Thursday, October 8, 2015
Gendered language
In class today, I asked you to pay attention to the language that is used to describe Clytemnaestra and her femaleness--or lack there of. Now that we've come to the end of the play, what are your thoughts about the portrayals of men and women throughout the play? Are there consistent themes? Surprising contradictions? Bizarre anomalies? What should we make of all that? Please refer to passages that illustrate your points.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think Clytaemnestra’s “gender role” isn’t very clear. She first distances herself when she says to the Chorus Leader “You try me out as if I were a woman and vain; but my heart is not fluttered as I speak before you” (p. 69). Not only is Clytaemnestra saying that a woman would be nervous and she isn’t, but also that she isn’t vain, something that says to me that she is trying to come off as humble. This makes sense when considering it’s a response to the Chorus Leader accusing her of speaking “with mouth so arrogant, to vaunt above your fallen lord?” The Chorus Leader’s line is interesting because we have talked in class about how “arrogance” is trying to rise above one’s station. The Chorus Leader is not only accusing Clytaemnestra of acting out of her station, but also of usurping power.
ReplyDeleteThe Chorus Leader comparing Aegisthus to a Clytaemnestra also struck me: “So then you, like a woman, waited the war out here in the house, shaming the master’s bed with lust, and planned against the lord of war this treacherous death?” (p. 77). The implications of this statement are twofold. First, it says Aegisthus does what a woman would do – in other words, act cowardly and treacherously. However, Clytaemnestra is separated from her womanhood by doing such things, at least to the Chorus Leader’s eyes. While this statements feels more to me like a quick insult than a thoroughly thought-out statement, it still reveals connections between gender and action, and how Aegisthus is breaching that connection.
Clytemnaesta is portrayed as somewhat masculine throughout Agamemnon. I believe that one great reason for this masculinity is her choices and actions, particularly when they defy the stereotypical Greek culture.
ReplyDeleteTypically, while it was common for a Greek male to take a mistress or other partner in addition to their wife, it was expected that women stick with only one man. But, Clytemnaesta accepts a second partner anyways. We know this because of the secrets and rumors about the royal house. In lines 33 and 34, the watchman mentions, “I leave to silence; for an ox stands huge upon my tongue.” Additionally, Clytemnaesta says, “May he find a wife within his house as true as on the day he left.” (606-607) By keeping her affair relatively secret, she tries to hide this touch of masculinity,
Also, Clytemnaesta demonstrates power, typically something more for men of the time. While Agamemnon is away, Clytemnaesta rules for 10 YEARS, and when he returns, she kills him without sadness or regret, which were the womanly characteristics that we saw within Medea during the murders of her family member. She stated, “Much have I said before to serve necessity, but I will feel no shame now to unsay it all.” (1371-1374) No qualms about the murder is something we typically see among the men of the Greeks—the men fighting away at Troy, Oedipus killing his father and the others that blocked his way, etc.
It is for these qualities and behaviors that Clytemnaesta can be seen for he masculinity.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI just wanted to apologize to anyone reading this for repeatedly mispelling Clytemnestra's name. It was so long that I just kept it on the paste tab, and of course I misspelled it the first time, and so it was misspelled everytime. See? Haste makes waste!
DeleteIn Agamemnon, women are stereotypically seen as illogical and impulsive. The chorus says: “It is very like a woman in command to concede gratitude before the facts appear: too ready to persuade, a female ranges beyond her boundary, quick to move; but doom is quick for rumor when a woman spreads it, and it is destroyed. (483-487)” This is criticism to Clytaemetra when she claims that Troy is about to get destroyed. However, no one believes her. The chorus responds, like in the quote, that Clytaemetra believes, and on top of that, spreads rumors that have no evidence.
ReplyDeleteThe world of the play also views woman as cunning and deceptive. The chorus leader says to Aegisthus near the end of the play: “So then you, like a woman, waited the war out here in the house, shaming the master’s bed with lust, and planned against the lord of war this treacherous death? (1625-1627)” In this quote, the phrase “waited the war out here in the house” symbolizes the cunningness of women: they don’t fight fairly and honorably, but instead, attack from the dark.
I agree with Ranjan that Clytaemestra tries to distance herself with the conventional perception of women time to time, but I feel that Clytaemestra overall tries to fit into the definition of women, just so that she could prove that women are not as looked down upon as the people in the play do. It is also her hubris that wants to prove herself worthy even in the status as a woman. In the beginning of the play, Clytaemestra points out that people have called her "such a woman in all her ways" (Line 609) when she was hoping for Agamemnon to come back. Yet, she points out that because she has been waiting in a 'womanly' manner and opened the gates at the right time for Agamemnon's arrival as a good woman should (Lines 587-597), she was able to rightfully celebrate his arrival. She was trying to convey to the chorus, which are composed of old conservative men, that being 'womanly' could also bring benefits. She tried to break the gender norms of that society. In the end, when Clytaemestra's crime is revealed, she asks the men the get over it and tells them that 'Thus a woman speaks among you. Shall men deign to understand?' (Lines 1661-1662) This quote is basically mocking the men for not being able to move on Agamemnon's death, which a woman has caused. She takes her stand that such a woman like her could speak up amongst men and not back out.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the entire play was full of gender stereotyping. There were numerous occasions in which the chorus looked down upon an action for being womanly (i.e. as Ranjan pointed out, the accusation of Aegisthus for committing sly vengeance over lust in Lines 1625-1627) or gave Clytaemestra shade for being such a 'woman' (plotting death, hoping for return of Agamemnon in beginning, etc.)
My interpretation of the way in which Clytemnestra’s gender is portrays draws very much off both Rungon and Katie’s interpretation. More than simply specific moments in the play I believe that the whole idea that Clytemnestra holds power, takes a lover other than Agamemnon, and then kills Agamemnon himself questions many stereotypes surrounding gender. In response to the murder of Agamemnon the chorus cries, “…kindest of men, who for a woman’s grace suffered so much, struck down at last by a woman.” (1451-1453). This speaks to the drastic difference between the way that a king (man) was viewed and the way that a queen (woman) was viewed. I am not justifying Clytemnestra killing Agamemnon; however, Agamemnon is far from innocent as the chorus says.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, Clytemnestra is smart. This seems simple but the way that we see women usually portrayed or assumed to be is as relatively subservient to their husbands. By taking on Aegisthus as her lover and plotting the demise of her husband and king the character of Clytemnestra must have shocked many people in ancient Greek culture.
I believe that the play of “Agamemnon” has some anomalies when it comes to the portrayal of females and males compared to the other Greek plays that we have read. In many plays, the women are usually portrayed as weak and permissive. The men are usually portrayed as the strong warriors / fighters. I feel that this is completely switched in “Agamemnon” (especially in the characters of Clytaemestra and Aegisthus). Clytaemestra not only ruled Argos in Agamemnon’s absence, but she also directly killed Agamemnon and Cassandra. At one point (in reference to the killing of Agamemnon), Clytaemestra said, “I struck him twice. In two great cries of agony / he buckled at the knees and fell. When he was down / I struck him the third blow…” (Lines 1384 – 1386). Clytaemestra also says, “These being the facts, elders of Argos assembled here, / be glad, if it be your pleasure; but for me, I glory” (Lines 1393-1394). Both of these quotes show characteristics that are usually given to men in the Greek plays. She brutally kills her husband and she feels glory in doing do. Unlike Medea who kills the princess and Creon (technically indirectly) and kills her kids (arguably feeling guilty because of it), Clytaemestra loves the fact that she killed her husband for the bad things that he has done.
ReplyDeleteAegisthus on the other hand shows more characteristics that are usually given to female characters. Aegisthus said that he was the one that truly hated Agamemnon and that he came up with the entire plot to kill Agamemnon. He also got Clytaemestra to do the killing “for him”. He got someone to do his bidding. Ranjan brought up a good quote to show this. I believe that the most important part of the quote is, “So then you, like a woman, waited the war out / here in the house…” (Lines 1625-1626). The Chorus leader is comparing Aegisthus to a woman because he did absolutely no fighting. He did not kill Agamemnon himself and he did not even join the other men to fight in Troy. In the eyes of the common people, Aegisthus should be ashamed of himself because he did not do the work of a man (fighting and risking one’s life to win a war). I really found this play interesting because of the fact that it switched up normally portrayed gender roles. Maybe this gender role reversal was done by Aeschylus in order to show the certain characteristics (no matter good or bad) can be shared by both men and women. He possibly also may have just wanted to switch up the normal roles of the characters in Greek plays.
Clytemnestra role in the play is different then any other character who we read up about and thats because her vengeance is unique and she doe not fit the mold of a women. Medea another female character who had a similar issue as Clytemnestra was a lot more direct and wanted to afflict more of a emotional vengeance to her husband by killing there kids. After she kills her kids though she feels sorry for what she has done and we see signs of remorse. Clytemnestra's revenge was more pyhsical as she just had her new lover Aegithus kill him with no emotional damage. The reason for this anger was because not only does he just arrive with a new women after 10 years, Cassandra Prince of Troy who predicts this whole thing; Clytemnestra anger also sprouts from the idea that he sacrificed there own virgin daughter during a storm to help his Greek Ship. So when Aegithus kills him and Clyttemnestra feels no remorse this really leaves the realm of female characteristics and there compassionate remorseful attitudes as women. Shown in the plays read before each felt remorse, Jocasta expresses remorse after she finds out the truth of her incest deeds and kills herself, Medea feels remorse after killing her children, but Clytemnestra feels no remorse in the role she played in her husbands death. This can be seen when she says on lines (1675) as the play finishes "come now, dearest, you and I have the power; we two shall bring good order to our house at least". By saying this it shows here willingness to just move on from the death of her husband. The failure for remorse really hits the lack of femaleness Aeschylus expresses through Clytemnestra that was not seen in female characters such as Medea and Jocasta.
ReplyDelete