Josh DaoMr. KubusEnglish IV – 0122 April 2014“Agamemnon” or Clytemnestra in Aeschylus' AgamemnonThe role of women in ancient Greece when placed alongside that of men is relatively insignificant, yet in Greek tragedies such as Agamemnon, Oedipus the King and Orestes, women are often assigned the title of "main character", thus revealing the ideal standards of how women are treated and thought of in the society of the time. Many, if not most, Greek folk tragedies have several female roles that are not simple and inconsequential but rather complex and carefully thought out to be involved well in the play. Usually, female characters take on the role of heroine, victim, or villain. Sometimes, to make the play even more dramatic, playwrights incorporate all three personalities into a single female role. A well-known woman who achieved this was Clytemnestra in Aeschylus' Agamemnon who threw many twists into the plot. Having Agamemnon away at war for so long left Clytemnestra alone and longing for his return, as did many others who thought order had been lost since then. his departure. And of course, since she's second in command when he's present, she's the boss while he's away. “That woman handles herself like a man” (Aeschylus 13). When comparing Agamemnon and Clytemnestra together, they may be on two separate scales. From the outside it is obvious that Agamemnon wears trousers in the house, yet in the dialogues between the two Agamemnon easily bends to Clytemnestra's words which raises the question of who really rules Argos. He takes things upon himself to make Agamemnon seem like more of a king than he would be without his "help". For example… half of the paper… very little power in this play, but Kitto claims that she “brings out the character of Agamemnon, the titular hero of the play; underlines in front of the public his tragic flaw: pride and arrogance” (Conti). Although she appears to be in Clytemnestra's shadow, her gift of prophecy proves otherwise. Because of Clytemnestra's powerful character and her devious plan, Cassandra gets the short end of the stick and is sometimes overlooked. While this is true, in some cases she acts as the only way Aeschylus can communicate and draw the reader's attention not only to Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, but also to the fine print of the play. Cassandra is one of those typically Aeschylean women who are touched by a feeling of divine strength that is expressed in a visual and visionary imagination.