Oresteia 3.2: the dramatic prelude of the Trojan war

Summary 10# Man, God, and Society in Western Literature - From Gods to God and Back

As an introduction, we will now study the opening chorus. This might shed some light on how to read Aeschylus, so that as a reader, you don't sink in and never resurface. The chorus sometimes sees very deeply into the truth of the situation; at other times, it assumes the role of the people of Argos, who don't fully understand what is happening. When the chorus speaks in dark, tragic terms, it touches on the depths, otherwise, it reflects the everyday confusion of the common man on the street. The tragedy begins with a speech by the watchman, who, upon seeing the beacons burning in the distance, concludes that the Trojan War has been won and that this must mean their king Agamemnon is on his way back. We begin with a close reading when the chorus, after the watchman, speaks for the first time:

"Ten years have passed since Priam’s mighty adversary,"

Priam is the king of Troy, and his right to the throne is being challenged. This is because Paris had no right to flee to Troy with Helen, and Priam had no right to protect them in his city. The two main challengers are the brothers Menelaus and Agamemnon, who lead the war. Agamemnon is the ruler of the people in the chorus, the citizens of the city of Argos.

"Menelaus and lord Agamemnon, honored by Zeus with two scepters, two thrones, the strong pair of Atreus’ sons, with Argos' fleet of a thousand ships, backed by soldiers, lifted anchor from this land,"

And now comes the typically darker and more fascinating part that is characteristic of Aeschylus' writing:

"screaming loud and fierce for war, like vultures,"

Aeschylus uses a simile here, a metaphor. The brothers set out with their fleet like vultures.

‘Circling high above their nests in excessive grief, rowing with the stroke of their wings, now that the heavy watching over the bed of their brood has been in vain.’

In the metaphor, the vultures have left their nest, and during that time something terrible has happened to their young: their children have been killed. This refers to the flight of Helen with Paris while Menelaus was absent. That is why the two brothers are so upset.

‘From above, an Apollo, or Pan, or Zeus hears the sharp, wailing cry of the birds of prey, their neighbors.’

Pantheon here seems to refer more to all the gods; 'pantheon' also refers to 'panachromatic,' which in film means sensitive to all colors. These gods—often seen as a unified group—live high on Mount Olympus. In the Oresteia, there is also a second group of gods, those who live in the depths, in the darkness of the earth. These are the Furies. Generally speaking, the Olympian gods are the gods of oaths, of promises that are kept. Meanwhile, the Furies can be described as a curse; they embody the mood of anger and vengeance, especially when it comes to family murder.

Now, the situation is such that both families of gods are angry, and they both have a hand in motivating the war against Troy: the Furies because a family has been wronged, as Helen left with Paris, abandoning her husband Menelaus; and the Olympians because an oath has been broken, Helen's oath to her husband Menelaus.

"And after the deed,
send the Spirit of Vengeance as punishment to the transgressors."

Now, we will skip a few lines and move on to a prophecy:

"It is given to me to speak
of the favorable sign of power
at the departure of the young soldiers—
a life created for song and dance still gives, by the will of the gods,
the power for captivating speech—
how Hellas' power on two thrones,
united authority over Greece’s youthful strength,
with avenging lance in hand,
is sent by a turbulent bird
to Troy’s ground,
by the king of birds,
appearing to the lords of ships, the dark one and the one behind it, the white,
near the roof on the side of the hand that wields the spear."

That the birds are seen on the side of ‘the hand of the spear’ tells us that the prophecy is about the upcoming war.

"In a seat visible to all,
devouring the body of a hare,
heavily pregnant with young,
stopped in her final run,
Cry woe, oh woe,
But the good must prevail."

Instead of the previous comparison where the birds of prey lose their young, there is now the image of them devouring a hare, heavily pregnant with young.

"The loyal army soothsayer who saw
how Atreus' two warlike sons differed in nature,
recognized in the devourers of hares
the war leaders
and interpreted the omen thus:
Ultimately, this expedition will take the city of Priam, and all the cattle outside the walls,
the wealth of the people,
will be violently slaughtered by fate."

However, now there is a twist, for besides a glorious victory, the prophecy is also a dark omen. Here follows the central catalyst of the plot.

"Only, let no divine wrath cast a shadow over the mighty bit,
forged from an army at Troy's mouth.
For Artemis, pure virgin, grieves with pity."

Artemis, a goddess of the hunt in the Pantheon, loves animals. She finds the act of devouring a frightened mother and the unborn hare by the eagles, her father’s flying hounds, terrible.

"Her father’s winged hounds, who had devoured the poor fleeing creature with her young,
even before she gave birth, as a victim.
She hates that eagle's meal.
Cry woe, oh woe,
But the good must prevail."

These last two lines form the motif of the tragedy: many terrible events must unfold before the culture can finally resolve its internal tension—symbolized by the future battle of the gods.

In this passage, Artemis is addressed with a plea not to act foolishly out of her love for young animals:

"Although your heart goes out, oh good goddess, to the furry pups of wild lions, although you take pleasure in all the animals in the field, in the young that longs for the breast."

Artemis is called upon not to let her actions be swayed by her affection for young animals. At the same time, Apollo, in his role as Paian, the god of healing, is invoked:

"I also call upon Paian, the God who Heals. May he not send the Greeks a headwind that hinders their sailing, keeps their ships endlessly stranded, awaiting a second sacrifice."

Artemis is deeply disturbed by the act of the eagles killing a baby rabbit. As a result, she causes a heavy storm that binds the entire Greek fleet to the shore. Only the sacrifice of Iphigenia, Agamemnon's daughter, can appease the storm as the 'second sacrifice.' The metaphor of the unborn hare seems to refer to the many young people who will die in the Trojan War. Artemis tries to prevent this.

Before Agamemnon can offer young lives, he must first make a sacrifice himself, and that sacrifice is his daughter. What Artemis does not realize is that, besides the love for innocent children (such as Agamemnon's love for his daughter Iphigenia), there are other important cultural matters, such as upholding an oath and not insulting a host—actions that were committed by the fugitives Helen and Paris. Moreover, Agamemnon has sworn an oath with Menelaus that they will assist each other if their honor is violated. The gods of hospitality and the oath are among the Pantheon, with Zeus at its head.

As king, Agamemnon's duty is to kill his daughter to remain true to his oath. On the other hand, he is driven by his love for his young daughter, which is represented by Artemis, and also by his wife Clytemnestra, who is passionate about this and opposed to the sacrifice.