#you divide us all. with ur bitching. and brooding

[blueberry-ink-93]

AGAMEMNON

thoughts on the first play of the oresteia!

this is the chorus of trojan women praying to artemis & apollo

lion metaphor counter: 2

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clytemnestra telling the elders that shes recieved news by torch that troy has been taken (via hefefuf lol)

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love love love the metaphor of oil & vinegar not mixing its soso good, pointing out the difference in persepctive lest we forget that while this is a victory for greece its a huge huge loss for troy

ofc there are no winners in war but here the devastation hardly compares

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just a tiny bit funny to me that a couch was mentioned alongside a palace and a king lol

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anyway while reading i noticed the trend of the elders regarding clytemnestra at times with confusion and others with contempt at her being a woman. and one in power no less

i do believe cly played into it which i suppose goes to show how much restraint and patience she had to put on the performance (lol) of the loyal wife welcoming her hero husband home having finally restored the honour of hellas to appease the argives and get them off her back.

"o queen, thy speech would become the lips of a wise and temperate man" this comes after they exclaimed that it was so womanlike (and therefore beneath them) of her to iirc rejoice at news that had not yet reached nor been verified to them

going as far as to straight up tell her shes probably seen it in a dream, "ye flout my wisdom as if i were a silly girl". irritating but not at all unexpected.

then she explained to them that the torch thing was planned which shut them up nicely lol. moving on

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feeling kind of insane abt how ares here is described using the concept of usury; the interest rate *the price payed for war* is ridiculously high and extremely exploitative. lkdjfdekwejrewk

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me core lol

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this is worded so funny to me idk why.

what are ur hobbies? oh you know. i dabble in gore. on tuesdays

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the man of the hour himself speaks at last. ft. ody catching strays

i do love that hes a rat bastard and everyone knows its part of his rat bastard charm. unsubstantial shadow. woof

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agamemnon spitting facts. love that for him

here cly greets him in a foreign fashion, having spread some rich fabric on the path hes to take back home (greeks invented the red purple carpet u heard it here first folks) and hes like nay wench

he concedes in the end

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astaghfirullah brother agamemnon what is this

foreshadowing if u squint ig (the web)

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kindred counter: 5

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this line absolutely sent me i nearly fell out of my chair

drag her ass cassandra

cant believe i predicted the poisoning (if i understood that right lol idk in my mind cly kills her with poison, not the stained weapon. btw the axe is something of a recent depiction she used a sword)

lion metaphor counter: 3

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ORESTES MON BEBE <3

once again insane by the imagery; the bloodied orestes places the final stone, stained and dented, completing the cursed mural that is the house of atreus. im so sick oh god

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this is so heartwrenching.

oh cassandra :')

OH AND ALSO. she calls to apollo many a time during her the narration of her misfortunes, at one point saying "apollon to me", which iirc from another post reveals the etymology of his name meaning the destroyer, i.e my (cassandra's) destroyer.

excuse me while i go die in the corner (will link it when i find it)

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shout out to the land of my ancestors making it onto a greek play lol

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ok this part damn well near killed me; the elders have heard cass' prophecy and know that agamemnon is going to be killed but ofc they dont take her seriously

so hes being murdered offstage and theyre like: yall hear sum

KJSKAJSDKWJEFGBGS

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noice

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🥺

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brutal

he compares the speech (accusations) of the argive elders to orpheus' pleasing voice, pointing out the stark difference of the joy and peace the former brings whereas the latter provoke anger.

hes so ready to kill a bunch of old guys its so intense fdhsjak. the elders are all for it too lol. then cly puts an end to it

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assorted quotes:

(the line numbers arent numbering? i think theyre for the translations of the original greek more than for me to count in english lol but im not sure. if u know pls lmk!

"I know that hope is the exile's daily food" (aegisthus 1667)

"I have had enough of life" (cass 1315) <- same girlie same

"For thou hast with ease destroyed me this second time" (cass 1081) <- right after the apollon to me btw :')

"Who named her so unerringly? Was it some one whom we dream not of, foreknowing destiny and happy in his foretelling? Who named her 'Helene'*? the spear-wedded one, the strife-surrounded?" (chorus 682)

"who that is not a god, passeth the whole of his existence without suffering?" (agamemnons herald 554)

"To hearken beforehand is only to anticipate sorrow." (chorus 253)

"but let good auspices prevail" (121, 139, 159)

[exit KINDRED]