his downfall.
Clytemnestra
Taking a lover,
Each lustful thrust
meant as a knife,
In the back of the king.
Fury and planning,
Anguish and waiting,
Seeking the watch-fire,
The plan to begin.
Pursuing a word,
From the lips
of the murdered,
Only one word
As balm to her heart.
Whisper it, whore-chaser
As life leaves your body,
Monstrous and bloody,
Lie there in death,
Speak it aloud:
“Daddy”.
Clytemnestra was a complex character. There was no evidence that she was unfaithful until the sacrifice of Iphigenia. I viewed her as a woman who was bent on revenge for her daughter’s death. I felt that her alliance with Aegisthus was based on revenge as well. Each lustful thrust meant as a knife in the back of the king. The affair was not for her, it was against the king. I gave her a shape poem as a token of power for her. I felt a modicum of support for the justice she administered to her husband for what he did to their daughter since no one else was going to call him to account.
Aegisthus
As the moon to the sun
Is your vengeance to hers
Pale as a blurred reflection
Gleams your justice to hers
Aegisthus had reasons to want revenge against Agamemnon but it did not hold a candle to the passion that Clytemnestra felt. He wanted to know if Orestes was dead. He wanted the throne and he wanted to avoid the certain retaliation that would come if Orestes is alive. I felt no particular sorrow when he was killed. Rather, I hoped that Orestes would feel satisfied at this point and the curse could end.
Cassandra
Words of truth emerge
To darken the air
Warnings swirl
With no one to listen
Justice is coming.
Release for the speaker,
Peace from this world
Cassandra could have told us even more about the war, such as further describing conditions in the city when they were conquered. She could have reflected on what had led up to the war and the thinking from the other side. We didn’t get to hear as much as we wanted to hear, especially considering her ability as a prophet. It was interesting how she just ignored Clytemnestra. Too bad no one listened to her. At least her death gave her relief from a harsh world.
Electra
Heart of stone
Turned towards mother
Same hard heart that killed the sister
Lets brother be damned
Blackened soul of the House of Atreus
Electra was heartless, possibly because of a growing estrangement from her mother during the long years that Clytemnestra was absorbed with plotting revenge. Perhaps she was a daddy’s girl and her passion for her father was as strong as Clytemnestra’s was for Iphigenia. Six jurors voted with Electra’s viewpoint and six jurors voted against, so her outlook was a powerful one in the day and in the circumstances.
Orestes
Sent to safety
Returned to danger
Another jester
In the hands of the gods.
Unfathomable problem,
Regardless the answer,
Madness is certain.
Orestes did not have the ruthless, powerful personality that sought revenge for personal reasons. He did talk about the fact that his mother had threatened his throne and he was the rightful heir so his sentiments are true. However, he had such mixed feelings over killing his mother that one wonders what he would have done if not goaded on by Electra, the Chorus, and Athena. Perhaps the madness that is coming to him will be the end of the curse on the House of Atreus.