During our group discussion in class today, there were a couple of scenes and aspects of The Oresteia that made me think of Macbeth. The scene where Orestes winds up going mad because of the murder of his mother, makes me think of Lady Macbeth and Macbeth. This is because they both wind up going insane and start seeing things shortly after murdering the king. Lady Macbeth winds up sleepwalking and always has dreams of the blood still being on her hands and Macbeth winds up seeing ghosts. Both in the end are killed which is similar to the cycle of revenge found in The Oresteia.
One comparison that someone in our discussion group pointed out struck me. It is how the characters of Lady Macbeth and Clytaemnestra are very similar. Both seem to be very aggressive and willing to take action where most women would wait for the man to take charge. Lady Macbeth actually wishes at one point that she is a man so she can commit the murder herself because Macbeth is very hesitant. In the same way, when Clytaemnestra hears about a disturbance in her house, she yells out, "Hand me the man-axe, someone, hurry!" She doesn't hesitate at all to take up arms to defend her house. Also, Orestes hesitates when killing his mother, but never do we read about Clytaemnestra hesitating before killing her own husband. Another similarity is how Lady Macbeth and Clytaemnestra were the main planners of the murders they each committed. Even though Macbeth is the one who killed the king, Lady Macbeth is the one planning everything, just as Clytaemnestra had her husband's murder all planned out and even committed the crime herself. Also, in the end they both are disturbed by dreams after the murders. So, was the character of Lady Macbeth based off of Clytaemnestra? I guess we will never know, but it is kind of odd how similar the plays of Macbeth and The Oresteia are fairly similar.
P.S. commented on Rebekah Dye's Clytaemnestra vs. Penelope.
It reminded me of Lady Macbeth as well. I briefly mention it in my blog but the scene in Macbeth where's she's sleep walking and trying to wash the blood off her hands reminds me of Orestes reaction after killing his mother. It's a very interesting comparison.
ReplyDeleteI also was reminded of that. Both of these women were not afraid to kill; both had nightmares after killing. They're definitely not sweet, motherly people.
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