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Example research essay topic: Front Of His Wife Aeschylus Agamemnon Gods - 1,005 words

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The Greeks believed that too much power entrusted in one person was dangerous. They were the first democratic society in a tumultuous world of kings and emperors, and they were proud of their ideology. Considering their fervent believe in rule by many, its not surprising that many Greek dramas revolve around an individual hero or a king's fall from power because of pride or some other personality flaw. Well-known characters in some of the greatest Greek tragedians' plays illustrate this idea. In Aeschylus's Agamemnon, the title character is a returning king who behaves arrogantly and thoughtlessly. He is murdered by his wife and his kingdom falls apart.

Sophocles's character Oedipus ends up killing his father, losing his kingdom and his wife and mother, and becoming a blind, wandering outcast for the rest of his life. Jason in Euripides's Medea deserts his family for a new marriage which he hopes will further his station, but his old wife kills his new wife and his children, ending his hopes for a shining future. The evolving theme of an individual's weakness and subsequent downfall supports the Greek's democratic system, where no individual becomes too powerful. Agamemnon is a great warrior, but not a great family man. On his way to the Trojan war, he sacrificed his daughter to the gods so that his ships would be able to arrive safely and swiftly. This is an especially rotten thing to do because the war is being waged to reclaim just one woman, Helen.

It is hard to justify killing ones own daughter so that somebody else can get his wife back. However, war is what he is good at, and if he didnt sacrifice his daughter he would be letting down an entire army. From his point of view, he doesnt have much of a choice, and he does realize that killing his daughter was cruel. The fact that he recognizes and regrets, at least a little bit, his crime makes Agamemnon seem more like an ill-fated man than a bad man, which shows that the gods are naturally inclined to be prejudiced against those who hold power. He goes on to wage war and destroy innocent lives, angering both the people and the gods.

The chorus predict his downfall: The gods fail not to mark those who have killed many. The black Furies stalking the man fortunate beyond all right wrench back again the set of his life and drop him to darkness (Aeschylus, Agamemnon, 461 - 466). He does come to a bad end in an ironic twist as Agamemnon, the sacrificer, becomes the victim when his wife Clytemnestra murders him. Agamemnon's arrogance and weakness, symptoms of too much power, become obvious when he finally returns home from war.

His wife greets him effusively and delightedly, but he says that her speech to him, like his absence, was too long (915 - 916). Then he mocks her idea of placing rugs before him to walk on, saying that his reputation is strong enough without resorting to womanish tricks like walking on purple carpets. He feels he must boast in front of his wife, the one person who should not need convincing of his greatness. This shows how he loses some common sense in his preoccupation with the prestige of his name. Agamemnon then shows off his "booty" from the war, Cassandra. This is very disrespectful to his wife and shows again that Agamemnon is thoughtless and cruel.

He throws Cassandras presence in his wifes face, asking her to conduct her graciously within (950 - 951). All this behavior shows Agamemnon in an unfavorable light. He doesnt show any kindness to his wife, whom he hasnt seen in a decade; in fact he makes fun of her. He doesnt stand up for his principles and he is careless by parading his mistress in front of his wife. He isnt acting like a very good king, and his people arent impressed by him. The fact that he survived the war when many other heroes didnt may have made him more grating, because the chorus has hinted that he was well-liked before he left.

The people, however did condemn his decision to kill his daughter. He made an individual choice which affected many in a negative way, and this could only happen in a system when a king is allowed to make a decision which sickens his people. In a democracy this never would have happened. At the beginning of the Sophocless book, Oedipus is presented to us as being extremely arrogant. His city is in the midst of a mysterious plague which can only be lifted when a murderer is exposed and destroyed.

Oedipus claims that he, who solved the riddle of the sphinx, will quickly put the matter to rights. Any good Greek should know the dangers of hubris, but Oedipus is a bit of a braggart: "And justly you will see in me an ally, a champion of my country and the God" (Oedipus Rex, 135 - 136). He makes a show of humility before the gods in front of his people, saying, .".. to put compulsion on the Gods against their will- no man can do that" (280 - 281). He is a success and he knows it, but he tries to play the role of a humble man. His true feelings, however, become evident when Tieresias delivers his prophecy.

It is one that Oedipus doesn't like, and accordingly he refuses to believe it, essentially denying the truth of the gods. Oedipus claims repeatedly to be pious and honorable before the gods, but he denies that they could possibly be working against him. He is too wrapped up in his concern about his crown. This is representative of Sophocless belief that a king is constantly obsessing about his rule and his power. After hearing Tieresias's prophecy, he immediately accuses Creon of trying to usurp his throne, revealing what is really on his mind: power. Oedipus is obsessed with the idea that he is a perfect k...


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Research essay sample on Front Of His Wife Aeschylus Agamemnon Gods

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