Since I do not own a copy of the Greek original, the following summary of Aeschylus’ “Agamemnon” is based on an English translation of the tragedy which Moses Hadas has included in an anthology entitled “Greek Drama,” a Bantum Classic. A.W. Verrall is the translator.
The play begins with a prologue spoken by a watchman. For a year, he has been stationed on the palace roof of the city of Argos. He wants to see a blazing fire in the distance, which is the prearranged signal that will announce that the Greek armies of Agamemnon have captured the city of Troy.
When he finally sees the long-awaited blaze, he loudly urges Clytemnestra, the wife of Agamemnon, to get up and sing a morning hymn.. He himself anticipates with joy the return of Agamemnon.
The chorus then speaks. It is composed of Argive citizens that were too old to accompany Agamemnon when he sailed to Troy. They speak at length of how Agamemnon and Menelaus led a thousand ships to Troy to take vengeance on Paris, the son of King Priam of Troy, who had stolen Helen, the wife of Menelaus.
The chorus notices that sacrifices are being made to all the gods of Argos. It asks for an explanation.
The chorus then reminisces about events that occurred when Greek fleet was about to sail for Troy. An omen indicated that Agamemnon and Menelaus would be victorious at Troy: two eagles eating a hare with unborn young. However, the omen had a flaw, since the goddess Artemis disapproved of a feast in which eagles ate unborn young. Because of the displeasure of Artemis, unfavorable weather prevented the Greek fleet from embarking. Artemis did not permit the Greeks to leave for Troy until Agamemnon offered his daughter Iphigenia as a sacrifice.
Clytemnestra then enters and tells the chorus that Troy has fallen. When the chorus wonders how she could have received the news so quickly, she explains that when Troy fell, a bonfire was ignited on Ida, a mountain near Troy, as a victory signal. A lookout on the nearby island of Lemnos saw the victory signal and ignited a bonfire to relay the good news to a lookout on Mt. Athos. In this way, the triumphant tidings were passed on and on until they reached Argos.
After Clytemnestra exits, the chorus praises Zeus for punishing the sin of Paris. It reminisces on the general subject of divine retribution, and vividly describes Paris’ breach of hospitality and its effects on Menelaus. However, the chorus wonders whether it can trust the beacon. Has Troy really fallen?
At this point, a herald approaches. He confirms the news of victory and tells the chorus that Agamemnon has come home.
Clytemnestra enters. She instructs the herald to tell Agamemnon that the people love him and that he comes home to a faithful wife. She then exits once more. The chorus murmurs that her words are hypocrisy.
Before the herald returns to Agamemnon, the chorus asks whether Menelaus returned home safely. They learn that a storm had buffeted the returning Greek fleet, so the herald does not know what happened to Menelaus. However, he expresses confidence that Menelaus either has returned safely or else will eventually return home with the help of Zeus.
After the herald leaves, the chorus reminisces on the fall of Troy. Their thoughts center on Helen, who proved to be a bane to the house of Priam’s sons. As Agamemnon and Cassandra enter, the chorus says that it used to be critical of Agamemnon because he wasted the lives of men for the sake of Helen, a woman whose actions had proved her unworthiness; but its feelings toward Agamemnon are less unkind now that he returns victorious.
After Agamemnon addresses the chorus, Clytemnestra enters. She flatters her husband and commands the slaves to spread purple cloth upon the ground so that the feet of Agamemnon need not touch the soil as he enters the palace. Agamemnon hesitates to do so. He does not want his wife to treat him like a god. However, he eventually consents, and enters the palace on the purple cloth. Clytemnestra also leaves the scene.
In a brief interlude, the chorus cannot get rid of the feeling that something is wrong. It expresses its feelings with the words: “My bosom repeats that dirge of doom.”
Clytemnestra comes out of the palace and tries to persuade Cassandra to come inside and take her place with the other slaves. When Cassandra persistently remains silent, Clytemnestra goes back into the palace.
Cassandra then begins to interact with the chorus. By inspiration of Apollo, Cassandra prophesies. This leads to a discussion of her gift of prophecy. Apollo had given her this gift, but when Cassandra disappointed Apollo, the god decreed that no one would ever believe her prophecies.
At first, the prophecies of Cassandra are somewhat cryptic, but eventually she plainly states that Agamemnon will die, and she herself will also suffer death. In the course of the prophecy, she refers to a crime of Atreus, the father of Agamemnon, as a contributing cause of the tragedy that Agamemnon is about to suffer. Atreus had murdered two children of his brother Thyestes and had served them to their father at a banquet.
Finally, Cassandra declares that the house exhales the horror of dripping blood. Realizing that it is useless to flee, she enters the palace to suffer her destined death.
While Agamemnon is being murdered, his voice is heard from within the palace. Members of the chorus debate whether they should enter the palace and try to rescue their king.
Clytemnestra then appears, standing over the corpses of Cassandra and Agamemnon. She admits that she murdered Agamemnon and tries to excuse herself by citing the sacrificial death of Iphigenia ten years before. She also complains of his infidelity with a girl named Chryseis and with Cassandra. The chorus reproaches Clytemnestra for her crime.
Aegisthus, the son of Thyestes, enters. He admits that he planned the murder. He tries to justify his actions by citing the crime that Atreus committed against Thyestes. The chorus assumes a threatening posture toward Aegisthus. Aegisthus wants to retaliate, but Clytemnestra urges him not to shed any more blood. She refers to the threats of the chorus as idle barking.
“Agamemnon” is the first play in a trilogy called “Oresteia.” In the second play, Orestes, the son of Agamemnon, avenges his father’s death. In the third play, Orestes is temporarily troubled by avenging deities called Furies.
